Why I've Decided Against Giving Soap Making Lessons, or "Have Lye, Will Not Travel"

Over the past year, a few people have indicated that they would be interested in learning how to make soap. I tend to prefer to say "yes" anytime something is asked of me, especially by friends. But the prospect of teaching soap brings up feelings of discomfort, for several reasons.

(The blah-blah below the fold is nothing more than a bunch of excuses.  The fact is that things are so hectic right now that I don't have time to teach anything to anyone except my own children.  Five years from now, probably I'll be begging for people who want to swap workshops. )

Back in the mid-1990's I went to a massage therapy school, and one of the classes offered in the program was on essential oils and aromatherapy. I had been a consumer of essential oils and since taking the class I've done some independent study on the subject.(Tisserand is my hero.) This was the only course I've ever taken on essential oils, and I don't consider myself a professional aromatherapist by any stretch of the imagination. I just know what I like.

The class covered techniques for blending essential oils in massage oil to enhance massage therapy. We discussed which oils are indicated for relaxation, for improving mood, for increasing energy and concentration, etc. We were given some recipes for some essential oil blends, which included the number of drops to add to a specific volume of oil. I don't remember anything at all about safety, sensitization, or toxicity. Maybe they taught it, but I mostly remember glowing accounts of the amazing powers of natural essential oils.

Don't get me wrong - essential oils are wonderful. They have many uses and can be a wonderful addition to daily life. But they can be harmful if not diluted safely. I learned this firsthand by mixing my own perfume some years ago - and applying the undiluted work in progress directly to my hand each day for several weeks as the formula evolved. A rash emerged on the skin, called sensitization, that now appears every time the spot comes into direct contact with most essential oils. It helps to protect the area by covering it whenever I work with undiluted essential oils. Things would be easier now if I had followed proper safety precautions from the beginning.

I do have this concern that I will teach a class, and even if I clearly describe and demonstrate safety precautions, someone will go home, create a lye volcano and burn themselves. Mothers have been saying for years, "You'll poke your eyes out," and people chuckle, but this is lye. It can burn the eyes. People have gotten lye into their eyes, irrigated for several minutes, went to the emergency room, and it turned out fine. That time. A few months ago a soap maker circulated pictures of a toddler who grabbed a container of lye water, badly burning her face and the front of her body. Within a few months and with medical care she was completely healed with no scarring. That time. I certainly wouldn't want to underestimate the possibility that a mishap might turn out badly. How would the person who taught that aromatherapy class all those years ago feel if she knew that a student only took that one class, didn't take away sufficient safety information, and harmed themselves? I realize I am responsible for what happened. Still, no one wants to think that they didn't cover the safety precautions thoroughly enough.

So there's one reason. Another is that I don't understand another person's motives and expectations. Why do they want to learn how to make soap? Here are some potential reasons to want to make soap:

"I'm crafty and I like to make things." To someone who says this, I would suggest that they try a melt and pour soap kit from a craft store. They may not need to hassle with lye to have a satisfying experience.

"I prefer to recycle as much as possible, and I don't like throwing out the fat when I cook meat. I hate unnecessary waste. I remember my Grandma used to save all the bacon grease in a crock on the stove, and make all of our laundry soap with it." It is possible to make a good soap with animal tallow from fresh fat scraps. The fat must be cleaned, which is labor intensive. The soap will turn out better if other oils are added, in my opinion. It's helpful to learn about the different soap making oils and fats, such as coconut, palm, olive, etc., because they all lend different properties to the soap, and the oils are selected depending on what you plan to use the soap for. I make a laundry soap that is processed with some beef tallow, but it also contains coconut oil and other fats. The current formula, developed through trial and error, cleans better than earlier attempts. A vegan soap made from coconut oil is effective, but too bubbly for my high efficiency washing machine.

"I want to do it like the pioneers did it." You'll need to make a caustic solution using a barrel or bucket filled with wood ashes. It's labor intensive. Then you'll need to render fat, did I mention that it's labor intensive? You'll need to cook the soap solution in a large cauldron over a fire. Without using the tools we have available today, such as electronic PH probes and digital scales, it is very difficult to control PH with this method. Without the safety equipment we use nowadays, it could be dangerous. In the old days, people learned to make soap from their elders and adjusted their methods through trial and error. The resulting soap was nothing like the soap we use today. I've never personally tried this, and I'm not about to any time soon.

"I dislike depending on the huge conglomerate companies for soap every time I bathe. I want to know exactly what is in my soap, have some control over it. I want to know how to do it myself." I totally get this individualistic approach. But someone with this type of motivation might like to know that just like you don't need Proctor and Gamble to take a bath, you don't need a teacher to make soap. There are tons of books in the library, and hundreds of tutorials on the Internet. Just do your research thoroughly before you get started. Also, know that some of the older books contain opinions and ideas about soap making that have since been discounted. I've noticed that people will even spout misinformation on online soap making lists and communities. The only solution to all this confusion is plenty of experience. Read everything you can find, and a clear picture will emerge.

"I like to use herbs and essential oils in my daily life, and would like to add these to my own hand made bath and body concoctions, including soap. I want to make soap for my family as an expression of love." Personally this is what I like best about soap making. I make what I love for myself and my family. I made a soap for my husband that positively makes me drool every time I smell it on him. I ask my children what kind of soap they want, and lovingly prepare it for them. Want a bubble gum-scented Castile-type soap? You've got it! Have you noticed that a certain formula works better on your skin, or does a better job of controlling odor? - I'll make it again - just for you! You'll need a fair amount of knowledge about herbs and essential oils before you get started, then you'll discover how these ingredients are affected by heat and PH. It's a steep learning curve but can be very satisfying.

"I want to make all-natural soap because natural is always better than all those chemicals!" Whoah there. Did you know that everything in Nature is made of chemicals? Did you know that many of the substances found in Nature are toxic? Just about everything on the planet can be toxic when exposure levels are high enough. Did you know that broccoli and potatoes contain toxins? Yes, it's true, some of the synthetic ingredients which are produced in a lab can be harmful. It's important to research and use common sense. Because I dislike our seemingly slavish dependence on petroleum-based products, I personally strive to avoid detergents which are synthesized from petroleum products. (Besides, my skin doesn't like detergents.) I also avoid fragrances which contain trace amounts of phthalates, because even though it's controversial, and they have been shown to pass through the body harmlessly, plenty of luscious fragrances are available without them. Fragrance oils are generally made from both natural and synthetic compounds, and have some advantages. I don't discount ALL ingredients and compounds which are produced in a lab. Synthetics can sometimes be better for the environment or less toxic to humans than their natural counterparts. It would be easier if we could always just say that all-natural is always better, but in my opinion it's not that simple.

"I love really good, luxurious soap, and I want the best. I want to make soaps that contain the best ingredients." This is another reason I make my own soap. I have always loved the finest soaps. Keep in mind that the best ingredients are very expensive. For me, it's a lot like cooking. If you've been cooking for many years, your personal taste in food will influence your recipes and the ingredients you choose. I find that when I go out to eat, I am sometimes disappointed because I prefer my own cooking. Soap can be like that too.

"I want to save money by making my own soap." Actually, it's not really cheaper to make your own soap than it is to wait until the brand you like goes on sale. By the time you buy the lye, electronic scale, the fats, oils and scent, you will have spent a lot of money. Plus, once you use a pot or spoon from your kitchen for soap making, it's not advised that you cook food with it again, so you'll need new kitchen equipment. Then you'll be tempted with all those gorgeous soap molds out there, and the next thing you know you are taking out a second mortgage on your house! Soap costs what it does. If you want to save money, stop downloading porn on pay-per-view. (Just kidding.)

Actually it is possible to save money on soap making ingredients by buying in bulk. However, ingredients go bad if they are not used before they expire. While some soaps formulas improve for years as they age, some go rancid months or years after they are made. Shelf life is affected by many factors.

In order to use up that much bulk material, it might seem to make sense to sell the soap. I have sold some soap, which has helped to offset some of my expenses but haven't come close to making a profit. If I had sufficient capital to start a real hand crafted soap making business, it would be years before it became profitable. I do not believe it is possible to make a living making and selling soap until one has been making soap for a number of years. This is because it can take years to develop the proprietary formulas. It's necessary to understand how the soap ages and what is the shelf life of your finished product. It's necessary to be able to reproduce the same formula again and again, with little discernible difference between batches. All of this takes a lot of time and practice. As a professional hand crafted soap maker, an individual represents an industry, and one bad soap maker can turn potential customers away from ever buying soap from anyone else. It's a huge commitment, and while I don't want to discourage anyone from doing it, I don't believe it's reasonable that anyone make their first batch of soap and depend on selling it six weeks later. Consider this: the first time a person sets foot in the kitchen and makes their first batch of brownies, they aren't quite a master chef - yet. No matter how delicious those brownies turned out.

I still think, a bit wistfully, that I'd like to start a full time, professional hand crafted bath and body business one day. However, there are many obstacles in the way, and if I ever do it, it will take years to get there. For now, I'll continue making all the soap, scent, deodorant and balms and salves my family uses, developing my formulas and processes, and selling a bit from the better batches on Etsy to recoup some of the costs. If anyone wants to learn how to make soap, I recommend they do what I did - read, study, research, plan, and eventually, when you are ready, give it a try - while judiciously observing safety precautions!