You can substitute palm, vegetable, soybean, or jojoba oil for the coconut and olive oils.
Make sure to wear safety goggles or glasses, rubber gloves, and a face mask to protect yourself from the high temperature and the lye that you’ll use in the next step. Wearing long pants and a long-sleeve top are also a good idea.
Online retailers are usually the best place to purchase lye. It can be difficult to find in brick and mortar stores. When you’re working with lye, adequate ventilation is important. Open some windows and/or turn on a fan.
Be careful as you mix the lye and water in so the mixture doesn’t come into contact with your skin. If you get lye on your skin, flush your skin immediately with cold water and take off any clothing that it may have splashed on. Continue flushing the skin with water for 15 minutes, and then seek medical attention.
Getting the mixture to the right temperature is very important when making vegetable glycerin so you must use a thermometer to make sure that the mixture is hot enough. Make sure to stir the mixture regularly so all of the ingredients are well blended.
Don’t cook the mixture too long, or it may become too thick to stir.
Make sure that the mixture is still hot when you add in the salt.
The soap will solidify into a thick layer on the top of the mixture, while the glycerine will remain liquid-y on the bottom.
If you want to use the soap, add it to a soap mold and put it in the freezer for 24 hours. Let the soap bars air dry for at least 2 to 3 weeks to finish curing them. If you don’t want to make soap, you can discard the soap layer.
The vegetable glycerin should keep in the fridge for at least 3 to 4 weeks. You’ll know that it has gone bad if it is no longer clear and instead appears cloudy. Glycerin that has gone bad may also develop a foul smell.
