Cold Process Soap Making Workshop

Make your own soap from scratch with Saltaire Soap's Fiona Smith.

Fiona will introduce you to this rewarding and fun activity and will guide you through making 2 batches of soap. The first batch you make will be from a simple recipe and will be unscented and uncoloured. After more training and demonstration, you will move on to more complicated recipes in the afternoon session, with extra oils, scented oils and kitchen spices colouring. You will take home approximately 1kg of home-made (vegan, palm-oil free) soap (about 10 bars).

If you ever wondered what "saponification" or "gel-phase" was, now is your chance to find out! Fiona will guide you through the pitfalls and pleasures of soap-making and pass on tips for making your own recipes with a soap calculator, also looking at scent, colour, clays, oats and other add-ons for creating unique soaps.

The course will cover: working safely with sodium hydroxide/lye; theoretical knowledge; how to use a soap calculator to calculate your own soap recipes. You will receive a hand-out covering the safety issues, all the theory and advice on troubleshooting, as well as receiving information on suppliers of raw materials and useful websites.

Cost: £60 per person (includes all materials and equipment, along with expert tuition).

Skill level: suitable for beginners.

Host or Publisher The Craft House