Making Soap, a skill for shtf for trading

It's cool if you hunt because you can use the animal fat for soapmaking.

I make my own soaps, lotions, salves and serums. I barely spend anything on personal items any more. Either do my friends and family. It's an amazing hobby. Selling it right now is more work than I'm willing to invest, since you need permits, insurance, etc. Now, if the shtf, I will be in good shape, because I even know how to make medicinal salves and creams using essential oils and things like menthol crystals.

I am working on lip balms and such, It's still a new thing I've only done this for like 2 months, I have done coconut and essential oils, I didnt realize it was so easy.

good luck OP, I have never made any, but have looked into it.

I have lots of tallow from the oxtails I cook often.

love me some peppermint Dr. Brommers

Glycerine and essential oils?

In a pinch, Native Americans used anise weed or Liquorice plant as soap, if you are at a river they tend to grow there near the shores in may locations.

If I add Peppermint this would be very very similar.

You can can make lye from wood ash, Its on my list to do, just not yet.

This one is coconut, avocado, and olive oil with potash.
I added water one it was done cooking and made it a liquid.

Can you write the recipe here please
Sounds interesting

Fucking witches.

I haven't done any tallow or animal fats so far, all veggie and nut ones.
I'll have to try that soon.

[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

600 grams Coconut oil,
200 grams Avocado oil
200 grams Olive Oil

380 grams of water
227 grams of KOH

Mix the oils in a crock pot and make sure they are all blended.

Mix the KOH into the water * not the other way around this is a safety thing

Then mix the lye water into the melted oils.
Use a stick blender with crock pot on highuntil it thickens to a mashed potato consistency 30 second bursts

Then let it sit and cook in the crock pot (3+ hours)until it is a clear color kinda like rock candy. Then add 10 cups of water and let sit on low overnight.
You may need to add more water, I add to the desired consistency.

Make sure you cook it enough or it will get scummy film and while it will work it wont be as good as it could be.

For making soap? You must be rather dirty.

Has anyone made lye from scratch? I've watched vids, and started to pick up the supplies, but haven't tried yet.

Some people just use draino.

There are some who do that, I bought mine online from a company that does supplies for soaps and other projects, but you can make it from Ashes if you layer some other things in and such.

isnt that sodium hydroxide rather than potassium hydroxide?

Yes, which can make bar soap but not liquid. I keep both in the house.