Classes
2022 Fall Classes (scroll down for class descriptions)
Cold Process Soap Basics:
Class: Saturday, October 29, 9 - noon, River Falls High School, River Falls, WI. Register Here.
Lab: Saturday, October 29, 12:30 - 3:30 (bring a bag lunch if staying for both classes), River Falls High School, River Falls, WI. Register Here.
Advanced Soap Design
This advanced class is for those who have previously taken a soap-making class with Nancy (cold process, hot process or a milk-based class). We will review processes and procedures and then move on to more advanced design techniques including colors, swirls, layers, embeds, and more! Students will participate hands-on in this class. Fun!
Monday, November 14, 6 - 9 pm, River Falls High School, River Falls, WI. Register here.
Handmade Bath & body Gifts
Making your own personal body-care products is simple, inexpensive, rewarding, and good for you! They also make great gifts, of course. :) This class offers an overview of several items you can make simply at home, including soap, deodorant, lotions and creams, herbal sachets, balms, body powder, insect repellent, and more! Learn about choosing healthy ingredients and make and take home some samples and recipes.
Thursday, December 1, 6 - 9 pm, River Falls High School, River Falls, WI. Register here.
If you are interested in hosting a soap-making class or Herbs for Every Day class, or any other class we offer, please contact us.
Balm Basics Learn to make your own healing and moisturizing balms. Using organic, skin-nutritious oils, infused herbs, essential oils, and local beeswax, we’ll formulate a recipe and make a batch of lip balm and some moisturizing balm bars. Take home a tube of each, learn healing properties of herbs and oils and get hands-on practice making your own natural and organic skincare products!
Cold Process Soap Basics Traditional soap-making is a fun and useful hobby. Learn how to make organic, herbal soap using the cold-process method. Learn about soap-making safety, equipment and ingredients, and a bit about the history and chemistry of turning oil and water into a bar of moisturizing, cleansing soap! Each participant will take home an organic cold-processed bar.
Hot Process Soap Basics Follows same outline as cold-process class, but (of course) focuses on the hot process. As a stand-alone class (versus a part of the soap-making series), we will go over all aspects of soap-making safety, equipment, and ingredients, and produce a batch of hot process soap. Each participant can customize a bar to take home.
Soap-Making Lab You now know how to make soap, but if you are a bit apprehensive and would like the benefit from having Nancy available for questions and direction while making your first batch of soap, this soap lab is for you! You'll go home with your own full batch of soap. Students will bring their own equipment and supplies to this class or arrange through the instructor for purchase of a supply kit. You need not have attended all three basic classes to attend the soap lab, but must have attended at least "Cold Process Soap Basics"
Handmade Personal Care Products: Overview Making your own personal care products is simple, inexpensive, rewarding, and good for you! This class offers an overview of several items you can make simply at home, including: soap, deodorant, lotions and creams, herbal sachets, balms, body powder, insect repellent and more! Learn about choosing healthy ingredients, and make and take home some samples and recipes.
Introducing Essential Oils Come explore some basic benefits of using essential oils. Learn a bit about how the oils are produced, how to use them safely, and how to simply and easily incorporate them into daily life. We’ll cover characteristics and uses of some common and versatile essential oils and demonstrate how to make simple and useful household products. Participants take home samples and recipes. (Instructor is not affiliated with any particular product or brand.)
More About Essential Oils Let’s dig a little deeper! This class begins where “Introducing Essential Oils” left off. Topics we’ll explore in greater depth include: creating solutions for various applications, carrier oils and their properties, dilution formulas, and more. We’ll add to our list of favorite essential oils, discuss and demonstrate their uses and applications, and make some class projects to take home. (Instructor is not affiliated with any particular product or brand.)
Make Your Own Lotions and Creams Nancy will demonstrate and explain how to make your own luxurious lotions and creams for face, hands, and body. Learn about properties of various oils used in skin care, infusing herbs, finding local ingredients, using flower waters and hydrosols, and more. We will create a recipe in class and produce our own custom batch of organic, skin-nourishing lotion. Each participant will take home a 2-oz bottle or jar.
Battle the Bugs! Want to manage those biting and stinging bugs from beginning to end—but without all the chemicals? Give this class a try! Nancy will present ideas for battling the pesky summer-time pests by using essential oils and herbs—many of which can be found in your back yard! We’ll produce a batch of anti-insect soap, make an anti-insect room spray, mix up an herbal anti-itch paste, and share ideas and examples of things to use around the house for keeping the bugs at bay. Take home a sample-size healing balm, a mini Back Yard (soap) bar, and make-and-take an herbal anti-itch bath tea bag, and an anti-insect spray. 2 1/2 hours chock full of ideas for doing battle with bugs.
Useful Plants in Your Backyard Step aside, herbicides! Here’s a better solution to spraying, cutting, or pulling all those pesky, unwanted plants—use them! Learn to identify five common “weeds” and how to use them in uncommon ways. Depending on the season, we’ll make plantain soup, burdock tincture, dandelion gravy, nettle hair rinse, and more! Explore our local world of plants and be amazed at what you can make and enjoy! Participants will have opportunity to sample preparations in class and/or take samples home. Bring your favorite tea cup!
Introduction to Herbal Infusions Welcome to the world of herbal infusions! Learn about various herbs and their uses, when and why to choose different methods (water, oil, vinegar, alcohol, fresh or dried plants, heat, agitation, etc.) and how and why to use the infusion when it's ready (serum, salve, massage oil, toner, hair rinse, bathing, medicinal, tea, etc.). We'll prepare several different infusions and/or infusion-ready herbs for you to use at home. Please bring four 1-cup glass jars (with tight-sealing lids). All other supplies provided. You will take home notes, recipes, and 4 herbal infusions and infusion-ready herbs.
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About our Soap Making Classes
Soap-making classes/workshops are held locally (western Wisconsin/Twin Cities area) whenever there is interest.
We offer several sessions. Sessions build on the previous session, therefore Session 1 is a requirement for Session 2, and Session 2 is a requirement for Session 3. The Soap Lab, however, is open to students once Session 1 is completed (Sessions 2 and 3 are not pre-requisites for participating in the Soap Lab). (Occasionally I offer individual classes as a "stand alone" class. See the various Community Education class descriptions for complete details.) We produce a batch of soap in each class, and students take home a bar.
I) Introduction to Traditional Soap Making: general soap-making safety, quick history, equipment, and cold-process soap (water-based)
II) Soap Making-- The Next Step: hot-process soap making, herbs, oils, essential oils overview
III) Milk-Based Soap Basics Learn how to make mild and gentle soaps using milk! Perfect for sensitive skin, these soaps can be made simply and easily using traditional cold-process methods and locally produced milk. We'll cover soap making basics and highlight necessary adjustments to make when using milk instead of water. A batch of soap will be produced in class, and each participant will take home a bar of organic goat's milk soap.
IV) Soap Lab: This lab is open to those who have taken a milk-based, cold-process, or hot-process soapmaking basics class with Nancy. You now know how to make soap, but if you are a bit hesitant about soloing your first batch, come to the lab and make your first batch here with help, advice, and expertise close by! Bring your own supplies and equipment, or purchase an ingredients kit and/or rent an equipment kit from Shady Lane Farm for an extra charge.
Advanced Classes: All advanced classes include a review of the process--hot, cold, or milk soaps. Topics include: liquid soaps (gels, foamers, etc.), swirls and designs, special molded soaps, creating recipes and using a lye calculator, trouble-shooting, hand-milling.
Cost: Fees vary depending on the location and details, but generally range from $22.00 to $36.00 per person per session.
Please contact us for custom classes, group demonstrations, additional registration information, or other details.
If you are interested in hosting a soap-making class or Herbs for Every Day class, or any other class we offer, please contact us.