How to Make Beeswax Castile Soap

By eHow Weddings Editor

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Castile soap is a mild soap made with olive oil and named for a region in Spain. It is a low-lathering soap chosen by many mothers as the first soap for babies. If you'd like to try your hand at soap-making, castile soap is a good place to start. Gather the right equipment and follow the steps below.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Vinegar to neutralize any spills
Thermometers
Soap molds or a large plastic pan
Freezer paper
Cardboard
Blankets
Safety goggles
Wood spoons
Glass mixing bowls
Enameled pots
Food coloring, if desired, to match the fragrance
2 lbs. olive oil
10-12 oz. distilled water
4-5 oz. lye crystals
2 oz. beeswax pearls
2 oz. herbal essential oil

Step1

Read through the directions before starting. Add the beeswax to the olive oil and heat to 100 to 120 degrees F. Set aside when the beeswax is melted. Maintain the temperature of the oil.

Step2

Put on the safety goggles. Slowly add the lye to the distilled water. Stir well to mix and dissolve.

Step3

Let the lye and water mixture cool to the same temperature as the oil. Slowly add the lye water to the oil. Take care not to let the lye mixture make contact with the skin. Use vinegar to neutralize lye that splashes onto skin or clothing.

Step4

Begin stirring with a wood spoon until the path of the spoon is visible for a few seconds when it passes through the mixture. Add the fragrance and coloring using a light touch.

Step5

Pour the soap into molds or into a greased plastic pan, the bottom of which is lined with freezer paper. Cover the molds or pan with freezer paper and set cardboard or a lid atop each.

Step6

Wrap the molds or pan in a blanket. Leave the soap undisturbed for 18 hours, then remove the blankets and leave it undisturbed for another 12 hours.

Step7

Remove the soap from the molds, or remove the block from the pan and cut it into bars. Place the individual soaps on a drying rack in an airy location to cure for at least two weeks.

Tips & Warnings

Reserve all soap making equipment for soap-making only.
Pour lye and mixtures containing lye only as directed. Do not pour any other ingredients into lye or lye mixtures.