Passing the soap torch along

June 2025 Update

My goodness time flies. My young'uns are all grown-ups, left the nest, set up their own coops hither & yon. I couldn't be more pleased, thankful and I praise the Lord for them. My young'uns are my favorite people on the planet for sure and for certain! I'm pretty sure they're all too busy to make soap these days. So. Go to the market near you. Try a new soap. Then try another one. Have fun with that. Maybe learn how to make soap. (My soapmaking days are behind me, and that's okay.)

July 2019 Update
Grace works full time in Columbus GA, and keeps up with her full time online Point University Business Bachelor's (scheduled to finish college end of 2019, Lord willing, Praise God!).  So she's been scarce at the farm market.  But Katie & Bryant have been picking that up.  I taught Katie soapmaking late Spring of this year, and she's bringing her goat milk soap bars to the market.  Hooray!

May 31, 2016 Update
My middle daughter, Grace is now making soap too.  Great vegan soap!  Her online link is:  http://www.bonanza.com/booths/YesteryearsGirl  If you're local, you can find her soap at Vaughn Family Farm tent at the Midland Community Farmers Market on most Saturday mornings (May - October) 9AM - 12PM. 


June 26, 2013
I really love to make soap.  It’s such a joy!  And such an amazing chemical miracle:  oils & butter + sodium hydroxide (lye) = soap

Always remember:  better ingredients, better pizza.  Err…. Better raw materials for soap > better end product soap.

I’ve had trouble making time to make soap this year.  I feel like it’s time to pass the retail soap torch along.  But I didn’t want to leave my beloved out of town soap customers high & dry ;)  So I decided to BE a soap customer, and try a few different folks’ soap – with the end goal hopefully recommending my soap customers try these new folks.  I wanted to make sure I sampled a variety – but not so many as to go broke in the process.  I wanted to stick with cold process soap makers, and preferably vegan.  I chose three different soap bar makers:  1) belleandbaby; 2) Aquarian Bath; 3) Dr. Bronner’s.  I asked my husband & two youngest daughters to help with the sampling, so we’d have as much reviewing/feedback as possible.  I can recommend all three soap makers.  I will freely disclose that belleandbaby happens to be our oldest daughter, so you might say I’m biased.  You can say that, but I believe I am fair – letting the soap & our skin be the criteria.

I shared my intentions with these folks, and they seemed okay with the whole thing.  Here are two replies:

Aquarian Bath/Cory:  Hi Tonia, Thank you for offering to review our soaps and share our website with your customers.  I always appreciate the twitter retweets also.  You are welcome to use photos from my site for the review.  Here is a coupon code that you can offer to your customers also (and you can use too):  "bvaughnfamily" Valid for 1 time use at http://www.AquarianBath.com  10% off products.  Expires 12/31/13 – Cory

Dr. Bronner’s/Lauren:  Dear Tonia, We have no objection to you posting a review of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps' products on your blog. No need to share it with us beforehand-- we respect your authorship.  Please consider mentioning as part of your review that Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps' products are Organic and Fair Trade, as these principles are central to the Dr. Bronner's soapmaking ethos.

More information about Dr. Bronner's commitment to Organic and Fair Trade soapmaking can be found at our website: 

Organic: http://www.drbronner.com/usda_organic_body_care.php  
Fair Trade: http://www.drbronner.com/fair_trade.php

1.  belleandbaby  http://www.etsy.com/shop/belleandbaby

 

Handmade Organic Vegan & Goat Milk Cold-Processed Soap

Fragrances we tried: 

o    Organic Vegan Cold-Processed Cedar Balsam Shaving Soap:  All four of us loved the fresh outdoorsy scent!  Super fluffy lather!  Worked well as shampoo bar too.

o    Organic Sunflower Citrus Spice Goat Milk Soap:  Just like it says – citrus spice.  Smells wonderfully clean, and the freshly ground cinnamon has nice texture.

·         All belleandbaby soaps rinsed great & had excellent cleansing properties.

·         Skin feels clean & nourished.  Excellent!

·         Ingredients:  (Vegan Bar) Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Water, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Cocoa Butter, Pure Essential Oil Blend, and Grapefruit Seed Extract;  (Goat Milk Bar) Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Water, Goat Milk, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Olive Oil, Pure Essential Oil Blend, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Freshly Ground Cinnamon.

·         Price:  $7.95 + 4.95 shipping (shipping discounts for multiple items purchased)

·         Packaging:  minimal – environmentally friendly!  I very much appreciated the label that came with the product, in legible print, listing all ingredients.

·         Convenience of ordering:  Etsy – easy peasy

·         USPS Shipping:  Prompt, packaged well, fair price.  Ordered 5/27; Received 5/31.

·         Communication:  Excellent.  Responds to etsy convos, direct message, and blogs.

2.       AquarianBath http://store.aquarianbath.com/

Handmade Vegan Cold-Processed Soap 

Fragrances we tried:

o    Rose Oil Shampoo Bar:  Definitely rose scented!  Heavenly! 

o    Lemongrass Lavender Hair Soap:  Subtle, pleasant.

o    Lemon Vanilla Shampoo Bar:  Clean, natural, pleasant.

o    Sesame Aloe Vera Shampoo Bar:  Unusual.

·         Lather:  Very good

·         Aquarian Bath Shampoo Bars rinsed great & had excellent cleansing properties.

·         Effect on skin:  Excellent!  Cleans without drying.  Also excellent for hair shampoo – leaves hair clean & silky soft.

·         Ingredients (I listed as many as I could from the different bars we purchased – ingredients vary according to which soap purchased):  Greek Extra Virgin Olive oil, Raw Organic Cocoa Butter, Hemp oil, Coconut oil, Castor oil, essential oils, Bulgarian Rose Wax, Lavender, Blood Cedarwood, Rose Clay, fresh Aloe gel, benzoin resin, bentonite clay, Raw Unrefined Shea butter, Jojoba Oil, Sesame Oil.

·         Price $5.50 to $6.50 per bar, plus shipping & handling (I bought 4 bars plus 2 lip balms & my shipping & handling was $7.15)

·         Packaging:  minimal – environmentally friendly!  By default, soaps ship naked.  But if you want a label and a box you have to check that box and pay .50 for it.  I think this is a great idea!

·         Convenience of ordering:  Excellent – seller has her own site, but is also on etsy.

·         USPS Shipping:  Environmentally friendly packing peanuts & naked soap bars.  Prompt.  (Ordered 5/28; Received 6/3)

·         Communication:  Excellent.  Great Twitter presence, and has blog as well.  Responds to direct message promptly.

3.       Dr.Bronner’s http://www.drbronner.com/

Dr. Bronners’ Liquid Soap properties:

I first tried Dr. Bronners’ liquid peppermint soap about 35 years ago.  I loved it.  I still do.  Great tingly clean feeling.  You get to control the concentration amount by how much you dilute it with water.  Awesome clean!  We’ve used Dr. Bronners’ liquid peppermint for cleaning so many things:  ourselves, dishes, dogs, cats, goats (udder wash & goat bath), floors, critter dishes, counters, ceiling fans, floors, most things in the bathroom.  The list goes on & on.  I love the stuff and can without hesitation recommend it!  I know some folks will share their super deluxe handcrafted soaps with their critters.  Not me.  The critters can have Dr. Bronners’ liquid, because it’s extremely cost-effective.

Dr. Bronners’ Solid Soap bar properties:

  

      Fragrances we tried:

o    Rose:  Very delicate & subtle scent.

o    Peppermint:  Tingly fresh & clean.

o    Tea Tree:  My husband loves Tea Tree, so this was for him.

o    Lavender:  Good & strong (according to my 16YO, who tried this bar).

o    Almond:  Strong – if you like almond you’ll love it.

o    Baby Mild:  Naturally fragrance free, pleasant, clean smell.

·         Lather:  very good

·         Rinsing:  good

·         Cleansing:  we got extremely clean.

·         Effect on skin:  I started with the rose bar and found it a bit hard on my skin – I needed lotion for my hands, arms & legs after my shower.  The baby mild bar worked better for my skin.    I prefer Dr. Bronners’ bar soap for hand washing at the sink.  The rest of my family had no problem with dry skin afterwards with Dr. Bronners’ bar soaps.  Apparently, for the first time in our family’s history, I have the least oily skin:  confirmation that I’m old!

·         Ingredients:  Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Palm Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Water, Natural Fragrance, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Salt, Citric Acid, Tocopherol.

·         Price:  4.49 each – need to order $20 minimum, but you get free shipping.

·         Packaging:  nice environmentally-friendly paper label printed with soy ink, with all ingredients listed.

·         Convenience of ordering:  Excellent.  In addition to being able to order online, many health food stores carry Dr. Bronners, so if you don’t want to order online you can probably find this soap locally.

·         UPS Shipping:  Free.  Ordered 6/4; received 6/12.

·         Communication:  Great Twitter presence.  I’m not on FB so I can’t rate the communication there.  Website is jam-packed with information about history, activism, etc.  Also excellent one-on-one customer service!  I had a question about my order, and emailed my question.  I received a phone call with a very nice young lady taking time to answer my question.  Awesome!

I still love making soap.  Since I began this review process, I’ve been contacted by one of my favorite local soap customers to make more soap for her.  Of course I said yes.  But for my out of town folks, I’m going to encourage them to try these three fabulous soapers.  Without hesitation.

Isaiah 35:1  The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

Psalms 51:7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalms 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

James 4:13-15  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Strawberry Syrup

4 pounds fresh local strawberries
1-1/2 pounds turbinado sugar
2 ounces lemon juice

Get your honkin' boiling water canning pot boiling.  Wash your canning jars & lids.  I recommend new canning jars & canning lids for best results.  After washing, I put my sterile canning jars into the oven - laying down on their sides - at 225 degrees F.  They stay there 'til I'm ready to fill 'em.  Yes, most of the time I do remember to use hot pads to take them out ;)

Rinse strawberries in cool water.  Remove caps.  Weigh out four pounds.  Puree with lemon juice.  Put liquids in large stainless steel pot (I use my 4-1/2 quart Revere Ware soup pot).  Add sugar.  Stir thoroughly.  Bring to boil - boil for five minutes.

Remember to use your hot pads to protect your fingers & hands when working with hot stuff!

Ladle extremely hot strawberry syrup carefully into extremely hot sterile canning jars (I leave just over 1/4" head space since this is in the jam/jelly/syrup category), wipe rims, add two-part canning lids.  Very carefully put in canning rack that's hovering over boiling water in honkin' boiling water canning pot.  Once rack is full, carefully lower into the boiling water.  Make sure there's at least a couple of inches of water over the jar lids.  Put canning lid pot on.  Once the water returns to a good boil, set timer for 20 minutes.  Turn off heat & remove lid.

My Ball Blue Book says to use a jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner and set them on a towel to cool.

I have had successful results using my long handled wooden spoons to get my canning rack handles above the boiling water & lifting the rack so that it can sit on the rim of the canner for a moment.  Then, with my hands & fingers protected in my hot pads, I carry the full canning rack of extremely hot jars over to my towel-covered area & lift jars one by one onto the towel.  Then I place another clean dry towel over the jars.  Then the glorious sounds:  pop, pop, pop.  Those are the lids sealing.  I love those sounds!

I let the jars sit overnight (or 12 hours at least).  I put labels on every jar with name of product (strawberry syrup), date, ingredients and a note in bold reminding folks "please refrigerate after opening".  I make sure that note is loud and clear!  And jars that have lids that didn't seem to seal properly go in fridge and are used within a day or two.  The rest go in the cardboard box with dividers that the canning jars came in, with labels on the outside of the box (I just print extra ingredient labels & tape those on the box).  I generally give some of these for gifts, but we try to keep some for us to flavor plain yogurt or pancakes or whatever through the year.

I Choose Joy and Contentment

Deuteronomy 30:19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

As is often the case when someone I know dies, I have been thinking more than usual about my life, my choices, my time, where I’ve been, where I am, where I’m going and what matters to me most.

Back in the early 1990’s, my family consisted of my husband, our oldest daughter and me.  We had some folks visiting that told me (when my husband & daughter were not present) I was wasting my life and my talents, and how disappointed they were.  I was stunned by our visitors' opinion (and that’s what it was – an opinion), but managed to sputter out that I thought my husband and our daughter and our home were the most important parts of my life and I thought putting all my best energy & efforts towards them was not a waste of time.  I don’t know if they heard me; they kept tsk-tsking and shaking their heads.

This was one of those milestone events that pushed me into taking a very hard look at myself & my life.  Did I mean what I said?  Did I really believe that being a wife, a mom, a neighbor, a friend was what I wanted to spend my life on?  I concluded that yes, I meant what I said.

I still believe this to be the case – many years & two more daughters later.

At this point in my life I am less bothered by the opinions of the nay-sayers in my life.  These nay-sayers are always going to be one of the less pleasant aspects of relationships.  But they are certainly entitled to their opinion; and frankly, I’m thankful they feel comfortable being honest with me about their thoughts.  I am also thankful the Lord has been gracious to gift me with the blessing of rest and sleep, most of time.  I don’t lose sleep worrying over not living up to others’ expectations.  However if I felt I was disappointing the Lord Jesus, I would indeed be too troubled for rest or sleep, as has been the case off & on over the years.  I hope & pray the Lord continues to prompt, prick or poke my conscience when I am in need of correction!!

Life is short.  I don’t want to waste whatever time I have (be it four score more, or just another day) in bitterness over lost opportunities, in sorrow over hurt feelings or a broken heart, in longing over unfulfilled relationship(s), or in a mean-spirited state of unforgiveness.  It is my hope & prayer that God will continue to be gracious towards me, and continue to show me where He would have me to focus my time, to continue to correct me when I go astray (inside & out), and to keep me from wagging my finger or my attitude at others’ faults – and remind me that’s between them & the Lord.

And I pray the Lord grants me His grace and His love, and helps me to pray as I ought to pray for these folks; I ask the Lord to help me to point them to Him, and not be a stumblingblock in their walk. 

Deuteronomy 30:19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Joshua 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Job 9:14  How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?

Job 34:4  Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.

Job 34:33  Should it be according to thy mind? he will recompense it, whether thou refuse, or whether thou choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest.

Proverbs 1:29  For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

Proverbs 3:31  Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.

Isaiah 7:15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

Isaiah 7:16  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Philippians 1:22  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

Nahum 1:7  The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Isaiah 58:11  And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Titus 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

James 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Psalms 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalms 73:1  « A Psalm of Asaph. » Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

Proverbs 27:7  The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

Jeremiah 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Ephesians 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Hebrews 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

James 3:11  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

James 3:14  But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Galatians 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Galatians 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Ecclesiastes 5:12  The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

Psalms 90:12  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Ezekiel 18:30  Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Matthew 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Revelation 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Psalms 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Isaiah 63:10  But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

Isaiah 63:11  Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?

Luke 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Ephesians 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 4:8  He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Matthew 23:23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luke 11:42  But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

2 Corinthians 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: