A self sustaining lifestyle also includes making your own soap so I attended a class at the Urban Ecology Center presented by Linda Conroy, a local herbalist and permaculturist. The basic ingrediants to soap making include goat milk, palm oil, coconut oil, palm kernal oil, and lye. The lye and the goats milk have a chemical reaction when combined so having safety equipment such as gloves and goggles is very important. If you get lye on your skin you should immediately flush with vinegar.
Scents and abrasives can be added when all of the ingrediants are mixing. Linda gave a stern warning about using essential oils. They are extremely strong and can irritate the skin. Better to use whole herbs or herbs from an oil infusion to dilute them. We made two types of soap during the class. One included lavender fresh from Linda's yard and the other had oatmeal added as a skin conditioner and moisturizer.
The soap we made can be used not only for your body but also for a shampoo. Making your own shampoo also reduces waste and makes an excellent gift.
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