0 I made my first batch of homemade lye soap!

I have never, ever been interested in making soap. I honestly thought it was the most boring thing to do..you had to let the soap cure for weeks before you could use it. And it was just soap. All I have been thinking about these last couple of weeks is making soap.

Re-batching...
Cold Process....
Hot Process... (You can use a crock pot!! Yes, crock pot!)
Melt and Pour...

I have learned so much!

So, Sunday night I made homemade bar soap! I used the hot process method in my crock pot. I cleaned it really well before and after. (just incase you were wondering...)

I used Olive oil, cocoa butter, castor oil, and the sodium hydroxide water mixture. It made a very creamy lye soap that has a nice stable lather.

Here is a picture of 4 bars from the batch, I made 2 lbs. which made 12 nice size bars.

And a close up of a bar

I did have a few bumps along the way. It was somewhat trial and error but, the great thing is that it is almost impossible to ruin soap.

Here is a detailed description of how to make hot process soap: Hot Process Soap

Some tips I found useful:

• For creamy soap, use a butter like shea butter or cocoa butter.
• A stick blender is key to not having to stir for long amount of time.
• For your first batch keep things simple. Fragrance oils and too many extra can can leave you confused when something goes wrong and make things harder to fix.
• Don't rush it! Just mix and wait. Mix and wait.  Eventually, things will set up.
• Don't be scared of the lye! Yes, lye is caustic and can harm you but, if you're a nervous wreck, you can harm yourself!

Hot process soap is ready to use within 24 hours but, the longer you let the soap cure the harder the bar will get and last in the shower.

I plan to cut up a few bars tonight and make laundry detergent. I found a box of Borax at Wal-Mart for about $3 but, no washing soda so I'll use baking soda. I'm going to make the liquid detergent.

I have already started using half of one bar for washing dishes and it makes my dishes shine!!


I'll make a post soon of all the sites I looked through and videos I watched so you can make your own soap too!!