OLIVE OIL SOAP MAKING PLAIN OLIVE OIL SOAP 250 ml olive oil 4 tablespoons lye (sodium hydroxide) 3 tablespoons cold soft water (mineral water) It would be best to prepare this soap outside in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Be careful adding in the lye, as it can bubble around and burn you if you get too close. (The lye is available from a health store) Method Place the cold water and the lye and carefully stir until dissolved. Slowly add the olive oil and keep stirring for five minutes. Pour into a plastic tub and allow to set. (The setting process may take several days.) OLIVE OIL & COCONUT OIL SOAP 1 cup olive oil 1 cup coconut oil 1 cup melted tallow (animal fat) 2 tablebspoons lye (heaping) (Red Devil brand 100% lye) (*Note) 1/2 cup cold soft water (mineral water) Method While wearing safety goggles and neoprene gloves, combine solid lye and liquid, stir well. Set aside and allow to cool (100° F to 125° F). This is best done outside while you are standing upwind. Combine oils and heat gently. Once the fats and oils are melted allow the temperature to drop to 100° F to 125° F. Combine lye solution and melted oils. Be careful not to splash while combining the mixtures. Stir until the mixture traces. If tracing takes more than 15 minutes, which it often does, stir for the first 15 minutes, then stir for 5 minutes at 15 minute intervals. Tracing looks like a slightly thickened custard, not instant pudding but a cooked custard. It will support a drop, or your stir marks for several seconds. Once tracing occurs... Pour raw soap into your prepared molds. After a few days the soap can be turned out of the mold. If the soap is very soft, allow it to cure for a few days to firm the outside. Cut soap into bars and set the bars out to cure and dry. This will allow the bar to firm and finish saponification. Place the bars on something that will allow them to breathe. *Note: If you don't want to mess with tallow and lye, you can substitute shavings from any white unscented soap. RECIPES : SOAP MAKING    COOKING WITH OLIVE OIL    MAIN MENU   HOME   VIRGIN NEWS   OUR ASSOCIATION   OTHER ASSOCIATIONS   LINKS   TUTORIALS   MEMBERS The content of this web site is copyright and reproduction of any part of it, in whatever form should be acknowledged.