Secular Charlotte Mason

Most people wait until the kids are late elementary/middle school before trying to make soap because of the safety factor in using lye and such.  At our house it is my youngest who is most interested in soap making.  Combine that with my time constraints and I have discovered an easier way of making soap.  Instead of making the soap from scratch I use those premade soap bases that can be melted in the microwave.  They work quite well for my purposes and come in a wide range of types.  I am partial to clear glycerine (which is *much* nicer than the glycerine soaps in the beaty section of your store), goats milk, avocado and olive oil.  The kids also  like the richness of shea butter soap base but I'm on the fence with it.  Due to Tide's and Bassman's eczema I try to use only nourishing or moisturizing soap bases which is why I use a lot of avocado.I find our soap bases at Michaels or there are numerous online stores that sell them. You do not want to use a "generic" soap base as these never make a nice soap.  You want one that tells you what oils have been added to it (ie.olive oil, shea butter, avocado, etc.). All soap bases are made from some type of glycerine base.

Things to keep in mind when working with kids under 10:

1.Have absolutely everything lined up and ready to use.  Make all color, scent, herb decisions, etc. prior to getting set up.  The soap cools quickly so being organized is a must.

2. Explain to the child that because the soap cools quickly it is very important that they work quickly but carefully (soap splatters can hurt!) and follow instructions exactly. If your child is not able to work quickly or follow instructions wait until they are old enough to do so.

3. Decide ahead of time which steps the child will help with.  Kody Girl usually helps with cutting the soap base into meltable chunks, the stirring, and adding of color.  I am in charge of adding essential oils and herbs since that can get tricky.  I also do all the puring into molds since it takes a firm steady hand. Kody Girl is also my scentologist.  She helps me determine when the soap scent is just a bit stronger than we really want (it fades dramatically the first week so we go a bit past our ideal scent since we know it will fade to what we want). Her nose is better than mine so her help is actually quite helpful.(Be sure to grind your herbs into a powder or they'll feel too scratchy when you use the soap! I use a coffee grinder just for my herbs.)

4. If the child is helping with stirring just accept that the soap will have air bubbles and be more of a whipped soap. They can't help but stir more vigorously than an adult. The whipped action does give a better lather but also makes the soap get used up faster in the shower.

5. If you are adding dried herbs it is helpful to add them to a small cup of the melted soap to make a paste and then mix the paste into the larger bowl.  Much like adding corn starch to a gravy.  This helps minimize clumping since the dry plant matter doesn't mix well with the heavy melted soap.

6.  Make small batches as the soapbase soaps don't hold age quite as well as soap made from scratch.

7. If you use dried herbs they will eventually turn brown. Some, like lavender, turn brown within hours others, like spearmint, can take months but all organic additives will eventually take on a brown hue.  This is normal and does not mean your soap has gone bad!

8. Watchout, making soap can become addicitve!

Actual steps:

1. Make all your decisions about soap type, mold choices, scents, herbs, color, glitter (superfine only!) , etc.

2. Set everything up in easy reach of both you and the child.

3. Cut up the soap base into approximately 1 inch chunks for better melting.

4. Using glass or plastic bowls (I use giant pyrex measuring cups since they have handles, pour easily and won't accidently melt) melt the soap base according to package instructions.

5. Just before it is fully melted I like to add in the herbs, coloring agent and glitter (if you are using any of these).

6. Once it is fully melted add in the scent (if using essential oils it is esp. important to not put it into the hot microwave as heat destroys the scent).

7. Mix well, and quckily.

8. If the soap is starting to harden or stiffen at this stage I will put it back in the microwave for 30 seconds or less to reliquify it.

9. Stir one last time and then pour into molds.

10. Let sit several hours or overnight.

11. Pop out of the molds. Sometimes I put  them into the freezer for a few minutes to shrink if they are sticking to the molds.

12. Enjoy! Store extras in airtight containers or you will lose your scent.