Keeping Yourself Clean: Make Your Own Soap

Who says you have to go to the grocery to buy soap to keep yourself clean. With so many brands and varieties to choose from, you’ll find yourself wasting time finding the perfect soap for you. Why not make things simpler for yourself and make your own soap. You can save yourself the hassle and from the time wasted on your shopping by trying out this home recipe to keep yourself clean.

Materials Needed:

-       Standard Vegetable Oil

-       100% Lye/ Drain Opener

-       Measuring Cup (Pyrex Material)

-       Heating Device whether it be a stove but preferably an electric one where you can adjust the temperature exactly

-       Safety Goggles

-       Gloves

-       Try to wear long sleeves and long pants because you are working with Lye. Avoid direct contact with this ingredient as it can cause your skin to melt.

Directions:

-       Take 2 cups of olive oil and pour it into your pot, the pot in this stage should not be heated. You can also use a skillet instead of a pot.

-       Measure 8 ounces of water and set it on one side in a container

-       Take a paper envelope and fashion it in a way that it can contain Lye. This is because of the caustic nature of the ingredient. It could damage any metal instruments you use

-       Use the paper envelope to measure 2 ounces of lye

-       Pour the lye into the water slowly and carefully

-       Stir the mixture using a stick slowly. Be careful as the combination of water and lye will cause a chemical reaction and will heat up quickly. Just a reminder that this can cause some poisonous gases so make sure a window is open.

-       Time to go back to your pot of oil, and preheat the pot until it reaches 100 degrees

-       Once heated start pouring the lye-water mixture into the pot. Continuously stir the mixture in the pot for 15-30 minutes, until all ingredients have emulsified.

-       As you continue to stir the mixture you will notice the texture change until it becomes very thick like apple sauce.

-       Using a silicone bake mold, use this as a means to set the mixture it can also take the high heat of the mixture.

-       Scrape the mixture into the mold, cover the top and wrap it with a towel. Let it rest overnight. Once it has set you can take it out of the mold and slice it into bars.

-       You have to let the soap sit and cure for 6-8 weeks, until the lye is worked out of the bars and the oil becomes soap.

The beauty about this cold process is the end result, you’ll have a soap that is smooth and liquid like. This is why most people prefer this process over the hot process, the soap just feels and looks better. There are different variations of making your own soap, some recipes you can even find the necessary ingredients in the wilderness. Gone are the days of you deciding what brand you trust, who better to trust than yourself.