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  Question Help me with my soap making project. I made a bar soap but the results were not something to write home about. I used 2000 ml palm oil, 300ml lye (Sodium hydroxide) and 800 ml of water. I heated to the oil to a low temperature just to dilute it. Then I mixed the lye with water till it disolved, before I poured the Oil into the water. I stired with a stick because my electric hand mixer got spoiled the last time I used it. The soap gelled in seconds as I stired so that as I was putting it in the mold, I was literally scooping it. Ideally I should be able to pour out a thick liquid. Now the soap is crystalline hard, and it disintegrates when cutting instead of getting neat cuboids. The Questions are: Which ingredients were too much or too little? How can I achieve a soap that is easy to pour in the mold? How do I achieve a soap that does not become rock hard when it sets? Finally, my soap is an orange colour due to the palm oil. What is the most cost effective method for b...