1. Preparation: Cleaning the oil

The first step is heating and cleaning the oil used with soda (natron) in a large barrel (mixed at a 2:1 ratio – 2 liters of oil to 1 liter of soda). Over the course of about three hours, the black residues in the oil settle at the bottom of the barrel.

After that, the oil is skimmed off, mixed with water for a second cleaning process (at a 1:1 ratio – equal parts water and oil), and left to sit for another two hours. This allows the oil to separate and float on top of the water, so it can be skimmed off again. At this point, the oil has taken on the yellow color of cooking oil – the same color the finished soap is meant to have.