Well, I’ve been making some neat products (and some great messes) over the last few years with my beloved DIY products. In the process, I’ve figured out that there are two categories of equipment; things that you can share between your kitchen and food prep life, and things you cannot. There are also things that can be shared, but are a huge pain in the backside to clean once they’ve crossed into the DIY world. So, I thought I’d warn you with a list of things I learned the hard way.
Things you definitely want a dedicated DIY version of
- A coffee grinder—these things are amazing for making any kind of make-up; mincing herbs for soap, salts, and scrubs; blitzing titanium dioxide for dissolving into soap; and anything else that requires a lot of finicky mixing or annoying chopping. You won’t regret buying one, I promise. I have a great one from Krups that’s been going strong for years now—I’d highly recommend it.
- A soaping pot—honestly, you could probably use a pot you make food in without thorough cleanings between switching uses, but I like having a dedicated soaping pot so I can let oils come to room temperature overnight and still have a pot to make pasta in if I happen to need one that evening.
- A secondary soaping pot/bowl—just like the pot, you could use a kitchen bowl that you cook with if you want, but I like having a set of soap only ones. I got mine at a rummage sale for a couple dollars.
- Soaping thermometers—mostly because few people have kitchen thermometers that’ll measure the right temperature (meat thermometers start too high). Honestly, though, I have stopped using soaping thermometers and just soap at room temperature.
- A chopping knife—you’ll want a dedicated knife anyways, but as soon as you introduce beeswax into the equation you’ll be very, very glad you don’t have to get that blade back to 100% in an instant. Just be sure the DIY knife you get is full-tang (aka super sturdy) so it can stand up to chunky stuff like beeswax.
- A chopping board—there’s no safety reason for having a dedicated one, but as with the knife it’s nice not worrying about getting all the beeswax off it.
- A silicone spatula—mostly for soaping, but also handy for stirring and scraping things that contain lots of essential oils that would not taste very nice in your next batch of cookies. (Honestly, four years after writing this… all my spatulas do double duty in soaping/diy projects and cooking. It’s fine.)
- A dedicated, square-edged soap mould/trough—the square edges make your soaps look awesome, and if you use the right dimensions, you can calculate exactly how much mould you need for exactly how much soap.
- An immersion blender, for tracing your soap in under an hour. (Again, four years after writing this… you don’t need two immersion blenders. You can get that one clean enough to use it for both food and soap.)
Things that can share kitchen & DIY duties
- Metal and glass measuring cups and spoons—they’re non-porous, so they can be shared pretty easily assuming you give them a good scrub by hand to remove any residue. I have a substantial collection of Pyrex 1-cup measuring cups that I use all the time for everything from baking to melting lip balm ingredients together.
- Digital scale—if you’re not using a scale for both cooking and DIY, you really should be. I have two, but you only need one. For tips on what to look for and links to the ones I’m currently using, click here. For a quick video on how to use a scale, click here.
- Tiny bowls—I have ton of wee bowls like these ones. I use them for all kinds of smaller projects (like lipsticks) and blending up face masks.
- Thin, flexible spatulas—Specifically these ones from NorPro. I have about 20. They’re amazing. The thin edge means you can get pretty much everything out of your pot/bowl/measuring cup, and they’re flexible and dexterous enough to really mash around small amounts of whatever it is you’re working with.
Other DIY things you should have
- A variety of mason jars in different sizes—wonderful for storing creations and decanting ingredients.
- Little tins—for smaller creations.
- A stash of sturdy (read: metal) spoons—for scooping butters out of tubs and spooning out powdery ingredients.
That’s a good list! I have a separate set of glass measuring cups for beauty making stuff. Then there are the gee…that would be nice items like the starfrit Digigal spoon. Check it out…http://www.amazon.ca/Starfrit-Digital-Spoon-Scale-Interchangeable/dp/B008F7AXCK
For the mixtress in your life 🙂
OOoh, digital spoon… my only worry would be breaking it, lol, I can get pretty over-zealous with spoons!
Yes, I tend to get overzealous or distracted when I’m making stuff 😛 Did you make your soap mold or buy it?
I actually talked my dad into making it for me—he’s a woodworking genius! It’s a brilliant mold, too. I just provided the measurements and he gave me something with adjustable dividers and removable ends. Brilliant!
Hi there! I was wondering what your measurements were for your soap mold and the volume it holds. Thank you in advance 🙂
-Heather C.
Heather—The inner measurements of my mold are 15″ long, 3.5″ across, and 3.5″ deep. I have a series of dividers that support the lid; they are 2.75″ high, giving the mold an effective depth of 2.75″ (the lid is 0.75″ thick). Each inch of the mold holds 100g/oils of soap; so the entire mold holds a 1500g of oils batch of soap. It’s also exactly as long as sheets of parchment are long, meaning it’s super easy to line as well. Basically, it’s the perfect size!
Wow thank you! That was way more detailed than I anticipated; I would’ve never thought of g/inch of e.o. One question, what purpose do the lid and dividers serve? Can I make a mold without a lid or is it better to have one?
You don’t need the dividers (though I really like them because I will usually make a big base batch of soap and then divide it in two and spike each half with different EOs and what not, and then the dividers keep the two types separate), but you definitely need a lid, or something to cover it with. This is because soap needs to be insulated while it saponifies (most recipes, at least—there are some exceptions where extra sugar is involved).
I don’t really get the concern about sharing soaping equipment with cooking gear if it is glass or metal. Even lye washes off. And raw soap is not raw the next day, and washes off just fine. Maybe I don’t use as many oils and fragrances, but even then, if salad dressing washes off, so will soaping oils.
I know people worry about lye, and if it were a wooden spoon I would be more concerned that it wouldn’t all come out, but on glass or metal I have no concern (Including the thermometer.)
Maybe that’s just me.
For me it’s two things—the first is that I’m a bit of a worry wart, and I don’t want to be constantly worrying about cross contamination with lye and other non-food-grade ingredients.
The second is that fragrance and essential oils are potent and long-lasting. I just made a batch of soap this weekend and put the glass jars I mixed the EO/FOs in into the dishwasher after washing them out by hand. The next day, after running the dishwasher, all the dishes tasted like fragrance oil, not just the ones I measured into. Ick. So that’s part of it, too—even non-porous containers can really capture scents and flavours. Two cycles later the dishwasher still smells of FOs.
I really enjoy your recipes for health care, but this post was so helpful to me as I am fairly new to the use of oils and herbs to make my own products. Thank you for awesome info!
Thanks for reading, Cheryl, and enjoy your journey into natural body products and herbs!
Thank you for posting this. The DIY world can snowball fast when it comes to buying all the equipment and supplies different people will say you “must have”. This was a simple and practical list that is actually doable without breaking the bank. I’m a fan of keeping things simple. So much easier to go green! 🙂
This is so true! If you could see my DIY cupboard you’d see that I’ve definitely fallen, err, victim to the ingredient “must-haves”. So many positive reviews and use suggestions—I just have to have it all 😛 Always start out with Value Village and Op-Shops, they are awesome places to get gear. Which reminds me, I need to go to one and replace my burnt-out make-up making coffee grinder 😛
I’m so glad to read this. I’ve messaged a woodworking aunt of mine to inquire about the possibility of her making me a soap mold like yours. Thank you for this post and for putting the measurements on here as well!
No problem, Victoria—thanks for reading!
I gave the measurements to my Aunt and she wanted to know what you treated the wood with. I don’t suppose you have an idea, do you?
It’s not treated with anything, actually. I line it with parchment paper when I make soap in it, so the only parts of the mould that are exposed to raw soap are the ends and the dividers. After 2 years the only thing that’s starting to go is the threading in the screw holes, so that seems to work quite nicely 🙂
Fantastic! That’s what I thought but I wanted to make sure before I said as much to my Aunt. Thank you!
No worries 🙂 Let me know how your final mould turns out!
Hello Marie!
Another question – how big or small are your measuring spoons? I have my eye on a set of 6 with the smallest being 1ml or something like that. It’s rather pricey so I was wondering whether I really need so many of them, especially if I wind up using only one or two.
Very helpful post by the way!
Hi Rin! I have cooking ones that run the gamut from 1/4 tsp to 1 tbsp (1.25mL–15mL), plus a set of nip/dash/smidgen spoons. I find I end up using most of them for one thing or another, though they do double duty between the kitchen and my DIYing. They shouldn’t be expensive, though—Amazon has plenty of sets in the $3–5 range that look good 🙂
Thanks for the tip about Amazon, Marie 🙂
🙂
Hi, thanks for posting this list! I decided to buy a coffee grinder after reading this. Got a question though. I know that a burr grinder is better for grinding coffee than a blade grinder. But I’m wondering which is a better option for a diy grinder (to grind clay mask etc.). There’re also hand-cranked grinders out there. It’s easier to find traditional hand-cranked ones here in Indonesia. But I’m a bit wary of those since most of them are made from wood (the outer body at least). So, in your opinion, what kind is best for diy things?
Thanks again for your posts. They help a lot 🙂
Hi Yuliani! I always buy inexpensive, second-hand grinders and they’re always blade grinders, not burr, so I can’t say I’ve tried a burr. I’ve also never tried a hand-cranked one, though with how long I’ve had to blend some concoctions I think you’d probably want to stick with an electric one. 🙂
Thank you for the reply 🙂
It’s pretty fortunate that I just found a pretty cheap blade grinder a few days ago and now I can go out and buy it, instead of wondering if the thing will eventually collect dust in my cupboard.
Score! I love it when that happens 🙂
What brand of digital scale do you recommend?
-Kathryn
I’m afraid none of my best scales have brands on them, which is a very odd thing to say. They’re from Lee Valley, which is a super awesome store. I would avoid Starfrit, a past scale from them was a dud. Look for something digital that measures in 1g/0.03oz increments (or less, that’s also useful!). Ensure it has a tare/zero function. If you’re making soap, make sure it goes up to at least 2kg/4lbs.
Lee Valley no longer carries the Precision Pocket Scale. Knowing their reputation for quality, you’ll probably have it for a long time to come. But if you *were* to replace it, what might you recommend?
Hey Esther! I just wrote an FAQ on this 🙂
Hey Marie,
I came across your blog accidentally by searching for something and i discovered a whole world! Actually I’m not new to DIY but always looking to discover more.
I would like to know where do you buy the containers for your products?.
Thank you
Your new fan from ISRAEL
Avivit
Hey Avivit! I’ve got an FAQ for your question 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Hi, I’m getting ready to try my first recipes… elementary question: do we need to sterilize everything? (spatulas, mixing dishes, lip balm tubes, jars, etc.) if yes, do you have some tips to share?
I typically just run everything through my dishwasher, which gets steaming hot. Sterilizing everything (well, to the best of our abilities at home—we aren’t hospitals!) will result in longer shelf lives for your end products, and I would recommend it if you’re selling stuff, but I don’t bother for my small batch home products. I’d wash stuff, mist it in a 5% bleach solution, let that sit for a few minutes, rinse, and dry in a 200°F oven (where you can—obviously not for plastic!). Other readers have said they use solutions available to home brewers with great success!
Oooh! My husband IS a home brewer!! Didn’t think of that ;)!
And thanks, that’s exactly the type of answer I was hoping for, haha! I’m not sloppy, but I like to keep not-so-necessary procedures to a minimum ;)!
Happy to help! I should probably pick up some of that brewing disinfectant to try… but dang, I don’t want any more stuff right now! 😛
Stupid question but can i use enamel measurement cup for DIY? That’s the only cup i have that big enough and can hold heat but i’m afraid to use it for DIY
As long as it’s non-porous, non-reactive, and heat resistant it should be fine 🙂
Thanks for the very useful post– I just started making my own body care and your website has been really useful! Equipment wise, I managed to get hold of a cheap magnetic stirrer with a heating option (like the ones you get in chemistry class) and I find it really useful as you can just turn on the stirrer and it’s a bit less messy than trying to use a blender 🙂
Oh fun! I dream of an overhead mixer with heating capabilities… someday 😀