A glowing, unsolicited, unpaid endorsement

I am an amateur, still learning kind of soap-maker who can't cut a straight line if my life depended on it. So when I saw the Kelsei molds, I knew I had to buy it. I have had it for over a year now and love it.

I was previously using those wax cardboard type containers that half and half, whipping cream, or buttermilk come in and it worked perfectly well. In fact, it was easy to unmold (just tear open the container), cheap, and little clean up (just toss it in the trash). But when I went to cut my beautiful log of soap, I totally ruined its appearance with my dreadfully uneven cuts.

But now with my soap mold, I have bars of soap that are actually all the same size and no one will know of my complete ineptness.

Lavender Ylang Ylang Soap

Thanks so much for all the apron love. It was a lot of fun to make. We have my computer back. It needed a new hard drive. Unfortunately, we may have lost all of our files on our old hard drive. Hubby is still working on solving that problem.

About a year ago I decided to learn how to make soap. Hubby had struggled with eczema during the winter months and Little Pumpkin also had very sensitive skin. I had been buying handmade soap for our family through the local health food store that we have in our small town. We were totally sold on using handmade soap after feeling the difference in our skin.

Making our own soap sounded like such an adventure. It is definitely an adventure and oh, so much fun! I can't believe how amazing it is to watch oils and lye mix to become soap! Yesterday was my first attempt at swirling. I clearly need more practice, but it was sure fun. I scented the soap with lavender and ylang ylang essential oils. I have no experience with mixing up fragrance, but that is what I had on hand and I think the scent is going to be okay.

If you are interested in learning soap making, a couple of books have been invaluable to me. They are written in a clear, easy-to-read, easy-to-understand, conversational language with accurate recipes and directions. I don't think these books could steer you wrong.

Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson

Milk Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson

I also have an ebook written by Amy Kalinchuk that is absolutely wonderful. In fact, the recipe I made yesterday is from one of her ebooks. I can't get her website to come up now though so you might have to google it and see what happens. The titles of her books are "Making Soap in Your Own Kitchen" and "Best Soap Recipes"

A website that offers a ton of free advice on soapmaking is Miller Soap

Happy Soaping!!!

Edited to Add:

AHA! I found the link to Amy Kalinchuk's ebooks. Click here.