When I was a kid, there was an old man next door that made soap every fall. He'd save his pan grease over the year, then fire up his big black kettle in the side yard and spend the day making soap. I loved watching him even if he was a meanie some times.
My best friend and I used to get together and make soap out in the back yard every summer and share it between our two families. We had all boys... and man could it cut the grime. We did so many DIY projects. Best time of my life.
Soapmaker here! Cold process soap is safe to use 24-48 hours after being made. Saponification is complete in that time. The reason to wait to use the soap 4-6 weeks is to let it cure. It's already soap at that point, but curing allows water to evaporate which will make a harder - longer lasting bar of soap! Hot process just skips straight to saponified (instead of waiting a day or so) soap, but should still be cured for a few weeks to harden and let some water evaporate! Soap making is AMAZING! If you're looking for some soapmakers to watch, I'd suggest Katie from Royalty Soaps, BrambleBerry has some good beginner videos too. There are SO many soapmakers out there! Soap can be simple or it can be ART! You'd be amazed what some soapmakers can accomplish!
@@alphabetsoup6681 Soap isn't fat once its mixed properly. It changes the chemical compound. If soap was still fat it wouldn't lather and would just be a greasy mess leaving you nasty and slimy. Fats basically become a type of salts and glycerol when properly mixed with lye.
As a fellow soap maker, you actually CAN use cold process soap within 24-48 hours. If your recipe is correct... lye/butter/oil ratios...your lye will be saponified out. But you need the curing/drying time so the liquid used to make the soap evaporates so you have a harder bar that lasts longer. A new bar of cold process soap with be very soft and will turn to mush rather quickly. It was so fun to watch you try your first batch of soap. Kudos...you did a great job.
A 1960's story: Bacon was a staple in nearly every kitchen. The Senior Girl Scout troop in my town collected it and sold it for soap manufacturing. In a year they earned enough to go to Hawaii. It's fun to see you making soap! I was a year behind these lucky scouts, but our recycling project (newspapers) earned us a back packing trip to the Grand Canyon.
😄 Ive never seen anyone so happy about making soap out of bacon! This was such an enjoyable video to watch. 😊 My cousin taught my aunt how to make soap in an old crock pot about 4 or 5 years ago, and she absolutely loves making soaps now! She has made so many different combinations, and she mostly used coconut oil or Olive oil. I love her lavender/chamomile, and she made one with lemon that was like summertime in a bar of soap.😀
I love the sheer amount of excitement from Emmy about washing her hands with the soap at the end! (Everyone needed this kind of enthusiasm towards washing their hands a couple years ago, now, didn't we??? WASH YA HANDS, EVERYONE!)
I’ve made bacon fat candles for emergencies and gifts- if you add cinnamon and clove (or general pie spices) they smell absolutely amazing ❤- super easy and quick fun project to do too
My Ozark Mountain grandmother made her own lye soap all the way up into the 80s when she died. She used to make her own lye by filtering water through fireplace ashes and used a mixture of lard and bacon grease. She never wore gloves or goggles (I totally am in support of safety). She also never scented hers but I don't remember it ever smelling bad. She used hers to wash clothes.
My Spanish-Filipino grandmother and her family did the same while they were hiding in the jungle during WWII. The only difference was that they used coconut oil instead of animal fat
I used to make all my own soap using tallow I rendered myself (couldn't get it anywhere back then.). Then I went back to school for a STEM degree and ALL my hobbies fell off the table. I always made sure my fat was clean of meat odors and always used deep fat, not muscle fat. Also, I didn't use my immersion blender because I thought it might get ruined so I spent 45 minutes in front of the TV stirring with a wooden spoon. It was like a meditation. No crock pot though. I just used a dedicated bowl and started the soap fat at 150 degrees, letting it cool as it thickened. I am soooo enjoying watching you with this process.
We made soap in elementary school, but" we "got the lye from wood ashes . Had a whole day with these wonderful people in period dress and using period tools and methods. I'll never forget cooking and making soap over coals in these huge cauldrons .
I once made a triple coconut soap (oil, water, and scent), and got the lye from coconut shell ashes. Wouldn't do it again, but it sure was fun to do once.
In case anyone is curious: the lye you get out of ash is potassium hydroxide, whereas the lye Emmy is using here is sodium hydroxide. Potassium hydroxide is generally used for liquid soap these days as it will result in either a soap paste, or a very soft bar.
Been waiting for this video since I saw your fbook post about it! I make cold process soap from a mix of all collected meat cooking greases, which are mostly bacon, but include beef and chicken. The soap recipe proportions don't change, but the properties of the soap do. I don't bother purifying the fat; so there's a food scent when the grease is warmed -- but that disappears after the lye water goes in. The soap never smells meaty or off. Also, I add coconut oil to help it firm up. Thanks to your experiment, I'll try purifying the meat grease and a 100% meat grease soap!
What a neat process! I always save my bacon fat and 'wash' it by heating and rinsing with water, then cooling and straining several times. Till now, I've just saved the 'washed' fat for cooking but have always wondered about using it for soap making. Thank you for making this video for all of us out here in bacon land.
Trace for hot process should be the consistency of vanilla pudding and will leave definite divets or ripples in the surface when you pick up the blender. I’ve been making lye soap for about 10 years. It’s the only soap I use. I have used lard before but not my bacon fat. I may try it. I usually throw it out now bc we are empty nesters and have more bacon fat than uses for it!
I have only used the cold processing method to make soap, so this was very interesting to learn about. To save time cleaning or rendering the fat, I used olive oil. It makes soap that is very moisturizing.
I was this giddy the first time I made soap years ago! Soap making really satisfies my nerdy side as well as my creative side. Making chemical reactions pretty and practical is so cool!
Emmy, you don't want to use vinegar to neutralize any spills. It will push the reaction forward, creating more heat, which will cause a higher chance of lye burns. You should ONLY use water.
Hot Process Soaper chiming in try to avoid using a wood spoon (lye breaks them down quickly), but you did a terrific job! I was quite impressed with your descriptions of each soap stage! Welcome to our soaping world, it becomes quite the addiction! ❤
True soap requires lye 100% of the time. If you don't want to mess with lye, you can buy ready made soap bases which have already been saponofied (with lye).
@@newzealand1240 I don't think so! It's something she wanted to do most of her life, and it goes well without a hitch. I think if you live without being able to experience that kind of joy it's a little sad.
@@newzealand1240 As someone myself who gets insanely happy over a project or recipe going exactly as planned and turning out well, this doesn't feel performative at all. I might laugh, do a little dance, or whatever else when I'm so very happy over a project turning out perfectly. I was absolutely elated over my aquafaba meringues turning out perfectly (especially since I've never made ANY kind of meringue before) that I didn't want to shut up about it lol. Especially since I wanted to try it for years but either kept forgetting to pick up things or just didn't get around to it. It happens, I'm just not recording it. Some people are just way more expressive than others. That doesn't make us performative, especially if I do the same things alone in my kitchen with no one around to see it. It's just pure happiness and satisfaction coming out. *side note: I didn't mean for this to come off as a long rant, just trying to explain that some people are just naturally a little extra sometimes lol
I make soap but I buy the blocks at the craft store because I don’t trust myself around lye. I buy soap made with olive oil, glycerin and goat’s milk. I cut and melt it, add coloring and fragrant oils, and pour it into fun-shaped silicone molds. Works great and they make fun gifts.
So glad your taste and smell came back! Mine came back after 3 weeks or so, and are now more acute in some ways than before I was sick (~1 yr later). Curious to see if anyone has had a similar experience!
As someone who has made both hot and cold process soap I will say hands down cold is the way to go, you may have to wait for a bit but the product is far superior..
So happy about you ticking off this long term project Emmy! It was super fun to watch your reaction! And thanks for the little encouragement at the end, I'm sure some of us needed to hear that :)
My older brother had an AP Chemistry class in high school, and they made soap with lye. He put lavender scent in it and the vessel he used to solidify it was an empty Pringles can. We had that soap for a long time, it was a really good soap!
I love soap making, thank you for sharing! I hope you’ll make more, and keep refining your method. The makers I’ve seen use salt in their water to help purify the fat, and do multiple renders until the brine is clear and scent free. Then they combine their animal fat with other oils and fragrance before saponification 😊
This video was SO FUN! You would be such a wonderful teacher, I've been following for years now and I always get amazed in how fun you make the projects! ;')
funny you should post THIS video. i have all my stuff lined up in the kitchen right now to do this self-same thing. been making soap for over 20 yrs. im almost out right now. i think i have one bar left. our daughter washed her hair w/ it once a month to get all the product off of it. and i make my own laundry detergent once in a while too. just too cheap to make and use both of the above products. im watching for pointers. a person should never stop learning. THAT IS WHEN YOU START GETTING OLD. and im 72 already.
ps, i saved ALL my fats. no oil, just grease. ive got more than enough to make an actual double recipe of soap. if you do the fat cleaning in the winter, you can leave iot outdoors until the water freezes and its easier to separate fat and water.
My dad says the same thing. He's 72 also. He says "you stay young as long as you stay curious." and I completely agree with him. He was always making things. He was diagnosed with cancer last year, and we are going through that with him, but I'll remember his advice for the rest of my life. He hates hanging out with most older people his age because he says they're too boring and stuffy and arrogant, but I feel like you, him, and my stepmom would probably get along.
@@manthony777 Lots of people wash their hair way too frequently. I can only manage a week between hair washings, but that's a lot better than the every other day I used to do. My hair's so much happier now, and I've known people who stretch it out to a month. Of course, this only works if you're not adding a ton of product to it every day.
@@faelanae Yeah, the average woman uses multiple hair products regularly with irons and blow dryers. So even if they wash their hair only twice per week, it looks damaged and still looks oily. Oily hair full of product tends to result in acne as well. Due to pollution in modern life, and how easy it is to come into contact with diseases, I rather wash my hair every 3 days - definitely more than once per week. I live in a small town so I mostly get dust, but urban living and suburban living near the city is full of more toxins. Most people don't think about disinfecting their hair which is crazy because it's basically a mop that catches everything around you. That's so gross.
I bought myself a whole collection of soap making equipment so that I could make soap over the Christmas break ... and then I promptly developed new and interesting health issues. The soap will happen, and thanks for the inspiration!
1- Soooo happy taste and smell are coming back! As a perfumer, smell is vital. 2- Always great videos, thank you. 3- I don’t know if you have tried a Sous Vide in any videos. Could be a good series. 4- Doing sous vide bacon, as a two part process, creates amazing fried bacon and a very pure / clean bacon fat. Sous vide bacon overnight. Strain out the fat into jar/ cool. Fry bacon for just a couple minutes. Crisp outside, tender inside. 5- Again, so happy I found your channel years ago. ❤
Turkey fat works wonderfully well too! And adding a bit of sugar or honey helps create lather in the finished product. I like to throw in shea butter and vitamin E after the cooking is finished for my dry skin. Isn’t it FUN?
A great tool to use for making soap is Soap Calc - it tells you how much lye to use! Also, when you're mixing the lye to the water, remember that "the snow falls to the ground." You should also know that the lye creates a thermodynamic reaction, which is why you need to let it cool. :)
I just love how excited you were about your soap especially when you started cutting it 😅it’s really nice to see someone so genuinely passionate about something, I just had to smile along with you ❤
this was really cool i love the idea of using rendered bacon fat because it reduces waste, also the saponicfication process in cold process soap is closer to 24 - 48 hours the 4-6 weeks is called a cure its when the water evaporates is makes a harder longer lasting bar with better suds if its a single oil soap like a castile soap you should let it cure for longer than 6 weeks at least 12 it can be slimy if you dont, i've found if you add a clay additive helps speed this process up
Some people even use deer tallow during hunting season. I want to start making soap as well and I imagine I'll be as excited as you are when I finally do🤣🤣
I love how excited you get over things like this, I do too! If you can be excited for the little things in life, there will always be something to be happy about! 😊 The first video of yours that I watched was the sunflower one, and I thought, "what a lovely human being." 💜
I watched soap making videos for years…felt intimidating to make it myself. Finally did it a couple years ago and I love doing it and I have people request it now. So fun. Unmolding and cutting is so satisfying. 🎉
It is super fun but the end product is inferior to modern bar soaps such as Dove, Olay, etc. Traditional soap is very drying to the skin for many people. Modern soaps utilize gentler surfactants and moisturizing ingredients. Still cool though!
@@lemonz1769 you think so? It's made of pure fat which is incredibly moisturizing and good for your skin. You might be thinking of Glycerin soap, or older synthetic antibacterial soaps like Dial which are indeed drying. What Emmy made is akin to goat milk soap, shae butter soap, oat milk soap, etc. Dove was made to be like a synthetic version of an animal fat or goat milk soap. I hope that makes sense
Soapmaker here... there is a cure time whether it's hot process or cold process and both are ok and safe to use the next day. What the curing time does is it allows any moisture within the soap to evaporate, giving you a harder bar that will last longer. By the next day the saponification process is done. Even with hot process, you should let the soap cure a few weeks for a longer lasting bar, but it's safe to use soap of either process the next day safely, it will just be softer.
I've also wanted to make my own soap for ages, stumbling across this video was perfect. Last year I even bought the lye but need to find the time to do it. I've been saving all the beef fat (dripping) I've created over the last few weeks so hopefully that'll become my first ever soap bar(s) I also had the same thought about neutralising a strong alkali with an acid (or vice versa) but I did some research and it seems that you should really just use water
I have made a CPsoap out of the drippings of a turkey dinner. It smelled a bit gamey but it was my soap and I used it for almost everything. I have used peanut oil that I am currently in the process of making CP.
Good job 👍I make soap from cooking grease! I use an app to help calculate the amount of lye/water for the amount/type of fats I'm using. I've used chicken fat, turkey fat, bacon fat, beef fat, canola oil, corn oil, and almost always coconut oil. Different oils have different properties when you soap them. I usually do cold process, because it's less work, but I like how hot process soap turns out.
I make soap from leftover fats from cooking beef etc (allergic to pork so I don't do bacon lol). It works the same way. You can make it from nearly any fat or oil, even leftover fryer oil.
Emmy... crazy, creative and crazy creative. I've watched your recipes for some time and now this... You are a truly special person, please continue your experiments
Soapmaker here...Peppermint is a top note. Essential oils should be blended and anchored. I'd be surprised if it retained its scent for long. Please do measure in grams, essential oils have different safe useage rates so you meed to consult the IFRA guidelines for the safe amount. Anyone interested in making soap, soaping101 and royalty soaps both have beginner friendly recipes for cold process (you don't have to cook it). Hot process soap should be cured still, it gets better with age. Well done Emmy! It's not as scary as you think!
Ive nade soap out of bacon grease. My aunt used to make outside in a large kettle over a fire. One thing to note, it is better than hand soap or bath soap. The commercial factories, take the glycerine out to make castele soap. Home made soap has the glycerine in it.
I’ve never seen Emmy so excited!😆 This is soo cool!! Maybe I can finally do something with all these jars of used cooking oil I have just sitting around!😂
Another soapmaker here. One comment re the lye. I started out using a glass jar to make my lye mixture, but quickly had an accident where the glass jar burst from the heat of the reaction. The better option is to use a non-reactive metal container (no aluminum). I made mine in a stainless steel milkshake canister, perfect size and no breakage! I also switched my utensils to stainless or wood, and never used these utensils for anything but my soapmaking.
Over 50 years ago, when I was a tot, we had a housekeeper...and my mom would save all of our bacon drippings for her and she would make soap out of it. I love making soap and have always wanted to try it!
I’ve been obsessed with the idea of making soap since I was a teen as well, prob close to 15 years now and still haven’t attempted it though I came close. If this isn’t a sign to give it a shot, I don’t know what is.
I use lard as a skin moisturizer. And it works beautiful. If you have old skin, lard will perk your skin up, right away. And if you use it everyday, your skin will improve. It is amazing. And the reason lard is so perfect for human skin, is because pig skin and human skin have almost the same properties. So lard or bacon grease, is all natural and excellent.
another Emmy video. Fresh from the Kitchen. catching this 3 minutes after it went live. Last video before going to sleep. Hope you are well Emmy. Also i recommend the Royality Soaps UA-cam channel. She is making artisan soaps and has a great introductionary video to Cold Process Soap making as well if you are interested in that
here in Brazil it is very common to make soap using old soybean oil, I love making this type of soap because it is very sustainable for the environment
I make cold process coconut oil soap. It lathers so well. The bath bar is 20% superfatted, so it's not drying to the skin. I also make a 0% superfat cleaning soap. I use it as a stain stick and laundry detergent. For the laundry detergent, use 1 part shredded soap flakes to 2 parts washing soda. Process in a food processor until fine. Use 3 Tbsp per wash. It works great.
I have very fond memories of making soap with my mom when I was a young kid. She made all sorts of shapes, colors, scents, types of soap you could imagine. It's amazing what you can do once you master the basic process. Such a fun hobby.
Emmy you are just joyous to watch. I am definitely giving this project a try, I have several jars of saved fat and this would be a fun project. 💕from NC
Lye is also what traditional German Bretzels (bread pretzels) are dipped in before baking to give the classic Pretzel taste (the corrosive nature goes during baking)
Awesome video Emmy and great job honey! I felt the same way did about making soaps that are great smelling and leaving your hands and body very soft to the touch as well as creams and lotions. I just never got around to it. There was a short time that I made oil perfumes and loton. It was joyful to watch you make your first batch of soap. I loved it 😍
Amen to that-because face it, the soap I make is 100x better than the stores 😂 I also get severe eczema from store bought, so, twice the reason to be picky!
When I was a kid, there was an old man next door that made soap every fall. He'd save his pan grease over the year, then fire up his big black kettle in the side yard and spend the day making soap. I loved watching him even if he was a meanie some times.
My best friend and I used to get together and make soap out in the back yard every summer and share it between our two families. We had all boys... and man could it cut the grime. We did so many DIY projects. Best time of my life.
Did he give any to you ?
Soapmaker here! Cold process soap is safe to use 24-48 hours after being made. Saponification is complete in that time. The reason to wait to use the soap 4-6 weeks is to let it cure. It's already soap at that point, but curing allows water to evaporate which will make a harder - longer lasting bar of soap! Hot process just skips straight to saponified (instead of waiting a day or so) soap, but should still be cured for a few weeks to harden and let some water evaporate!
Soap making is AMAZING! If you're looking for some soapmakers to watch, I'd suggest Katie from Royalty Soaps, BrambleBerry has some good beginner videos too. There are SO many soapmakers out there! Soap can be simple or it can be ART! You'd be amazed what some soapmakers can accomplish!
I agree with your comment.
As a soap maker, I was just going to comment the same thing.
Curious - fat isn’t supposed to go down the drain (septic system). Now I am questioning if soap is safe to use in the shower. 🤔
@@alphabetsoup6681 Soap isn't fat once its mixed properly. It changes the chemical compound. If soap was still fat it wouldn't lather and would just be a greasy mess leaving you nasty and slimy. Fats basically become a type of salts and glycerol when properly mixed with lye.
@@alphabetsoup6681 The thing is, soap is no longer fat. It goes through a chemical process that changes it from fat to soap. It's 100% safe to use.
As a fellow soap maker, you actually CAN use cold process soap within 24-48 hours. If your recipe is correct... lye/butter/oil ratios...your lye will be saponified out. But you need the curing/drying time so the liquid used to make the soap evaporates so you have a harder bar that lasts longer. A new bar of cold process soap with be very soft and will turn to mush rather quickly. It was so fun to watch you try your first batch of soap. Kudos...you did a great job.
I was looking for this comment. 😂❤Thanks! 👍
I'm a soap maker as well. And I agree with this comment for anybody who is curious. Curing is only for a solid bar, which will last longer
Fellow soap maker here, you are correct! Even HP soaps will benefit from a good "cure". The harder the bar, the longer it will last.
Wonderful video ty for sharing the process
So glad someone said it! 😂🤭
Royalty Soap has a fantastic Playlist about how to start making soap. Katie goes through safety, recipes, the whole thing.
Here here, Duchess Katie is great at her instructional videos
❤ love that Katie! She is delightful!
Yes her videos are how I got started!!
Love Royalty Soap videos!
A Royalty Soap and Emmy Made collab would be fun. They both have such excitement and their positivity and energy is palpable.
A 1960's story: Bacon was a staple in nearly every kitchen. The Senior Girl Scout troop in my town collected it and sold it for soap manufacturing. In a year they earned enough to go to Hawaii. It's fun to see you making soap! I was a year behind these lucky scouts, but our recycling project (newspapers) earned us a back packing trip to the Grand Canyon.
Lovely story! Thank you for sharing!
Sounds wonderful!
Wait, did the troop make soap, or just sell fat to soap makers?
@@helensernett9477 just sold the bacon drippings. The scouts never actually made soap.
😄 Ive never seen anyone so happy about making soap out of bacon! This was such an enjoyable video to watch. 😊 My cousin taught my aunt how to make soap in an old crock pot about 4 or 5 years ago, and she absolutely loves making soaps now! She has made so many different combinations, and she mostly used coconut oil or Olive oil. I love her lavender/chamomile, and she made one with lemon that was like summertime in a bar of soap.😀
Pig soap. 😋 😋 😋 😋
I’d be happy making anything out of bacon 😜😜😜
I love the sheer amount of excitement from Emmy about washing her hands with the soap at the end! (Everyone needed this kind of enthusiasm towards washing their hands a couple years ago, now, didn't we??? WASH YA HANDS, EVERYONE!)
I’ve made bacon fat candles for emergencies and gifts- if you add cinnamon and clove (or general pie spices) they smell absolutely amazing ❤- super easy and quick fun project to do too
My Ozark Mountain grandmother made her own lye soap all the way up into the 80s when she died. She used to make her own lye by filtering water through fireplace ashes and used a mixture of lard and bacon grease. She never wore gloves or goggles (I totally am in support of safety). She also never scented hers but I don't remember it ever smelling bad. She used hers to wash clothes.
My grandmother too. In the Ozarks.
My Spanish-Filipino grandmother and her family did the same while they were hiding in the jungle during WWII. The only difference was that they used coconut oil instead of animal fat
I used to make all my own soap using tallow I rendered myself (couldn't get it anywhere back then.). Then I went back to school for a STEM degree and ALL my hobbies fell off the table. I always made sure my fat was clean of meat odors and always used deep fat, not muscle fat. Also, I didn't use my immersion blender because I thought it might get ruined so I spent 45 minutes in front of the TV stirring with a wooden spoon. It was like a meditation. No crock pot though. I just used a dedicated bowl and started the soap fat at 150 degrees, letting it cool as it thickened. I am soooo enjoying watching you with this process.
We made soap in elementary school, but" we "got the lye from wood ashes . Had a whole day with these wonderful people in period dress and using period tools and methods. I'll never forget cooking and making soap over coals in these huge cauldrons .
I once made a triple coconut soap (oil, water, and scent), and got the lye from coconut shell ashes. Wouldn't do it again, but it sure was fun to do once.
In case anyone is curious: the lye you get out of ash is potassium hydroxide, whereas the lye Emmy is using here is sodium hydroxide. Potassium hydroxide is generally used for liquid soap these days as it will result in either a soap paste, or a very soft bar.
Also want to add when using potassium hydroxide as your lye you can add salt to make it a bit harder.
Been waiting for this video since I saw your fbook post about it! I make cold process soap from a mix of all collected meat cooking greases, which are mostly bacon, but include beef and chicken. The soap recipe proportions don't change, but the properties of the soap do. I don't bother purifying the fat; so there's a food scent when the grease is warmed -- but that disappears after the lye water goes in. The soap never smells meaty or off. Also, I add coconut oil to help it firm up. Thanks to your experiment, I'll try purifying the meat grease and a 100% meat grease soap!
What a neat process! I always save my bacon fat and 'wash' it by heating and rinsing with water, then cooling and straining several times. Till now, I've just saved the 'washed' fat for cooking but have always wondered about using it for soap making. Thank you for making this video for all of us out here in bacon land.
Zim: "WHY WAS THERE BACON IN THE SOAP?!"
Gir: "I made it myself!"
Thank you, I came to the comments to post this.
lol I just said this XD
Clicked this video specifically to find this comment.
Yep yep, first thing my boyfriend and I thought too!! Love Gir!! 🥰 lol
I actually have this as one of my messages notifications.... 😂
My grandma made soap with bacon fat and she also made her own lye with ashes and water! It's actually pretty nice soap!
WOAH THAT'S SO COOL THAT YOU CAN MAKE LYE AT HOME! :0
@@miles_quartz How do you think soap was made before we had modern chemlabs and factories?
Trace for hot process should be the consistency of vanilla pudding and will leave definite divets or ripples in the surface when you pick up the blender.
I’ve been making lye soap for about 10 years. It’s the only soap I use. I have used lard before but not my bacon fat. I may try it. I usually throw it out now bc we are empty nesters and have more bacon fat than uses for it!
I just love how accessible you make things feel. Thanks for being you.
I have only used the cold processing method to make soap, so this was very interesting to learn about. To save time cleaning or rendering the fat, I used olive oil. It makes soap that is very moisturizing.
I was this giddy the first time I made soap years ago! Soap making really satisfies my nerdy side as well as my creative side. Making chemical reactions pretty and practical is so cool!
I love it when you're happy, Emmy!
So great to see you experiment!
Same!
Emmy, you don't want to use vinegar to neutralize any spills. It will push the reaction forward, creating more heat, which will cause a higher chance of lye burns. You should ONLY use water.
Yep, and lye water rinses very easily off of dishes. No need to put vinegar in the lye container.
Hot Process Soaper chiming in try to avoid using a wood spoon (lye breaks them down quickly), but you did a terrific job! I was quite impressed with your descriptions of each soap stage! Welcome to our soaping world, it becomes quite the addiction! ❤
Is there a no lye method you can suggest to her so she can make a second video?
True soap requires lye 100% of the time. If you don't want to mess with lye, you can buy ready made soap bases which have already been saponofied (with lye).
I always love it when she does these super weird ones
It ain’t some fight club human fat sh*t, but okay…
@@TheBLGL Fair lmao
Emmy's delight is just infectious! Gotta love it.
It's nice at times but a bit too much in this video. Kinda performative even
@@newzealand1240 I don't think so! It's something she wanted to do most of her life, and it goes well without a hitch. I think if you live without being able to experience that kind of joy it's a little sad.
@@newzealand1240 this is just a woman experiencing joy!! let her live and be happy, it seems you could use some of that energy in your own life
@@newzealand1240 As someone myself who gets insanely happy over a project or recipe going exactly as planned and turning out well, this doesn't feel performative at all. I might laugh, do a little dance, or whatever else when I'm so very happy over a project turning out perfectly. I was absolutely elated over my aquafaba meringues turning out perfectly (especially since I've never made ANY kind of meringue before) that I didn't want to shut up about it lol. Especially since I wanted to try it for years but either kept forgetting to pick up things or just didn't get around to it. It happens, I'm just not recording it. Some people are just way more expressive than others. That doesn't make us performative, especially if I do the same things alone in my kitchen with no one around to see it. It's just pure happiness and satisfaction coming out.
*side note: I didn't mean for this to come off as a long rant, just trying to explain that some people are just naturally a little extra sometimes lol
I am so happy to see you are getting your taste and smell back. Praying for 100% recovery.
I make soap but I buy the blocks at the craft store because I don’t trust myself around lye. I buy soap made with olive oil, glycerin and goat’s milk. I cut and melt it, add coloring and fragrant oils, and pour it into fun-shaped silicone molds. Works great and they make fun gifts.
So glad your taste and smell came back! Mine came back after 3 weeks or so, and are now more acute in some ways than before I was sick (~1 yr later). Curious to see if anyone has had a similar experience!
As someone who has made both hot and cold process soap I will say hands down cold is the way to go, you may have to wait for a bit but the product is far superior..
Is there really a difference in the final bar? Or just the appearance?
I wouldn’t agree that cold processed is far superior. It’s just easier. I rarely make cold processed soap.
So happy about you ticking off this long term project Emmy! It was super fun to watch your reaction! And thanks for the little encouragement at the end, I'm sure some of us needed to hear that :)
My older brother had an AP Chemistry class in high school, and they made soap with lye. He put lavender scent in it and the vessel he used to solidify it was an empty Pringles can. We had that soap for a long time, it was a really good soap!
@Jenna Foy…that’s how my husband & I make our soap…lye, coconut oil, all kinds of essential scents (empty clean Pringle cans)
@@lisahause8705 that's awesome! It really seemed to work very well!
This is the first UA-cam channel where I literally haven't seen any negative comments. It's refreshing.
Every once in a while a curmudgeon sneaks in, but very seldom!
You can also add a small percentage of beeswax to make the soap bar more durable, you don't have to add a whole lot to get the desired effect
I love soap making, thank you for sharing! I hope you’ll make more, and keep refining your method. The makers I’ve seen use salt in their water to help purify the fat, and do multiple renders until the brine is clear and scent free. Then they combine their animal fat with other oils and fragrance before saponification 😊
This video was SO FUN! You would be such a wonderful teacher, I've been following for years now and I always get amazed in how fun you make the projects! ;')
While I will never do this, I shared a burst of “Emmy joy” when things turned out so well!
funny you should post THIS video. i have all my stuff lined up in the kitchen right now to do this self-same thing. been making soap for over 20 yrs. im almost out right now. i think i have one bar left. our daughter washed her hair w/ it once a month to get all the product off of it. and i make my own laundry detergent once in a while too. just too cheap to make and use both of the above products. im watching for pointers. a person should never stop learning. THAT IS WHEN YOU START GETTING OLD. and im 72 already.
ps, i saved ALL my fats. no oil, just grease. ive got more than enough to make an actual double recipe of soap. if you do the fat cleaning in the winter, you can leave iot outdoors until the water freezes and its easier to separate fat and water.
My dad says the same thing. He's 72 also. He says "you stay young as long as you stay curious." and I completely agree with him. He was always making things. He was diagnosed with cancer last year, and we are going through that with him, but I'll remember his advice for the rest of my life. He hates hanging out with most older people his age because he says they're too boring and stuffy and arrogant, but I feel like you, him, and my stepmom would probably get along.
@@manthony777 Lots of people wash their hair way too frequently. I can only manage a week between hair washings, but that's a lot better than the every other day I used to do. My hair's so much happier now, and I've known people who stretch it out to a month. Of course, this only works if you're not adding a ton of product to it every day.
@@faelanae Yeah, the average woman uses multiple hair products regularly with irons and blow dryers. So even if they wash their hair only twice per week, it looks damaged and still looks oily. Oily hair full of product tends to result in acne as well.
Due to pollution in modern life, and how easy it is to come into contact with diseases, I rather wash my hair every 3 days - definitely more than once per week. I live in a small town so I mostly get dust, but urban living and suburban living near the city is full of more toxins.
Most people don't think about disinfecting their hair which is crazy because it's basically a mop that catches everything around you. That's so gross.
This is really cool! I’m so glad you got to do this and you were so excited about it, love that!
I bought myself a whole collection of soap making equipment so that I could make soap over the Christmas break ... and then I promptly developed new and interesting health issues.
The soap will happen, and thanks for the inspiration!
1- Soooo happy taste and smell are coming back! As a perfumer, smell is vital.
2- Always great videos, thank you.
3- I don’t know if you have tried a Sous Vide in any videos. Could be a good series.
4- Doing sous vide bacon, as a two part process, creates amazing fried bacon and a very pure / clean bacon fat. Sous vide bacon overnight. Strain out the fat into jar/ cool. Fry bacon for just a couple minutes. Crisp outside, tender inside.
5- Again, so happy I found your channel years ago.
❤
Turkey fat works wonderfully well too! And adding a bit of sugar or honey helps create lather in the finished product. I like to throw in shea butter and vitamin E after the cooking is finished for my dry skin. Isn’t it FUN?
A great tool to use for making soap is Soap Calc - it tells you how much lye to use! Also, when you're mixing the lye to the water, remember that "the snow falls to the ground." You should also know that the lye creates a thermodynamic reaction, which is why you need to let it cool. :)
Hey there...what do you mean when you say "the snow falls to the ground"?
@@alandynamite2012Gessing it's just a saying to remember to add the lye to the water, the lye being the snow, rather than the other way around.
I love experiencing all of that joy with you, when you were using the finished product!
I just love how excited you were about your soap especially when you started cutting it 😅it’s really nice to see someone so genuinely passionate about something, I just had to smile along with you ❤
this was really cool i love the idea of using rendered bacon fat because it reduces waste,
also the saponicfication process in cold process soap is closer to 24 - 48 hours the 4-6 weeks is called a cure its when the water evaporates is makes a harder longer lasting bar with better suds if its a single oil soap like a castile soap you should let it cure for longer than 6 weeks at least 12 it can be slimy if you dont, i've found if you add a clay additive helps speed this process up
Some people even use deer tallow during hunting season. I want to start making soap as well and I imagine I'll be as excited as you are when I finally do🤣🤣
Ooo, thank you for the idea! Using more of the animal is a good thing! ❤
I love how excited you get over things like this, I do too! If you can be excited for the little things in life, there will always be something to be happy about! 😊 The first video of yours that I watched was the sunflower one, and I thought, "what a lovely human being." 💜
I watched soap making videos for years…felt intimidating to make it myself. Finally did it a couple years ago and I love doing it and I have people request it now. So fun. Unmolding and cutting is so satisfying. 🎉
It is super fun but the end product is inferior to modern bar soaps such as Dove, Olay, etc. Traditional soap is very drying to the skin for many people. Modern soaps utilize gentler surfactants and moisturizing ingredients. Still cool though!
@@lemonz1769 you think so? It's made of pure fat which is incredibly moisturizing and good for your skin. You might be thinking of Glycerin soap, or older synthetic antibacterial soaps like Dial which are indeed drying.
What Emmy made is akin to goat milk soap, shae butter soap, oat milk soap, etc.
Dove was made to be like a synthetic version of an animal fat or goat milk soap. I hope that makes sense
It's really clear that making this video gave you immense joy!
Really loved watching this video. Seeing the spark and personality shine. Thanks for the smiles… and the soap.
I made soap many many years ago from tallow. It is indeed a satisfying process. Thank you for the video. It was such fun to watch.
Soapmaker here... there is a cure time whether it's hot process or cold process and both are ok and safe to use the next day. What the curing time does is it allows any moisture within the soap to evaporate, giving you a harder bar that will last longer. By the next day the saponification process is done. Even with hot process, you should let the soap cure a few weeks for a longer lasting bar, but it's safe to use soap of either process the next day safely, it will just be softer.
I've also wanted to make my own soap for ages, stumbling across this video was perfect. Last year I even bought the lye but need to find the time to do it. I've been saving all the beef fat (dripping) I've created over the last few weeks so hopefully that'll become my first ever soap bar(s)
I also had the same thought about neutralising a strong alkali with an acid (or vice versa) but I did some research and it seems that you should really just use water
I love this!! Good for the hard times playlist too. We need these skills back.
I have made a CPsoap out of the drippings of a turkey dinner. It smelled a bit gamey but it was my soap and I used it for almost everything. I have used peanut oil that I am currently in the process of making CP.
My favorite part is when you said “this is smelling great”. Welcome back to team smelling things. ✌🏾
Good job 👍I make soap from cooking grease! I use an app to help calculate the amount of lye/water for the amount/type of fats I'm using. I've used chicken fat, turkey fat, bacon fat, beef fat, canola oil, corn oil, and almost always coconut oil. Different oils have different properties when you soap them. I usually do cold process, because it's less work, but I like how hot process soap turns out.
I clean my bacon fat this way myself before storing it. If you do the water process multiple times, it will be very clean and good for frying.
I make soap from leftover fats from cooking beef etc (allergic to pork so I don't do bacon lol). It works the same way. You can make it from nearly any fat or oil, even leftover fryer oil.
No matter what you do, I always learn something. You are a joy to watch! 🤩
Emmy... crazy, creative and crazy creative. I've watched your recipes for some time and now this...
You are a truly special person, please continue your experiments
Soapmaker here...Peppermint is a top note. Essential oils should be blended and anchored. I'd be surprised if it retained its scent for long. Please do measure in grams, essential oils have different safe useage rates so you meed to consult the IFRA guidelines for the safe amount. Anyone interested in making soap, soaping101 and royalty soaps both have beginner friendly recipes for cold process (you don't have to cook it). Hot process soap should be cured still, it gets better with age.
Well done Emmy! It's not as scary as you think!
@Amanda Neville Would you please explain what exactly "blended and anchored"mean or imply in the context of soap making? Thanks in advance!
You sweet sweet girl, with your amazing energy!keep doing projects that you love!❤️
Ive nade soap out of bacon grease. My aunt used to make outside in a large kettle over a fire. One thing to note, it is better than hand soap or bath soap. The commercial factories, take the glycerine out to make castele soap. Home made soap has the glycerine in it.
I love watching your happiness and joy in this video! Thank you for sharing with us 😊
I’ve never seen Emmy so excited!😆
This is soo cool!! Maybe I can finally do something with all these jars of used cooking oil I have just sitting around!😂
Another soapmaker here. One comment re the lye. I started out using a glass jar to make my lye mixture, but quickly had an accident where the glass jar burst from the heat of the reaction. The better option is to use a non-reactive metal container (no aluminum). I made mine in a stainless steel milkshake canister, perfect size and no breakage! I also switched my utensils to stainless or wood, and never used these utensils for anything but my soapmaking.
Your enthusiasm is contagious! I love it!!
Emmy, your joy and enthusiasm are a bright, beautiful gift to the world. Thank you for sharing this.
21:09 I love your special effects and I love your bubbly personality during your presentations.
Over 50 years ago, when I was a tot, we had a housekeeper...and my mom would save all of our bacon drippings for her and she would make soap out of it. I love making soap and have always wanted to try it!
Try what? You already make soap, you said
@@manthony777 I think she meant making it out of bacon
@@SuzieQ-lw2kp , oh. Thank you
@@manthony777 , Yes, I have never made soap out of bacon fat!
@@bettinaclifton9217 , thank you for sharing ☺️
I’ve been obsessed with the idea of making soap since I was a teen as well, prob close to 15 years now and still haven’t attempted it though I came close. If this isn’t a sign to give it a shot, I don’t know what is.
The energy in this video is... perfection 💖
Like you, I thought about making soap for about 20 years. I have been making Cold Process Soap for about ten years. Now I want to try hot process
I love how happy you are about this lol so adorable! 😋
I use lard as a skin moisturizer. And it works beautiful. If you have old skin, lard will perk your skin up, right away. And if you use it everyday, your skin will improve. It is amazing. And the reason lard is so perfect for human skin, is because pig skin and human skin have almost the same properties. So lard or bacon grease, is all natural and excellent.
Thank you for the pep talk at the end. Such good advice
Your enthusiasm and excitement when you are triumphant is so contagious and would make anyone smile!!!!🤗😁
another Emmy video. Fresh from the Kitchen. catching this 3 minutes after it went live. Last video before going to sleep. Hope you are well Emmy. Also i recommend the Royality Soaps UA-cam channel. She is making artisan soaps and has a great introductionary video to Cold Process Soap making as well if you are interested in that
here in Brazil it is very common to make soap using old soybean oil, I love making this type of soap because it is very sustainable for the environment
I make cold process coconut oil soap. It lathers so well. The bath bar is 20% superfatted, so it's not drying to the skin. I also make a 0% superfat cleaning soap. I use it as a stain stick and laundry detergent. For the laundry detergent, use 1 part shredded soap flakes to 2 parts washing soda. Process in a food processor until fine. Use 3 Tbsp per wash. It works great.
This was an absolute delight....thank you as always. Miss Emmy
I have very fond memories of making soap with my mom when I was a young kid. She made all sorts of shapes, colors, scents, types of soap you could imagine. It's amazing what you can do once you master the basic process. Such a fun hobby.
Wow!! I learned a few new things today, thank you Emmy ❤️
The thrift shop near Emmy has everything
I very rarely make a comment, but I have to say that this is one of my favorite videos. Good job Emmy.
So happy for you :)
Love watching you figure things out! 💜
I love how excited you get over this!!
Love this! More soap videos!
Awesome job. So much fun. I love the smell of my home after making soap.
Ahh!! I’m so happy for you that your sense of taste and smell are back!! 🙏 Thank God ♥️
Emmy you are just joyous to watch. I am definitely giving this project a try, I have several jars of saved fat and this would be a fun project. 💕from NC
So cute to see Emmy so happy 💜
a couple years ago i found a youtube channel called royalty soaps the soap she makes are crazy cool looking
I love royalty soaps
I would LOVE to watch her react to this
I love Royalty Soaps also! Katie is super fun and makes awesome videos! ❤
@@chypearce8457 yessssss!
This was so satisfying. Thank you for taking us on this new adventure.
You should try a stick blender hot process, it's super fast and exciting, and you don't need a crock pot.
Lye is also what traditional German Bretzels (bread pretzels) are dipped in before baking to give the classic Pretzel taste (the corrosive nature goes during baking)
Awesome video Emmy and great job honey! I felt the same way did about making soaps that are great smelling and leaving your hands and body very soft to the touch as well as creams and lotions. I just never got around to it. There was a short time that I made oil perfumes and loton.
It was joyful to watch you make your first batch of soap. I loved it 😍
You are so stinking cute❤ and your joy is infectious! I am going to try my hand at soap.
The world needs more Emmys!
Awww. I needed that encouragement. I do have unfinished projects. Thank you..this was so fun.
Loved this ! You are so fun to watch because these experiments you do so please you. Keep on keeping on!
I’ve been making soap in a crockpot for many years. Watch out though you might get hooked. I’m now a soap snob and only use the soap I make. 😂💙
Amen to that-because face it, the soap I make is 100x better than the stores 😂 I also get severe eczema from store bought, so, twice the reason to be picky!