Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey

Make the Lye Solution

1. Put on your rubber gloves and eye protection (goggles) and set yourself up in an area with good ventilation. Under a hob, on the doorstep, or outdoors is perfect. Pour the sodium hydroxide into the water and stir with a stainless steel spoon. Be careful not to breathe in the fumes. 
2. Stir well and leave someplace safe to cool to 100°F (38°C). I tend to set the jug containing the lye solution in cold water in the sink.

Melt the Solid Oils

1. In a stainless steel pan, heat the coconut oil and shea butter on very low heat until just liquefied. They’ll melt quicker than you think so don’t be tempted to turn up the heat.

Add the Liquid Oils and Essential/Fragrance oils

1. When the solid oils are melted, take the pan off the heat and pour in the liquid oils. If you pour the liquid oils against a spoon or spatula held just inserted in hot oils, it will help to reduce air bubbles forming in your final bars.
2. Stir well and keep an eye on the temperature. You want the oils to cool to just above 100°F (38°C).
3. When cooled, pour in the essential oils and stir well. It's unusual to add essential oils to soap this early, but spice essential oils can speed up trace. It's better to add them before so that you have better control of how thick your soap batter gets. Please keep in mind that the essential oils create the scent but are optional. If you leave them out, you'll have a lovely unscented soap.

Make Autumn Love Soap

1. Preheat your oven to 170°F (75°C). Get the soap mold prepared and double-check that your goggles and gloves are on and that you won't be disturbed for the next ten minutes.
2. When the lye solution and oils are both about 100°F (38°C), pour the lye solution into the pan of oils. Pour the lye solution against a spoon held in the oils as this will reduce air bubbles in your final bars.
3. Dip the immersion blender into the pan at an angle — this helps air that's trapped in the head to escape. Next, set the immersion blender completely upright on the bottom of the pan. Gently but firmly tap the blender a few times against the bottom. This can release more air that you might see escape as air bubbles.
4. With the immersion blender turned off, gently stir the contents of the pan together for a few seconds.
5. Next, bring the immersion blender to the center of your pan and press it firmly against the bottom of the pan. Turn the immersion blender on for a few seconds on its lowest power. Do not move the immersion blender while it's on as it will create air bubbles and splatters in a recipe this small.
6. Repeat the gentle stirring and immersion blending described above until the soap reaches a light to medium trace. This stage of trace will give you soap batter that looks about the thickness of warm pudding. You will also notice a texture on the surface, especially if you drizzle batter down on top of it.

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