Olive Oil Soap with Milk and Honey

I was looking for a fairly inexpensive gift item I could make for friends and family.  I came up with homemade soap. I decided on olive oil soap because the ingredients were simple and easy to find.

Olive Oil Castile Soap Ingredients:

52 ounces 100% Virgin Olive Oil

7 ounces lye

20 ounces cold water

To see the full recipe see The Complete Soapmaker by Norma Coney.  

This is milling the soap after the first hardening.  I added  instant powdered milk and homegrown honey at this step which are known for their skin softening properties.  

The finished dried soap.

Wrapped up and ready for gifts!

If I ever make this recipe again I will probably add an essential oil for scent as it is pretty bland compared to what one usually uses in the shower!