the handmade soap masters

If you have been involved in any way in the huge revival of handmade soapmaking that followed the Internet boom, you would have heard at least one of a number of rumours about soap - including, among others, very devious and unqualified “information” about glycerin and Castile soap, lye, the history of soapmaking, soap ash and fireplace ashes… and so on.

The trouble with rumours is that, if they are repeated long and loud enough, even those who initially recognise them as plain lies might eventually be tricked into believing they are true. And when false rumours become the accepted truth, there is no end to the damage we all can suffer as a consequence.

So I would like to expose here the most common soapmaking myths and misnomers, in the hope that bringing them out in the open and explaining why they are lies, will help us all discover true soap and avoid unnecessary problems

Each myth, misnomer, piece of romantic folklore, marketing hype or other kind of mis-information deserves a separate article. New articles will appear as I write them, so you can bookmark here the permanent link to this Topic Index and come back at any time to check out new updates. If you prefer, you can subscribe to the RSS feed to be kept up to date with any new articles appearing in this online soapmaking journal.

Permalinks:

1. Historical lie: the myth of the discovery of soap in Roman times
2. Marketing smokescreen: why is it that soap cannot be made without lye
3. Bad memories: did our grannies really make soap by boiling ashes?

What makes a particular soap recipe a favourite? Evidently, the answer is personal. If someone asked me, my answer would include considerations about sustainability and biodegradability, as well as “personal appeal” characteristics (colour, smell) and, of course, skin-friendliness.
What is that you look for in a bar of soap?

Welcome to soapmaking heaven. We started this blog Internet journal for soapmaking beginners, hobbyists, addicts and professionals who want to connect with people who make and teach soap for a living. Follow us in our experiments and online lessons!
You can use this blog journal as a cribsheet for your experiences in making soap. Whether you have none, some or heaps, here you’ll always find something inspiring, stimulating, smart, interesting, unusual, ground-breaking, innovative, useful or simply good to know.
Browse this blog journal using the navigation links in the menu on right:

• Under “soapmaking”, we are listing links to external sites that describe how to make, use and improve your soap
• Listed under Categories are links to previous posts and comments
• If you would like to contribute, tell us what you think or ask us a question, you can do so by clicking on the Comment link for this, or any other posts you would like to comment upon.

Happy browsing from the Natural Handmade Soap Fairies.