Homemade Soap

I decided to embark on a new adventure of making soap! Nine years ago I made my first batch and decided to revisit this hobby.  The reason for making soap goes beyond the bathroom sink; I will use it to make shampoo & conditioner and laundry soap.  To make shampoo, I need castile soap, which is basically a soap made with 100% olive oil.

When learning a new skill, there are always lessons to be learned.  The first batch of castile soap didn't turn out quite right.  I didn't begin stirring the lye and oil mixture until the temperatures were around 102 degrees.  I also stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon trying to do it the "old fashioned way."  After an hour of continuous stirring, I used an electric stick blender.  I learned that if the temperature gets too low before the mixture reaches this magic stage called "trace," it won't saponify correctly.  (Basically, the chemical reaction doesn't happen correctly and you don't get soap.)  So, in the end, my first batch is a bit too alkaline and not suitable for the skin, but I can still use it for laundry soap.  For the second batch, I began stirring when the temperature was 118 and I used a stick blender at the very beginning.  The soap turned out perfectly.

From the picture on the left, you can see the difference between the two bars.  The bar on the left is from the first batch (it looks sort of white and crumbly), and the bar on the right is from the second batch that turned out correctly.  The second picture is a bar from my third batch which includes: palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, lavender flowers, and lavender essential oil.  The lavender bar is used for the bathroom sink and shower.

Castile Soap Recipe:
2 lb. olive oil
4 oz. lye
12 oz. water