Homemade Clove Honey Oatmeal Soap

Every year I like to craft or make something as a Christmas gift for my family.  This year I started thinking about what to make for everyone a little early, as in October, and thankfully I did! I stumbled upon a bunch of beautiful soap recipes and decided I wanted to try it out.  Making the soap was so much fun and they turned out so beautiful I actually ended up making six different kinds.  The first one I made is this Clove Honey Oatmeal soap that I found at www.Soap-Making-Resources.com  That site is AWESOME and you can buy the kit complete with all of the supplies right from it.  Here is what you need and how to make it! 

SUPPLIES:

• Olive Oil = 26.5 Ounces
• Coconut Oil (76 Degree) = 10.6 Ounces 
• Sweet Almond Oil = 6.4 Ounces 
• Avocado Oil = 5.3 Ounces 
• Castor Oil = 4.3 ounces
• Honey = 2.5 ounces
• Almond Milk = 6 ounces
• Whole Oats = 2 ounces
• Orange, sweet essential oil = 45 grams
• Clove Bud essential oil = 30 grams
• Distilled Water = 12 ounces
• Lye = 7.281 ounces (206 grams)
• Gloves
• 2 Thermometers
• A pot for melting the oils
• A bucket for cooling and mixing the lye and distilled water
• A stick blender
• A soap mold
• Parchment paper 
• A Digital Scale
• A measuring cup
• A coffee grinder
• 5 lb wooden soap mold
• Optional- Bubble wrap and extra oats for decoration
• A large towel to wrap the mold in
• A knife for cutting the soap

DIRECTIONS:

1) Wear gloves and measure out your distilled water in the bucket you intend on making your lye mixture in.  Measure the lye and add it to the distilled water stirring until the mixture becomes clear. Do this near a window, it gets stinky! Place the thermometer into the clear solution and wait for it to cool to about room temperature. 

2) Measure your Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Castor Oil and Avocado Oil in grams or ounces and a add it to the pot you have for melting the oils.  Place this pot over low heat until all of the oils melt together.  Once they are melted place your second thermometer inside this pot and set it aside to wait for it to cool to room temperature also. 

3) Now measure out your Almond Milk (you can blend almonds and make your own if you don't have almond milk on hand- its 1 part almonds, 3 parts distilled water and blend),  Honey (I added warm distilled water to the honey to make it easier to pour too), Orange Oil and Clove Oil in separate containers and set them aside for later use.  You are also going to want to take your whole oats (NOT INSTANT!!) and grind them up on the coffee grinder to make almost an oat powder and set that aside also. 

4) Now take your soap mold and line it with parchment paper.  Set it aside also.

5) When your oils and lye mixture have cooled you want to combine them slowly while stirring.  When they are a smooth and even texture you add your almond milk and honey water and keep stirring.  Then add the powdered oats and both the orange and clove oils.  Now mix the batch with the stick blender until it is the constancy of thick yogurt.  This is called reaching trace.  You will be able to tell you are at trace by dribbling a little of the soap mixture on top of the batch and seeing if it settles on top or is immediately absorbed into the liquid.  If it settles on top you have reached trace.

6) Pour your soap mixture into the mold, sprinkle some oats on top and press the bubble wrap into the top of the mixture. Cover it and wrap it in a towel and let it sit overnight.  

7) The next day (AT LEAST 24 HOURS LATER!) Remove the lid, towel and bubble wrap and cut your soap into 16 even bars.  Place on a cooling rack in a well ventilated area to cure for 6 - 8 weeks, flipping each week.  

TA DA! You're done! 16 home-made bars of soap!