Soap!  We use it all the time, but most of us don't think about soap beyond buying it on sale at the grocery store.  But did you know that most commercial soap is made with petroleum-based ingredients like mineral oil, and synthetic detergents which can be harsh and irritating to delicate skin?  In order to avoid using these commercial bars, many people are turning to making their own soap.  But where do you begin?

This beginner's class is for people who are curious about making soap from scratch.  It covers the very basics of soap-making and demystifies the process so that you have the confidence to begin your own soap making practice.  We will discuss the history and chemistry behind the preparation of soap and we will demonstrate both the cold process method of soap making, which relies on internally generated heat for saponification (the chemical reaction of fatty acids and alkali) and the hot process method, which uses an external heat source to speed saponification. 

Some other topics for this class will include:

• Safety -- especially when working with lye (sodium hydroxide)
  
• Materials, supplies, and equipment
• Note taking, measurements, and mixing temperatures
  
• Coloring your soap
  
• Scenting your soap with essential and fragrance oils
  
• Soap molds (you may be surprised to know that you probably already have some items that can be used as molds!)
  
• Insulating, cutting, curing, storing, and wrapping your finished soap
  

You will find that making soap isn't extremely complicated, nor does it have to be expensive.  In fact, handmade soap makes beautiful holiday gifts. 

Please note:  because this class involves working with lye (sodium hydroxide), no one under the age of 18 will be allowed to register.

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Please read our cancellation policy in case you are not able to attend your scheduled class. 

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If the workshop dates don’t work for you, if the class is full, or if you’d like to request that another class be added, please email us and we’ll do our best to accommodate you!

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