My second of four speeches in college~

I think about my health more often than I’d like to admit, but we already knew that. There’s lots of recipes and confusion online about soap making, so I simplified it

My Recipe:

2oz Sodium Hydroxide (dry)

6oz Water

16oz Fats (liquid)

(Soap from Potassium Hydroxide) From Hardwood Ash

1 Cup Lard (Fats)

3/8 cup Lye Water

Ingredient list:

Fats- Almost any can be used, whether animal or plant (seed) oils. You can blend the two if desired

Sodium Hydroxide- Lye, it’s caustic, and can lead to burns. Always wear glasses, gloves, and a mask when handling and working with lye. It becomes nearly inert and free from its burning properties during the saponification and curing process. Can be purchased online from chemical supply company or eBay

Water- Bottled, spring, drinking, and distilled water work well. Well water has too many dissolved solids

Additives- I use oatmeal, herbs, spices, and certain salts to my soaps. The sky is nearly the limit, but caution to not over-due it. Less is more

Kitchen Tools- Stainless steel, wood (spoons), and glass are the only recommended utensils and kitchenware to be used in making soap. Don’t use plastics, Teflon, and aluminum, they will deteriorate and/or cause harmful fumes

Process-

Dissolve Lye in water by slowing adding the two ounces of Lye to the six ounces of water, not the other way around. Stir constantly, as this mixture will rapidly heat up to a near boil. On the stove, slowly heat your oil/fats to approximately the same temperature as the hydroxide mixture. Use a thermometer if necessary. Slowly pour the lye water into the heated oil while stirring constantly. Keep on low heat while stirring every 15-45 seconds. We want to cook-off the water over a period (about 1-1.5 hours). When the water is mostly evaporated, the mixture will become thick and begin to ‘trace’. At this point, we’ll add organic oats, spices, herbs, and salts, then mix one more time. Take off heat and let cool for a few minutes before pouring the soap into your mold. Once poured into your mold, keep in a cool and dry location for three days until semi-hardened. Break soap from the mold and cut to desired size. Leave soap on cooling/drying rack for about three weeks to fully harden and cure