How to Make Bath Soap

Do you have soap making on the mind? Well this is a great recipe I have used a number of times. It is fun, fairly easy and the ingredients are not very costly.

Things You'll Need

• Brown Paper
• One heat proof container (ex: stainless steel or heavy plastic)
• One 2 gallon or more stainless steel or enamel pot
• Stick blender or beater
• Cooking thermometer
• One rubber or silicon spatula
• 1 plastic container or mold with a lid
• One 18-ounce can of Lye Red Devil (Sodium Hydroxide NaOH)
• 5 Cups of distilled Water
• 20 Cups of Olive Oil

Instructions

1. 

   Before starting please take the following safety precautions:
   a. Use rubber gloves
   b. Clear everyone out of the kitchen (including kids and dogs)
   c. Do not leave mixed lye-water solution on the counter top unattended
   d. DO NOT use aluminum pots, utinsiles or bowels during the soap making process. (Lye reacts with aluminum and not in a good way).
   e. Make sure to use 100% Lye ....DO NOT USE DRANO.

2. 

   Turn on fume hood over the oven or do this step next to an open window because the mixture in this step causes fumes. Pour the water into the heat proof container. Carefully stir in the Lye using the spatula. Stir until the Lye has fully desolved. (The Lye will react with the water and get very hot...BE CAREFULL).

3. 

   Once the Lye has been thoroughly mixed in to the water, set the mixture aside in a safe place to cool off. Let the mixture cool until the container is just warm to the touch.

4. 

   When the Lye-water mixture has cooled pour the Olive Oil into the stainless steel or enamel pot. Heat the Olive Oil on the stove till the oil is 100 °F. Use the thermometer to measure this exactly. then remove the pot from the heat source.

5. 

   Remove the oil from the heat when it reaches 100 °F. Slowely add the cooled lye-water mixture into the warm oil while stirring the oil with your spatula. The mixture will become smoother, continue stirring for a couple of minutes to make sure everything is well-mixed.

6. 

   Then use your stick blender or beater, for short intervals of 30 seconds or less at a time and hand stir between intervals. The mixture will get thicker and become opaque. Keep stirring until you get a thick pudding-like consistency. The correct consistency should take about 10 minutes.

7. 

   Pour the mixture into the mold and cover with lid. Place the mold in a secure spot and cover it with blankets. Allow the mixture to cool in the mold. (This takes a while since the soap will heat back up again before it cools).

8. 

   Do not desturb the soap for 12 hours. At this time take a peak to make sure the soap is firm to the touch. Do not unmold the soap at this time.

9. 

   When the soap has completely cooled off you can unmold the soap. (there will be moisture but just leave it this will not effect the process). The soap should be cut at this time into any size you want, if needed.

10. 

    Place brown paper on some shelves in a well ventilated area in order to cure the soap. This should take about 4 weeks. Then the soap is ready to use!

Tips & Warnings

• If you are having trouble removing the soap from the mold use a blow dryer to heat up he mold a little and the soap should come out fairly easy.

• Before starting please take the following safety precautions:

• a. Use rubber gloves

• b. Clear everyone out of the kitchen (including kids and dogs)

• c. Do not leave mixed lye-water solution on the counter top unattended

• d. DO NOT use aluminum pots, utinsiles or bowels during the soap making process. (Lye reacts with aluminum and not in a good way).

• e. Make sure to use 100% Lye ....DO NOT USE DRANO.