The Great Soap Making Event

Well, I plan to attempt making a batch of shaving soap this weekend. If all goes well ... well, it will be fun. If all doesn't go well, there will be pain, heartache and a huge mess to clean up. So for you do it yourselfers out there here's the recipe I'm using.

Modified from http://www.teachsoap.com/shaving.html

Ingredients:

12 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. lard
12 oz. olive oil
2 oz. castor oil
14 oz. distilled water
1 heaping tablespoon of bentonite clay
5.3 oz. lye
mixture of essential oils for scent

Instructions:

1. Heat your oils (no scent) until they reach a temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. With all your SAFETY GEAR on pour the pre-measured lye into 14oz. of distilled water.
3. Mix in a glass or unbreakable, heat-friendly Pyrex bowl with a stainless steel mixing spoon. Do NOT breathe the lye fumes. This mixture will heat all the way up to approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Cool this mixture to approximately 115 degrees.
5. When both the oils and the lye water are within 10 degrees of 115 degrees, pour the lye/water mixture into the melted oils.
6. If you have a stick blender, now is the time to use it. If you do not have a stick blender, hand stir with a whisk or stainless steel tool. If you're using a stick blender, you should see trace (the point where you can see faint soap trailings when you drizzle the mixture over the surface) within 5 minutes. If you're using a hand propelled mixer (a spoon), this process could take up to a full 3 hours.
7. Once you've hit trace, add your clay, scent and mix in well. Wait for a minute to make sure that the soap is fully traced and is not going to separate in the bowl (and thus, in your molds).
8. Pour the thick, white, creamy soap mixture into your molds. Your soap will need to sit out for a full 6 weeks before using.