Earning Our Soapmaking Badge for Keepers at Home

[I'm busy coding the polls for the Homeschool Blog Awards, but I thought I'd share this that was originally posted at The Homeschool Post.]

My 9- and 12-year-old daughters really enjoy Keepers at Home. It’s a group that we can participate in together, mother and daughters, and I often learn as much as they do. Some badges are more difficult to earn than others. Last month we did soapmaking and were able to fulfill the badge requirements in one 2-hour session.

Requirements include:

• Make a colored, scented soap
• Make a moisturizing soap
• Make an exfoliating soap

Our group used glycerin that was purchased in bulk from an art and hobby store. It was melted in a microwave, and then poured into small styrofoam cups.

For the colored and scented soap, we added 2-3 drops of soap dye and 2 drops of fragrance (we could have used a bit more fragrance) and then stirred it with a popsicle stick. Next, we poured it into soap molds.

For the exfoliating soap, we used a new batch of melted glycerin, because everyone wanted to make soaps in as many colors as possible. Two heaping spoonfuls of fine ground oatmeal were added in addition to dye and fragrance. The oatmeal sinks to the bottom of the mold, so it’s on the top surface of the soap once it’s finished and removed.

For the moisturizing soap, we added 2 drops of lavender essential oil (and new soap dye) to a fresh batch of glycerin. This added both moisturizing and scent. When the molds were full, we put them in the refrigerator while we talked and played games, removing them once the soap had cooled and hardened.

Several families were unable to attend the meeting, so there were enough supplies for the moms to make their own soaps, too. Here are mine:

This was a lot of fun, and easy, too. The main concern is safety with the hot glycerin. Many of us discussed making soaps later at home to use as gifts. We’re all using homemade bars of soap now in our bathrooms.

I highly recommend soapmaking as a Keepers badge or family project. Supplies can be purchased inexpensively at a craft store. The molds are reusable (we had inexpensive plastic ones) and you use small amounts of color and fragrance per bar. Essential oils are a little more expensive, but a bottle will go a long way.

Please leave a comment if your family has ever made soap, or if you think you’ll try it now!