Recycling and Self-Sufficiency

Many of us...most of us...don't make soap or candles because we have to. We could just as easily go to the store and buy commercially made versions. We make soap and candles because we want to. Whether it's because we want a more natural alternative to detergent-based soaps, or love the flexibility and creativity of creating our own candles may vary. But one thing I do think is common amongst all candle and soap makers is the connection with history. We are engaging in a centuries-old tradition. As a commentary article that I found, Recycling and Self-Sufficiency, states, "My great-grandfather and his brother weren't environmentalists. They didn't espouse conservation. "Green" was just another color to them. But being self sufficient was as much a part of their life in the big city as it had been in the coal regions upstate where they were raised." Taking the raw oils and/or waxes and making them into something so very useful is one of the most rewarding things, in my opinion, of the craft.