Soapmaking 101
Lesson 4: Soap Recipes
This lesson contains three of my favorite soap recipes, a basic Castille (olive oil) bar, a body bar and a facial cleansing bar. However, you are welcome to select a recipes from the web or from a book. I will dicsuss how to use a lye calculator to double check the levels of lye and oils in your selected recipe.
Basic Castille Soap
Makes 1 pound of soap.
Ingredients:
16 oz olive oil
2 oz lye
5.3 oz water
Directions:
Follow standard directions given for sopamaking. Combine the olive oil and lye/water solution when they are both at 100 °F. Trace may be difficult to see, but should come with 45 minutes. Soap can usually be unmolded after 24 hours and sliced after 48 hours.
Produces a hard, long lasting, mild bar with an off white color. Great as a general hand or bath soap. Gentle enough for children.
Superfat this soap at trace with one of the following speciality oils for a more emollient bar:
- 1 tablespoon castor oil or 1 tablespoon wheat germ oil
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