Re: Digest Number 180 (recipe)

March 14, 2000

Hi Lynne in Vermont. I saved the email message regarding the oatmeal recipe.

Here it is as it originally appeared...........

Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 21:19:16 _0000

From: " Kocol " <franchele@...>

Subject: Oatmeal Soap

Well, my soapmaking skills are getting better, finally. Some twenty years

ago when I made my first and only batch, I used a basic recipe that seemed to

give good results. I thought I'd give it a try again, so I got out some of

my old books and looked for the instructions. The recipe was in cups and

pounds and ounces...not very uniform but I tried it anyway and added some

sugar and oatmeal to the mix. It is

the best soap I've EVER made, even better than the stuff I made years ago.

It LATHERS, it LASTS and LASTS, in the damp old shower,no less! It has a

nice natural feel to it and is so soft on the skin...I

could go on and on. When I converted the pounds to ounces and ran it through

the lye calculator, it recommended that I use less water and less lye. So

here is my recipe, with the lye calculator's changes

next to my original measurements. It's really basic but wonderful! I plan

to use the original recipe again though. Maybe I'll cut back on the lye and

see what happens but it works so well that I don't want to chance messing it

up! We'll see. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Oatmeal Soap:

6 lbs. Veg. shortening (soybean and cottonseed oils)

5 cups of water with 6 teaspoons sugar added (Lye Calc. 36 oz. water)

13 oz. lye (Lye Calc. 12.09 _ 12.48 ozs.)

combine at 120 degrees, and at light trace:

add 4 cups quick cook oatmeal

add eo's of you choice if desired...

I don't pre_grind the oatmeal. It doesn't seem to be needed. The soap turns

out nice and white and spotty with the oatmeal. I aged this about 4 weeks and

it was great, after almost two months, though, it is much better, and the

oatmeal seems better " bonded " with the soap. It lathers like mad. Natural

and rustic looking which I like. You could pulverize the oatmeal in a food

processor and combine it with the soap as a powder. I'm sure it would be

just as creamy in texture but not as mottled looking... personal preference I

think. It is a wonderful face soap. When used with a loofah or sponge it

practically foams! Even my husband likes it! Thanks, Michele

Recommended Posts