Making Natural Soap

Making natural soap is fun, although it should not be carried out by children as sodium hydroxide is used. Also known as lye and caustic soda which can be dangerous if you are not careful when working with it. Sodium Hydroxide can give you very nasty burns which is why I recommend you wear gloves and goggles while making your soap. It's also recommended that you wear a mask as the fumes are very powerful. Don’t forget to protect work surfaces as this stuff can burn straight through.

In this recipe I have used my favourite essential oil "lemongrass" but you can add your own favourite if you like. You can also add colouring, I recommend you colour according to the essential oil you use, for example if you were to use rose essential oil, add a pink colour. Add colour when making natural soap slowly or you will end up with some very strong shades.

• A food mixer
• Stainless steel or enamel saucepan
• A glass bowl
• 2 rubber spatulas
• Scales
• Thermometer
• Trays or moulds - a wooden rectangular wooden tray is perfect
• Waxed lining paper to line trays
• Goggles, plastic or rubber gloves and a mask

• 201 grms sodium hydroxide
• 538g distilled water
• 595.3g olive oil
• 454g coconut oil
• 396.9g palm oil
• 12 grms grapefruit seed extract
• 35ml lemongrass essential oil or any essential oil of your choice.

2. Measure out all the ingredients. Measure your sodium hydroxide in a plastic bag and be careful not to let any spill out onto work surfaces as it could burn a hole straight through.

3. Put on your gloves, goggles and mask, and any protective clothing such as a plastic apron.

4. Put the distilled water into a glass bowl and carefully add the sodium hydroxide stirring until dissolved.

5. The reaction of the water and sodium hydroxide together will cause heat to approximately a temperature of over 93 centigrade. Set aside and allow to cool to 80 centigrade.

6. While you wait for the sodium hydroxide to cool you can get on with mixing the oils. Mix all your oils in a soap pan and heat under a very gentle heat until they have melted. Now add the grapefuit seed extract, which will preserve your soap, giving it a longer shelf life.

7. Allow the oils to cool a little.

8. Very slowly drizzle the sodium hydroxide into the oils, stirring as quickly as you can or using a mixer at its lowest speed. Continue mixing until the soap thickens or you can just begin to see a pattern forming in the soap. Do not wait until a pattern has formed as you will be unable to pour the soap into the mould.

9. Before pouring the soap into the moulds mix in the desired essential oils.

10. Once you have the soap mixer in the moulds it should be left for at least a week before cutting into soap bars.

11. Lay your soap bars out on waxed paper: at this stage they are still alkaline and will pick up any ink on paper. Allow to cure for at least four weeks.