Yet another new hobby.......soap!

Well, today I made my first batch of soap, using some fresh goat's milk, lard, lye, and oatmeal. I didn't add any fragrance, mainly because one of the reasons I wanted to make my own soap was to get away from fake smelly stuff. But also because essential oils are expensive. I'd like to try a peppermint scent if I can find Peppermint essential oil cheap.

But........I got to thinking. Wouldn't it be wonderful in a couple of months to put a couple of fresh hop leaves/cones into a batch of soap? My cascade especially. Yum! Put a cone or two in the food processor, and chop it fine, and stir it in?

I'm going to have to try that..........when the hops finally appear in August.

Congrats!! Never made soap before, but I've gotten to know a lot of home soap makers through badgerandblade.com. The soap I buy for the winter is a lot like the one you just made. It moisturizes like no other soap I've used.

Hop soap would be awesome!!! If I were you, I'd venture over to Badger and Blade. Some people in the soap making or cologne section might have ideas on how to better extract some sort of essential oil from the hops. I'd imagine you could soak a bunch of cones in everlcear. I guess the next best thing would be just to grind the cones straight into the soap though.

Since I'm definitely no expert and my first batch isn't even hardened, but one of the things I've been reading is to never use alcohol in your soap. It does something chemically to it and it won't turn out. So, no perfume or other fragrances that have an alcohol base. (Definitely no vanilla extract!). So you have to use essential oils, or actual pieces of herbs and dried citrus peel. I guess I would have to use dried hops, come to think of it. Otherwise, it might rot while the soap is curing.

I have some dried homegrown cascades in the freezer. If this first batch turns out, I might try a goat's milk/cascade hop blend for next time!

I grind into a powder, mix with a neutral spirit and proceed from there.
Cascade, Ahtanum or any other " C " hops would work very well.

thataintchicken said:

I grind into a powder, mix with a neutral spirit and proceed from there.
Cascade, Ahtanum or any other " C " hops would work very well.

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I wonder- wouldn't it be cool to have a little bit of hops in the soap? Or not really? Maybe taking a shower, you'd be picking little pieces of hops off of yourself.

Does grinding it make the soap green-ish?

YooperBrew said:

I wonder- wouldn't it be cool to have a little bit of hops in the soap? Or not really? Maybe taking a shower, you'd be picking little pieces of hops off of yourself.

Does grinding it make the soap green-ish?

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depends on the amount you add. If you want a subtle scent, you really don't need that much. chunks you would notice more, or a coarse grind.

Funny that one of the better known soap makers is about 22 miles from you in Florence, WI. MamaBears soaps, http://mamabearssoaps.com/

mama bears soaps are good, but spendy...
there are cheaper alternatives...

but mama bear customer service is top-notch.

I suppose it all comes down to price -vs- service.

sause said:

Funny that one of the better known soap makers is about 22 miles from you in Florence, WI. MamaBears soaps, http://mamabearssoaps.com/

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Sue makes the best shave soaps!!

Edcculus said:

Sue makes the best shave soaps!!

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Hmmm. I knew that they made soap, but I actually only know of them from the homebrew club. I never go to meetings- since the meetings are usually about an hour's drive each way, so I've never met them.

I've threatened to make soap for a long time now. if I could only catch up on my other hobbies... I technically have nothing holding me back but lack of time and a few ingredients. I should have all the basic equipment to get it done.

I've used some homemade soap and loved it. My wife thinks it's silly. She uses the liquid stuff from the store. We'll see who is enjoying life after the apocalypse!

Homercidal said:

We'll see who is enjoying life after the apocalypse!

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need a good soap after a day of zombie huntin'.

awesome yooper, soap making is a blast. i think you're idea about grinding the hops up into a powder would work fine. i've done it with rosemary before and it adds a nice exfoliating touch. the only problem i forsee is that during the saponification process, it gets really hot and usually turns anything green into brown or black and a good bit of the aroma will be lost during the curing process (4-6 wks). have you started playing around with soap calculators? kinda like brewing software, here's the one i like to use when planning out a batch: http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp

nothing like drinking a homebrew in the shower while lathering yourself with homemade soap.

android said:

awesome yooper, soap making is a blast. i think you're idea about grinding the hops up into a powder would work fine. i've done it with rosemary before and it adds a nice exfoliating touch. the only problem i forsee is that during the saponification process, it gets really hot and usually turns anything green into brown or black and a good bit of the aroma will be lost during the curing process (4-6 wks). have you started playing around with soap calculators? kinda like brewing software, here's the one i like to use when planning out a batch: http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp

nothing like drinking a homebrew in the shower while lathering yourself with homemade soap.

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I've been reading lots about soapmaking, and seen the soap calculators. I'm still reading about ingredients. Some of the ingredients are expensive, so I'm going to play around with some basics first before I invest in too many ingredients.

The first batch is cut and curing. It sure ain't pretty, since I used a cake pan for a mold and just cut with a knife. But I think it was worthwhile.

I have plenty of goat's milk, so I am looking into using that milk for some of the soaps.

Try the "Fight Club" approach...got any Plastic Surgery clinics around there?

There is a flower shop in Kenosha that makes their own soap too. They have one with honey in it. It smells really good.

Short Drive said:

There is a flower shop in Kenosha that makes their own soap too. They have one with honey in it. It smells really good.

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You know, I'd love to try honey in a soap, especially if it gives it a nice fragrance without adding anything to it.

So far, it was fun to make up the soap and cut it. But, it's worse than beer as far as patience goes! The soap now has to cure for weeks. I'll have to make beer in between waiting for the soap. So far, all of my home hobbies (wine, beer, cheese, now soap) require patience. It's a good thing I'm not too much into immediate gratification.

Hop soap would be naturally antibacterial too. I had to buy some natural deodorant b/c the speed stick was irritating, and it has hops in it for an antibacterial odor reducing property. It works too.

Ichthy said:

Hop soap would be naturally antibacterial too. I had to buy some natural deodorant b/c the speed stick was irritating, and it has hops in it for an antibacterial odor reducing property. It works too.

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Good point!

I saw a couple of recipes online that used beer instead of the water in soap. I'm not sure it would work but it might be worth a try. A coffee stout soap would really be great!

Paper making is pretty much instant gratification, from what I've seen.

Not sure if the heat after adding hops is that big a deal. It's not like it has anywhere to go. It's sort of just stuck inside the soap, right? So if there is no way for it to get to the surface, it should remain in there...

Homercidal said:

Paper making is pretty much instant gratification, from what I've seen.

Not sure if the heat after adding hops is that big a deal. It's not like it has anywhere to go. It's sort of just stuck inside the soap, right? So if there is no way for it to get to the surface, it should remain in there...

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I don't know- the heat causes saponification and I'm not sure the aroma would stick around. I'll have to try it and see!

After reading this thread, I IM'd my girlfriend and she said she'd be interested in starting up this hobby with me. I might have found myself a future hobby!

People still IM?

Edcculus said:

People still IM?

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I hear Pittsburgh is going to have cell phones any day now!

Can you use hop oil/extract instead of whole hops?

This is intriguing... I feel a trip to the library in my future.

LOL I read your OP yoop and all I could think about was fight club..

With enough soap you can blow up just about anything!

Dont kiss your hand and accidentally pour lye on it.

SWMBO and I made our fist batch of soap just about a month ago. It is curing as we speak. Like Yooper's our soap is not too pretty but it is still soap. I had to cut it with a hack saw. Our soap was made with Olive Oil, Lye and Water. We used a 2.5' section of 3" PVC pipe with 2 end caps. When making Beer Soap you use the beer for your water addition. You heat it up to a boil, remove it and then put it in a jar to let it go flat. This is going to be our next soap making attempt. With regards to hops I thought about either cold steeping them or making a tea and using the tea as my water addition

YooperBrew said:

I don't know- the heat causes saponification and I'm not sure the aroma would stick around. I'll have to try it and see!

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I thought the saponification process created the heat, not the other way around. Either way, my theory is that the aroma can't leave the soap unless it has surface contact with the air. Not sure if the chemical process would destroy the aroma molecules or not.

Are you making basic soap? The book I have has recipes for what they call "french" soap IIRC. It's basic lye soap that is shaved and remelted. After the melting process, it's reformed in molds. This is the time they recommend adding scents and oils. The soap is supposed to turn out milder I think. It's been a while since I've read the book (Don't use the back bathroom very often).

EDIT: The term was MILLED soap.

Homercidal said:

I thought the saponification process created the heat, not the other way around. Either way, my theory is that the aroma can't leave the soap unless it has surface contact with the air. Not sure if the chemical process would destroy the aroma molecules or not.

Are you making basic soap? The book I have has recipes for what they call "french" soap IIRC. It's basic lye soap that is shaved and remelted. After the melting process, it's reformed in molds. This is the time they recommend adding scents and oils. The soap is supposed to turn out milder I think. It's been a while since I've read the book (Don't use the back bathroom very often).

EDIT: The term was MILLED soap.

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No, I'm not going to with milled soap. Just the one-step of making the soap bars. You're right- the saponification process creates heat. When making the goat's milk soap, it was hard to keep it from "burning" and scorching the soap because it gets HOT!

I'm using cold process, and it was actually pretty easy. The ingredients I want to use are expensive, so I'm going attempting it with lard, coconut oil, etc, right now.

But while I was googling for soap making, I found some recipes for making homemade body lotion. So, I think I want to do that, too.............

YooperBrew said:

But while I was googling for soap making, I found some recipes for making homemade body lotion. So, I think I want to do that, too.............

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This time next year you will be starting your own line of woman's products!!

Let me know how the soap turns out if/when you put the hops in it ill have to try to beg a bar from you!

YooperBrew said:

I've been reading lots about soapmaking, and seen the soap calculators. I'm still reading about ingredients. Some of the ingredients are expensive, so I'm going to play around with some basics first before I invest in too many ingredients.

The first batch is cut and curing. It sure ain't pretty, since I used a cake pan for a mold and just cut with a knife. But I think it was worthwhile.

I have plenty of goat's milk, so I am looking into using that milk for some of the soaps.

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you can use cheap ingredients like crisco, cheap regular old olive oil (which is actually better for soap than EVOO), coconut oil (solid from wally, very cheap and awesome for soap), canola oil and good old 100% lye from a local hardware store (usually sold alongside the drain cleaners, but make darn sure it states 100% lye on the label). and then you can add botanical stuff like dried rosemary, coffee, oatmeal, etc. and it's awesome that you have a source for goat's milk, that will make great soap. a nice oatmeal goat's milk sounds nice! anyway, my point is that soap making can be really cheap and make really nice soap at the same time. the only stuff i had to invest in really was a hand-mixer from wally (like $10), which if you haven't read about using yet makes soap making a helluva lot easier, and a cheapo stainless steel pot (i got the set of 4 from wally a long time ago for like $20). the essential oils are where you can spend a lot, but i just tend to get the cheaper ones in bulk like peppermint, tangerine, eucalyptus, etc. glad to hear others are interested in it, it can be super addictive also! you seem to have some handy skills, so building a simple box is nice for a mold. i have one that fits a 3 lb. batch perfectly and if you're interested, i'll be happy to give you the dimensions for it. i usually end up with 8-10 nice sized bars from that size batch.

forgot to add that i definitely wouldn't recommend milling (rebatching) soap, it just doesn't turn out very good with homemade soap equipment, i've tried it a few times with shoddy success (then again, maybe i just didn't find a good method for it).

YooperBrew said:

But while I was googling for soap making, I found some recipes for making homemade body lotion. So, I think I want to do that, too.............

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Teresa ( aka SWMBO ) sez : 1 medium size jar of Vaseline, 1 large bottle of the cheapest lotion you can find plus, any essential oil you can find --- then , whip it with a hand blender till it's thoroughly mixed and whippy ( high tech term ) and there ya go. It's not super greasy and great for right after a shower.
:rockin:

Edcculus said:

People still IM?

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Yes, via Gmail.

I hope you don't think I was using that prehistoric technology called AIM.

android said:

you can use cheap ingredients like crisco, cheap regular old olive oil (which is actually better for soap than EVOO), coconut oil (solid from wally, very cheap and awesome for soap), canola oil and good old 100% lye from a local hardware store (usually sold alongside the drain cleaners, but make darn sure it states 100% lye on the label). you seem to have some handy skills, so building a simple box is nice for a mold. i have one that fits a 3 lb. batch perfectly and if you're interested, i'll be happy to give you the dimensions for it. i usually end up with 8-10 nice sized bars from that size batch.

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Well, I can't seem to find cheap olive oil, but I have all the other stuff. I know I'm looking for the refined, or pomace, one. I'm going to travel next week to the NHC, so maybe I'll find a GFS or store with cheaper oil. We're very limited here in stores. I'd love to see a picture of your box, and have the dimensions!

thataintchicken said:

Teresa ( aka SWMBO ) sez : 1 medium size jar of Vaseline, 1 large bottle of the cheapest lotion you can find plus, any essential oil you can find --- then , whip it with a hand blender till it's thoroughly mixed and whippy ( high tech term ) and there ya go. It's not super greasy and great for right after a shower.
:rockin:

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That sounds great! I'll have to try it.

YooperBrew said:

I'd love to see a picture of your box, and have the dimensions!

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Mark my words.
This is gonna end up in a signature...

android said:

forgot to add that i definitely wouldn't recommend milling (rebatching) soap, it just doesn't turn out very good with homemade soap equipment, i've tried it a few times with shoddy success (then again, maybe i just didn't find a good method for it).

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Hmm... I have not tried it yet, but the book I have made it look extremely simple. Although I did read on the internet recently that the actual method of pressing the soap between rollers is called milling, whereas the process in my book is grating and reheating with some water. It looks like a melt and remold process.

This is going to have to be a nice summer project for me once the kids are out of school and I get my sht together.

JayInJersey said:

Mark my words.
This is gonna end up in a signature...

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Well, you know what I mean!

yeah, sorry yoop, i forget that you're in the yoop... i don't specifically look for pomace or refined, but just get the stuff that says 'olive oil' without the virgin/extra virgin designation, it works great. i'll shoot a pic of that box this afternoon and measure it up.

No one has responded to my reply regarding using hop extract/oil. As I don't know anything about soap making I'm legitimately curious if this is a viable option.