How about a fabric alternative to baby wipes. It would be a gentler option to hand sanitiser. Each piece of fabric is single use, can be placed in a container and then washed and remade.

Now, there are two types of shampoo bars. Soap based and Shampoo based. Soap based is obviously made from soap, but I believe the superfat is a lower percentage, and there is a higher ratio of lauric acid – therefore coconut oil is often used in shampoo soap as it has a cleansing effect. Castor Oil is also often added for the lather. Shampoo based bars are essentially made of the same ingredients found in commercial shampoo, but in a solid form. That means a lot more ingredients and experimentation for the right solution that works for you.  I have not tried this yet.

Adding salt to the soap before pouring into moulds makes a salt bar. That should make a bar that is exfoliating. You should be able to feel the salt in the bar depending on how much you added. Adding the salt to the water makes a brine or solesiefe bar. It is quite gentle on the skin, far more so that the salt bar. The salt does make the bar a lot harder. They stay quite hard right down to the small slivers. My friends like it because it does not disintegrate in the dish. If you are using a high percentage of soft oils it will definitely extend the life of the bar and will enable you to use it earlier. For example, I have read that if you make a bar with 100% olive oil, you will need to store them for about a year for them to be hard enough to last a decent while when using them. My brine bars are made cold process, so I wait for three weeks for them to cure before using. However, I have not had much luck with using essential oils for scent.

Very minor smell, but I did have the lounge doors open so my dog can run around the yard. The flame went surprisingly high when I took my pot off the stove. I was using my standard kitchen stainless steel pot, not camping pot. I would also recommend a thermometer as I found I only needed to heat my water to 80°C not boiling for a coffee.

I make a brine bar (salt is dissolved in liquid/water before adding the lye). I use a stainless steel container for the lye. My recipe which friends love is as follows 40% olive oil 30% beef tallow (food grade) 20% coconut oil 10% castor oil I use a 5% superfat (excess fat that is not saponified) As I use salt in the liquid this soap cures really fast after reaching trace, so once you see that, move fast and pour into individual moulds – brine bars cure hard so you will not be able to cut once cured. If you are looking for a good book on soapmaking, I would recommend Jan Berry’s book Simple and Natural Soapmaking. https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/books/ She has a section on soapmaking on her site so you can look further. https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/soapmaking/

I was always taught 1 Litre water, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt. Tastes disgusting but I have been in a situation where I have needed it and it worked.  I got really sick (I didn’t think to wash my hands after turning fertilised eggs in the incubator) and couldn’t keep any water down. When I almost collapsed I realised I was dehydrated, so I made the recipe up. I could sip it and keep it down. Tasted disgusting but it worked.

Rather funny, I woke up this morning to a powercut. I have two emergency stoves stoves, a small foldable stove with tablets and a small alcohol burner. I chose to use the alcohol burner (from China). It was actually the first time I have used it. I used methylated spirits as the fuel. I chose this as I was at home, inside and felt it was the cleaner option. Also the fuel is currently easy to replace. It cooked my breakfast a lot quicker than I thought it would, and later I heated water for two cups of coffee (unfortunately not espresso). The one thing I was not prepared for was the flame being next to invisible.

I have two solar panels. One goes along with a large battery (not practical if I bug out), and one small panel for my phone. The larger set is to run my CPAP machine as I have sleep apnoea. If I have to bug out quick I won’t have time to grab my CPAP, so larger solar kit is not practical.

I live in an area which is prone to earthquakes. I know the fire department have  water tanks under their building and that a local community group has done research and knows where the local bores are. We also have a large river near by, although it could get contaminated if we experience flooding. I ha the Hydroblu pressurised Jerry can which can filter out viruses for that reason. Still boil water, but it will allow mevto get extra water for animals etc.

A few things about roosters You don’t need a rooster to get eggs from your hens, you do need a rooster if you want to breed from your hens. Roosters do not just crow at daybreak. They will be happy to crow at 2am in the morning, and throughout the day. I had one that would crow at response to dogs barking. We are surrounded by dogs. Roosters do serve a good purpose in the flock. A good rooster will protect the hens and keep order – pecking order is quite literal. You need to balance protection with aggression. I had a silkie that was a very good protector. I had no problem with him, but he did attack my border terrier (it worked, I never had issues with him and the chickens), but also my step father who he attacked from behind. I’ve also had a very aggressive rooster and he was scary. So much for orpingtons being gentle. Not all roosters will be good protector. I had one who was at the head of the pack, running from a puppy a quarter of his size. If you choose to have roosters or breed chickens, be ready to cull them. Do not dump them to fend for themselves. Also, here is a link to an article regarding grainger chickens https://koanga.org.nz/knowledgebase/thorny-croft-animals-knowledge/getting-your-chickens-off-industrial-grains/

General rules for food – if it isn’t a plant or doesn’t have a mother, don’t eat it.  If you can’t recognise it from its natural state, don’t eat it.

1, 000, 000 match heads https://youtu.be/ODym_QYP9E8

Solar panels and battery for charging, solid steps that can carry over 100kg, Scaffolding, trolly jack, metal pipe (good for extending handles for leverage)

I’m also neural diverse, but I’m the opposite. In the times I had been in emergencies I have usually remained calm and taken action. I don’t do emotion well, so its easy to seperate that part out of the equation. Having said that I also preplan things in my head. – ie on an flight I wear flat covered shoes, cotton/wool clothing, count my seat location away from emergency exits and pay close attention to the plane during ascent and decent.

As part of earthquake awareness our government (NZ) have a shake out practise. They encourage people to either brace for the quake or take part in an evac hikoi – that is walking out of tsunami danger. The idea is that if you practice, when the real thing occurs, your memory will kick in and you will act rather than freeze. I think that prepping sort of works the same way. As preppers, you look and consider what might happen and mitigate by preparing, essentially going over what you will do.

I watch a video where they found that a cotton face wipe might be better/burn longer than a cotton ball. Might want to add that to your test

It is easier to add essential oils to hot process or liquid soap, cold process needs to be cured over 3 weeks so they can fade, especially high notes. I do use tallow in my soaps but in combination with other oils. Tallow should make a good soap as it is a solid fat and high in oleic acid. My recipe is above in earlier comments.

I haven’t noticed any unpleasant odour from my soaps, but adding a scent you like is always good. Be aware that if you are doing cold process, essential oils scent may not always last. Some oils also make the soap cure faster as well