Wool dryer balls update

So I finally finished rolling the dryer balls. One skein made 3 and a half of them! I have no idea where my mom got such a large skein but I don't think its normal to get that much. Also, you can see that the one on the far side has a piece coming out. I'm not sure if its the way I rolled it or not, but its the one I made first a few weeks ago. I haven't decided if I should cut off that piece or sew it down. My concern with cutting it off is that the rest will unravel.
For those of you who don't have a knitting needle, you can sew the end down with a needle and thread. And finally, you can just use a spritz of body spray if you don't have essential oils. The oil lasts longer but if you're not sure if you'll like it you can use a cheaper form to try first. I know bath and body sells small travel size sprays as well as places like Target and Walmart too.
As far as how it works....I love it! It takes a lot less time for things to dry and it definitely helps with static and wrinkles. So far so good!

Why I wanted to make Soap, A Lesson in Chemistry

Before I delve into how make soap, let me just say that I learned a lot and it was pretty fun! My brother came over and helped too and it was some epic brother/sister time :) Anything you can make into quality time with anyone in your life, go for it! Also, this isn't good for little kids because of the lye (a chemical that will burn you), I'll explain below.

Part of the reason I wanted to start doing some of these projects is because over the last six months my entire family, including my 16 year old cat, has had the worst allergies ever. We aren't the only ones, it was unusually bad for everyone in our area this year. I wanted to find some safer, better, cheaper cleaning products because I knew that some of the chemicals in the cleaners were contributing to the problem. So what does this have to do with soap??????
Well, with all of the surfing, swimming, and yoga (Bikram yoga, so I sweat a lot!) my skin gets very, very dry and itchy. The only brand name soap that helps is the Palmers bar soap, but it's expensive.  I have friends who have made their own soap for gifts and they also make laundry soap and other soap products too. So I decided to take a look into how to make my own soap. I figured if it was too difficult or time consuming then  I didn't have to do it again. Here are the basics that you need to know:

1. Making soap requires mixing oil and water. The only way to do this is with a chemical called lye. Lye is made by running electricity through sodium hydroxide and salt. When both the oil mixture and the lye mixture are near the same temperature, you put them together and they will fuse. Once the bonding is complete, all of the lye is gone so you don't have to worry about it any more.

2. In order to figure out how much lye you need, you need to use the lye calculator. I had no idea there was such a thing. Since all oils are different, you need to know how much of which types of oil  you are using. Put it into the calculator and it will tell you how much lye to use. https://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

3.Make sure you have vinegar on hand, it neutralizes the lye in case you get it on your skin or something you didn't want it on. WEAR GOOD GLOVES! They don't have to be expensive. Even like hospital rubber gloves are fine. It's just that you want to be able to use your hands and control how much you pour of certain things on top of not burning yourself.

4. Lastly, the recipe I used has it sit for two days to solidify. Mine only took a day but I let it sit for 2 anyway. It also says that because there are no preservatives that you should try to use it within 30 days. Make a small batch unless you are giving a ton away. I am testing a batch that I put in the freezer in a ziploc bag to see if it will keep longer that way.

Recipe and directions I hope to have for you tonight!

Wool Dryer Balls and Homemade Soap

Just a quick update on this past weekends projects. I have pictures of both the wool dryer balls and the handmade soap in different stages that I will post along with each. Both turned out great up to this point. The soap has to sit covered with a towel for two days so I won't write that one probably until Wednesday this week. The dryer balls are half completed. Depending on how big you want them, the skein that I have is going to make 3 from the looks of things. Does anyone know how many inches the ones they sell are? I will measure mine too and post all of the information. I will also test drying time and static with, without, and with a dryer sheet and compare. The soap was a chemistry project for sure but it was fun and I will post everything I have because it was not easy given the directions that I had! Sorry about the delays, more on the dryer balls either tonight or tomorrow! OH! and I also tried 2 more cleaning solutions, one is a drain cleaner and the other is for pet stains. I'll post those findings too!