Water/Lye

Measure distilled water and place in a large heat tolerant bowl. I place a piece of newspaper in the kitchen sink and put the water bowl on top of the paper.

For safety measures wear goggles, glove up and wear a long sleeve shirt because this next step is working with lye. Measure the correct amount of sodium hydroxide and pour into distilled water slowly while stirring until the lye is dissolved. Be careful not to splash the liquid out of the bowl. The reaction of water and lye will lead to high temperatures. You can even feel the heat if you place your hand above the bowl. Notice below when the lye was added to room temperature distilled water the temperature reached 152.4 degrees Fahrenheight. Now, that’s some hot stuff so be extremely careful! Working with lye can be dangerous so it is highly recommended to wear protective equipment and don’t have any children or animals around when working with lye.

Leave bowl in sink and allow to cool to about 100 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit. In the meantime move on to the next step.

Note: Once the lye water has cooled to the above temperature (100-110 degrees Fahrenheight) add the sodium lactate and stir to combine.

Oils

Measure exact amounts of oil using the kitchen scale and place in a stainless steel pot to melt oils completely. Remove from heat and allow to cool to around 100 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Oils and Lye Water

When both, the oils and lye water, have reached temperatures of around 100 – 110 degrees Fahrenheit carefully pour the lye water into the oil mixture.

Using the immersion or stick blender pulse a few seconds to combine. If using fragrance oil and or mica colorant add that now. Continue blending until trace is reached.

Pour Into Molds

Place both molds on a baking sheet and fill 6 cavity silicone mold half full with soap. Place a moistened loofah sponge into each mold cavity then add more soap mixture as desired. After the six cavity mold is filled then pour the rest of the soap into the 10″ mold.

Smooth out the top of the 10″ mold and make some swirl designs on top if desired using a spatula or fork. Gently wrap each mold with a towel and then place a towel over both and set in a draft free area for 24 hours.

Unmold and Cut

Gently remove soap from molds by inverting mold and gently pushing on the bottom until soap falls out. Place round soaps on their side on a baking sheet to cure.

Take the 10″ bar of soap and turn it on its side. Using a knife or crinkle cutter cut soap into desired bar sizes.

Cure Soap

Allow soap to cure for 4 to 6 weeks. Reposition soap weekly. Enjoy your homemade loofah soap and you might even want to give some away as a gift!