I credit Anne L Watson's books for getting my daughter and I into soap making.
But we use recipes from most any website or book. They have all worked well. A few decades ago, soap making was difficult to do but some improvements in the processes and the soap calculators have taken nearly all the mystery out of it.
We used this one yesterday as a hot process soap.
https://lovelygreens.com/simple-castile-soap-recipe-make-olive-oil-soap/
We left out the sodium lactate and the essential oil. And made a larger batch using this soap calculator:
http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp
The only really, really important thing to remember is to stir the lye into the water (never the opposite).
Really important is to not touch the lye crystals or the lye water and have vinegar nearby to neutralize any lye or lye water that goes where it isn't meant to go. Tiny amounts of lye water or lye crystal on sweat or such will burn similar to concentrated bleach... so be careful but not too obsessive about it.
Also, keep your face not directly above the container of lye water; it makes fumes that are to be avoided.
It is best to stir the lye into the water outside and let it heat then cool outside. After that, it doesn't make fumes and can be brought inside.
Measure exactly.
Don't use metal for anything (except the immersion blender). Glass is fine but could be etched by the lye. Wooden spoons are good for stirring the lye into the water but will be discolored and eventually eaten away.
It can be done without an immersion blender but have an abundance of time, patience, and endurance.
We use silicone baking pans for molds. Or fancy shaped molds from soap supply stores. Or cardboard boxes lined with parchment paper. They all work.
I like simple, just to get clean soaps. My daughter likes to play with scents, colors, and fancy molds so we made the recipe in the picture this week, too. As a cold process soap.
