Soap Making Since 2003

Hello and welcome today I thought I would share some of the stories of our years of soap making. It all started in my single wide trailer in 2003. We had six children and one on the way. I had been messing around with all the body products for years. So I started off with melt and pour soaps. It was wonderful. Being a Mastergardener I was growing all kinds of herbs and infusing them into the oils. I ordered lye and started making the cold process soaps right in the kitchen. Bruce would come home and tell me you can’t be doing that. Oh YES I CAN!! I did! It was fun and I felt like a scientist. I’ve always said everything I do is science but I don’t know the exact details of it. The chemical composition or makeup. Once I was in a class oh gosh I loved this women! I am terrible with remembering names always have been. She was a chemist who was a jeweler. She taught me many things on jewelry making.  That’s a whole different story. I digress. Sorry. Anywho she would tell us oh you need to buy that just mix this and that together. Oh how I wish I could of gone to college. Being self taught on many levels it would of been very interesting for me to be able to go to college. I didn’t have that opportunity in my life. I was told at 18 your gone! I left at 17. Why wait?? 

I would employ the boys to box the soaps 🧼 this is Colten I have come across a many of these types of pictures of the boys boxing soaps. They were very good at it. 

We did lots of shows back then. I was doing craft and garden shows right after we got married. I would make bookmarks and painted stuff to sell. 

Bruce made soap the other day the Palm Free Lavender 

These are our five pound molds. This was the patchouli saffron. We have 15lb molds as well but with Bruce’s neck he doesn’t want to use them anymore and it takes so much more product to make them and then you have a whole lot more of one type of soap and no variety. You basically put all your eggs in one basket making the larger molds. Unless you are selling a lot. Then it’s all good! 

These are some of my besties over the years. I miss them all so much. We all would always to get together and make art. Just lovely. Kathy, Carol and Julie. Waving at you Guys! Love ya! Miss our charm swaps, doll swaps and get togethers. Good times! 

This was when I had samples out to smell 

Here we are around 2014 at the Smithfield Farmers Market 

We had our soaps in many different stores 

Here I had wood burned the dog on the rack Bruce had made plus I painted all the signs. This was for the Suffolk Art Museum. I also had some of my copper jewelry there too. That was great happenings for me in my life. Having my art pieces in the museums store. 

One of our favorite sellers 

Drying racks as the cold processed soaps take longer to cure. Between 4-6 weeks depending on the humidity or if you use a dehumidifier. I let it all be au natural. 

This is one of my favorite pictures. Cody would do a market on Wednesday morning and I did one on Wednesday afternoon so he would meet me there after his market and help me set up etc. plus he had three different jobs and was in high school. Of course this was summer time. He slept on the cooler full of eggs. I love you Cody!!! Well I finally have internet back this morning. Colby woke up and his money was in his account and yay! I asked immediately can you turn the internet back on? Within minutes it was back in service. Thank you Colby we really appreciate it. He even bought me home a goat cheese and some gluten free crackers today and some eggs. I was so grateful. Thank you!! Well today was my three hour paint class and I was so glad the internet got back on. Yay!!!! It is so nice to be in communication and community with these amazing ladies. Thank you! 

Happy dance and I should be back to normal by tomorrow. Maybe or maybe not??? 

Good vibes, 😎 

Dawn Gallop 
 

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