Last night I made my 4th batch of soap - it started off quite sketchy actually. I decided to try mixing lye with Orange Juice instead of water. I’m still undecided as to the wiseness of that decision. First off it makes a terrible smell (sort of very old fish), next the juice turned deep orange, then brown, then completely black (though it’s now at a very nice light tan color). I’ll post pictures (as well as an update) as I get them. Here’s my recipe:

266.52 oz. Olive Oil
67.62 oz. Coconut Oil
4 oz. Beeswax
111.58 oz. Orange Juice
45.62 oz. Lye

2 cups ground rolled oats (added at trace)

Coincedentally, I discovered that the total volume of all the above ingredients is almost exactly the volume of my mixing bowl (Phheew!), not to mention the exact size of my mold. Probably should have made a smaller batch of this, seeing as how I was trying several new things (the OJ and the oatmeal). Live and learn….