Homemade Marseille Soap

I'd always wanted to make homemade soap so when a recent workshop opportunity arose (thanks to Serena) I seized it.

The soap we made at the workshop was called the Marseille Soap, otherwise known as Savon de Marseille. It is a traditional hard soap made from vegetable oils and was first produced around Marseille, France some 600 years ago.

INGREDIENT 252 g Pure Olive Oil 49 g Pure Coconut Oil 49 g Pure Palm Oil 136.15 g Cold Water 49.987 g Caustic Soda/Lye/NaOH 15 drops pure essential oil 1 tabsp Plant Powder (colorant)

CAUTION Caustic soda are highly corrosive so rubber gloves and industrial face mask is recommended.

Caustic soda

METHOD

1. Into a large metal mixing bowl filled with cold water, add caustic soda progressively, stirring with an egg beater until it is completely dissolved. Heat is generated due to chemical reaction so this part of the process should be handled with care. Poisonous fumes are emitted so it is important to work in a well ventilated area and to avoid inhaling the fumes.
2. Let the solution cool to below 50 deg C.
3. When the solution is cooled, add the three oils and stir for about 30 minutes until the mixture thickens to a pudding consistency.
4. Stir in the essential oil.
5. Pour half the mixture into a clean empty milk carton.
6. Stir in the Plant Powder (for the color) into the remaining mixture.
7. Add the coloured portion to the earlier portion in the milk carton and cut through the mixture to get a marbled effect.
8. Seal the milk carton and leave it aside to cool.
9. After 2 days, remove the soap from the milk carton and cut into pieces.
10. Air dry the soap on a clean dry shelf.
11. It will take between two to three months for the soap to cure.
12. Once cured, it is ready to be used.

Removed from the milk carton after two days.

Sliced and left to air dry The brown color came from the hibiscus powder I used.

I made six slices with the above recipe.