Heat the oils (whatever type you choose) in the microwave or in a double boiler until they reach a temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put on your safety gear and pour the lye pre-measured into 14-ouces of distilled water.
Mix other ingredients (water and lye) in an unbreakable, heat-friendly bowl (like Pyrex) with a stainless steel mixing spoon. Remember do NOT breathe the lye fumes. The mixture will heat all the way up to approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cool this mixture to about 115 degrees.
When both the oils and the lye water are within 10 degrees of 115 degrees, pour the lye/water mixture into the melted oils.
Use a stick blender if you have it and 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” (which is the point where you can see faint soap trailing). This should happen within 5 minutes. If you're using a hand mixer (a spoon), this process could take up to a 3 hours.
Once you've hit trace you can add your fragrances or essential oils. Wait for a minute to make sure that the soap is fully traced (formed together) and is not going to separate in the bowl or in your molds.
Now you can pour the thick, white, creamy soap mixture into your molds. The soap will need to sit out for a full 6 weeks before using.
When making soap with lye you need to wear the proper safety gear such as goggles and gloves. Cold process soap is known for its hard and long-lasting qualities. You can create lather rich formulas by using certain types of oils in your recipe. Coconut oil is known for its lathering formula, olive oil is gentle and great for sensitive skin and shea, cocoa butter and hemp oil offer great moisturizing properties.
Hot Process Soap
Hot process methods are an alternative to cold process soap. This method is similar to the cold process but is supposed to speed up the production time. With this method of soap making you combine all the ingredients and place them over a heat source. You stir frequently and wait for it to go through various stages like saponification and tracing. The excess water is evaporated off and the soap is ready use once cooled.
Melt and Pour Method
The melt and pour soap making method is popular because of its versatility and simplicity. You don’t have to buy lots of ingredients because you are simply melting down previously made soap product. This method is great for children because you don’t have to worry about the chemical danger (lye). You can buy soap making kits that are ready to use for this specific soap making method. To make soap using this method all you need is clear soap (typically referred to as glycerin soap), which can be purchased in large blocks. Any kind of color or fragrance you want to use and of course some type of soap molds or loaf pans that you can pour your creation into for cooling.