Make sure there are no children or pets in your work areas for this project. Safety first!

Cut one side of the soap mold off- i.e the milk carton and line it with freezer paper. Take your time doing this so the inside is smooth. Tape the freezer paper in place. If using plastic soap molds just put them where you will be mixing your soap.

Make a decoction of the burdock root and marshmallow root. Bring the roots in about 2 cups of water to a boil, then lowered the heat to simmer for about 2 hours.

Strain the roots and throw them in your compost bin. Measure out 7 ounces of the decoction for the lye solution and pour into your lye solution container.

Weight your solid oils and place them in the glass measuring cup.

Melt the solid oils in the measuring cup by placing the cup in a pan of water and heating it on the stove top. After the solid oil is melted add the liquid oils and leave the oil in the water bath while you mix the lye solution.

Put on your gloves, goggles, mask and long sleeves. Weigh out the lye in a plastic measuring cup. In a well ventilated area or preferably outside, slowly add the lye to the water. Mix the solution well with the wooden spoon and add the dried calendula flower petals at this stage.

The water solution will be VERY HOT and can burn you at any point from here. Be extremely careful and place the container in a sink of cold water to help cool the lye solution down.

Take the temperature of the lye water and the oils using the two separate thermometers. When both the oil and the lye solution are around 90-110 degrees they are ready to be mixed together and blended with the stick blender.

Place the oil in the large mixing bowl and add the lye solution. Please continue to be diligent throughout this process to not splash or spill any of this soap on you.

Immerse the stick blender in your soap mixture and pulse a few times. Turn the blender off and gently stir a few times. Pulse a few more times and stir. Continue this process of pulsing and stirring until it reaches a thin trace. This is when it thickens to the point when, with the blender off you see traces in the surface when you lift and stir.

Pour soap very carefully into your mold and cover with a cardboard box. Cover the box with a towel to keep the soap from cooling too fast.

Wash everything in soapy warm water with your gloves still on. Keep anything that came into contact with the lye solution separate from your regular kitchen equipment.

After 24 hours, put your gloves back on and remove the soap from the mold. Slice the soap into 8 pieces if you have used a 1/2 gallon milk carton or just pop it out of the plastic soap molds. Place the bars on an end with about 1/2 inch space between bars in an out of the way area where they won’t be disturbed. You may want to invert a cardboard box over the bars to keep dust off and little fingers away. Turn the bars every day or two for 4 to 6 weeks. After 4 to 6 weeks you will no longer need to wear gloves when handling the soap.

That’s it. Your soap is now ready for you and your family and friends to enjoy! Have a wonderful day.