Soap!

Due to my near obsessive love of  DIY, I have been wanting to make my own soap for the past few years. I always thought it would be difficult and take a huge amount of time. It would if I were starting from wood ash. But thankfully, lye is available at most hardware stores so there is a much, much easier way.

Lye. Water. Fat.

Wow, I can't believe it is so dog-gone easy. True, it can be dangerous. You need to be aware that lye can cause serious chemical burns. But if you exercise caution and common sense, it's a piece of cake.

Well, I think it's a piece of cake now, but we'll see in a few weeks if it's successful. The soap really should set for 6 weeks to cure, but I doubt I'll be able to wait that long to try it. From what I understand, it takes a couple of weeks for the saponification process to complete and the soap is usable at that time, but the bar will become harder and will last longer if you give it more time to cure.

I was given this recipe from a local woman who has been making her own soap for several years.

13 oz. lye
2-1/2 pints cold, soft water
6 lbs. fat (olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, tallow, lard or a combination)
         I used lard because that's what she uses.

1. Line mold with plastic wrap, waxed paper or a damp towel. I used a shallow box I picked up from the grocery store that held canned goods. I put it in a second slightly bigger box as a precaution and was glad I did because quite a bit of moisture seeped through the waxed paper and the first layer of cardboard.

2. In a well ventilated area (outside is preferable) dissolve lye in cold water in a stainless steel, enamel or oven proof glass container. Lye first, water second - never water then lye. I used a 2 qt. Pyrex mixing bowl. Don't use aluminum or tin utensils and be aware that the chemical reaction will product a lot of heat, which may shatter glass, stonewear or ceramic and can melt plastic or damage aluminum containers. Stir until dissolved. A wooden spoon reserved for soapmaking works great. Stir until dissolved and let cool to 105-110 degrees F.

3. While waiting for lye solution to cool, melt fat and let cool to close to the same temperature as the lye solution.

4. Pour lye solution into the fat, in a thin steady stream, with slow even stirring. Rapid addition of the lye may cause separation.

5. Stir constantly until the lye solution is absorbed into the fat and the mixture thickens. This can take an hour or so of stirring by hand, so use a stick blender if you have one. It will greatly speed up the process.

6. Pour into prepared mold(s). At this point, I added oatmeal and orange essential oil. Cover soap and let remain undisturbed for 24 hours.

7. Remove soap from mold and cut into bars. Place soap where air can reach it, but avoid drafts and cold air which may impair lather. Coldness during curing may cause coarse, crumbly soap. The soap can be used in 2 weeks, but will continue to improve with age.

If your mixture separates and doesn't form soap, reheat and try again.

Since this is my first soap making expedition, I highly recommend that you do further research before you make your first batch. Be safe. Exercise caution with the lye, use safety glasses, wear long sleeves and shoes, and never work with lye with children present.