How to Make Olive Soap
Making your own olive oil soap will protect your skin from chemicals and additives used in commercial soaps. Olive oil will moisturize dry skin, and it will keep your skin smooth and healthy. Olive oil soaps typically last longer than most soap, and olive oil will help to remove stuck-on dirt and debris. Typically called castile soaps, olive oil soaps are mild. You can customize it with essential oils and other natural ingredients to make it suit your own preferences.
Things You'll Need
- 5 cups distilled water
- Large stainless steel containers
- 18 oz. lye
- 20 cups olive oil
- Soap thermometer
- Stick blender
- Soap mold
- Towel
- Wire rack
Instructions
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1
Pour 5 cups of distilled water into a large stainless steel container. Add 18 oz. of lye into the container. Stir it until it dissolves in the water.
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2
Allow the lye to cool. Pour 20 cups of olive oil into a large stainless steel container. Heat it until the oil reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
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3
Pour the lye mixture into the warm oil slowly. Stir the mixture to combine the ingredients. Once you mix the ingredients together, use a stick blender on its lowest setting until it appears thick and opaque. The soap mixture will look like pudding when it is ready to pour.
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4
Pour the soap mixture into a soap mold. Cover the mold with a towel, and allow it to cool and harden for 24 hours.
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5
Remove the soap from the mold, and cut it into even bars. Age and cure the soap for four weeks on a wire rack.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Slowly add soap dye to the mixture before you stir it if you want to change the color of the soap.
Add essential oils to the soap to make scented soap. Add 1 oz. for every pound of soap for best results. You will need to experiment with the scents that you add because some essential oils smell stronger than others.
Wear gloves and goggles when working with lye to prevent burning your skin.
References
- Photo Credit natural soaps 3 image by samantha grandy from Fotolia.com
