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bars of lavender soap in the basket image by Elena Moiseeva from Fotolia.com

Unlike the much easier and basic melt and pour technique, hot process soapmaking involves making the soap from scratch. Knowing how to make hot process soap gives you the ability to customize your recipes with additives, scents and botanical benefits. Making hot press lavender soap proves easy to accomplish when you work safely and with the proper materials.

Plug in the slow cooker and fill it with the oil and butter. Obtain these ingredients, like the rest in this recipe, from a craft or hobby supply shop. Carrier oils and vegetable butters include shea, cocoa, soy, avocado and many others.

Set the slow cooker to a high setting and let it slowly melt the oil and butter together. Allow it to do this, covered, for an hour.

Cover your face and put on your gloves. Following this step is necessary as you will be working with lye.

Heat up the distilled water in a gallon jar in your microwave. This takes three minutes.

Stir in the lye powder, carefully, dispersing it through the hot, distilled water. Again, keep your face and hands covered.

Add the water and lye solution to the crock pot containing the melted butter and oil. Stir it as you do this. A thick, fluffy white cream will instantly form from this.

Stir in the lavender buds and essential oil.

Pour the hot, fluffy mixture into the large loaf pan. Cover the pan with a sheet of cheesecloth and allow it to sit undisturbed for up to six weeks in a cool, dark place. This allows the bar to cure, becoming safe for use on your skin.

Slice the loaf into several bars of soap. The thickness of the bars depends on your personal taste.