The Great Soap Making Event - Revisited

Ok, so here's try number two (Saturday May 31,2008). Yes, I love the experimentation aspect of this. I noticed a distinct pungency in my first batch of soap when used for shaving (works fine in the shower). I have to attribute that to the lard. Not positive, but it smells sort of lardy. I liked the earthiness of the coconut oil, wanted a bit more slip and, of course more bubbles. So here's the recipe for this batch (instructions are the same, so I'm not reprinting.

Ingredients:

28 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. olive oil
4 oz. castor oil
14 oz. water
2 tablespoons (more or less) of bentonite clay
6.5 oz. lye
mixture of essential oils for scent

Now between increasing the percentage of coconut oil and using a stick blender, this batch went to trace in about a minute and was actually getting too stiff (pudding consistency) when I poured it into the mold. I was able to take it out of the mold the next day and it looked good (even with a few small trapped bubbles). So six weeks and I'll get to try it out. Only two small lye burns this time around, 1 hour start to finish and MUCH less mess.

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