Honey Blossom Soap

This is a lovely hard soap with a creamy texture and is good for all skin types. This recipe uses lye which is poisonous, so be careful! You should also have a basic knowledge of soapmaking or a good book to explain basic steps. This soap takes 4 weeks to cure. I got this recipe from The Handmade Soap Book.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 1 pan

Ingredients

• 15  ounces shortening (vegetable fat)
• 10  ounces  sweet  almond oil
• 7  ounces olive oil
• 2  ounces  white  beeswax
• 10  ounces distilled water or 10  ounces mineral water
• 5  ounces  lye (caustic soda/sodium hydroxide I use Red Devil Lye)
• 2  tablespoons honey

Directions

1. Grease a shallow square or oblong mold.
2. Place the fat, base oils and beeswax in a stainless steel or enamel pot over a low heat.
3. Pour the water into a heavy glass or plastic bowl or pitcher.
4. Wearing rubber gloves and eye protection, add the sodium hydroxide (caustic soda/lye) to the water and stir until dissolved.
5. When the oils have melted, remove them from the heat.
6. Place one candy thermometer in the oils and one in the caustic solution.
7. When both thermometers reach an equal temperature between 120*F.
8. (49C) and 140*F.
9. (60C), pour the caustic solution into the oil.
10. Stir occasionally until the mixture reaches trace (mixture thickens to the point where you can trickle some soap off the back of a spoon or spatula and it will leave a trace line on the surface of the mixture. This is called"trace").
11. This should take about 20 minutes.
12. Add the honey and stir well.
13. Pour immediately into the mold and cover with a towel or blanket.
14. Leave to set for 24 hours or until the soap reaches a solid consistency.
15. Wearing rubber gloves, remove the soap from the mold and cut into bars.
16. Cover the soap and leave to cure for four weeks before use.