Soap, the finished product. photo by Pamela Edwards The purchase of two bars of homemade soap from a couple running a booth at Stone Mountain, Georgia one weekend, began a quest to learn this craft for myself.

Always fascinated by simpler times, the olden days, and self- sufficiency, I began asking questions. I learned from the couple at Stone Mountain that they lived on a farm, rendered fat from their cows and pigs, mixed the fat with lye, added natural scents and colorants, stirred, and soap was formed.

I didn't have cows and pigs, and even if I had, I would be most hesitant to slaughter them for their tallow and fat. I turned to my favorite way of researching this ancient craft, the Internet.

There was an abundance of information on the World Wide Web to feed my new obsession. I learned about vegetable oils such as olive, coconut, palm, as well as exotic oils like almond, avocado, hemp, and mango. Each of the oils provides its own unique benefits to soap and to skin. I learned the terms sodium hydroxide (lye) and potassium hydroxide (potash) and the chemical reaction they form when mixed with the oils and fats (saponification).

photo by Hugh Staples After slicing into bars, allow soap to "cure" or dry out for one to three weeks before using. The longer the "cure" time, the harder the bar of soap, and the harder the soap, the longer- lasting it will be. Essential oils were my next discovery. These are concentrated oils distilled from various plants, offering a natural way to scent soap, as well as giving it additional beneficial qualities for the skin. Orange oil, for example, is a deep cleaning oil; ginger stimulates circulation; peppermint soothes tired muscles; lavender calms and heals; and tea tree is a natural antibacterial and anti- fungal oil.

There were many artificial fragrance oils available, providing smells from baby powder to Irish Spring. Artificial colorants were also offered. These additives would make it possible to manufacture pretty soaps with pretty smells. All well and good, but I was determined to craft a product that was all natural, as close to the old timey method as my modern day equipment would allow.

photo by Pamela Edwards Assemble the equipment. After discovering, through my research, that most of the soaps and shampoos we purchase today, are not really soap at all, but detergents, harsh to body, skin, and hair, my determination increased. I wanted to make real soap, with natural ingredients, natural scents, natural coloring, soap that would be gentle and moisturizing to the skin, soap that would cleanse without stripping the skin of its own natural oils and moisture.

I bought a stainless steel pot (lye reacts badly to aluminum! Don't ask me how I know), a ceramic bowl, and a hand- held stick blender. I used a candy thermometer to gauge temperatures. I then gathered my ingredients, olive, palm and coconut oils, lye, and water. I experimented with several ways of molding my soaps, using wooden molds, baking pans, etc., finally settling on empty Pringle's potato chip cans, which with their cylindrical shape and cardboard construction, worked perfectly. I could peel off the cardboard and slice my soaps into perfect rounds. Pam's Soap Kitchen was born.

photo by Pamela Edwards Olive, palm, and coconut oils: the "trinity of oils." Adventures in my mad scientist laboratory have resulted in quite a number of successes and a few disasters. I destroyed a couple of aluminum pans I tried to use as soap molds; I burned my lips, more than once, hovering too closely over a newly mixed batch of lye and water (lye gives off caustic fumes before mixed with oils and it gets really hot).

Successes outnumber disasters greatly. Some of my favorites include: for my dad who works outside a lot and gets attacked by mosquitoes… I made a soap with citronella oil and lemongrass to ward off those pesky insects; my sister has extremely sensitive skin… I developed a facial soap with geranium oil in it that she uses and loves; I developed a shampoo bar using rosemary and peppermint with avocado oil that leaves hair lustrous and healthy- looking with no need for conditioner; and my lavender/oatmeal soap is a big hit with many of my friends… it smells great and is super moisturizing with the exfoliating quality of oatmeal.

photo by Hannah Edwards Measure in essential oils for their fragrance, as well as their beneficial properties to skin. Conjuring soap concoctions in my laboratory/ kitchen, has led to experimenting with lotions, lip balms, creams, bath salts and more… They all include many of the same ingredients.

It's all good clean fun.

photo by Pamela Edwards Measure oils/fats. photo by Pamela Edwards Soap "traces" after 20- 30 minutes. photo by Pamela Edwards Melt oils together in a stainless steel container. photo by Pamela Edwards After "trace," pour soap into molds. photo by Pamela Edwards Measure ingredients carefully, using a digital scale. photo by Pamela Edwards Lye mixed with water heats up quickly. Temperature must be monitored carefully. photo by Hugh Staples Once soap is taken out of the mold (after about 24 hours), it is sliced to desired thickness. photo by Hannah Edwards Add oils to lye water when correct temperatures are reached. photo by Pamela Edwards Mix ingredients until soap "traces" or becomes about the thickness of pudding.