Coming Clean

I started making my own soap in 2003 because there was only one unscented soap that I could use from the health food store. Everything else made me itch and sneeze. At that point, I was also on a mission to remove as many toxins as possible from my home because I didn't want my children to grow up as sick as I had been as a child. However, being a stay-at-home mom, we were on a strict budget, so I couldn't buy all of the expensive products at the health food store. So, I learned to make my own all-natural products, including soap.

The difference between this class and a book or a YouTube video is that all of the steps are laid out for you from start to finish. You won't have to waste time searching online to get each question answered.

Once you start making soap -- or even before you've started to buy your supplies -- you can ask questions, which will be answered by someone experienced in not only soapmaking, but also teaching soapmaking, including via the Internet.

Making a batch of soap is one of the requirements for my Raising Dairy Goats Sustainably class that I teach online through the University of Massachusetts, so I'm accustomed to troubleshooting soapmaking challenges via discussion boards.

"I'm a member of a farmers market ... I made my first batch of goat milk soap the first of June, been giving away samples the last 2 weeks, and today was my first time selling it. I almost sold out! Two bars left! I'm so happy with your recipes. A friend who I had given a small bar of the Gardener's soap to said she used it to clean her hands after she got them covered with a lot of grimy, black sewing machine oil and it came right off! Thanks so much for your classes and recipes. I couldn't have gotten through birthing season as well without them and now I can start buying hay with soap money! LOL"

Lisa Gaunky

Wisconsin

"I recently took Deborah Niemann's "Coming Clean" soap making course via the Thrifty Homesteader Academy. I absolutely love her recipes that are provided in the course! The fact that I can use goat milk from my herd is a huge bonus! Deborah gives clear and simple instructions along with videos to create beautiful bars of soap. She has been very gracious about answering all my questions along the way. The unscented mocha java, and butter bar soaps are going to be super popular with my Colorado farm friends! Next on my list, is listening to her podcast about starting a soap making business!"

Tracy Camden

In 2002, Deborah and her family moved to 32 acres on a creek in the middle of nowhere to grow their own food organically. With the help of goats, sheep, pigs, and poultry, they produce 100% of their meat, eggs, and dairy products, as well as a large percentage of their vegetables, fruit, and herbs. They sold chickens and turkeys for more than 10 years, and are currently a licensed egg producer in Illinois and sell eggs and goat milk soap to a grocery store.

Deborah is the author of six books, including Homegrown and Handmade, Ecothrifty, and Raising Goats Naturally, as well as her latest book, Goats Giving Birth. She also teaches sustainable agriculture courses online for the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. She has been teaching Raising Dairy Goats Sustainably since 2013 and Pastured Poultry since 2015. In 2022, Deborah got certified as a FAMACHA instructor so that she and her students could feel confident that she was providing the most up-to-date information on parasite research and management.

You use lye in making the soap, but there is no residual lye in the final soap product. I use a lye calculator and superfat my recipes so the soap is very gentle on your skin. It is impossible to make soap without lye. If you tried a "lye soap" in the past and it dried your skin, it was probably due to an incorrect amount of lye used (so there was excess lye in the final soap) or they used dyes or fragrances that were the culprit. The beauty of making your own soap is that you can figure out exactly what works best for your skin!

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