Natural from Toe to Head - Natural Shaving Soap

Shaving Soap is much more decadent than using foam in a can. A note on the brush - you can buy ones with synthetic bristles not all are made from animal hair. The difference between making regular soap and shaving soap is the addition of clay - which will make your soap more creamy.

Shaving Soap 
(this will make a lot of soap so have several clay bowls/tins or whatever you want your soap to be in ready)

• 1.5C of Olive Oil
• 1.5C of Coconut Oil
• 5T of Castor Oil
• 10T of Lye
• 1C of water
• 2.5T of Clay (Bentonite, Kaolin, Rhassoul or Fuller's Earth)
• Between 20-30 Drops of Essential Oil

Now for the tricky part.

Make your Lye solution.
Be very careful when handling this it can burn your skin - remember what happened in Fight Club! So wear heavy rubber safety gloves and goggles (yep I said goggles).

• You will need container to mix a plastic jug works well or a mason jar (be careful though this is going to get super hot don't put it in something that will break)
• Add your 10T of Lye to the 1C of water the recipe calls for sloooooowly and stir being very very careful not to splash - wear your gloves and goggles! (ALWAYS ad lye to water and not the other way around - you will have a bubbling mess if you try it this way) - set this aside someplace very safe --- far away from children or anyone who may not no what you are up to - consider labeling it if you think it will be sitting unused for a little while.

Mix your Oils
Put the oils one by one into whatever you are using to mix them up

Heat It Up

• Pour your oils into a your soap making pot (a cheat used one from a garage sale or the salvation army will do)
• Heat over medium heat until your coconut oil has melted
• Now add your clay and keep mixing
•  Using a thermometer if you have one heat your oils until they reach about 100 degrees (warm to the touch but not hot)
• Turn off your stove
• SLOWLY SLOWLY add the lye water use a long handled metal spoon to gently stir (or use a stick blender not turned on yet)... oils will go cloudy at this point
• When you are done adding the lye start turning on the stick blender in short bursts (3-5 seconds) then stir then burst with the blender stick - you will see your soap starting to come together at this point. Keep blending until everything is mixed together.
• When it is completely blended but not thickening yet add slowly add your essential oils. 
• Pour your soap into tins, clay dishes or whatever you want to use as your shaving soap holders.
• Let cool and voila - shaving soap

* If this is all to much try melting shaved soap bars (something pure like ivory) and add your clay and oils and let reharden in your cup(s)