How to make gentle hand or face soap:

Items needed:

• 9 Lb - Tallow
• 12 oz. - Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)
• 3 cups - Water (preferably deionized)
• 2 Cups - Lemon Juice
• 0.25 oz. - Fragrance
• Gloves
• Wooden Spoon
• Ventilated work area
• Molds/glass baking dishes

Helpful Hints:

1. Adult supervision is required! Wear protective eaquipment, ie. gloves, and safety glasses. Cover exposed skinto avoid accidental exposure to the lye. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN!
2. If you get lye on your skin, immediately wash it with lots of cold water. Read and understand the Material Safety Data Sheet before using.
3. Cooking oils are sensitive to air and light, and soap made from cooking oils will spoil in a few weeks unless it is refrigerated.
4. Volatile fragrance oils or even dried herbs or spices may be added to the soap to scent it. Fragrance is optional.

Instructions:

1. If you are using a pure fat, such as coconut oil or olive oil, you can skip to step 5. Coconut oil yeilds a soft, quick lathering soap. Olive oil and other vegtable cooking oils yield a soft soap that never hardens.
2. Render the tallow by cutting it into chuncks, placing it into the large pot, covering it, and heating on medium heat until it is melted. Stir occassionally.
3. Cool the fat to below the boiling point of water. Add a volume of water equal to that of fat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and remove from heat. Let it sit overnight.
4. Remove the fat from the pot. Discard non-fat gunk (scrape it off of the bottom of the fat) and any liquid.
5. Measure 2.75 kg (6.05 Lbs) rendered fat. Cut the fat into tennis ball size chunks and place the pieces into a large bowl.
6. Set up all of your materials. Ventilate the area (or work outside), put on safety equipment, and open all containers.
7. Pour the water into a large glass or ceramic bowl (not metal). Carefully pour the lye (sodium hydroxide) into the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon.
8. The reaction between water and lye gives off an exothermic heat and vapors that you should avoid breathing. The spoon will be somewhat degraded by the lye.
9. Once the lye is dissolved by the water, start adding the chuncks of fat a bit at a time. Keep stirring until the fat is melted. If necessary, add heat (put on a lower burner ventilation).
10. Stir in the lemon juice and fragrance oil (optional). Once the soap is well-mixed, pour it into molds. If you use glass baking dishes for molds, you can cut the bars after it has become fimer (not hard).
11. The soap will harden in approximately an hour.
12. You may wrap the finished soap in clean cotton rags. It can be stored for 3 - 6 months in a cool, well ventillated location.
13. Wear gloves when washing your equipment, as their may be some unreacted lye remaining. Wash in very hot water to help melt away the residue.