How to make soap

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your space. Always make soap in a well-ventilated area.

This recipe will make about 2lbs of super-fat coconut olive oil soap

Ingredients:

400g of Coconut oil (I get organic coconut oil from Costco)

400g of Olive oil (I get organic olive oil from Costco)

116g of solid Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) (Available at bulk apothecary)

260g Water

20mL of essential oil (I like organic lavender essential oil from SVA Organics)

Material

A kitchen scale

A 8-quart Stainless-Steel Pot (to melt the oils and mix the soap)

A 2-quart pitcher (to dissolve the lye)

A long handled wooden spoon

A kitchen thermometer

Safety glasses or goggles

Rubber or plastic gloves

A 42 oz silicon mold

optional: A stick blender

1. Slowly and carefully add 116g of lye to 260g of water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it aside to cool to 100F.

2. Mix 400g of coconut oil and 400g of olive oil and heat until the coconut oil is melted. Set it aside to cool to 100F.

3. Slowly add the lye water to the oils. Mix with a wooden spoon (or blend with a stick blender) until you have a medium trace. This means that you can see lines of soap that float on the surface, a little like ripples and that the soap has thickened.

4. Add the fragrance and mix well.

4. Pour the soap in a 42oz silicon mold

6. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days, and try to remove the soap from the mold. If the soap is too soft or won't release easily, freeze the soap.

7. Cut soap into bars, and then cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

Tutorial credits