Suds Up Your Harvest

Please read instructions completely before beginning so you will
better understand what’s required for each step of the soap-making
process. Some of the materials involved require special handling or
may need to be ordered ahead of time (see Soap-makers Resources on
Page 38).

PREPARATION TIME

Begin by covering all the counters and floors with plastic. Lye
is caustic and can damage countertops and burn your skin. Never
handle lye without protective glasses and rubber gloves. I also
wear an old long-sleeved shirt to protect my arms.

Grease your plastic container with vegetable shortening — just
as you would a cake pan. This will be the mold you pour the soap in
to harden. Set aside.

Place a towel folded flat in the bottom of the ice chest. Then
place the other towel within easy reach. Have a piece of cardboard
handy that will more than cover the top of the mold when you set it
inside the ice chest. This will keep the towel you put on top from
falling into the soap.

Decide on the herbs you wish to use. These can be used whole or
chopped, or dried and ground. If you leave them whole, your soap
will have a “scrub” effect. Grinding the herbs to a powder will
make your soap silky smooth. Whole oats make a great scrub.

Combine your herbs and other ingredients, and keep them within
easy reach. If using an essential oil, keep it within reach as
well.

GETTING STARTED

1. Measure all ingredients. Remember to wear rubber gloves and
goggles when you measure the lye. Go outside to do this first step.
There will be fumes, so avert your face and try to avoid breathing
them, or wear a mask. Now, pour the lye into the cold spring water.
Stir until the white granules are dissolved. Use only cold water.
The lye and water mixture will heat up when combining and can boil
over, so never use warm or hot water. Set this mixture aside in a
safe place to cool.

Enjoy a bath with your favorite scented
herbs.

2. Put the vegetable shortening and coconut oil into the large
pot. Place it on the stove to melt over low heat. Stir occasionally
while the oils melt and mix. When completely melted, remove from
heat and stir in the olive, jojoba and avocado oils. Set this aside
to cool.

3. The trick now is to cool the lye and oil mixtures both to
precisely 98 degrees. I find that if you leave them for a few
hours, they will cool to this temperature at about the same time.
Take their temperature periodically with a lab or candy
thermometer. Stir each mixture before taking its temperature. If
the oils get too cool, heat slightly on the stove. Oil will
continue to warm up after it’s removed from heat, so remove it just
before it reaches 98 degrees. If the lye mixture gets too cool,
heat it in the microwave at 20-second intervals. Variances of more
than 2 degrees will not work. Each must be between 97 and 99
degrees for this to work.

If one mixture is warmer than the other, place that container in
the sink filled with a couple of inches of ice water for a cold
bath, careful not to get any water inside the container. This will
lower the temperature quickly.

4. Once you have both mixtures at 98 degrees, pour the lye
mixture into the oils. Wearing your rubber gloves and goggles, stir
with a wooden spoon while you pour, careful of any splattering.
Stir for 10 minutes. You will notice the mixture becoming creamy
and smooth. After 10 minutes, lay the spoon aside and whisk the
mixture rapidly for about 30 seconds. Stir again with the large
spoon for another 10 minutes. Then whisk again. Don’t stop stirring
until the mixture begins to show a trace of the path the spoon
leaves behind. This could take anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour.
The trace stage is notable when you raise the spoon out of the soap
mixture, and can drizzle a pattern on the top, which will look like
a long welt on the surface of the soap mixture.

5. Now you must work fast. Whisk in the herbs until evenly
mixed. Then add the essential oil, if you are using it. Don’t take
too long or the soap mixture will seize and you won’t be able to
pour it into the mold. Pour it into your prepared mold. The whole
herbs will sink to the bottom of the mold, creating a beautiful
pattern on the top of each soap bar when cut. Set the filled mold
into the ice chest. Make sure it’s sitting level or it will harden
lopsided. Lay the cardboard over the soap-filled mold and cover
with your second towel. Close the ice chest. Let it set in the ice
chest for 24 hours without opening the chest.

While the soap is still slightly soft, decorate each bar
with pressed flowers.

Use a hair dryer to loosen and release soap from the
mold.

6. After 24 hours, remove from the ice chest and let set in a
dry, warm area for 3 days to 2 weeks. The longer you leave it, the
easer it is to remove from the mold.

7. When you’re ready to pop the soap out, turn the mold upside
down on a towel-covered surface. Use a hair dryer to warm the
bottom and sides of the mold until you can push on the bottom of
the mold and release the soap. Push on all sides until the soap
slowly slides out. Once removed, the soap should cure for 3 weeks.
Curing means allowing the soap to set open to the air so the lye
can completely evaporate. Note: Soap shouldn’t be used before it’s
completely cured or it can burn the skin.

8. When ready, cut soap into bars or blocks with a knife or
spackling blade, and it’s ready to use. Decorate each bar with
pressed flowers if you wish. This must be done while the soap is
still slightly soft. Just press the flowers into the top or sides
of a whole loaf or each individual bar.

Marguerite King is an herbalist specializing in herbal skin
care. She owns and operates The Herb Patch Nursery and Soapworks in
Pocatello, Idaho.