Laundry Soap Recipe

1/2 bar Fels Naptha or handmade castille soap grated
1 cup washing soda (not baking soda)
1 cup borax powder

A bucket about 2 gallon size.  Grate soap and put in large pan on stove with about 6-8 cups of water. When soap melts, add washing soda and borax and stir till dissolved. Now you can remove th pan from heat. Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket and add soap mixture. After stirring well, add 1 gallon plus 6-8 cups of water, again, stir well. Let soap sit till it gels, about 24 hours.  You only need to use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup a load!  Cost…pennies per load!

enjoy ~ Pam

Coffee soap
Ingredients:
8 oz wt Canola Oil
8 oz wt Coconut Oil
8 oz wt Olive Oil
8 oz wt Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (Crisco)
12 fl oz Water
4.5 oz wt Lye (sodium hydroxide)
1.5 oz of Columbian Coffee - (Oregon Trails)
1 T coffee grounds

This wonderfully Expresso Coffee smelling soap is the coffee lover’s dream. The luscious, wonderful smell of fresh ground coffee will fill you with delight - even if you don’t like coffee! It is also a great soap that washes away those nasty fish, garlic or onion odors! And for the gardener - oh my!! It is a wonderful treat!

Try making some coffee soap today! You’ll be glad you did.

Here’s a great recipe from one of our sponsors for Missouri Crafts Network - get ready for Valentine’s Day!!

Just in time for Valentines Day! 
A scrumptious, yummy chocolate lovers delight! The following will make a 2# batch. Percentages are given to calculate different sizes.

11.2 ounces (35%) Coconut Oil
11.2 ounces (35%) Olive Oil
3.2 ounces (10%) Castor Oil
6.4 ounces (20%) Unrefined cocoa butter
12.2 ounces distilled water
4.6 ounces sodium hydroxide
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder (1 TBSP PPO)
1 ounce Sweet Orange EO (0.5 ounces PPO)

Mix lye and water together until dissolved. Add cocoa powder to lye water and mix until blended. Allow lye mixture to cool to room temp stirring occasionally as needed to incorporate cocoa powder. Gently heat oils until just melted. Add room temp lye solution and stir with stick blender until well blended. Once soap reaches a mild trace, add in FO and continue to stick blend until thick trace is reached. Pour into lined wooden mold and place in preheated 200F oven. Cook for two hours. Turn off heat and leave soap in oven for another 24 hours. After 24 hours, unmold and cut.

This makes a very nice chocolate soap and the orange EO goes very well with it. ~ April of Sweet Lotus Creations

Blessings & Health

Pam
Missouri Crafts Network

An easy to make all Veggie soap that is great on your skin!

Vegetable Soap

50 Ounces Olive Oil
17 Ounces Coconut Oil
18 Ounces Any All Vegetable Shortening
11.5 Ounces Lye
32 Ounces Soft Water

Temperature - Lye Water 95-98 degrees ats 95-98 degrees

Instructions:

This is the big TIP - The night before making your soap, measure the lye and water into a container, stir until dissolved and then…..put it in a SECURE place where no one will get to it!

NOW, Soap Making Day….heat up a pot of water to boiling and place your cooled lye water into it. Warm it up to 98 degrees. Place your fats/oils in a pan and heat them to the right temperature.

When are at the correct temperatures, pour fats into a bowl and pour lye water into fats, as yo stir constantly or grab your handy dandy stick blender and give it a whirl. Soap will trace fairly quickly when using the stick blender. After it comes to trace, it’s time for you to add dried flowers, herbs, essential oils or whatever you choose. Stir again to mix thoroughly.

Pour this glob into your greased mold. I usually cover the top of the mold with a blanket and let it sit for 12-24 hours. After this time you can unmold it and cut it as desired and then stack it so that the air can circulate between the layers. Leave soap in a room temperature area for about 3-4 weeks. Should be ready to use after that.

For more info - check out our recipes at Missouri Crafts Network Soap Category!

~Pam~

Just thought I’d get this going - this is a good place to just get to know each other.

Just a few comments about me - I’m a great nana (at least that’s what my 6 grand daughters say!), a good wife (well, most of the time…been working on it for 37 years) and a great pet owner (my hubby says he wants to come back as one of my pets!). I love gardening, learning about herbs and holistic ways of nature, studying the biblical roots (instead of man’s doctrine/tradition), and networking with others that enjoy the same things.

This blog was created because I’d like to meet other crafters in the state of Missouri and couldn’t find any other way to do it. So I’m hoping that a LOT of Missouri Crafters will find our blog, our yahoogroup and our home page - Missouri Crafters!

My favorite craft is soap making, herbal tinctures and making herb vinegars - what’s yours?

Pam

Missouri Crafters
TLC Naturally
E Web Express

I love making soap! And it is true - no lye - no soap! I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked if my soap has lye in it! hehe - but I’ve got the ready answer - NO LYE NO SOAP - NO WAY!

My favorite soap is a wonderful mix of natural ingredients of Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil and Coconut Oil - along with real lavender flowers from my garden, and lavender essential oil. Oh my … not only does it smell like heaven, it IS heaven! The luxurious bubbles and creamy feeling that glides along your curves (or no curves) makes you feel like the most pampered person on the earth.

It actually is very easy to make - and I’ll be posting a recipe for Lavender Soap soon. Keep checking back.

~Pam~