I have made my own soap for decades but I have always used fragrance oils (FO). I found that they were not only cheaper, but the scent lasts a lot longer. They are not organic, however, and this has been a problem for customers, more so lately.
(The pictures in this blog are pictures of my soap, taken by me.)
I have used essential oils (EO) but find that the scent doesn't last long. I have to wrap each bar individually sealed in plastic to keep the scent just long enough to sell or give away the soap bars. If the customer unwraps it and lets it sit long, the scent dissappears altogether. This is the case with all essential oils as they are very volatile (they evaporate quickly).
Organic colour has also been a problem. I have used non toxic children's crayons for soap colour in the past, most of the time. Since the soap was not organic anyway, being made with fragrance oils, it didn't matter that the colour was not organic either.
This is all changing. My soap, henceforth, will be purely organic, although I will use up the supplies that I have on hand now.
I am experimenting with making my own organic soap colour this year from what I have here on the farm. I already have a small bottle of dark red hibiscus colour, that I made last year. I am going to use it soon, as an experiment.
Various green colours are easy to make. Spinach makes a great green colour, as does comfrey and other plants that grow here. Calendula makes a yellow, ditch day lilies will make orange (but I intend to make wine from those and the hibiscus flowers).
One does have to be careful what one uses to make organic colouring as the properties of the plant are also being imparted to the soap. (Uh...if you are going to make your own green colour from plants, don't use poison ivy. Just a hint.)
All of this is a lot of trouble, as is the selling of one bar at a time. Because of this, I am considering selling organic soap base for those who like to add their own stuff to the soap and sell it. This kind of soap base is called "melt and pour" (M&P) soap. Most "homemade" soaps these days are made with purchased M&P soap base but the commercial M&P soap bases on the market are not organic. Mine will be.
I might offer a variety of types:
- A very hard soap base that lasts a long time and doesn't melt away in water, which is usually my most popular soap. I make it this way because of the feedback from year's of customers who complain that homemade soap is too soft and doesn't last.
- A softer Castille soap base made with some olive oils.
- A vegan soap base of medium hardness
- A combo choice made to order, paid in advance
I might also sell organic soap colour in small amounts. I don't know about that yet. I have considered distilling my own essnetial oils for sale, but I don't think I am going to go there. WAY too much trouble!
This is all just in the thought stage. I know there will be a market for the organic colour, I just don't know if I can produce enough to make it worth it. I will just have to experiment and see. I have lots of comfrey but need to use it for fertilizer on the garden. I have lots of hibicus flowers but want to make wine with them, although if I can make enough money to make it worth my while, I will go with the colour instead of the wine. I can't sell the wine! (It's not legal and we're not going there!)
What do you think? Is there a market for organic M&P soap bases made to order. They would not be expensive, since they would be basic and simple. I would not be adding expensive oils and creams. Those things are for the home crafters to add themselves unless there is a special request for it, then that cost would be passed on to the purchaser.
Hmmmmm...I could even sell it already grated!
It is still just a thought. I am way too busy right now to do anything about it yet but I would love some feedback on my new idea!
This is the time of year when the spinach is plentiful. I plant a lot of it, as I like to add it to dips, soups, stews, lasagna, tomato sauce and plan to add it to dog food.
It can be chopped and frozen in water. The water is the important part. It will be good for cooking for months if chopped and frozen in water. Its not good for salad after it has been frozen, however. Just so you know.
You can chop it fine then put it into freezer bags, cover with water and freeze. I like to use ice cube trays for this so I can add the smaller amounts that I need for things.
I chop it very fine, then fill the ice cube trays with the dry chopped spinach. I then pour water into the trays until they are full and set them in the freezer.
Sometimes, in our freezer, it is hard to find a level surface on which to set several ice cube trays. I have to re-arrange the entire freezer first!
After they are frozen, take them out of the ice cube trays and empty into a large freezer bag. Seal and freeze. Then you can take them out as you need them.
I have finally gotten everything planted except the potatoes and tobacco seedlings. I have not planted the potatoes yet because I have been undecided about growing them this year. This is the potato capital of Canada and we have friends with a huge potato farm. These friends have let us pick up potatoes off the ground after the machines have harvested them in the past, also, 50 lb bags of potatoes are so cheap in the fall here. It is not really worth planting them. 
The only reason I am considering it is because I want them to make dog food next year and I like the red ones. Most of what is grown around here are white commercial potatoes. Its not the same and they are not nearly as good as homegrown red ones with our own chicken manure. So, all things considered, I am thinking about planting some red ones this week. My father in law assures me that it is not too late to plant them now and I have the room and can make the time for it now that everything else is in the ground and it rained last night. This constant hand watering and sprinkler moving has been killing me! Well, its been taking all of my time, anyway.I want to plant potatoes in trenches lined with cardboard and covered with thick mulch instead of soil. Since the potatoes grow above the seed potato, they will grow onto the cardboard in the trench. You can also just lay them in the trench on the soil and cover with mulch and still have fairly clean potatoes without any digging. The cardboard is optional.
Thus we will have fairly clean potatoes without any digging. The digging is work, yes, but it also results in a lot of large potatoes cut in half or stabbed. This is what happens when I dig them, anyway. I don't seem to be very good at it :-( If the trench is covered with straw, we can just lift the mulch to see how the potatoes are progressing or to pick up a few little ones to eat. I think I may be planting potatoes in this manner this week, perhaps with the cardboard, perhaps without it. Writing this blog has helped me make up my mind. I will let you know how the cardboard/mulch plan works out. I do have a small square bale of old hay I can use for that and some fall leaves I can cut up and add to it. 
Another reason to plant potatoes is for the flowers. I like potato flowers in a cut arrangement. They are very pretty and people don't seem to recognise them. Everyone asks what they are and seem quite surprised when I tell them that they are potato flowers. I wonder if I can make a gallon of potato flower wine?I am still a bit undecided. I might look at the work I already have to do in weeding and harvesting and decide not to plant potatoes this year. I keep changing my mind. That's a woman's perogative, isn't it?
Sweet William in front, sedum to the right and malva moschata not yet in bloom behind the rail.
Peach foxglove digitalis and Japanese iris
Peony and Buck behind.
Miniature roses.
Organic colour has also been a problem. I have used non toxic children's crayons for soap colour in the past, most of the time. Since the soap was not organic anyway, being made with fragrance oils, it didn't matter that the colour was not organic either.
Various green colours are easy to make. Spinach makes a great green colour, as does comfrey and other plants that grow here. Calendula makes a yellow, ditch day lilies will make orange (but I intend to make wine from those and the hibiscus flowers).
This is all just in the thought stage. I know there will be a market for the organic colour, I just don't know if I can produce enough to make it worth it. I will just have to experiment and see. I have lots of comfrey but need to use it for fertilizer on the garden. I have lots of hibicus flowers but want to make wine with them, although if I can make enough money to make it worth my while, I will go with the colour instead of the wine. I can't sell the wine! (It's not legal and we're not going there!)
This is the time of year when the spinach is plentiful. I plant a lot of it, as I like to add it to dips, soups, stews, lasagna, tomato sauce and plan to add it to dog food.
You can chop it fine then put it into freezer bags, cover with water and freeze. I like to use ice cube trays for this so I can add the smaller amounts that I need for things.
