Handmade Soap

I found a fantastic easy recipe to make soap. The hard work with the caustic soda is already done, because the Lux soap flakes have already gone through that process, but the result isn't bad.

4 cups Lux soap flakes (with the washing machine powder in your Stoopidmarket)
1 cup milk (cows or goats)
1/2 cup powdered milk
Oils etc for fragrance (we used 1 tsp scented Apple oil per cup of Lux flakes)

Spray your soap moulds with spray cooking oil to prevent the soap from sticking.

Measure out 4 cups Lux Soap Flakes. Measure out about 1 cup milk (You'll add this as needed, you may not use it all, or you may need to add a bit more). Add 1/2 cup milk to the Lux Flakes and begin stirring on a low heat (we used a saucepan directly on low heat, but if you're worried about burning it, use a double boiler). It if looks dry, add more milk and so on, until all the Lux Flakes are melted.

Keep stirring until it begins to look like soft mashed potatoes. It may also look lumpy. Add about 1/2 cup powdered milk - the secret ingredient! The powdered milk will make the mixture very smooth and easy to pour.

It's now that we added our Apple scented oil. You can also add colour at this stage (if you want to - we didn't). When all is done, pour into your mould (it will set quickly), and leave it overnight or until dry. Remove them once they're dry and cure them for 1 week on a drying rack (we used a large biscuit rack).

The soap isn't a very 'bubbly' kind, but is absolutely perfect for washing hands. I am doing a trial and so far, it hasn't left my hands dry, they smell nice from the milky apple scent, and the creamy coloured bar looks really pretty in my bathroom, with the other cream coloured ceramic items I have in there :)

It's a fairly cheap way of making soap too. We did this as a family so we could see how easy this recipe could be, before we tried the caustic soda type (don't have kids around for that.