Shampoo Rant-Rebellion-Revival!

There are many reasons I started making my own shampoo. In fact it was one of the very first home products that I ventured into making myself, and one that I have absolutely fell as addict to. It all started when I was pregnant with my now three year old son. As a pregnant mother I was very aware of my health. During my time being pregnant there just so happened to be a lot in the news about a leading brand of baby shampoo. The headlines screamed of formaldehyde as the culprit for all the attention...as I investigated, I came to realize that it was not the only ingredient in shampoo that I ought to be concerned about. What about the caustic chemicals? Phthalates? Parabens? Sodium Lauryl? Laureth sulfate? Msg? Propylene Glycol? DEA? Dioxane? and Artificial Fragrances? So many dangers...so being the naive shopper I was, went looking for shampoo's for my family to use that had words I understood in their list of ingredients. Hum...nope, and nope. 

I was still hopeful though..there *must* be a company that makes a good natural shampoo? Then I happened across an episode of CBC's Market place that had investigated the increasing amount of false claims of  companies offering "Natural" products. After having my eyes widened a little, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn't be %100 sure of what I was using until I made it myself. And so it started. 

I started out with a basic recipe for making shampoo bar from scratch...after much trial and err, have established a nice balance of essential oils & wild herbal plants that works wonderfully for us. Transitioning to a bar soap was somewhat of a leap of faith. The first few washes were terrible. My hair came out knarley and very unmanageable. I had read about the switch being a transition where your hair needed to get used to being washed with a shampoo soap (as supposed to a detergent soap), and held tight to the promise that it would get better...way better...and it did. I used an apple cider vinegar rinse to strip my hair of commercial buildup, chemicals and residues for a few weeks and refrained form using *any* commercial products. This included no conditioners (aside from some coconut oil), no gels, no sprays, no blow drying, no straightening and no dying. Slowly and over time my hair has transformed...what used to be damaged, brittle, dry one day and a grease bomb the next has turned into hair that is sleek, shiny and only needs washed 2X a week. My hair doesn't get staticy like it used to in the winter...nor does it get super greasy between washings. On top of that, dandruff and itchy scalp is a fable from times past! 

I'm not saying all these wonderful things about shampoo bars to sell anything. I'm saying it because I know how hard the switch can be (at least it was for me). There is a way to get off the expensive, unethical, unhealthy, corporate commercial shampoo wash wagon, and it doesn't have to mean forfeiting nice hair either! So, if you are like me...and want free from the trash that is in cosmetics..just go for it. Start with one thing. If you aren't handy with cosmetic recipes, and don't have time to make them yourself then I can do the leg work....buy a bar :) ....or the new all natural liquid shampoo. You can trust it is pure, wholesome and free from trash. If it wasn't I wouldn't be using it myself. 

I've worked hours to perfect the liquid shampoo and have increased the size of the bars, so it was due time for a photo shoot. I need a good photo to use for the facebook page, and so here are the contending pictures. Let me know which is your favorite :) 

Step-by-Step Soap Making, Oil Cleansing, New Venue, and A New Dress

I'm going to start off this post by showing you a step-by-step glance at how I make my soap. I wouldn't say it is a tutorial. More of a glimpse of how soaps are traditionally made. I have a few extras to share after, as it has been a busy week at the homestead. Following the soap, I will share some photos of my oil cleansing products, reveal my master marketing plans for this coming week, and share a collage of a dress I just finished making. Enough delay, onward...

Here is my Tallow that I had rendered from beef suet a few days ago. I have it in my soap pot and have weighted it according to the recipe. It will need heated to 120 degrees, and so I will turn the burner on low to get it started while I work on other things. 

This soap will be an Oatmeal & Honey soap. I was making a bar with Oatmeal, sage and yarrow, however I will be soon replacing it with the new Oatmeal & Honey. Here I take Organic Steel Cut Oats from Speerville Flower Mill and grind it to a soft, fine powder, leaving just enough grains to give a gentle exfoliation. 

Next up is the lye solution. I measure carefully and exactly the lye crystals into one jar. Also, I weigh the proper amount of cold water. Then, taking it outside, I slowly pour the lye crystals into the water (never pouring the water onto the lye). While I add the lye, I stir and stir until the lye dissolves. At this point, the solution of water and lye reacts to create a lot of heat. In order to add this solution to my tallow, it needs to drop in temperature considerably. I place it in a cold water bath, and monitor it with a thermometer while I return to the tallow, which is still warming on the stove. 

My son asked to help make soap today, and so here he is with the tallow. We have warmed it to just below 120 degrees, and he is stirring it as it continues to warm. It's important to watch the temps closely, because if the temp gets too high, then you have to readjust the heat again. 

Finally both the lye solution and the fats have reached their proper temperatures. Now it's time to mix. I slowly pour the lye solution into the fats, all the while stirring. 

Once all the lye has been added, I grab the stick blender with my free hand, and with both hands stirring, work the newly forming soap until it reaches "trace". Trace is the stage to which the soap thickens to a soft whip cream consistency.

I always line my pans. Some people don't, but I find it is easier to remove the loaf, and makes for an easy clean-up.

Pouring the soap into the mold.

Smoothing out the top of the loaf

Me! Ha!

I had pre-heated the stove to 100 degrees, and have 2 baking stones in there to absorb that heat. After I shut off the stove, I open the door just slightly to let some heat out. Once it is warm to touch, I place the soap loaf into the oven and close the door. I leave the tallow soap to incubate for the afternoon (normally 6-10hrs).

Soap incubating.

I was explaining to my son about the saponification process and the need to incubate. Essentially, slowly letting the soap gradually cool as the lye and fats continue to turn, chemically, into soap and glycerin.

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Here's just a few shots of me making oil facial cleansers. 

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Now, I have a few shots showing the display I have been working on. I have a space held for me at the Woodstock Farmers Market where I will be setting up on Nov 1st. With only days away, I have been adding the finishing touches. I am pretty excited to be returning to the down town market. I had vended there a few years ago, selling jewelry and sewn items, however once my youngest guy was born I found maintaining such a space was more demanding than I could keep up with. Times have changed, and I'm coming back! 

...and last but not least, here is the dress! It makes me feel pretty.

So Many Thanks! Soap, Pies, Culture and Apples!

Today, as I wind up my week, and in preparation for Thanks Giving, I think of all that God has blessed me with. At times work seems a burden, but as I look back at all I have learned, I am humbled. Not more than 12 years ago I lived day by day with the slightest of clue as to how to sustainably take care of my family. Sure, I knew how to get good deals at the supermarket, but really and truly, I had no skills that were worth much merit in the kitchen. I had failed to learn all I could as a young woman, while still under the protective arms of my mother. And there I was out in the world, and didn't even know how long to cook potatoes. Might I note..it wasn't for lack of my mother trying to teach me, but my own ignorance that kept me so blind to the world of homesteading. The kitchen is where it happens. 

Yesterday I made Tea Tree Soap. This morning, as I uncovered the bar that had been incubating under warm towels, I realized that it was through great grace that I have come to a point in my life where I cherish skills such as soap making. I truly believe that in the essence of a woman and mother, God created a desire for us to care for our families and gave us a certain sense of nurturing that only mothers have. In a small way, making soap fulfills that desire for me. I thank God for not only the desire, but for bringing me to a place where fulfilling that desire brings me such peace. 

Aren't those pastries lovely? Our Family dinner is planned for Monday, and so of course that is the perfect excuse for two sisters to bake the day away! She and I, with our youngest, wrestled the flour and created masterpieces! Beautiful and tasty. Absolutely! Thank you!

What's this? That's what I asked too. A friend of mine (who I might add is an amazing artist, who also exhibits at O'tooles) invited me to share in her Milk Kiefer Grains. I vaguely remembered something about Kiefer, but after the botched batches of Kombucha that I endured a few years ago, my ambitions with cultured drinks went wayward. Alas, the time was right and the grains are here and I am pumped to try it out! Thank You.

Lastly, here are the cinnamon and sugar apple slices that I have been waiting for months to make! (we ran out in March!). My dehydrator, with 9 shelves has been running 24/7 drying Chaga & Mushrooms, and so I called in backup! A good friend of mine (who BTW makes the best pies in town) just happened to have a dehydrator collecting dust and so was willing to lend me the air power to speed my drying pursuits. Horrah! 7 Trays and a motor to dry them! It's a factory here now. Perfect! Thank You!

This is full blown separation... bad, bad! ;-)

I have been making soap now for little over a year...perhaps 5-7 batches under my belt thus far. Last week I had a friend join me in creating some suds. She was taking notes as I guided her through what I knew. As a novice, I have been really blessed with soap success....at least up until this point! My soap was over due to come out of their molds. I had noticed, when I poured the soap that there were little blobs of, what seemed to be, oily patches near the end of the pouring. Weird aeh? I thought, well...we will see. Come to find out, while I was cutting my soap today, those patches turned into one large pocket of water. Humm...I poured off the water into the sink. A little baffled, I thought I'd search for an answer on line. I came across this page at Miller Soap. My problem, as per the chart, is as follows:

Soap has layer of water (lye solution) underneath

This is full blown separation... bad, bad! ;-)

Remelting is necessary! Double check your recipe for lye to fat ratio before proceeding, just in case. Be sure to save ALL liquids from your original recipe for the remelt.

Not exactly what I wanted to hear...I had dumped my liquids down my drain! Back to the drawing board, and to the trash my botched batch goes!