Making lye soap

Lye is the most important material that you would need to make soap. Bear that in mind, because without lye means no soap. Making lye soap traces a long history and soap making was not considered an art but rather a necessity to get through with their daily lives. Soap was everything to them, particularly for house wives. They use it for washing clothes, for cleaning the dishes, rinsing the floor, windows and it was even used for bathing babies.

In the past soap was made in the fall right after fall butchering. This is the time of the year when they had plenty of fat from their hogs. What they would do is cook the fat to make lard. Then they would add lye into the lard. Lye is made from wood ashes. People of the ancient times would continuously cook the concoction in a large kettle over a fire until it begins to harden. The process may take some time but they due to necessity for cleanliness they have to do it until the next soap making process which is on the next fall.

Now if making lye soap has attracted your fancy through its fancy roots, then we share you a step-by-step guide in making lye soap. Making this homemade concoction is easy if you can prepare the main ingredients and materials to be used.

The ingredients that you will need in making lye soap include the coconut oil, the soap fragrance, the soap coloring, distilled water, non-virgin olive oil, vegetable oil vinegar, fragrant essential oil, the lye and Crisco shortening. The list of materials that you need for this home project include rubber gloves, thick bath towels, thermometer, measuring cups and spoons, mixing spoons, plastic bowls, spatulas, stock pots and mitre boxes.

Procedure:

1. 1. Dissolve 12 oz of lye in 32oz boiling water in a glass bowl. It is safer if you would do this in your back yard or outside your house.
2. Make sure that it is the lye that you are adding into the water and not vice versa. This holds the same principle of adding chemical into water, not water to chemical. Pour the lye slowly and a steady flow and stir constantly with a plastic spoon.
3. Set the mixture aside and let it cool.
4. Using a stainless steel, melt 24 oz coconut oil and 38 oz solid vegetable shortening.
5. Add 25 oz olive oil and your preferred fragrance oils.
6. Let the oils cool.
7. Grease the soap mold with Crisco.
8. When both mixtures (oil and lye) have cooled to room temperature combine them together by adding the lye into the oil.
9. Stir slowly and constantly and make sure bubbles won’t appear.
10. Drizzle the soap into the pot once in a while, and if it keeps it shape before sinking into the rest of the mix, it is now time to add any extras you want to add, fragrances or coloring.
11. Pour the soap into the mold.
12. Wrap the mold undisturbed for 18 hours. The mixture will heat up and then cool down.
13. Leave it for another 12 hours uncovered.
14. Turn the mold over in a clean counter. Use a knife or a miter box to make square corners.

Making lye soap is easy with all the ingredients and materials in place, and with this step-by-step guide by your side.