DIY hand and body soap

Ingredients

• Olive oil ⅔ cup

• Coconut oil ⅔ cup 

• Other liquid oil ⅔ cup (you can use almond oil, grape seed, sunflower or safflower oil)

• ¼ cup lye (100% sodium hydroxide) 

• ¾ cup cool water 

Steps to make the soap: 

• Firstly, prepare yourself by wearing old clothes and gloves and clean and cover your working area with paper

• Now measure the amount of water and lye and gently pour the lye in the water taking a container

• Be careful of the fumes and start stirring the mixture

• Take another container and pour the three oils together and heat in a microwave for about a minute

• The temperature of both lye and oil should be between 120 degrees

• Let it both cool until they reach to a temperature of 95 degrees

• When both the lye and oils are at the right temperature, pour the oils into a mixing bowl. Slowly add the lye, stirring until it is all mixed. Stir by hand for a full 5 minutes

• Keep stirring until the soap mixture will become light and thick acquiring vanilla color, 

• Now add herbs, essential oils or other additives and keep stirring to combine everything in the mixture

• Next, cover the mixture with plastic wrap

• Wrap it with an old cloth and leave it for the process of saponification

• Let it sit for 24 hours and take it out once it is no more warm and soft

• Let it dry for a few hours and finally cut it into bars.