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Soap Making

August 16, 2010 @ 08:00 By Gavin Webber 11 Comments

It has been a while since we made soap, so today we pumped out 5kgs of the stuff in preparation for Sustainable House day.  When I explained how to make in the post, “Lather Up Folks!“, a few readers asked for a video.  Well, if you don’t ask, you don’t get, and you did ask, so here it is in video format starring yours truly with a duration of about 16 minutes all up.  I don’t profess to be the best actor in the world, but hey, you get monkeys when you pay peanuts!

I hope you enjoy our little soap making workshop. You can also watch it in High definition!

Part One;

Part Two;

Spielberg, eat your heart out!

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Filed Under: Soap Making

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About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Lisa says

    August 16, 2010 at 09:24

    Great vids Gavin, where did you get the large container of caustic soda? I’ve found 500g size of that brand in the supermarket.

    Reply
  2. daharja says

    August 16, 2010 at 09:47

    Hi Gav – Good presentation, and love that Aussie accent – I don’t get to hear it much these days!

    One question – why rice bran oil? It just seems like an oddity in the oils department. I’m guessing coconut oil makes it smell nice, but I’ve never heard of rice bran oil before (I just do olive oil soap at home).

    Never short of a gift! You bet! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Theresa says

    August 16, 2010 at 11:41

    Great vid Gavin & Kim – realy clear that soapmaking is quite simple – I’m inspired to give it a go

    Reply
  4. GreenerMe says

    August 16, 2010 at 13:46

    I see you are putting your new kitchen to good use Gav! Good job. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Libby says

    August 16, 2010 at 21:06

    Really enjoyed this soap opera. I have collected everything to make soap but have been too daunted to try. Your video makes it so do-able. Thanks Gavin. Can I use melted copha for the coconut oil?

    Reply
  6. Gavin says

    August 16, 2010 at 21:48

    @ Lisa

    I bought it at Bunnings in the paint section after being sent on a wild goose chase by the staff! It was $15 for 2kg, so I bought two.

    @ daharja

    The coconut oil has no smell, it has been deoderized, so to make a coconut smelling soap you have to add the fragrance oil. Rice Bran oil is quite cheap here and is a waste product of the rice growing industry. It adds conditioning to the soap and is good for dry skin.

    @ Theresa

    Glad to be of inspiration. It is as simple as I made it. Follow the instructions and a recipe and away you go.

    @ Sahran

    Thanks mate.

    @ Libby

    Love the soap opera joke! I should have sung a bit of Nessun Dorma. And yes you can use copha because it is solidified coconut oil. The only reason I don’t use it is because it is expensive and I can buy coconut oil cheaper in bulk. I pay AUD$35 for 5 litres.

    Gav

    Reply
  7. FindSavings says

    August 18, 2010 at 11:24

    I am so impressed! I will have to give this a shot.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    October 22, 2012 at 11:47

    Hello Gavin,

    I am wondering which is the best way to clean the measuring jug with the caustic soda in it? I read somewhere it can get messy if I add water to the caustic soda instead of the other way around. Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      October 22, 2012 at 12:22

      Hi. As there is usually only a minuscule amount of granules (if any) then a sink of hot soapy water is fine to wash your jug in. Just don’t add the water to the caustic during the soap making process

      Gavin x

      Reply
  9. Lucky says

    July 11, 2014 at 10:15

    Hi Gavin
    Like to know where you get coconut oil in bulk please.
    Thanks
    Lucky

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Our Soap Recipe - The Greening of Gavin says:
    November 25, 2014 at 15:15

    […] put it all together, follow the video tutorial at this post titled “Soap Making“, or the text tutorial at “Lather Up […]

    Reply

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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