DIY Non Toxic Eye Makeup

 

Balm of Gilead

 

 

Poplar buds infusing in oil. It's sometimes called "Balm of Gilead", (although I have read that it's a different tree than the one in the Bible). The resin from the poplar (cottonwood) buds makes a good pain salve. I plan to combine it with infused willow bark, whole cloves and cayenne. The poplar resin is anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antiseptic. It is primarily used to soothe sore muscles, arthritis, skin irritations (eczema, rashes), dry skin, burns, and minor wounds, (this from Google AI). I don't know if I will be selling this at the Farmer's Market. It depends on how much I am able to make. We use quite a bit of it at home. The poplar buds have to be gathered now, before they begin to open, while still covered with the very sticky resin, if it's not already too late. I picked these in the bush 1-1.5 weeks ago. They have been sitting in oil, slightly warmed for the past week. I'll give them a few weeks more, sitting on the heat register, before I make the salve. I still have to source willow bark, when I can get into the nearby woods again. It's so wet right now! The pain salve we are using from last summer, without the poplar buds, works great. With this new addition, it should be even better. I am going to switch from clove oil to whole cloves for the new pain salve, as well. I have read some negative issues with the clove oil. I prefer the "whole herb" approach anyway, using all the phytochemicals in the plants instead of just what is distilled into essential oil.

If you plan to collect your own leaf buds, just pick a few from each branch. If you strip the tree of all it's leaf buds, you might kill it. There's plenty of cottonwoods around in the forest areas to just pick a few here and there. They are very aromatic, smelling a bit like a combination of strong honey, vanilla and alcohol. It's very strong! It scents the whole house when the jar is opened. They are also extremely sticky. You will probably have a hard time getting the resin off of your hands and whatever dish you choose to put them in/on. I think it's worth it. If ever I pick them again, I'll wear gloves, maybe.

Natural Air Filtration

 

I have mild asthma so look for ways to filter out the things in the air around me that can cause my lungs to close up or collect congestion. I used to have an electric air filter that ran by my chair but I got tired of buying and changing the filter, at over $20 each! So, I switched to natural air filtration. 

Sansevieria

Did you know that this plant, a sansevieria, (also called snake, tongue plant) can remove benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene and toluene, and it was even shown that one plant per 100 square feet was enough to efficiently clean the air in a space station! It was one of the plants tested by NASA in a study to find safe ways to filter the air in a space station. They don't need much water or sunlight so can be neglected and still do well. Sadly, they are toxic to pets so keep that in mind if you have one and are looking for a good place to put it. If you have one you need to find a new home for, keep me in mind. I don't have any pets or small children and keep one on the table by my chair.  :) 

Fiddle Leaf Ficus

According to studies based on NASA research, Ficus plants are among the best for improving indoor air quality. I have a small fiddle leaf ficus, (Ficus lyrata). They are recognized for improving indoor air quality by filtering toxins like formaldehyde, benzene, and ammonia. Their large, broad leaves and high transpiration rates, which draw air into the root system, make them efficient at breaking down pollutants. 

 

 

Heart Leaf Philodendron

Philodendrons, all kinds including Elephant Ear, are excellent at filtering formaldehyde, a common toxin found in household materials, paints, and particle board. They are known for absorbing CO2 and releasing oxygen at night, making them ideal for bedrooms. I love my philodendrons! They need so little light, but do need regular watering. i have a few different kinds of philodendrons. I also have a pothos, also called devil's ivy (I hate that name). It's not a philodendron at all. It's an entirely different plant. (Please stop calling it a philodendron.)

Spider Plant

Key plants identified for high filtration rates include the peace lily, English ivy, spider plant and dracaena. I have a huge spider plant. They don't need a lot of light but do appreciate regular watering. Cats love them. Back when I had two cats, they would always eat the spider plant to the ground and eat all the babies. It's best to hang those up, out of reach. I also have a variegated dracaena. 

 

Seed Oils vs Animal Fats

 

Looking at switching to a healthier diet and lifestyle? One big first step that will make a huge difference, is ditching the seed oils and switching to animal fats for cooking. Heating seed oils, as in cooking and frying, releases toxins into your food, like the hexane solvent used to release the oil from the seed. It's deemed as "safe" in Canada but is going through some testing by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) now. Traces of it are left in the oils. It's a neurotoxin. Need I say more? Seed oils have been linked to inflammation (like arthritis, eczema, and worse).

Seed oils are usually: canola, corn, cottonseed oil, rice bran oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and also palm oil because of how it's processed. Coconut oil is not a seed oil, but is over 80% saturated fats with no omega 3's.

The hexane is a health problem and heating the seed oils breaks down polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) to create toxins like aldehydes (e.g., HNE, formaldehyde), lipid peroxides, and trans fats. These harmful compounds are associated with oxidative stress, inflammation, and potential cardiovascular damage. So, if you still want to use oils in your kitchen, look for organic and cold pressed oils. Keep these in the fridge to stop them from getting rancid. Read the label to make sure it's not cut with a cheaper oil.

You can spend a fortune buying organic cold pressed oils for all your cooking or ... you can use tallow, lard and butter instead. Animal fats contain omega 3's. Any animal fat is so much better for you than any oil. I don't have oils in my kitchen anymore. I kept a little bit, for awhile, to oil my cast iron cookware, but even that's gone now. I do have olive oil for making my own skin/hair care products but I don't cook with it. I use tallow, lard and butter instead. Lard is the cheapest of the three animal fats I use. If you have your own meat or hunt, you will have your own fat to cook with. Veg shortening (ie Crisco) is palm oil.

Another problem with using oils is the omega 6 vs omega 3 problem. All of these oils are omega 6 heavy with no omega 3's. Because they share receptor (GPR120) and enzymes, high consumption of omega-6 can interfere with the metabolism and effectiveness of omega-3. Omega-6 is generally converted into pro-inflammatory mediators, while omega-3 is converted into anti-inflammatory compounds. They often compete and cancel each other out. So... it's very important to limit your omega 6 intake, if you want to stop inflammation, as in arthritis. Animal fats have omega 3. Grass fed is higher in omega 3 but is a lot more expensive. Even less expensive grain fed animal fats have plenty of omega 3, but also some omega 6, since they are fed grain. "You are what you eat." that goes for animals too. Humans eating bread and grains and using plant oils, get more omega 6 than they need, far more, and not enough omega 3. Another reason to switch to animal fats for cooking.

DIY Shampoo

 

I ditched poisonous shampoo! Most commercial shampoos contain SLS (Sodium Laurel,-eth Sulphate) or Parabens and formaldehyde agents, even so called organic shampoos contain betaine and decyl glucoside. Are these things really necessary? No, they are not. 

After doing a lot of research into how to wash my hair without shampoo, I tried baking soda scalp scrub and it worked well but I soon switched to using my own handmade herbal soaps. I picked one made with natural rosemary and chamomile, used with very diluted apple cider leave-in rinse. It worked well! The vinegar rinse is 1 tablelspoon of vinegar in a cup of water. Rinse the soap very thoroughly then pour the vinegar rinse over your scalp and hair, coating all the strands of your hair. You can use 2  tablespoons of vinegar in 2 cups of water if your hair is very long. Don't rinse again, just leave the vinegar rinse in your hair.I did find that a more diluted amount works better for me. Too much vinegar leaves my hair limp, so I switched to 1 teaspoon in a cup of water and was happier with that, after the first time. 

The vinegar smell is not there when it is dry. Wrap in a towel to wring out the water, then style as usual. The vinegar smell will disappear when it dries. My hair is clean, not the least bit oily. It's soft without that straw feel it would have if I washed it with my handmade soap bars. Soap is too alkaline for human hair, as is baking soda, so the vinegar rinse, left in, is necessary to fix that. If you don't use the vinegar rinse, your hair may feel like straw. I have thick, dry, coarse and gray hair and I'm completely happy with this. My hair is even better, it's straighter, calmer, not so flyaway, and no conditioner needed either! If nothing else, it's certainly cheaper! I like it and I'm sticking with it. One more chemical laden poison gone from my house!!

Making Tallow Hand & Foot Balm

 

In my journey to rid myself of all things poisonous, I have found a great moisturizer for hands and feet, tallow! Tallow is beef fat that has been rendered. To use it for body balm, it has to be rendered at least 2 times, 3 times is even better. The cleaner it is, the longer it will last at room temperature. It's important that all meat and other substances in the fat have been removed. The tallow has to be cleaned pure fat. You can get this tallow, rendered several times until it's light and clean, from Vera at the local Farmer's Market. You can also make it yourself from beef fat, but it's a long and tedious process to get it clean enough to use for body butter.  

This tallow based balm is a sustainable, chemical-free alternative to synthetic, chemical laden, petroleum-based moisturizers. The only ingredients in it are tallow and olive oil. I added a few drops of my favourite peppermint essential oil, just enough to give it a light scent. 

If using essential oils in something like this, that sits on your skin and soaks in, make sure you are using something that's actually naturally steam distilled and edible. The USDA has a list of acceptable, edible essential oils from specific suppliers. It's called the GRAS list (Generally Regarded As Safe). Some of these are produced by the NOW brand. I am not getting paid to say this, I love the NOW essential oils! They are clean, pure, naturally distilled, some are safely edible and they are so strong!! You can get them on Amazon, or if you are in Fort Nelson, you can buy them at the "Down To Earth" Health Food Store. A particular favourite of mine is their peppermint. It's on the GRAS list, as is their rosemary, lemon and orange. 

I wouldn't use an EO that's made from something toxic, i.e. cedarwood, etc. for this, since it's going to soak into your skin. Make sure it's something on the afore mentioned USDA list, like peppermint or rosemary. I also have NOW lemon and orange EO, but this tallow body balm is for my own use and I didn't want anything astringent, like citrus. If you have oily skin, you might consider using a citrus essential oil. 

You can use some fresh herbs, if you want to dry them and infuse them into the olive oil before using it. This would take time and you would have to strain it very well before using it. I didn't want to take the time this would take, so I stuck with an EO that I had on hand, the NOW peppermint. 

Because the fatty acids in tallow resemble human sebum, it absorbs easily, locking in moisture and reinforcing the skin's natural barrier. It contains vitamins A (skin regeneration), D (anti-inflammatory), E (antioxidant), and K, as well as linoleic acid (CLA), which can reduce inflammation. This anti-inflammatory nature makes it effective for soothing eczema, psoriasis, and intense dry skin. 

My recipe for body butter is 6 parts tallow to 2 parts oil. I used olive oil for it's anti-inflammatory and healing properties, but you can use any light oil that you want in your body balm. 

You will need a double boiler, or something like it. I use my trusty glass Pyrex measuring cup in a pot of water with a canning jar ring under it on the bottom of the pot. It worked perfectly! I use this 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup for so many things, and it can go in the microwave too! 

Update: After using this on my hands and feet, I'm amazed at how well it works, however, I no longer use it on my face. Even on a clean face, I get pimples using this. It may be because of the olive oil in it. When I make it next, I will make a pure tallow solid balm bar and see how that works. It will be solid and harder without the extra oil added but I have a beeswax hard bar that I also use now for hands and I like it. So, be warned. It's fabulous on hands and feet, but not as well for face.  

 

 

 

 

 

Before doing anything with the tallow, you should sterilize all equipment and jars. I boiled everything in the pot of water I planned to melt the tallow in, using the same boiling water for everything. I boiled all utensils, including the mixer beaters, silicone spatula, spoon, jars, seals, lids and rings and set on a clean towel for later use. Only after I had all these things sterilized did I start measuring the tallow and olive oil, so the jars have time to cool down before I put the body butter in them. 

A digital scale is handy for measuring anything in the kitchen. When you are ready to start and have your recipe ready to go, measure out the 6 parts tallow to 2 parts olive oil, by weight, into the double boiler method you are using. Melt slowly, stirring constantly until all the tallow is melted. Don't let it get too hot. It should not be smoking or anywhere near a burning temperature. You need it just hot enough to melt the tallow. Once it's almost completely melted, remove it from the heat and continue stirring until all the tallow bits are gone and it all liquid. 

Let it sit and cool until it's cool enough to put your clean finger in it, then add the essential oil you are using. I had approx 300g of tallow and I added 10 drops of peppermint essential oil. This is just a guide for you to go by, you can add as much or as little as you want, or none at all if you like it plain and unscented. The tallow and olive oil will both have their own fatty, oily scent but it's very light. Now that it's finished and I have used it, I realize that I could have used half that much peppermint EO and it would have been fine. The NOW brands are very strong! 

When it has cooled to the point that it's opaque but is still very soft to the touch, it's time to whip it with an electric mixer. If you go away and let it get too hard, you can always heat it up again, for a short burst to soften it. 

When it's cooled enough, beat it with the mixer for a few minutes until it's the consistency you are looking for. This could take a few minutes. It should whip up into a soft but firm butter feel. When it's done and you are happy with the texture, use the sterile silicone spatula to put it into the sterile jars with sterile lids. I used the silicone spatula to clean out the large, glass mixing cup and to clean off the mixer beaters. I wiped off the spatula and the inside of the beaters with my hand and immediately put the body butter on my feet! It's such marvellous stuff!  

It does have a very light, slight bit of a grit to the feel at first touch, but this disappears as soon as you put it on your skin. It just melts away into your skin, no grit, no greasy feel, leaving your skin soft, moisturized and protected. It feels amazing! 

I have put away all the chemical, paraben laden body lotions I have stashed around the house and replaced them all with my new tallow body butter. I love it!  

My next job will be to replace the commercial, SLS containing shampoo!. SLS stands for sodium laurel,- eth sulphate. It's a definite no-no for a healthy body and mind. In truth, this journey into healthier alternatives is as much to regain and hold onto my memory and mind as long as I possibly can, now that I'm entering that "70's" stage where my mental faculties all seem to disappear. I also want to stay strong and healthy physically, and keep my endurance too, of course. Both are important.

 

I dropped the commercial mind robbing, aluminum deodorant a couple of years ago and have not regretted it. I can make my own natural deodorant, but it's available in many forms commercially now.  

The mental clarity I get from eating only meats and eggs now is amazing! I should have dropped carbohydrates from my diet years ago, too! 

 

Making Kefir

I have begun drinking kefir, for the probiotics. From my research I have learned that kefir contains a more diverse range of probiotics (often 10-30+ strains) and beneficial yeasts, while yogurt typically contains only 2-5 bacteria strains. It's recommended by the "Steak & Butter Gal" and many other high profile carnivore diet fans, so I'm giving it a try. I'm a fan of yogurt, so I'm hoping I will like kefir, as well. 

I bought dried kefir starter yesterday and put it into the recommended amount of whole milk (about 2 cups) in a clean jar. If I had more cream, I would have added cream to it for the extra fat content. It's not necessary to heat the milk first, as it is with yogurt, and it makes at room temperature. Both of these make it much easier to make than yogurt. I set it on the counter, in a clean jar with paper towel on top. I poked a few little holes in the paper towel, so it could get even more air. It needs to breathe. I set it out of the way, to make for 12-14 hours. Some people that like it extremely tart, leave it for 36 hours but I don't think I will do that. Not until I get used to the taste, anyway. I think I'll start at 12 hours when it is developed but still mild tasting, just to give me and my gut time to adjust to it.  

Kefir develops "grains" with time, that are used to make more kefir. They get strained out of the finished product before use and kept in a little milk in the fridge. (It is recommended to use a plastic strainer, as metal will degrade the kefir strength over time.) These are used as starter for the next one. Apparently these grains grow with time and can be given away to friends who want to start their own kefir at home. 

I'm looking forward to tasting it tonight, after 12 hours, when it should be ready. I might leave it a bit longer, as it's very cold in the house in the winter mornings. I'll see how it goes. 

 

Freezing Cooked Salmon

 

 

 

I cooked a very long salmon for dinner. It was huge, several meals worth of salmon! I had to cook the entire thing, as it had been frozen. I thawed it then baked it. I added salt and pepper and lots of butter, then I wrapped the entire thing in foil. I baked it for about 40 minutes at 400F. 

 

It was cooked through, flaky and perfect! It's important to cook salmon, and all fish, completely to avoid getting parasites. Fish is opaque, white and no longer slimy when it's done. It should be all firm and flaky. This was perfect! 

 

I cut it into serving size pieces, wrapped each one separately and froze them. It's an experiment to see if the cooked salmon will be just as good after freezing as it is freshly cooked. 

 

Follow up a few days later: I thawed a piece for tonight's dinner earlier on the counter. I reheated it for dinner and it was delicious! I could not tell the difference between this one, cooked then frozen, from the freshly baked one a few days ago. I couldn't be happier with it! 

 

  

Cutting Board Safety

One Solid Piece of hardwood

2" hardwood board, no stain

I thought, since this is a blog of a carnivore, that I should cover cutting board safety. Raw meat should always have it's own cutting board and it should be washed with hot soapy water immediately after use. Oiling it after washing will help it to last longer and prevent cracking. You can buy special food grade oil for this or just use olive oil. Rub it in well before putting the board away. 

One solid piece of hardwood

The best boards to use are one solid piece of dense hardwood, no glue. That will make it very expensive, but they do last a long time. You can make these yourself if you have access to larger planks of hardwood and have the tools and time. 

 

Bamboo

Also good is bamboo. It has good antibacterial properties. They are making toothbrushes out of it now. The drawback to bamboo is that it doesn't grow here in North America, and it especially doesn't grow up here in Canada. It probably does grow in the hot regions of the US but they don't seem to be using it to make things there. All of our bamboo things come from china, which makes them not very sustainable. I'd rather get a locally made hardwood board, or make it myself. 

 

The plastic boards are not a good substitute for hardwood cutting boards. They cut and scratch easily and these are hard to disinfect and can harbour bacteria. If you have one, I'd recommend only using it for things like bread. I wouldn't cut raw meat on it. Meat should have it's own bard anyway. 

I have a bamboo cutting board that I like and I plan to get a larger hardwood board in the near future, when I get around to it. I can probably order one form Amazon but I'm happy with my little bamboo board, so haven't felt the need to get a bigger one yet. 

The Scoop on Salmon

I was recently given some "farmed" BC salmon, bought at a grocery store here in British Columbia. Never having eaten farmed salmon, I did some cooking research. I learned that farmed salmon are about 10x higher in fat than "wild caught" and, therefore, a lot higher in omega-3s. They are also much milder tasting, a softer more "buttery" flavour and texture. I decided to give them a try. I know I said I didn't care for salmon, but that was after dry frying wild caught. This was an entirely different experience. (Instructions below.) This is a huge piece. I cut it into servings and will freeze each one separately. I aim to eat it 1 - 2 x weekly. 

 

The Scoop on Salmon. I baked a huge farmed BC salmon. It's important that it be a BC salmon, if farmed, as North American (especially from BC) farmed salmon are much, much lower in PCBs and a lot safer than European farmed salmon. From the research I've done lately, European farmed salmon are so high in poisonous PCBs that they are usually above the allowed "safe" limits. See more about the safety and farming practices of BC farmed salmon below. 

 

The argument against eating farmed salmon in BC is more about protecting our own native species, than the safety of eating the fish. Something to consider, for sure.

 

This is some of the info I found:

Safety Monitoring: Companies, MOWI and Grieg Seafood, conduct regular testing for dioxins, PCBs, and other contaminants to meet strict, safe, and regulated standards in BC. Tested Contaminant levels: British Columbia farmed salmon (including from these major producers) is generally regarded as having low levels of PCBs.

 

Farmed salmon supplied to our store here is "open-net" farmed in the ocean, which is a frowned upon method of farming fish as it does some harm to the surrounding wild ones, although probably a lot more healthy for us than fish farmed in a little pond. BC has a plan to outlaw this type of fish farming in 2029, due to it's propensity to possibly harm the native wild salmon.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COOKING SALMON:

Salt and pepper salmon, add a bit of garlic and lots of butter. Wrap completely in foil. Bake until completely cooked. Mine baked in a  at 400f for about 30 mins but it was a big fish. It needs to be completely white and solid throughout. I will never, never, ever eat any kind of fish that's not well done. period. (Worms!) If it's even a little clear pinky, cook it longer. (I don't eat suishi.)

If you take it out of the oven and let it sit on the counter for a bit, it may continue to cook in the foil. It was absolutely delicious!! 

 

 

 

Ground Turkey Meatballs

 

I made carnivore ground turkey meatballs today. They were delicious! As we all know, ground turkey has little fat so I added lard and cooked them in butter. I used a pound of ground turkey and added two eggs, about 1 tablespoon of lard, salt and pepper and a pinch of my own dried spice mix. Mixed well and made balls by hand. 

 

By this time the butter in the cast iron skillet, was hot. I added the meatballs, browned them well, turned down the heat and put the lid on. They were done shortly. It didn't take long. I cooked them until they were over 165f. 

I removed the meatballs from the pan and added more butter. When melted and bubbly, I added a glug of heavy cream and a few tablespoons of high fat cream cheese, salt and pepper. This made a delicious white cheese sauce for the meatballs. I ate about 5 of them smothered in the cheese sauce. Delicious! 

 

These photos are not my own. They come from a free photo site, of which I am a member. I forgot to take pics of mine but they were very similar to these.

 

Tallow for Skin Care - Pros and Cons

 

 

Tallow is the new go-to for natural skin care on the internet. There are pros and cons for using it on your skin. 

 

In my search for natural things to use that don't have chemicals and poisons added, I might try tallow for skin care. I'm hoping to remove a lot of the modern things we use that are poisonous. Commercial deodorant with aluminum went last year in an effort to get my memory and clarity of mind back. I accomplished a great deal of that just switching to the carnivore diet. Shampoo with sodium laurel, -th sulphate is going soon too. I ditched shampoo a few years ago for about a year and it went well, from what I can remember. I don't remember why I went back to shampoo. I wish now that I had not done so. It's important not to get carried away and stress about these things. Peace and a less stressful life are important too. I change the things I can and I don't worry about the things I cannot change. Also, one thing at a time. 

Tallow can be very good for the skin. It has similar fatty acids, oleic, palmitic and stearic, that moisturize, protect and repair the skin. It may also help sooth psoriasis. That said, the composition of the tallow can change, depending on the age, breed and diet of the animal. 

It needs to be frozen for long term storage and kept in the fridge for short term use. It can go rancid, since it is an animal product. So these things need to be considered. It can carry bacteria, as well, if it has not been stored and handled properly or if it has not been well rendered. It has to be thoroughly rendered a few times to make sure it is cleaned of all meat which can bring bacteria with it. Rendering several times in water is the best way to do this.  

Tallow, as a skin care product, is not for everyone. If you have oily skin or are prone to acne, you should not use it. It does clog pores. 

It has been my experience that it is important to wash the face to remove bacteria and impurities before adding moisturizer, especially one with oils, like tallow. If you put it on your skin without thoroughly cleaning it first, you will probably get pimples. This can happen to anyone who uses any moisturizer without cleaning the skin first. Just water is not going to be enough to cleanse and remove impurities before using a moisturizer. 

So, with all the information above, I might give it a try. I have had success using vegetable oils on my skin in the past, but I have very, very dry skin. If you have oily, acne prone skin, I wouldn't do that. Ditto for coconut oil.  

 

 

 

Making Your Own Soap from Scratch

 

Making pure, healthy soap for your family from scratch is not that difficult. It's no harder than making clothes detergent or a different recipe for dinner. You can do it in your kitchen with utensils you have on hand. It's a simple process and doesn't take that long to make, if you keep it simple.  

Plain, healthy soap with no special scent and colour for family use, is quick and easy to make. You don't need the fancy oils and butters and creams that some soap makers add to soap they plan to sell. Plain tallow or lard makes a good, very hard soap. It's important to use hard fats for at least half the fat in the soap. This keeps the bars hard enough that they don't disappear too quickly. A bar of soap make with all oil will be gone very quickly. I like to use half and half, oil that I have infused with herbs and hard fat, but I have made soap with all hard fat and I like it too. Shortening, like Crisco, makes good soap, as well. The palm oil in it makes good lather. Using a little coconut oil will make good lather, but only use up to 5% of the total fat. Too much coconut oil will make it drying. 

The next thing you need is the lye. No lye, no soap. When you mix the lye with the animal fats or oils, in a specific temperature range, and emulsify it well with a blender, it changes the molecules of both the lye and the fat into one, the soap molecule. There's no more lye in the soap, provided you have used the right amount of fat to "saponify" all the lye. "Saponification" is the act of turning fat and lye into soap.  

While making soap is not difficult, or that time consuming, you do have to follow a specific recipe exactly. You will need a digital scale to make soap. Nothing else it specific enough. You will also need a good thermometer, as the fat and the lye both have to be a specific temperature when mixed together. (I use a temperature gun but you can use a meat thermometer too.) Most of the time spent in making soap is spent in trying to get both parts to the same, exact temperature. If you mix the lye crystals with water (which is part of the process, a specific weight of water) in a plastic container, it's easier to adjust the temperature. You can use the microwave to warm it or set it in icy cold water to cool it off. If you melt the fats in a stainless pot, you can cool it down in a sink of icy cold water or heat it up on the stove top. Glass is not recommended for the lye as it will, over time, scratch and weaken it. DO NOT put lye in an aluminum pot. It will react with it immediately and you will have a problem. You can use most plastic containers or stainless steel for either.

There are a lot of soap recipes on the internet but I find that most of them include some fancy oils and butters and other ingredients that you don't need. All you need to make plain, healthy soap is animal fat and/or vegetable oils, water, lye. You can, of course, add a variety of other things to it, but none of them are necessary. If you want moisturizing soap, add a bit more fat than the recipe calls for. This way not all of the fat will be turned into soap by the lye, so there will be a little left in the soap to moisturize.

I use an online soap calculator to make the recipes that I use. I simply fill in the weight of the various fats I have and it tells me how much lye and water I will need to go with the fats. There are a few online soap calculators. I have used this one for about 20 years and have never had a problem: https://www.the-sage.com/lyecalc/ 

It's important to include all the fats you have and not to change them after you get the recipe. They are NOT interchangeable. Each type of fat will saponify a different amount of lye. If you want to change the fat used, you will need a new recipe. 

Once you have your fats, lye, water and recipe, you are ready to make soap!

I mix the lye and water in a small plastic container first, before doing the fats. Then I sit it in icy cold water in the sink. Make sure it's securely sitting on the bottom and not floating around. 

Then I measure each fat carefully and add them to the large stainless pot on the stove. Turn it to LOW and watch them melt together. Keep stirring it so they don't scorch. There's no way to rescue burned soap.  I cut the hard fat into little pieces and use the hand blender to make it all liquid, so it heats evenly. 

Use the thermometer to measure the temperature of the fats and the temperature of the lye. I like a temperature gun because I don't need to clean it between the lye and the fat. If you use a thermometer that you stick into the fat, you will need to wipe it off clean before you put it into the lye/water mix. Also, the lye will, eventually ruin it. Both the fats and the lye should be 110-112 when mixed together. If the mix is too cool, it won't make into soap. You will check it the next day and it will be solid, but that will be the hard fat solidifying and you will have pockets of liquid lye in it. It won't be soap. If this happens, you can always put it all into the pot again and heat it up to 110, blender it and mold it again. Make sure both reach 110F before using the blender and pouring it into the mold. If its too warm, it will make soap but it might separate. It will come back together as it cools down to about 110. You will have to keep stirring it and watching it to get it into the mold before it gets too hard in the pot. 

All said, it's always better to bring each of the two containers to 110-112F before you mix them together. At that point you will need to blender it for a few minutes. Then pour it into a mold. 

A mold can be any container, even a small cardboard box, if it's lined with parchment or waxed paper. If it's silicone, you won't need to line it. You will, however, need to grease it a little. Use either mineral oil or vaseline to grease a mold. If you use animal or veg fats, the soap will absorb it and be soft on the outside edges. You can wipe off the block of soap before cutting it, if necessary. I also very lightly grease the paper I'm lining the mold with so it doesn't stick to the soap and have to be scraped off. If you don't use a pliable mold and you don't line it with paper, you will never get the hard soap out of it. 

After it's been in the mold for about 24 hours, it should be hard enough to take out and slice into bars. After it's cut, put it out of the way in a place where the bars can get some air circulation. They will need to age and dry for about 3-4 weeks. It's fine to use after about three weeks, but it will be better soap, drier with better lather, if you wait 4 weeks before using it. 

Essential oils and other additives are not necessary to make a healthy soap, however, when you put the lye/water and the fat together and blend them for a minute or so, you can add essential oils that you like, especially ones with healing properties. The scent won't last, unfortunately. It usually fades over time. 

If you want to make soap with milk or goat's milk, use it for half the water you mix with the lye. Mix the lye in only the half amount of water. Put the milk in with the fat. If you put lye in the milk, it will cook it immediately, turning it a bright orange and the soap brown. It will still be good soap to use but the colour will be brown and it may have a bit of an unpleasant smell. 

If you want to add fancy butters, like shea, and other oils and moisturizers, you will need to use those as part of the fats in the recipe. You have to put them into the online soap calculator along with your main fat, to make your recipe. They need to be counted. You can add a little extra of any fat to make your soap more moisturizing. Tallow is very good for your skin. A little more tallow than the recipe calls for will make a healthy, moisturizing soap. 

It sounds complicated, but it's not really. If all goes well and you are careful to follow the guidelines exactly, it only takes a few minutes to put it together. It will be much healthier for your family than using commercial detergent "soap" bars!