Make Liquid Soap

By David Fisher, About.com Guide

Here's where your first measure of added patience will be needed. Depending on your mixture of oils, it will take a long time to get to trace. Sometimes as much as 30 minutes. "Trace" for liquid soap looks pretty much like cold process - kind of pudding like - perhaps more like a blend of pudding and applesauce - with the characteristic "traces" and/or ridges when you dribble the soap back into the pot or stir. You can't really stir it too much, so it's best to make sure you've got a good solid trace before moving to the next step.