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[crepemyrtle357]

I make both solid and liquid soaps. Just made my first using tallow. It really stunk at first. Mostly for the body and hair I use olive oil, not pomace, which is chemically removed from the olives.  Lavender is an anti-bacterial, so it is good to use not just for smelling pretty.

[freewoman]

crepemyrtle:  Didn't know you were making soap!  Did you buy commercial lye, or drip your own?  I have plans to use a combination of rosemary, sage, and lavender when I finally get around to soapmaking.  I think the combination of herbs will help with the smell issues (particularly the rosemary), and all 3 have anti-bacterial qualities.  Did the tallow smell eventually go away, or did it stay in the soap?  And do you use some sort of rinsing agent?  I don't care for the residue soap leaves on everything; I have very fine hair, so it gets weighed down.  I thought of perhaps making a rinsing agent out of vinegar, scented with the same combo of rosemary, sage, and lavender.  I believe the vinegar will help cut through the residue.  I did try it when using soap for dishwashing (though it wasn't scented), and it helped make my glasses clearer, and left less soap scum in the rinse sink.

[crepemyrtle357]

Did you buy commercial lye, or drip your own?

I bought commercial lye from AAA chemicals out of Texas. I wasn't burning with wood at the time I started so didn't make the lye. I keep two forms of lye, one is like draino and I use it for bar soap, the other is called something else and I use it for liquid soap.

Did the tallow smell eventually go away, or did it stay in the soap? 

I took a sniff of it the other day and it didn't stink, but have not used it yet.

And do you use some sort of rinsing agent?  I don't care for the residue soap leaves on everything; I have very fine hair, so it gets weighed down.  I thought of perhaps makin

With my hair the olive oil based soap works pretty well. In my body/hair soap I use 2/3 olive oil and 1/3 coconut oil.  Pure castile soap doesn't lather worth a hoot, but it is the gentlest soap there is. Great for babies.  Vinegar makes a wonderful rinse.

I am interested in the soap plant but haven't done much investigating about its uses. I think it some type of lily.

[amagi]

When we made soap, we made two batches with tallow.  One plain and one with oat flour.  The plain soap stank and still does over a year later.  It works well though and rinses with no odor. 
The oat flour smells way less and works a little better, in my opinion.
We added some sandal wood powder to one batch.  There was no trace of it in the finished product.
We tried adding some olive oil late in the stirring stage per instructions on a websight.  It made the bars fall apart.  it didn't blend well and formed layers.
Later I found instructions that said to add scent after the bars have set for six weeks.  Otherwise the saponification destroys them.  I haven't tried adding any yet.  I don't care that much.

Crepemyrtle, do you get a solid soap from olive and palm oil? Or a liquid?

[crepemyrtle357]

Crepemyrtle, do you get a solid soap from olive and palm oil? Or a liquid?

Not palm oil cocoanut oil. I make both a liquid and a solid. Just use a reduced lye for liquid.