Page 269 - The Lost Ways

Pour olive oil into the jar until it is 48 oz. plus the initial jar weight. This mean if the jar
was 3 oz., your final reading should be 51 oz. Once you are sure of the reading, carefully
transfer your olive oil into one of the metallic pots.

3. Heat the oil to 130°F.
Place the oil onto a heat source, and steadily heat it to 130°F. This doesn’t have to be so
accurate a temperature, but keeping it around there ensures that you get the best results
once you start mixing the ingredients.

4. Retrieve the lye solution.
The olive oil was heated to 130°F to give you some ledge as you collect the other

equipment and the lye solution you made before.

The ideal olive oil temperature is 110°F. Give yourself a cushion that is as long as you think
you need to retrieve your lye solution and a wooden spatula.

5. Mix the lye solution and the oil.
Pour a steady stream of the lye–water solution into the oil while stirring gently. The goal
here is to stir until the mixture turns into a thick solution.

Stirring with a stick could take you up to 30 minutes. You can use a stick blender to speed
things up. Stir until the mixture is thick enough to trace shapes on its surface. If you want
scented soap, now is the time to add your aromatic essential oils.

6. Fill the molds.

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