About this Event
We believe in knowing how to make some of the things we use every day.
Soapmaking is one of those skills.
In this hands-on class, we're getting back to the basics and learning how to make real soap from scratch. Not melt-and-pour. Not a premade base. You'll learn how oils, water and lye come together through the soapmaking process—and then you'll put that knowledge to work and make a batch of your own.
This class is about more than following a recipe. We want you to understand what you're doing. We'll talk about the role different oils play in a bar of soap, how to work safely with lye, what happens during saponification, how to recognize emulsion and trace, and how botanicals, clays and essential oils can be used to make a bar your own.
Because doing for self starts with knowing how.
No previous soapmaking experience is necessary. We'll teach you the process, give you room to ask questions, and guide you as you make your own batch.
You'll leave class with more than two pounds of cold-process soap—roughly 8–10 bars once cut—along with the recipe you used, your reusable loaf mold, basic safety information, and instructions for cutting and curing your soap at home.
The goal isn't just to send you home with soap. It's to send you home knowing how soap is made.
WHAT YOUR REGISTRATION INCLUDES
- 3½-hour beginner-friendly cold-process soapmaking workshop
- All soapmaking ingredients and supplies
- More than two pounds of handmade soap to take home — approximately 8–10 bars once cut
- Reusable loaf mold
- Class soap recipe
- Basic cold-process soapmaking safety guide
- Instructions for unmolding, cutting and curing your soap
- Choice from instructor-approved essential oils, botanicals and natural colorants
- Light refreshments and time for questions and conversation
Admission & Pricing
Standard Admission: $115
Class size is limited to 12 participants to allow for hands-on learning and individual guidance. Participants will work in groups of two.
Work-Trade Opportunity
We believe practical education should be accessible. To help reduce financial barriers, we've reserved one work-trade opportunity for someone who would benefit from a reduced registration rate.
This opportunity is ideal for individuals receiving SNAP/EBT or public assistance, managing immigration-related expenses, experiencing unemployment or reduced income, or facing other financial hardships.
The selected participant pays $60 instead of $115 in exchange for arriving 90 min before class to help with setup and staying one hour afterward for cleanup. All participants receive the same instruction, materials, and class experience.
Interested in applying for work trade?
Email [email protected] with the subject "Soapmaking Work-Trade Request" and briefly answer:
- Why are you interested in learning soapmaking?
- How would this opportunity make attending the workshop more accessible for you?
- Can you commit to the additional setup and cleanup time?
No financial documentation is required.
Apply by October 25th. One participant will be selected and notified by November 1st. All applicants will receive a response.
OPTIONAL HANDBOOK ADD-ON
Introduction to Cold Process Soapmaking Hanbook— $35
Take the class home with you! Judith Yisrael has created an exclusive 83-page, full-color, spiral-bound soapmaking handbook to accompany her hands-on instruction. Written and developed by Judith from her own soapmaking knowledge and experience, this is the same kind of resource she wishes she had when learning the craft.
The handbook takes you beyond what we can cover in a 3½-hour workshop, with a deeper look at ingredients and techniques, soap formulation, additional recipes, botanicals, worksheets, space for notes and more. It’s designed to be a working reference you can return to as you continue making soap on your own.
This handbook is available exclusively through Judith’s soapmaking education and is not sold through Amazon or other booksellers.
Preorder yours with registration for $35 and receive it at the workshop.
*Class is only open to 18 and over due to use of caustic chemicals. See FAQs
Can't make the class? Don't worry subscribe to our newsletter to be notified about upcoming classes.
Private Parties Available - Want to have a private Soapmaking Workshop? Perfect for bachelorette parties, girls night out, team building activities, showers, and fundraisers. Email us at [email protected]
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About Your Instructor
Judith Yisrael is a community educator, land steward, herbalist, and homesteader with more than 18 years of hands-on experience cultivating food, herbs, and flowers, preserving harvests, and practicing traditional homesteading skills.
She is co-founder of Yisrael Farms and the creator of , an earth-based skincare line featuring handcrafted soaps and botanical body-care products sold at retail locations throughout the Sacramento region.
Judith holds a Permaculture Design Certificate, has completed extensive training in food preservation, and is a member of the American Herbalists Guild. For almost two decades, she has shared her knowledge through workshops and community education in herbalism, soapmaking, gardening, cooking, canning, and other practical skills. She is also the creator of Reclaiming Kitchen Wisdom, an educational series dedicated to preserving traditional food skills, reconnecting people with ancestral knowledge, and building confidence in the kitchen.
At the heart of her work is a commitment to reconnecting people with the land, preserving useful knowledge, and empowering communities with the skills to grow, make, preserve, and do for themselves.
To explore more of Judith’s reflections on land stewardship, homesteading, self-reliance, and reclaiming traditional knowledge, visit her blog, , where she shares lessons from the land and the wisdom gathered along the way.
Event venue & nearby stays
Yisrael Farms, 4312 20th Avenue, Sacramento, United States
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