Supplies Needed

Distilled water, 3 cups

Fresh Unpasteurized Cows Milk, 2 cups

Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) 1 1/4 Cups

Lard, 10 cups

Coconut Oil, 2 cups

Fragrance oil (optional) I did not use any

Equipment Needed

Large stainless bowl or pot (large enough to hold all ingredients)

Large stainless or wooden spoon

2 thermometers, one for the lye and one for the lard

Rubber gloves for safety

Soap molds ( I used soap molds and small rubber made containers)

Step 1: Prepare Molds

Lightly grease soap molds with Vaseline so soap does not stick in mold

Step 2: Mix Water and Lye

Pour 3 cups of distilled water in a stainless bowl or pot

While wearing gloves with your head away from bowl slowly and carefully pour lye into water

BE CAREFUL IT WILL GET VERY HOT

If you can not do this outside make sure you are in a well ventilated area because of the fumes this mixture creates.

I set my bowl next to an open window

Step 3: Allow Lye Mixture to Cool

You must now wait for the lye/water mixture to cool down to 85 degrees
This can take up to an hour. I kept checking the temperature every 10 minutes with a candy thermometer

Step 4: Add Cows Milk

When mixture has cooled to 85 degrees add your 2 cups of milk
The lye mixture will heat up again. You want your mixture to cool down again to 80 degrees

Step 5: Heat Up Fat and Oil

While your waiting for your Lye/Milk mixture to cool back down to 80 degrees
Measure 10 cups of lard and 2 cups of coconut oil in a pot and slowly melt on stove. Oils can heat up quickly so be careful. You want to heat your lard and coconut oil mixture to be 90 degrees

Step 6: Combine Lye Mixture and Fat Mixture

When your Lye mixture is back down to 80 degrees and your fats and oil mixture has reached 90 degrees mix both mixtures together.
Pouring the fat into the lye mixture in a small steady stream while stirring constantly.
Stir until mixture reaches consistency of honey. This can take a very long time 25-45 minutes
I used an immersion blender to save time and my arm.

Step 7: Add Scents and Textures

Once your soap is the consistency of honey if you planned on adding any scents or textures you would do it now.
Adding 4 ounces of essential oil of your choice.
I did not add scents but I did decide to add rose petals and lavender petals to my first batch.
I put dried rose petal and dried lavender petals in my food processor while I was waiting for all of my mixture to cool.
I also added honey and processed pecans to my second batch (warning the pecans I crushed burned in my soap because of the lye mixture) so I probably would not add food again
Add right before you pour into soap molds.

Step 8: Pour Into Soap Molds

Pour soap mixture carefully in prepared soap molds. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap. Then lay newspapers and a blanket on top to hold in heat. The soap will get warm and harden. Do not remove soap from molds for 24-48 hours.
I waited for 48 hours.

Step 9: Cure Soap

Once I took my soap out of their molds. I cut the big pieces into smaller bars and set them on a screen. and WAITED and WAITED and WAITEDSince I used a soap recipe that had lye in it I had to wait for 6 weeks for my soap to cure. Every week I would turn each bar of soap over so it would help them dry evenly