By
eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Oil, tallow or lard
- Mixing pot
- Wooden spoon
- Food coloring
- Fragrant oils
- Herbs
- Oatmeal
- Gloves
- Protective glasses
Step1
Consult an expert soap maker to find out which herbs, essential oils or additives are good for lye soap. Some ingrediants change the color and fragrance of the soap when added to lye.
Step2
Wear protective clothing including long sleeved shirts, long pants, protective gloves and glasses when working with lye.
Step3
Use saponification charts to make sure you are mixing the right amounts of lye and oils to achieve the neutralization for lye soap.
Step4
Mix in the oils you have chosen to add first. There are many fragrant oils to choose from such as apricot, coconut, lavender or a non-fragrant natural tallow, shortening, vegetable or olive oil.
Step5
Heat oils on the stove to the exact same temperature as the lye mixture. Measure the exact amount according to the charts or recipe to properly neutralize the lye.
Step6
Add coloring at this time if you wish. Food coloring works as a coloring agent in soap. Add only a few drops to prevent the soap from turning your skin.
Step7
Make your lye soap to your specifications. Other ingredients such as herbs or even finely ground oatmeal can be added for extra texture and skin cleansing abilities.