Spent my birthday learning to make soap. It was fun, but a bit stinky. You can't make soap without lye, a caustic substance that smells like a bad perm. We used a mathematical equation to get the correct amount of lye and mixed it with pureed carrots, honey and frozen buttermilk (1) to get our lye mixture (2). Then we measured out the amount of oils that needed to be warmed (3). We used 85% olive oil and 15% coconut oil. It had to be heated to 120 degrees (4) and measured out the amount we needed, 41.8 ounces total (5). Then we mixed it with the lye mixture using a stick blender (6) and poured it into a wooden mold lined with waxed paper. Here's mine ready to take home (7). After 24 hours, I have to take it out of the mold and cut it, then leave it to cure for another 4 weeks. Today we made a hypo-allergenic soap that can be used on babies. Maybe next time, I'll experiment with some essential oils.
*Disclaimer- my husband took picture #1. Those are my hands in the gloves.
