Ingredients

Instructions

1. Gather all of your necessary equipment and ingredients before beginning.

2. Dress in long sleeves and pants. Wear an apron you don't mind getting dirty or wear old clothes.

3. Ensure your kitchen is very clean. Dishes away, no dishes in the sink, except your glass bowl of white vinegar and water. I usually dump about 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar into the bowl of water.

4. Weigh all your ingredients, into the following glass containers. **Be SURE to account for the weight of the each container before the addition of the ingredient:

• water - glass measuring cup

• coconut oil - large glass bowl

• lye granules - small glass bowl

5. Add your coconut oil to your crockpot to melt. I have to put mine on high to achieve a temperature of 120*F.

6. While the coconut is melting, get your protective eyewear and gloves on. Take the lye granules and water outside, along with your wooden "LYE ONLY" spoon. **IMPORTANT** ADD THE LYE TO THE WATER. This order is very important, because if you do it the other way, it will essentially boil over and you'll have a nice, big, chemical mess. So, as you add the LYE TO THE WATER, stir with your wooden spoon, being careful not to inhale any of the vapors. Do not touch the glass, it will be HOT. Stir until the granules are dissolved; the mixture will be cloudy. Leave mixture outside to cool and clear up for about 10-12 minutes. Be sure no animals/pets go near it either. It is extremely alkaline and hot, and will burn.

7. You can prepare your essential oils while the lye finishes clearing up. For this batch, I mixed one bottle of Tangerine and one bottle of Lavender essential oils by Aroma Foundry. {This has been my favorite combo so far, I really loved these clean and crisp scents. And, the tangerine oil made the bars a beautiful pale yellow. The house smelled like a spa all day!} I dumped each bottle into one small glass bowl, to have it ready to go later.

8. Using your thermometer, test the temperature of the coconut oil. It should be close to 120*F.

9. Check your lye outside. If it is clear, it is ready to go. Wearing your protective gear, bring the lye inside and add to the melted coconut oil in the crockpot, stirring with the wooden spoon.

10. Add the glass measuring cup to the vinegar bowl in the sink, along with the lye spoon.

11. Using the immersion blender, and definitely still wearing your protective gear, start blending the lye mixture and coconut oil using a figure 8 pattern. Do this for roughly 10 minutes. You will get a good arm workout! The goal is to finish with a pudding-like consistency. (See pictures in slideshow)

12. Place your immersion stick (without motor of course) into the vinegar bowl in the sink.

13. Cover the crockpot with a lid, and turn heat to low. Let cook for roughly 2 hours. (Heather's recipe says 45 minutes to an hour, but mine always takes much longer. I think it's due to the variation in crock pots.) So just keep an eye on it, and ensure it doesn't overflow. If it gets close to the top, use your wooden spoon to stir and knock it down.

14. Get your loaf pan ready, by lining it with parchment paper. (see slideshow)

15.The saponification process is happening at this point! It will start to curl into itself in the center of the pot. Once there are no pools of oil remaining, your soap is complete. It will look like vaseline; sort of transparent. You should also test a tiny bit on your tongue, to see if it tastes like soap. Don't swallow it, just tap it to your tongue. (I always give this job to Mr. Zucchini Runner.) If it zings back, it is not ready. If it tastes like soap, you are good!

16. Turn off the crockpot. Remove the ceramic pot from the heating element and stir well to release some heat. If you don't want any essential oils, just pour the soap directly into your parchment paper lined loaf pan. If you DO want a scent, now is the time to add it to the soap. It is best if you let it cool slightly before adding, so the essential oils don't lose their scent! But don't wait to long, because once the soap is removed from the heat, you have less than 5 minutes before it begins to harden. Move fast! Dump into the parchment lined loaf pan once your scented oils are added.

17. Let cool on the counter for about 2 hours. If you wait too long, the loaf will get pretty hard and difficult to cut. I like cutting mine when the loaf is still warm, but not soft in the middle. Cut as thick or thin as you like. We do about 1/2-3/4" thick.

18. Let cool completely before wrapping and storing.

NOTE: This recipe for homemade coconut oil soap produces a very thick lather, so it's best to use with a washcloth to get the most out of each bar. Also, store away from water, to ensure it lasts as long as possible. In other words, don't let it sit in a pool of water after your are done with your shower.