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Thanks mom!

My mother-in-law went to Costco and brought me two big jugs of olive oil yesterday. For years, I have bought my olive oil at the "big box" discount stores because they usually carry an affordable bottle of olive oil that's just "grade A" or "pure" but not "extra virgin." You don't really get any benefit, in soap at least, from using extra virgin olive oil, so the grade A is just fine. So I'm stocked up for several months now. Hmmm...what to make first?

• Olive Oil Soap Recipes
• Types of Olive Oil to Use for Soap Making

Congratulations to Marla Bosworth of the Back Porch Soap Company - she and her company were featured as the Fox News Small Business of the Day. Marla started the company in 1998 and makes soaps and other wonderful bath products - as well as teaches classes all over the country. She's also going to be joining me in Portland, OR in May for the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild's annual conference. She'll be speaking on Formulating Natural Lotions and Creams. Congratulations Marla!

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O.k....it may not keep you up at night...but one soap making pet peeve of mine is the misunderstanding about "glycerin soap." Many times, I've heard a salesperson or soap maker say, "Our soaps are all natural glycerin soaps." Or, "Our soaps are better because they're glycerin soaps." More often than not, they're referring to their melt and pour soaps. And while I don't usually answer,  "You don't know what you're talking about." (Because often they don't...!) They usually don't really understand that the term glycerin soap is really a misnomer.

All real soap is glycerin soap. Here's why - All About Glycerin Soap

I think for all of us, our very first batch/bar of soap will always be a wonder - a work of art for us. We're amazed that we could combine this lye and these oils and come out with soap - real soap. But there are some soap makers who take their soap making craft to higher levels - making a real art out of their creations - for all of us. For some "art" is embodied in the inspiration behind the soap, for others it's in the why they make the soap, for others it's in the design or packaging of the soap. Author and proprietor of Soapylove Debbie Chialtas has collected 24 soap makers' stories in her book "The Art of Soap" - and whatever sort of soap maker you are, I promise that you'll find some kindred spirits in this book. Page after page I kept reading of other soap makers who had said and felt the same things that I had as I started making soap. I'm sure you will too.

More About The Art of Soap