Third Act Living

After 40 years as a nurse, I'm discovering that my science background comes in handy when learning to make soap. From safety and chemistry to Tuesday weigh days, every batch teaches me something new.

There are 124 bars of soap curing in my little soap room. Somewhere along the way, learning to make soap turned into building a soap business.

Tuesday nights, I weigh every bar of soap. It’s quiet, repetitive work—but in this season of grief, I’m discovering that building a business one small step at a time is giving me something steady.

My second loaf of cold process soap was going beautifully... until my lovely creamy batter suddenly turned bright orange. I kept going, but I couldn't help wondering: What did I do wrong? Turns out, the answer had been right in front of me all along. Another lesson from my soapmaking journey - and a good reminder to slow down and read the whole darn page.

After months of reading, planning, and gathering supplies, I finally made my first cold process soap. Here's what surprised me, what I learned, and why the experience became about much more than making soap.