At Least it Didn’t Singe my Eyebrows!- July 3, 2012

  Have you ever tried making homemade soap by a hot process? Have you ever combined hot palm oil and cold, 50% hydrogen peroxide? Even the small amount of peroxide used, poured in all at once to the oil, causes a wonderful reaction. J Oh, you want to hear the story? I’m so glad you asked!

Fortunately, Luan and I learned this without losing our eyebrows or catching anything on fire. Luan had been wanting to perfect soap making so she can teach the women in her group and possibly go back to Bwera at some point to teach. Luan’s tried it a couple times, and after all the calls, questions, and research she’s done, hopefully, this time is the charm! J

 The Monday before I left for Fort Portal, I went with Luan to learn how to make soap. This is the same type of bar soap she was taught how to make, but the times she’s tried it, it never comes out right. So we basically learned that trip, this type of soap is never a failure…you just have to experiment until it comes out right. Geez…thank you soap merchant who’s done this your entire life. Luan wants to perfect it though to some sort of recipe so we can teach. We both know how to trouble shoot it now, but in teaching, you need a basic formula to follow, not: “So basically any way you do it will come out right, you just either add water or more caustic soda…” So see the dilemma?

 So we set to work. George lit the fire with sawdust brickettes in a small, outdoor stove that was about 2-3 feet tall. Luan prepared all the ingredients, and I took ladles, a pot, and other stuff outside. Finally we started heating the palm oil…which smells horrible and smokes a lot.  

  Then…the fun part…Sadly, I fear I am a pyro at heart. Haha. George took the oil off the stove and we let it cool for several minutes. Now, palm oil is different shades depending on the quality and if it’s been mixed with something else. Our palm oil was a deep orange and to get the color out, you add peroxide. So after the oil cooled to probably 215 degrees, she dumped the measured peroxide in. Right as she withdrew her hand from over the pot and both of us randomly took a step back, the pot erupted with a loud “Poof!” and a huge cloud of fire (strangely…think atomic bomb picture from the history books and that’s what it looked like only it was fire) billowed up and disappeared. It’s never happened before to Luan while making soap…BUT…she also didn’t pour it in all at once. Luan glanced down and said, “Well, all my parts are still here!” We laughed…kinda still surprised by what happened and George chimed in, “Yeah, well you’re lucky you still have eyebrows!”

 After that, we added the other ingredients and stirred for what seemed like forever, trying to reach the right consistency. We add caustic soda mixed with water…super cool and not safe chemical. It’s cool though because when it has air and is on a surface, it liquefies and looks just like water. But it burns worse than acid. But cool find of Luan’s, vinegar counters the caustic soda! So in case we got any on us, we had a bottle of vinegar. We wore glasses and gloves while making soap as the chemicals were pretty dangerous involved and the fumes aren’t pleasant. Finally after reaching the desired toothpaste consistency or as George called it, “Red Sea Parting consistency”, we slapped into wooden molds. It made 3 full rows and a little more. As of right now, it is already out of the mold and sitting on the counter! It is supposed to harden in 4 hours and be able to use in 8 hours. Mostly, this soap is used for laundry, but it is also used for dishes and bathing. If my internet would load, I’d post the pictures George took. J

  

 Two other fun things today…while we were making soap, we started noticing a lot of white and brown butterflies flitting and flying past the house. They were migrating!! So many little butterflies, about the size of a half dollar, flew into the yard and straight on past. It was very pretty and I’ve never seen so many butterflies at one time or a migration.

 The other thing was I learned how to make homemade tortillas. We had fajitas for dinner and Luan showed me how to make the tortillas while she cooked them. Super easy, but it takes time as you have to roll them super thin and then cut them out, we used a small pot lid, and then cook them. However, they were great.

 This evening, George and I watched the original documentary, Invisible Children. The film contains interviews from children that escaped the LRA and those that were running from home because they were not safe at home. Very sad and very wrong. I have had several conversations with George and Luan about the Invisible Children and the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) as they have lived in Uganda, saw the effects and happenings first hand and say this film is facts based, and have hosted the three men that shot this documentary. The information found here in Uganda about the LRA and Invisible Children is very different from the information I’ve heard in the States. It was an eye-opening movie, and crazy that the Ugandan government allowed it to continue for a little over 2 decades. I am glad I watched the film, even though some of it was graphic for now I know more of the story, not only from the recording but also from people that witnessed the packed bus stages and hospitals sheltering thousands of children every night. Thank goodness this is no longer continuing in Uganda, despite the corrupt government.

 Tomorrow if July 4^th and we are going to a gathering for the Americans. Should be fun, weird though to be in a country that has no clue why America celebrates the 4^th of July. :D