Subject: Soap Recipes (finally!)

From: [email-masked] (Nicole Okun)
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 94 20:37:13 -0700

Well, several people have requested the soap recipes I alluded to in an
earlier post, so here they are.

Once again, my disclaimer: I haven't actually tried these myself.

A few notes to start:

1.  Use soft water (add borax to hard water, or collect rain water)

2.  Line molds with plastic or grease them with Vaseline

3.  Keep some vinegar handy in case you splash lye on yourself (it will
neutralize the lye)

The Ingredients

Castile Soap

1 lb 9 oz olive oil
3 lb 10 oz tallow
10 1/2 oz lye
2 pt water

Avocado Soap - same as above, but substitute 6 oz of avocado oil for 6 oz
of olive oil (this would be incredibly expensive in my part of the world!)

Coconut & Olive Oil Soap

1 lb 7 oz olive oil
1 lb 7 oz coconut oil
1 lb 7 oz tallow
11 1/2 oz lye
2 pt water

Standard Soap

13 oz lye
2 1/2 pt water
3 lb tallow
3 lb lard

Cold Cream Soap

Mix 2 oz of cold cream into standard soap just before pouring into molds

Lanolin Soap

Add 2 oz liquid anhydrous lanolin into the standard recipe before molding

Milk & Honey Soap

Mix 1 oz powdered milk, 1 oz honey into soap while still liquid

Rose Water Soap

Substitute 4 oz of rosewater for plain water when mixing the lye

The Method

Pour cold water into a non-metallic pot, then add the lye slowly while
stirring with a wooden spoon.  The reaction between the lye and water will
heat it almost to boiling.  Let it cool to room temperature.

Bring both the lye solution and the fat to 95 - 98F in separate pots.

Stir the fat, then add the lye solution in a steady stream while stirring.

The mixture will turn opaque and brownish, then lighten.  The consistency
should be like sour cream.

If the mixture separates, it can usually be reclaimed by slowly heating it
to 140F and stirring gently all the while.  Remove from heat and stir until
it turns into soap.

The soap is ready to mold if you let a few drops of it fall on the surface
of the mixture and they are supported for a moment or two before sinking
into the soap.

Add any scents, colours, extra ingredients now, then pour into prepared
molds.

Cover molds with cardboard and leave in a warm place.

After 24 hours, unmold the soap and leave it uncovered for two to four
weeks to age.

Scents

Cinnamon

6 tsp oil of cinnamon
1/2 tsp oil of bergamot
1/2 tsp oil of sassafras

Savon au Bouquet

4 1/2 tsp oil of bergamot
1/4 tsp oil of clove
1/2 tsp oil of thyme
1/2 tsp oil of sassafras
1/2 tsp oil of neroli

Grease Removing Soap

Mix 1 oz of almond meal, oatmeal or cornmeal to the castile soap recipe
before molding.

Vegetable Soap

2 lb 10 oz oilive oil
1 lb 7 oz Crisco
2 pt water
1 lb coconut oil
10 1/4 oz lye

OK, now everybody run off and make soap and let me know how it turns out!

-- Nicole