Today, I wanna talk about my little adventure making a brick of soap. It wasn’t some fancy project, just a regular day where I thought, “Why not try making some soap?” So, I did.
First off, I had to gather all the stuff I needed. I found this old book in the attic that had a section on soap making. It listed out all these ingredients like oils and lye and some other things. I didn’t have most of this stuff, so I made a trip to the local store. I remember standing there, looking at all the different oils, wondering which one would make the best soap. I mean, there’s coconut oil, olive oil, and a bunch of others. I just grabbed a few that seemed okay.
Then came the lye. I heard it can be pretty harsh, so I made sure to wear gloves and goggles. Safety first, you know? I mixed the lye with water in a well-ventilated area – didn’t want to breathe in any nasty fumes. It got hot, which was kinda cool but also a bit scary.
Next, I heated the oils on the stove. The book said to get them to a certain temperature, but I didn’t have a thermometer, so I just guessed. I poured the lye mixture into the oils and started stirring. And stirring. And stirring. My arm got tired, but I kept going until it looked like pudding.
I had this old plastic container that I decided to use as a mold. I lined it with some wax paper – I think that’s what the book said to do. Then, I poured the soap mixture into the container and smoothed out the top. It looked kinda like a brick already.
Now, the waiting game. The book said it takes a few weeks for the soap to harden and cure. I put the container in a cool, dry place and just left it there. Every few days, I’d check on it, getting more and more excited to see the final product. And yeah, every time I peeked, it just looked solid, not much different. But I waited patiently.
Finally, the day came when I could unmold the soap. I carefully took it out of the container, peeled off the wax paper, and there it was – a solid brick of soap. It wasn’t perfect, had some rough edges, but I made it! I sliced it into smaller bars, and they looked pretty decent, if I do say so myself.
My Soap Recipe
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Lye
- Water
- Some essential oils for fragrance
Using the soap was the best part. It lathered up nicely and had a subtle scent from the essential oils I added. It felt good to use something I created from scratch. Sure, it wasn’t as fancy as those store-bought soaps with all the colors and patterns, but it was mine. And there’s something special about that. The whole thing was a fun little experiment. It taught me a bit about chemistry and a lot about patience. Would I do it again? Maybe. It’s definitely a lot of work, but the feeling of accomplishment is pretty great.
