| You can make your own lye soap at home; it's not | | | | stir, watch for the reaction. The lye can even boil the |
| hard to do! All you have to do is combine fat with | | | | water; if this happens, stop stirring until the bubbling |
| some sort of caustic agent, using water as your | | | | stops, and let the lye water cool down to room |
| catalyst, and you have soap. 'Saponification' is the | | | | temperature. |
| technical name for the chemical process between lye | | | | So what about the oil? Just about any fat or oil can |
| and fat. | | | | make soap, from plant oils to animal fats. Coconut oils |
| And you won't need anything exotic to make your | | | | will give a rich lather. Olive oil will yield fine, silky bubbles. |
| own soap; most of the ingredients you need may be | | | | If you use animal fat, make sure it' is clean, not rancid, |
| as close as your grocery store. What will you need? | | | | has no salt, and is free of solid particles. You'll find |
| For a basic soap, you only need water, lye, and some | | | | tallow or lard will give you a denser soap. |
| kind of fat and oil. For a more luxurious soap, you might | | | | When you batch starts to thicken, that's the time to |
| want to add coloring dyes and scented fragrance oils. | | | | add coloring and perfume oils. Pour the 'traced' soap |
| You probably have water as close as your kitchen | | | | into shape molds, and let it harden. It will have to 'cure' |
| tap; some people prefer to use rainwater or distilled | | | | for one to three days, and then dry a bit longer before |
| water in their soap. And what's lye, anyhow? It's | | | | you can enjoy it. |
| chemical name is sodium hydroxide; it's a very strong | | | | Homemade, natural and specialty soaps are perfect |
| base, so when you handle it. Make sure that you read | | | | truths for bath and body treatments. So if you are |
| the directions on the package of lye carefully, and | | | | looking for a way to relieve your tension, forget about |
| following them scrupulously. | | | | your bad day and just feel good, well treat yourself |
| The first step is to dissolve the lye. Never pour the | | | | with some homemade soap products. They'll make |
| water into the lye; instead, pour the lye into the water. | | | | your skin soft improve any skin conditions you have |
| If half the water is ice, that's even better. Stir; as you | | | | and help you connect with yourself. |