6 cups olive oil- 2 1/4 cups coconut oil
- 3 1/2 cups solid vegetable shortening
- 1 1/2 cups lye
- 4 1/4 cups cold water
Slowly add the lye 1 tablespoon at a time to the cold water while stirring continuously. (Lye is caustic and should not come into contact with your skin, avoid inhaling fumes and wear rubber gloves)
After you have stirred thoroughly, allow the mixture to sit until the temperature drops to between 95F and 98F. As the lye cools, place the oils and shortening together in a pot and heat it to 125F-130F.
Remove the pan from the heat and place a thermometer in the liquid and let the mixture cool, watching the temp. When the two solutions are the same temperature, 96F, stir the oil mixture for about 30 seconds, and then add the lye mixture slowly but evenly in a steady stream.
Do not stop stirring. When the consistency is like very thick gravy, the soap is ready for additives. Continue stirring while making additions, the pour the soap into the mold of choice. The simplest mold is a wax coated cardboard milk container.
To make bars, pour the solution into a rectangular flat pan large enough to make the soap 1/2” to 2” thick. When the soap has had 24 hours or more to cure, use a hot knife to cut it into squares and remove it from the pan. After molding and shaping the soap, let it sit for 2-3 days in a dry place to cure. Once cured, it does better if wrapped.
