1. Prepare your soap molds. I use wax paper lined cardboard boxes and pringles tubes.

2. Measure the water by weight, pouring into a glass, ceramic, or steel vessel. Ensure that your water is room temperature or cooler (Combining lye with water is exothermic - the solution gets hot. If you start with hot water the reaction can get so hot that it boils, increasing the danger of working with lye).

3. Place the container with the water in a well ventilated area where it will not be disturbed. I use my sink with the nearby window open. Wearing safety glasses and gloves, carefully measure the lye. Slowly pour the lye into the water and stir gently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to dissolve.

4. Measure the oils into a large glass, ceramic, or steel container. Heat slowly until the solid oils are fully liquefied. I use the ceramic pot from my crock pot, and heat either in the crock pot on "warm" or "low", or I microwave the pot with oils.

5. Carefully pour the lye solution into the oil solution. Using an immersion blender, blend the solution until achieving trace, typically 3-5 minutes. Trace means that all of the lye is fully mixed in with the oils, and is achieved when the solution has a cake batter to pudding-like consistency; when the blender is lifted out of the soap and drizzles on the surface, traces of the drizzles stay on the surface.

6. Pour the soap into molds and place somewhere that the molds can be left undisturbed for 24 hours. I have used a closet and my microwave. At this point the lye is still present in the soap, so use care not to touch it.

7. After 24 hours, you may test the soap to determine if it has fully saponified. Several methods are described here; I use the "tongue test" - touch the tip of your tongue to the soap. If you feel a zap - like touching your tongue to a 9 volt battery - the saponification process is not yet complete, and you should leave the soap for several more hours.

8. Remove the soap from molds and cut to your desired size. I found that a meat cleaver worked really well. Hey, I finally found a use for this knife! What else do you expect a vegetarian to do with a meat cleaver? The soap is still somewhat pliable at this point, so be careful not to make undesired marks with your tools or fingers. You can also use this time to smooth edges on your soap.

9. Place the soap bars to dry. I line a large shallow box with waxed paper and stand the bars up on end with space between each bar. Allow the soap to dry at least 6-8 weeks before using. Longer dry times should result in harder soap bars that last longer.