This wonderfully easy tutorial was written by the talented Wardee of Such Treasures. Though it has a base recipe included to make castile soap, the method can be utilized to make most soaps. If you need to ask why there is a need for safety equipment, it is a toss up between what happens if hot soap gets on you and if the caustic lye gets on you. You want neither.
Safety Equipment
Protective clothing
Disposable plastic gloves
Long-sleeve Shirt
Safety glasses or face shield
Equipment
Cookware — stainless steel pot for melting oils
Crockpot — older models don’t heat as hot, which is a benefit
Digital scale
Stick blender
Glass measuring cups
Small glass bowls (for smaller measurements)
Long-handled plastic spoon
Rubber spatula
Funnel (filling molds)
Pitcher filled with soapy vinegar mixture
Ingredients (for basic castile soap)
26 ounces pomace olive oil
26 ounces coconut oil
2 ounces castor oil
1.2 ounces stearic acid (or 1.5 ounces beeswax)
8.38 ounces sodium hydroxide (lye)
14 to 20 ounces distilled water — not by weight (I use 18 ounces)
Method
Measure the solid oils (oils which are solid at room temperature) using a scale (tared to eliminate the weight of the glass measuring cups). Pictured: coconut oil and stearic acid.
Put in a pot on low heat to melt slowly – don’t let them get too hot! I usually remove from heat when there are still tiny bits of unmelted oil.
Measure the liquid oils (oils which are liquid at room temperature) and put in the crockpot. Turn on to low to let the oils heat gently. Once again, don’t let it get too hot! I use an old crockpot that doesn’t get that hot. Cover while heating (not pictured).
When the solid oils are just about melted, add to the liquid oils in the crockpot and cover.
Measure the distilled water in a 4-cup measuring cup (not pictured). Measure the sodium hydroxide (lye) by weight into a separate, smaller measuring cup. Wear protective clothing and safety equipment when working with lye.
Carefully, while stirring, pour the lye into the water. I like to do this underneath the stove’s vent, so the fumes go outside. Stir until all crystals are dissolved. It will get very, very hot, so don’t touch the glass container. Leave under the hood, with the fan on, for about 5 to 10 minutes to cool down.
Again while stirring, and pouring carefully (impossible to do while photographing), add the lye/water solution to the oils in the crockpot. Use a soapy/vinegar/water mixture in the sink to rinse the containers and utensils that touched lye to neutralize this caustic.
Stir briefly, then switch to using a stick blender and blend until the mixture reaches “trace” — which is when it thickens. It will go from clear to opaque, and resembles vanilla pudding when done. The mixture, when dripped off the stick blender, will stay in visible ridges, rather than the mixture collapsing back into a smooth top. With this soap, it takes about 2 to 3 minutes. With pure olive oil soap, it can take 5 minutes or more to achieve trace. Cover and let “cook” for about an hour.
During the cooking time, the mixture will change back to translucent. It will raise up at the sides, like waves. This is after about 15-20 minutes in my picture.
By the end of the cooking, the whole mixture will be translucent and the center of the mixture will be collapsed with the “waves” rolled into the center.
Also, there may or may not be liquid pooled in the center low point. This is glycerin, a natural byproduct of saponfication (the soap-making chemical reaction). Just stir this back in – it is very good for your skin!
Turn off the crockpot. During the cooking time, prepare your molds. I use two plastic drawer trays lined with freezer paper. Usually, I use freezer paper (shiny side up). During this soap making, I was out of that, so I used parchment paper that I greased with coconut oil; worked fine.
Fill the mold(s) with the hot soap mixture. Tap up and down on the counter or a floor to evenly distribute the mixture. You can use your hands, but be careful and touch lightly as the mixture is very hot! (And you need it to be hot to fill the mold properly.)
Now the soap in the mold(s) need to cool/harden, at least overnight. The crock can be scraped clean for instant delight – soap that’s ready to use!
When hardened and cooled, lift the paper to pull the soap out of the mold(s).
Peel the paper off the soap block. Put the block on a cutting board and use a big knife to cut into bars.
The bars still need to harden significantly and will do this over time. Keep them in a cool location with good airflow. I keep a tray of upright bars in my bathroom. We use one, the rest age, we use another, the rest keep aging… If upright, more air can flow and they’ll harden more evenly and faster. Rotate them infrequently if you’d like.
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