Easy Soap Recipes for Beginners
Three easy soap recipes that are simple to make and use all-natural ingredients. Includes cold process recipes for floral soap, herbal soap, and a simple 3-oil soap, plus printable instructions. This is part three of the Natural Soap Making for Beginners Series.
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In the first two parts of this series, you’ve learned about common soap making ingredients and equipment. Now it’s time to get to the fun part of making handmade soap! This piece shares three easy soap recipes: a floral soap, a herbal soap, and an easy one that you make with just three main soaping oils. These are simple recipes to start you off making handmade soap! They’re each easy-to-make yet gorgeous recipes that make approximately six bars of soap.
Each easy soap recipe is printable, making it easier for you to refer to as you’re making the it. You’ll also find printable recipes in the new Lovely Greens online soapmaking course, and a soapmaking checklist. You can also use the instructions to make the free recipes below.
The Natural Soapmaking for Beginners Series
Small Batch Soap
Many of the soap recipes I share on Lovely Greens are for 1 lb (454 g) batches. These are GREAT for beginner soap makers because they’re small and relatively inexpensive to make. Many soap recipes are for larger batches, which can be expensive if you make a mistake. Making small, simple recipes that give you six bars at a time is more than enough. Even after over a decade of making soap, I still prefer small batches over large ones. They’re much more fun, less stressful, and a fantastic way to try out new ingredients and recipes.
As a beginner soapmaker, smaller batches give you the freedom to learn to make soap! Best of all, making one-pound batches is great for trying lots of recipes rather than just one big one. If you like any of my recipes and want to make larger batches, know that they can be doubled and tripled. A toggle in each soap recipe automatically calculates the ingredients for you if you’d like to do that. If you find a larger-size soap recipe that you want to try, you can use soap calculators to scale it down to a small batch.
Cold Process vs. Melt & Pour Soap
Before we go any further, I’d like to clarify that the easy soap recipes below are cold process recipes. It’s the most common way to make your own soap using ingredients such as lye, coconut oil, and olive oil. With cold process, you mix the ingredients together in a specific way, and they transform into soap through the saponification process. This is in contrast to melt and pour soap, a type of soap base you chop into cubes and melt in the microwave. Then, add a few extras, such as fragrance oils and dye, and pour the melted soap base into molds.
It’s as easy as pie, but melt-and-pour soap is not from scratch soapmaking. Making cold process soap is like making a loaf of bread using flour, yeast, and a few other ingredients. Making melt-and-pour soap is like buying the dough ready-made and simply putting it in the oven to bake. It’s a bit of a cheat and is usually filled with all kinds of additives, but can be fun to make! I have a few melt-and-pour soap recipes if you’d like to try them out.
Begin With Easy Soap Recipes
When starting out making handmade soap, you may feel that you need to use your own recipes. The issue with that is that beginners are generally unaware of why certain oils are chosen for soap recipes, and in what ratio. That’s why I believe that beginners should always use tried and tested recipes at first. Including the three further on below.
Just like a beginner baker will use existing cake recipes, so too should beginner soapmakers use already formulated recipes. If you don’t, the chances of your soap being too soft, too cleansing, or having poor lather will be high. There are other things that can go wrong, too, including creating soap that’s unsafe to use on your skin. If you’re curious to know what it takes to create a soap recipe, you can read about it in this piece on Changing a Soap Recipe.
Three Soap Recipes for Beginners
I’ve shared a few easy recipes for you to begin with below including a floral soap, a herbal soap, and one that’s unscented and uncolored. Make all three of the below recipes at around 100°F (38°C), and there’s no need to gel the soap. Gelling soap is an optional step that adds a deeper color.
You’ll find more easy soap recipes on this website, most of them being for small 1-lib batches. I’d also like to recommend the goat’s milk soap, honey soap, and peppermint soap recipes. Each demonstrates how to use a unique type of soap additive that improves lather, adds conditioning, and shows how to use herbs from the garden.
Natural Soap Making for Beginners Course
Before going into the easy soap recipes, please use the instructions provided as a general guide. Read the next part of this series for much more detail on the steps. If you’d like more guidance, I’d like to invite you to enroll in my Natural Soapmaking for Beginners Online Course. It’s made up of sixteen instructional videos, including step-by-step soap recipes. You also get printables and are shown exactly how to prepare, measure, and make handmade soap at home.
Simple Flower Soap Recipe
I give in-person soap making lessons, and most people end up making a variation of this recipe. It’s palm oil-free, colored with clay, and uses oils that will create a good hard bar with plenty of bubbles and moisture. You can also customize the recipe to include the floral essential oil(s) of your choice! The 14g of essential oil is based on essential oils that have a 3% usage rate in soap. If you’d like to use a different essential oil with this recipe, then please check it against these essential oils for soap making chart.
Simple Flower Soap Recipe
Equipment
- Stainless steel pan for melting the solid oils
- Containers to measure liquid oils, clay, and dry lye granules/pellets.
Materials
Lye solution
- 1 tsp French Pink Clay
- 124 g Distilled water 4.37 oz
- 62 g Sodium hydroxide 2.19 oz
Solid oils
- 114 g Coconut oil (refined) 4.02 oz
- 68 g Shea butter 2.4 oz
- 45 g Cocoa butter 1.59 oz
Liquid oils
- 204 g Olive oil 7.2 oz
- 23 g Castor oil 0.81 oz
Add after Trace
- 14 g Essential oil* 3 tsp
To decorate
- 1 TBSP Dried flower petals**
Instructions
- Mix the clay into the distilled water.
- Create the lye solution by pouring the sodium hydroxide into the colored water. Stir well and leave the jug to cool in a shallow basin or sink of water.
- Melt the solid oils in a small saucepan on low heat until just melted, no longer. Take off the hob and place it on a pot holder.
- Pour the liquid oils into the pan. Stir to mix, and make sure to scrape every last drop from the container. Take the temperature – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- Take the temperature of the lye solution – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- When the oils and the lye solution temperatures are around 100°F (38°C) and within ten degrees of one another, it's time to mix.
- Use an immersion blender to emulsify the ingredients. Mix until you reach a light trace.
- Stir the essential oils in, ensuring they're well-mixed in, and no streaks remain.
- Pour soap batter into the soap mold.
- Decorate with dried flower petals and herbs, if desired.
- Leave it on the counter to cool and harden or insulate it to force gelling.
- Leave the soap for two days before unmolding, cutting into bars (if applicable), and curing for one month. After a month, the soap is ready to use and has a shelf life of up to two years.
Notes
Simple Herbal Soap Recipe
If you grow your own herbs, this herbal soap could be the recipe for you! It builds on the base recipe used in the floral soap, but the soap additives are different. In it, you use a fresh infusion of peppermint that leaves speckles throughout the bars. You also scent it with a blend of rosemary, peppermint, and lavender essential oils.
Simple Herbal Soap Recipe
Equipment
- Stainless steel pan for melting the solid oils
- Containers to measure liquid oils, herbs, and dry lye granules/pellets.
Materials
Lye solution
- 62 g Sodium hydroxide 2.19 oz
- 124 g Distilled water 4.37 oz
- 1/2 tsp dried and chopped peppermint or lemon balm or 1 tsp fresh and chopped
Solid oils
- 114 g Coconut oil (refined) 4.02 oz (25%)
- 68 g Shea butter 2.4 oz (15%)
- 45 g Cocoa butter 1.59 oz (10%)
Liquid oils
- 204 g Olive oil 7.2 oz (45%)
- 23 g Castor oil 0.81 oz (5%)
Add after Trace
- 5 g Rosemary essential oil 1 tsp
- 5 g Lavender essential oil 1 tsp
- 5 g Peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil 1 tsp
Instructions
- About half an hour before soapmaking, make a peppermint infusion by heating the distilled water and adding the peppermint. Leave to cool to your room's ambient temperature and leave the peppermint in the liquid.
- Create the lye solution by pouring the sodium hydroxide into the peppermint infusion. Stir well and leave the jug to cool in a shallow basin or sink of water.
- Heat the solid oils in a small saucepan on low heat until just melted, no longer. Take off the hob and place it on a pot holder.
- Pour the liquid oils into the pan. Stir to mix, and make sure to scrape every last drop from the container. Take the temperature – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- Take the temperature of the lye solution – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- When the oils and the lye solution temperatures are around 100°F (38°C) and within ten degrees of one another, it's time to mix.
- Use an immersion blender to emulsify the ingredients. Mix until you reach a light trace.
- Stir the essential oils in, ensuring they're well-mixed in, and no streaks remain.
- Pour the soap batter into the mold(s)
- Leave it on the counter to cool and harden or insulate it to force gelling.
- Leave the soap for two days before unmolding, cutting into bars (if applicable), and curing for one month. After a month, the soap is ready to use and has a shelflife of up to two years.
Simple 3-Oil Soap Recipe
This easy soap recipe is for those of you who want an easy, sensitive, and inexpensive soap recipe. There are only three main oils and no added colors or scents. That means this recipe makes soap bars that are gentle on your skin and can be used by the entire family. It’s especially good for those with skin issues or delicate skin, like babies.
Although the other two recipes don’t include palm oil, I’ve introduced it for this one for three reasons. First of all, it creates a good hard bar with plenty of lather. Secondly, even the most expensive palm is less expensive than most other oils. The last reason is that I strongly feel that all of us should support the Sustainable Palm oil industry. If you’re still unsure about using palm oil, I have a simple eco-friendly soap recipe and more palm-oil-free soap recipes to use.
Easy 3-Oil Soap Recipe
Equipment
- Stainless steel pan for melting the solid oils
- Containers to measure liquid oils, clay, and dry lye granules/pellets.
Materials
Lye water
- 64 g Sodium hydroxide 2.27 oz
- 128 g Distilled water 4.5 oz
Solid oils
- 113 g Coconut oil (refined) 4 oz (25%)
- 159 g Sustainable Palm oil 5.6 oz (35%) Please ensure that your palm oil is certified by the RSPO as being sustainable. You can also use tallow, an animal fat, instead of palm oil.
Liquid oils
- 182 g Olive oil* 6.42 oz (40%)
Instructions
- Create the lye solution by pouring the sodium hydroxide into the distilled water. Stir well and leave the jug to cool in a shallow basin or sink of water.
- Heat the solid oils in a small saucepan on low heat until just melted, no longer. Take off the hob and place it on a pot holder.
- Pour the olive oil into the pan. Stir to mix, and make sure to scrape every last drop from the container. Take the temperature – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- Take the temperature of the lye solution – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- When the oils and the lye solution temperatures are around 100°F (38°C) and within ten degrees of one another, it's time to mix.
- Use an immersion blender to emulsify the ingredients. Mix until you reach a light trace.
- Pour the soap batter into the mold(s)
- Leave it on the counter to cool and harden or insulate it to force gelling.
- Leave the soap for two days before unmolding, cutting into bars (if applicable), and curing for one month. After a month, the soap is ready to use and has a shelf life of up to two years.
Notes
Can you add essential oils or fragrance oils to the Easy 3 oil soap recipe? If so, how much can be added? Right now I only have fragrance oils but want to use them before purchasing essential oils.
HI Kaitlin and yes, you can. Check the usage rate for the exact fragrance oils you have – they’ll likely be on the label or the manufacturer’s website. Many fragrance oils can cause soap batches to seize (go very firm, very quickly), so I’d recommend that you add them to your warm oils at the same time that you add the lye solution. That way, you’ll notice if the soap batter is thickening a lot easier.
For the simple herbal soap, about how many bars (and weight) does this recipe make ?
These are all small 1-lb soap recipes and typically make about six bars each.
Thank you, Tanya, for sharing these easy soap recipes for beginners. Your step-by-step instructions make it accessible for anyone interested in trying their hand at soap making.
Would stainless steel work instead of polypropylene (PP) plastic (for mixing the lye and water)?
Good question. Though it would be safe, I personally wouldn’t use stainless steel for two reasons. The first is that the metal could get very hot, potentially even the handle. The other is that you can’t see through the metal to see if all the lye at the bottom has been fully dissolved. Polypropylene jugs are what most soapmakers use instead. The ones I use are well over ten years old now!
I have always wanted to make soap and it was great
Simple and straight to the point! Excellent blog Ma’am. :)
Hi there :) thank you for the small batch recipes! I’m new to making soaps and curious to try a coffee soap. If I were to use the 3-oil soap recipe, but replaced water with coffee, and then added in coffee grounds, would that work? Or would you say it is too advanced. I have only completed one batch in the past – it was shea and olive oil.
I’d say give it a go :)
Hi!
I have recently become interested in all things wax, and now I’m spreading out to soaps, balms, chest rubs, etc. I’m having good results so far, but need to learn more and practice! Your site is very engaging, very professionally done, with lots of linking conveniences. I love that we can multiply the recipe online… very smart of you. This is the most professional and engaging site I’ve found, and I’m here and thank you for the pleasure!
Thank you so much for leaving this feedback, Connie. It’s very much appreciated, and I wish you great success with your herbal and DIY journey!
Hi, firstly just wanted to say thank you so much for your website. I do like the soapcalc app but I am also new to the beautiful world of soap making. Where is the amount for lye when you put in everything else lol. I think I missed the boat on that one :)
Thank you so much!
Hi Patricia, you put the amount of oils/fats in and the superfat level you want to achieve then the soapcalc calculates how much lye you need.
I used this recipe twice. The soap is great. It has excellent lather.
Hello from Perú! I have just found your website and i love it. Tks for all the tips, i will try to do some of what i have read.
I have one doubt, i was reading about homemade soaps, and found out that some recipies use coconut, shea, olive and cocoa butter, all together, but also glycerin. Wold you recomend using glycerin with all the butters and oils listed before?
Hi Fiorella, cold process soap making produces glycerin naturally. That’s why I don’t add extra glycerin to my recipes.
Hello there! I have just begun my soap making adventures and have created your Simple Herbal Soap, 3 Oil Soap and Eco-Friendly Cold Press Soap so far. Now I wait…. As there are just soooo many variations, and it’s rather overwhelming, I think what I’d like to do for now is stick with one or two tried and true, gentle on the skin soap recipes and then add essential oils/colours to individualize them. What are your thoughts on that? Could I do that to the Simple Herbal Soap and Eco-Friendly Cold Press Soap? Which of your recipes do you consider to be the most gentle and effective? How much essential oil could I add without disturbing the recipe? On another note, have you created a natural deodorant? Thank-you so much. Your website is fantastic!!! Linda
Hi Linda and welcome to soapmaking :) Each person will have a different opinion on which soap recipe is the best. One of my favorites is the one used in this hot process soap recipe. The eco-friendly soap recipe is another favorite because it’s so versatile and creates a good standard soap. You need to try various recipes first and decide which one you like! Then having a base recipe, you can customize it with essential oils, natural colorants, and botanicals.
Can I substitute another oil for the sunflower oil in the Simple Flower Soap Recipe? This looks fantastic, can’t wait to make it.
Hi Nancy, and I’ve written a piece on changing and customizing a soap recipe that I think will help you :)
This was such a lovely recipe. Simple and easy. I did use a powder blue mica to turn it blue for a baby shower in November. Will do powder pink ones as well. I am super excited for these to cure and be used. Thank you. Something so elegant about simplicity.
I absolutely love this website and youtube….you’re a wonderful human being sharing all your recipes and wisdom. Im so excited as im doing an on line soap making business course my sister got me in lock down, about to buy the ingrediants, for nxt assessment to make soap from scratch…scared/excited !! but i love these recipes above to try out too…. im just worried about all the legal side & how to do it all / labels etc…..thankyou for sharing !! eager to try them out x big love x
You’re very welcome!
Tried the herb recipe and absolutely LOVE it! It smells so good I can hardly wait for it to cure. New to soap making so I appreciate your easy to follow instructions. The lye really is not intimidating after the first batch and I look forward to trying more recipes.
Marvelous, Krista! So great to hear that you made the herbal soap recipe with no issues, and that you love it :)
Hello from Sweden!
I wonder, if you don’t have a crock-pot, can you still make the hot process soap in another way?
Thanks for exciting reading!
Hi Tone and yes, you can do it over a double-boiler on the stove. I’ve never tried it this way, but it is possible!
Hi from Tasmania :). I have downloaded your ebook and its marvellous. I do have one question though. In the recipe section it says ‘The flower petals go in the lye solution just after it is mixed together’. I just want to clarify, do you mean when the lye and water is mixed together i,e. You put the flower petals in that mixture, or do you mean after the lye is mixed with the oils. Thank you for your response Robyn
Hi Robyn and thank you :) What I mean is that you mix the lye and water together and while it’s hot, add the flower petals. It helps to infuse some of the color out of the petals and into the lye solution. Alternatively, you can add the petals after trace, but the base soap color will be much lighter than if you added the petals to the hot lye solution.
Hello!
I’ve made the first two recipes so far and both have turned out great! I was wondering if you could shed some light on the difference between palm oil and palm kernel oil? And could I possibly substitute palm kernel oil for palm oil in this recipe? Thanks so much!
Hi Melissa and great to hear! Palm oil and palm kernel oil come from the same tree, Elaeis Guineensis. Palm oil comes from the fruit and palm kernel oil is extracted from the seeds. They cannot be used interchangeably in soapmaking though since they have different saponification values — they need different amounts of lye to convert them into soap. If you ever do use either, ensure that it comes from a sustainable source. Here’s why.
Hello
I tried this recipe and after 7 days the soap is still really soft and quite oily. Followed the recipe exactly. Any advice please?
Soft and oily doesn’t seem right. It may be that you didn’t bring the soap to trace (or emulsion) before pouring it into the mold.
Hi Tanya,
I am doing some prep work to make dandelion soap! Can’t wait, it is so beautiful! I was wondering how you dry your petals? Do you cut off the bud when drying the petals? I have some drying but I did not cut off the bud and the flowers close up. Thanks!
Also, my Eco FRiendly soap is curing. It looks like it may not be the same shade of white throughout. If it does not dry consistently, is it still OK to use and what could I have done wrong? Any tips are appreciated!
Thanks!
Leena
Hi Tanya,
In addition to my questions below, I have one other. I have a bunch of small yogurt containers that I think would make great sample soaps. Although you can squeeze the sides of the cups, the top is stiffer. I am just wondering if you have used Yogurt containers and if they work OK? Just not sure if I would have trouble getting the soap out, or if there is something I can do to make it easier to get the soap out.
Thanks!
Leena
Hi again Leena. Thin plastic like yoghurt pots can be used, but they are not ideal for soapmaking. They can easily melt and warp with heat and also be difficult to get off. Here’s a guide to soap molds that you might find useful.
Good morning Tanya!
It’s Leena again! I have two quick questions. I have four batches of soap curing. The Eco-Friendly soap looks like it may not be the same colour of white throughout…but it is still curing. If it is not even in colour when it is done, what is that a sign of and is it still OK to use?
I am really looking forward to making Dandelion Soap! it is so beautiful! I am just waiting on some supplies and prepping my dandelions. Just wondering, when you dry your dandelion petals do you cut off the bud and separate the petals for drying? Or do you leave on the bud. I have some drying but I left the bud on and the flowers close up. So I am just wondering what your preferred method is.
Thanks so much for all your help! Your wonderful website has me so excited to make all kinds of soap!
Thanks for that! Leena
Hi Leena, if the color is darker, it’s probably because the soap gelled (heated up after you poured it into the mold) or you used olive oil that is richer in color. Like extra virgin olive oil. The color is not an issue though :) As for dandelion soap, I’ll be sharing a recipe next week. You can use fresh dandelion flowers if you wish but if you do dry them, dry the entire flowerhead.
Hi Tanya, thank you for all the information on your website, it’s so informative! I’m just looking at ingredients to try soap making for the first time, please can you let me know the best place to source these in the UK? Thank you
Hi Claire, I use the Soap Kitchen for a lot of ingredients. Soaposh too!
Thank you, just received my order from Soap Kitchen…!
Hi Tanya,
I’m new to soap making. I have made 3 batches so far: Lemongrass, eco-friendly basic soap, and tonight I made the Simple Herb Soap. I think that I may have stopped blending it a bit too soon. I had slight trace and I stopped. Just wondering, if I did stop a bit too soon, do you know what will happen to the soap? It’ll take 28 days to cure, so I am just wondering if it will turn out ok?
Thanks!
Leena
If it firmed up and you’ve cut it into bars then I’m sure that it will be fine, Leena :)
Hi there. Thank-you so much for the detailed and most helpful information. Could you please tell me, when using a milk carton for the mold, what size do you suggest? 1L or 2L? Thank-you!
Hi Linda, I usually use a standard 1-litre (1-quart) carton for a 1-lb batch of soap
Hello Tanya!
I am new to soap making and I am just in the process of ordering my supplies so that I can get started. Your website is amazing! You do such a good job of explaining and demonstrating how to do things! Thank you! I am so excited to get my supplies and give it a try!
I am sure that once I get started, I will be sending you questions. But in the mean time, thank you for the video on soap making and the simple recipes to try. I can’t wait!
Leena
(in Canada)
You’re very welcome Leena :)
Hi, I love your website. Btw is it possible to use normal tap water instead of distilled water? Thanks
It’s possible but not recommended. Ordinary tap water has impurities that can cause soap scum and can cause your soap to go off quickly.
Great recipe! The soap has rich silky leather, doesn’t dry the skin. I will use this recipe often.
Hi Tanya. I have made my first soap today using your simple herbal soap recipe. I was wondering if I can make this again using the hot process? I am keen to experiment and learn from what difference it makes.
Yes, absolutely :) Just make sure to use 186 g water instead of the amount listed. My instructions for making simple hot-process soap are here.
I would like to do this too. For hot process, is that the only change we need to make to the flower recipe, use 186g of distilled water? Could I still add yogurt at the end? I made the flower recipe cold process and it’s lovely! I then made the simple hot process recipe, but I didn’t have mango butter so I incorrectly substituted it with shea butter. Now I’m trying to follow the recipe exactly as I’m having a lot of fun and these are making fantastic gifts!
That’s right Stacie, you can make the floral soap recipe using the hot process method too. Just make sure to use the full water amount :)
Quite informative content! I usually mixed my essential oils in liquid soaps cause I didn’t know how to make DIYs. Thanks to you, I can try making soaps with my recently ordered natural essential oils!
Hello!
Can any essential oil be added to the Easy 3-oil recipe after trace? I made some soap for my son with sensitive skin last year using a mix of olive oil and coconut oil and it worked great. Sadly I cannot find the recipe so wanted to try something as gentle, but with a bit of scent.
Thanks!
Hi Aimee, yes, you can change the essential oil used for the recipe but please follow the usage rates and guidance laid out over here.
I want to make the Simple Herbal Soap Recipe and I’m wondering if I use all 3 essential oils or choose one from those 3? My daughters have specified that they want a soap with lavender in and another that’s zesty. Not lavender and lemon together.
Thanks ?
Hi Gemma, you can fully customize the essential oils for any soap recipe with the usage rates and guidance over here.
Hi Tanya! Tq for this lovely recipe. In my country it’s hard to find solid coconut oil. We can easily find liquid coconut oil only. Can I use it in the recipe and follow the same weight? Or how can you help me with this please ??
Hi Mira, Liquid coconut oil is generally ‘Fractionated coconut oil’ and will have different properties and a much different SAP (saponification) value. That means it needs a different amount of lye to transform into soap than ordinary solid coconut oil. To answer your question, no, you cannot use your liquid coconut oil as a replacement for solid coconut oil in cold-process soap recipes.
Hi, I’m a newbie to soap making so have decided to start the easy way using the ‘melt & pour’ method for now. I’d love to try some of your flower soap recipe (and others) but these use the cold process method. Can they be adapted for melt @ pour?
Hi Vicky, Melt-and-pour soap is completely different from cold-process (from scratch) soap making. However, you could get inspiration from some of the essential oil blends and floral decoration :)
Thank you for all the beautiful soap recipes you share to all readers. I would like to know how to make liquid face soap. Would you be able to send me some recipes or if not please add to your this post and i will pick it up from here,
My second question is, can i use live Aloe Vera from my garden to make a liquid face or hand soap?
Thank you very much,
I’m very sorry but I don’t have a liquid face soap recipe available. My liquid hand soap recipe is over here: https://lovelygreens.com/how-to-make-liquid-hand-soap/
As for aloe vera, yes, you can use it to make a type of liquid soap. You can find a good recipe for that over on my friend’s website here https://gardentherapy.ca/aloe-vera-soap/
Hi, Tanya !!
Thanks for the useful soap making recipes, I just made my first batch of herbal soap I waited 2 days to unmoulded it and when I did it I Noticed that the soap is oily and has tiny bubbles , I’m sure I did not do something right, Ill wait a month to cure to see if it helps but I’m not sure.
Thanks
Yer
You’re very welcome Yerlin :) The tiny bubbles are likely from your stick-blending method. If the air trapped in the head of the blender is allowed into the soap, then the air can be captured in bubbles in the finished product. It’s only an aesthetic issue but to avoid it, always introduce the blender at an angle. Also make sure that the stick blender head is always submerged. As for the oiliness, that may be just your interpretation of your first batch of soap. It will be moist until the bars fully cure.
Hello! Thank you for all the work you put into this wonderful blog. Was just wondering – could you halve the beginner soap recipe quantities? I’d love to make lots of very small batches to try out lots of combinations. Many thanks.
Hi Caitlin, almost all of the recipes I share are for small batches of just 1-lb (454g) of oil. Half-pound batches are certainly do-able by halving all of the ingredients of a 1-lb batch but could be a lot more fiddly and messy. I don’t really recommend making them, but there’s no reason you can’t.
Hi, I really want to try this, but one quick question first. Can I substitute avocado oil for sunflower? Just because I already have a lot of good quality avocado oil. This tutorial is wonderful, thank you so much!
Hi Alison, replacing an oil with another in a cold-process soap recipe isn’t easy. Have a read of this piece to understand why, and to learn how to customize a soap recipe: https://lovelygreens.com/change-customize-soap-recipe/
Hi. I am new tit his. I have glass Measuring cups and small measurement spoons (the ones you listed). I notice the measurements are very specific; ex: 7.8 oz. Do you put the liquid oils in a container and place that container on the scale? I would obviously measure the glass container first and then subtract from the weight with the oil in it. Just curious. Thank you!
Hi Athena and welcome to soapmaking :) It’s really a very easy answer — digital scales have a tare function. You can place your container on the scale and press tare to set the scale to zero.
i made a shaving soap, but accidentally the superfat goes up to 10% and after two days in silicone mold, i can see the extra oil and the bars are very soft. can i do something to save them?
It’s likely the soap will be too soft and not have good lather, even after it cures. You could make another batch of shaving soap at 2-3% superfat then rebatch them together in a crock-pot. Good luck :)
Hi Tanya,
I have made your simple flower recipe using lavender essential oil, the soap is curing and is 10 days in. The scent has completely gone, is there something I can add to the recipe in future to hold the scent and how much ? I love you soap recipes. Thank you
Amanda
Hi Amanda, three teaspoons of essential oil in a one-pound soap recipe is quite a lot. For comparison, I only have my soap making students use 1.5-2 tsp of scent per batch. The only thing I can figure is that you could have used the wrong measuring spoon or that there was something wrong with the lavender oil. You could have also added the lavender oil too soon. You stir it in as the very last step before molding. Have a go at making it again and good luck :)
I can’t believe that I could make my own soap! I can customize it based on my kids’ preferences.
Thank you for the recipe! Easy to follow and great results! Im so thrilled I was able to get it right. I had to use canola oil instead of sunflower seed oil, so I hope it turns out ok.
Dear Tanya
First to all thank you for all information.
I live in Argentina in a small town and is hard to found shea butter and sustainable palm oil, how can replace them?
Thank you very much
mirta
Hi Mirta, if you’d like to change or customize a soap recipe, please read this piece for guidance: https://lovelygreens.com/change-customize-soap-recipe/
Hello and thanks for this beautiful blog! I’m going to try to make soap for the first time ever and am going to try you Simple Herbal Soap Recipe. I have a question about the lye. I can only find lye crystals. Is the lye you used liquid already? How do I adjust this recipe for lye flakes?
That’s the right stuff to use :) The lye you use for soap making comes in flakes or grains, and you use water to create a lye-solution.
I love all your soap recipes, they always turn out perfect, never had a failed batch. I made soap for my daughter in-law’s wedding shower favors, made 55 full size bars and they turned out beautiful. Now I’am hooked on making home made soap there is nothing better for my skin. Also now many family members are coming back to ask for more soap but my oldest daughter is allergic to Shea butter so I have made your Castile soap recipe for her.
Could I substitute mango butter for the Shea butter in the other recipes?
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback Lucy :) Whenever you want to change a soap recipe, you should put the original recipe into the online soapcalc, check all of the information, then make your substitutions and check again to make sure it’s safe and good. Here’s further guidance: https://lovelygreens.com/change-customize-soap-recipe/
New to Soap Making!!!
Gathering ingredients for my first batch….exciting!!
Question: Some recipes call for colored clay which I assume is a powder. I’m considering a soap colorant but it is sold in liquid form similar to essential oils. Your opinion is appreciated.
Thank you.
Soap colorants sold in liquid form are almost always dyes — they’re not natural but do work. Here’s more information on natural soap colorants: https://lovelygreens.com/how-to-naturally-color-handmade-soap/
Hi! I couldn’t find Palm oil for the 3 oil recipe. I did find avocado oil and sunflower oil. Can I substitute one of those oils for palm? I tried the soap calculator without luck lol. Please help!
You can substitute tallow (beef fat) directly for palm oil, but there are no other direct substitutions. Sorry, but you’d need to create a completely new soap recipe if you omit palm from the recipe. There’s loads of other recipes on my site though, including these palm-oil free recipes: https://lovelygreens.com/tag/palm-free-soap-recipes/
Hi Tanya thanks so much for your lovely newsletters.
As someone fairly new to soap making I am scared to death of lye so prefer to make it with melt and pour. Can the recipes above be made with melt and pour please and if so how would I work out quantities? Thanks so much x
I’m sorry Sue but these are cold-process recipes. Melt and pour soap is already pre-made, and all you do is melt it, add fragrance/color/other extras and pour it into a mold. Cold and Hot process soaps create soap from scratch :)
I’m so thankful for you! I have fallen IN LOVE with soap making and gardening ❤️You make my life so much easier, thank you and God bless
Thank you very much for seeing good information.
Hello! I’m a beginner soap maker here and am so happy to have found your site, recipes, and tutorials as a helpful guide :)
Are refined and unrefined coconut oils interchangeable? I realize unrefined will have a coconut scent to it, but as far as consistency in the recipe will they react similarly? For instance, can I use unrefined coconut oil in your simple 3-oil soap recipe? I wouldn’t mind a subtle coconut scent, however may not achieve this even with unrefined. Thank you for your time! :)
Unrefined (Virgin) coconut oil may have no extra scent at all in the final soap. It’s also WAY more expensive than refined. You can choose to use it but in my humble opinion, unrefined is much better for cooking than using in soap.
Hi Tanya!
First of all, thank you so much for your blog with all your precious advices to success in making first batches of soap – which I did ?
However, I have a question about which oils/butters I may use : does refined or unrefined suit better for saponification?
Have a lovely day!
Refined generally means that it’s been processed to be odorless and/or light in color and it usually refers to solid oils and butters. Both saponify just fine but I do recommend using refined coconut oil for soap making. It’s much less expensive than virgin coconut oil and the scent won’t carry through either. It’s also great for healthier frying/roasting and doesn’t taste like coconut so you can use it for both soaping and in the kitchen. Another oil that I prefer using the refined version is shea butter. Unrefined shea has a very characteristic scent that some people don’t like.
Hello !
I am trying some of your recipes, and some call for distilled water, and some just clean cold water. Would it make a difference if I used cold, filtered instead of distilled ? Thank you
It really comes down to the water in your area — if it’s hard, has added chemicals, etc. If your water is soft and you filter it, it should be fine to use.
I am looking to purchase lye and I see different purity percentages. Will I need to adjust the amount of lye used or other ingredients due to different percentage of purity or does this not affect the recipe measurements (example: 99% purity versus 98% or 97%)?
Thank you!
Only ever use lye that’s 99% Sodium hydroxide. The others may be adulterated with unwanted or unsafe ingredients.
Hi, I’m a student and I’m currently having a project where I’m trying to find out if pineapple peels’ extract is effective for removing dirt on clothes. My problem is that, I’m going to make a cleansing bar soap, but the essential oils may affect the entire purpose of my project. How can I make a soap that will really focus on the properties of the extract and not the oils? If it’s possible, what will be its measurements? Your reply could really be a huge help thank you!
Soap in itself is a cleanser so your experiment wouldn’t be able to determine if the soap or the extract is at work. I’d focus on making a spot treatment for stains with pineapple peel extract and testing it from there.
Can you swirl the recipe to use as the base for another recipe?
I don’t completely understand the question. Could you elaborate?
Now is the curing thing just when you create the base like this or do you have to wait for it to cure when you have a premade soap base as well?
If you’re using melt-and-pour soap you do not need to cure the soap. These instructions are for cold-process soap, and it always needs curing.
Such an interesting guideline for those who want to make their soap creation. I love this receipe.
It helps beginers to start making soap easily. By explaining step by step process of soap making, they will achieve their first soap.
Thanks ..
Thrilled to have found you Tanya.Im a soaper /gardener as well.❤️I’d like to use my rosemary, thyme, Melissa, mint etc in my soaps.I noticed on the herbal soap recipe you mention using either fresh chopped or dry herbs.Before Trying it I wanted to check with you if you’ve tried them both ways? I do not want to make a batch and have a fail…like end up with browned specks in it from the fresh herbs having turned off colour.I did have a batch of rose soap I decorated with buds and sadly turned off colour.I plan to make a batch of herbal soap and wondering if should dehydrate my herbs first.Can you share your experience please?Blessed,
Nora
Hi Nora, anything that is leafy and green including herbs and spinach, will eventually turn brown to yellow when mixed into soap. I like the effect of the little specks of dark throughout, but if you don’t, then simply leave them out. You could always dehydrate your herbs, then decorate the tops of your soap after it’s poured. The parts of the leaves that don’t touch the soap will stay green, but where it does touch, expect the area to eventually discolor.
Your recipes look lovely. I am new to soap making and would like to add that even newbies should find a good lye calculater and use it for every recipe. Even often used recipes can be off and it’s good to get in the habit of checking the calculations with all lye soaps. Thank you for sharing these recipes.
I was hoping to see the recipe for the beautiful purple soap st the beginning of this pin..what happened to that?
Hi Denise, I’ve moved the lavender recipe to its own page along with tips on customizing color, fragrance, and additives. The variation you’ll want to use is coloring soap with Ultramarine violet — more info over here: https://lovelygreens.com/simple-lavender-soap-recipe/
You’ll also be interested in this purple lavender soap recipe: https://lovelygreens.com/poppy-seed-lavender-soap-recipe/
I am new to and excited to try soapmaking. I live in Canada, and we have sea buckthorn trees on our property, and would like to know if it’s possible to make soap from the whole fruit and leaves. I can’t find information on how to do this.
What a fun opportunity. I’ve not used fresh sea buckthorn berries in soap before but imagine it could give the soap a similar colour that the oil does — yellow to orange. If you wanted the soap to retain as much of the berries’ beneficial properties I’d not make cold-process soap though. Instead, use a good organic melt-and-pour or remill your soap and add the berry juice to it instead of water. I don’t think the leaves are much used in skincare though they are used in herbal medicine.
I just happened to stumble on your website.
I love your recipes and video on soap making.
Do you have any video and recipes on making soap using a soap base?
Not yet but thanks for the positive feedback :)
You are amazing, love your recipes.thank you so much for sharing you soap recipes with us .i have tried some of them and soaps turned out amazing.im in love with your blogs.
I want to learn how to make soaps…pls help
Hi Tanya
Thanks for your loverly blog ?
I was wondering if i could still add some essential oils to this simple 3 oil soap recipe?
I would love some fragrance but also like the minimalist recipe…
Thanks heaps
I’m assuming you mean the 3-oil soap recipe and yes you may. Use the essential oil suggestions for the other two recipes or my piece on making essential oil soap to work out your own: https://lovelygreens.com/make-soap-with-essential-oils/
Just a note of thanks.
You also have a mistake? Your essential oil recipe says lemon balm but your ingredient list calls for peppermint!
Cheers for that, just a little typo in the soap description. You could of course use lemon balm (Melissa) essential oil instead of peppermint too.
Hi. I have a question about blending the ingredients. I dont now which compounds shoud use at first, second and etc. Please help me dear
Hi Tanja, amazing blog!
I have a question, I love your Lemongrass recipe! Can I just exchange the colour and the essential oils and use and repeat the recipe? would it work for any other as well as with the lemongrass.
Thank you for your time,
just starting making soap so all just a bit new to me!
Yes, pretty much :) Some essential oils should be used at smaller quantities though so please refer to my piece on how much essential oil to use in soap recipes: https://lovelygreens.com/make-soap-with-essential-oils/
Some common essential oils that you can use the same quantity in are: lavender, peppermint, rosemary, litsea cubeba, and geranium
Hello!
I am very new to soap making but I have already experimented in making my own cosmetics and I regularly make my own lip balms for myself and presents. I already have a few supplies and organic oils and essential oils. I would love to try a soap recipe with using what I already have. I looked into buying Grapefruit Seed Extract to make the “Herbal Soap Recipe” but it seems quite expensive. Is this essential oil interchangeable? Or is it recommended in this recipe because it has certain properties to make this a successful soap? Could I switch it for organic peppermint essential oil for example? I will follow the rest of the recipe accordingly :) Thank you for any feedback (and thank you for so many amazing recipes & lots of info on here!).
Lisa
Hi Lisa — the grapefruit seed extract acts as an antioxidant and helps give your soap a longer shelf life. It’s an optional ingredient though. Happy soaping :)
Thank you! I think I have read your blog in it’s entirety this week – I absolutely love it! I also saw that you had mentioned that GSE is very helpful to keep soaps from going rancid :) I found it cheaply online in the end. I have been eager to make soaps for years but I moved around often so I never got all the materials together. Now I have relocated from Canada to southern France and have a wonderful garden going and your blog matches my lifestyle very well! I also worked with an alternative art supply company and have lots of left over natural mineral pigments that I can finally put into use :D I had bees last year (sadly they were attacked and didn’t survive) but I look forward to having a well-rounded lifestyle where I can mix my interest in crafting things, gardening, and animals/bees. I am pretty obsessed with my dehydrator and have been drying everything I can get my hands on – including lots of wild flowers. I am pretty surrounded by wild flax and elderberry in my area, I am curious if anyone has tried either of those out in soaps? I also think Alkanet may be in my area so I need to explore that option for dyes too! Anyway – a big thank you for sharing your wealth of information (I am not a blog person at all normally!) but found all your blog posts super, super helpful.
I’m just waiting for a few oils to arrive in the mail and ready to get soaping!
Your new life in France sounds amazing Lisa! Enjoy every moment of it :) Sorry to hear of your bees — was it the asian hornet that attacked them? Also I’m VERY jealous that you may live in an area where Alkanet grows. Is it on a commercial scale? Happy soaping!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I am thinking about trying to do soaps for myself and your page is full of valuable information. Thank you!
You’re very welcome Viivi :)
Thanks. I am from India (Tamilnadu).
Can we use sesame oil (Gingelly oil) rather using olive oil. Please suggest
The scent of oils stays in the finished soap recipe. You can use sesame seed oil but do take this into consideration. You can’t use it as a replacement for any soap recipe either — you have to create one specifically for the oils you’re using.
Hello
Are you okay?
if I put caustic soda in the soap does it stop being vegan?
tks
Caustic soda isn’t made from animal products so it’s Vegan.
i have read a books but every time i think it’s difficult and when i saw your site it’s seems to me realy so easy with your explanation and your site is like inspirations for me/ thank you
You’re so welcome! I’m happy to help :)
Hello Tanya. I have a question on the “superfate” I can not understand where he is. If it is incorporated in a calculator for example 7%, this means that it is already in the composition of soap oils or it needs to be added separately already on the trace. Thank you
Superfat can be a difficult idea to understand, especially in the SoapCalc. All it means is the percentage of oils that exceed the amount the lye needs to be completely used up. Any or all of the oils in your SoapCalc recipe can be your superfat.
There are at least two ways to go about creating a superfatted soap. The first is to expose ALL the oils in your recipe to the lye solution. What happens in this case is that a proportion of each of the oils you use will end up staying in your bars as unsaponified oil.
If you want a particular oil to be your sole superfat, then you hold back the oil until the very end. That way, the lye interacts with the oils you want it to, and when you pour your superfat oil in at Trace, it will stick around without turning into soap. Hope this explanation helps.
Thank you very much, Tanya, for your explanation. As for first way i understand. As for second if am whrite understand when i make a recept in calculator i put 7% “superfat” for example and after i start preparation i separated these 7 % particular oil and add them just in trace? Thank you.
It’s entirely up to you if you want to separate 7% of your oil out and add it at Trace. If you do, the chance that these oils will stay in your soap as the superfatting oil is higher. If you put all your oils in the pan before the lye-solution (so before before you even start stick blending) then your superfat in your final bars will be a little of each oil from your recipe. Does this make sense?
Thank you very much Tanya
Thanks, Tanya, for the useful tips!
Tanya, thanks for this very comprehensive and useful article.
Can I make a half recipe to begin with? First of all, because I’ve never made it before. Also, will a half recipe reduce my stirring time to reach ‘trace’? I’ve not yet bought a stick blender.
Another question — can I use ALL palm oil? Because, where I live (India), olive oil is expensive, and the coconut oil is not deodorised — I don’t like that strong smell in soap. I don’t mind if the bar is hard from using just palm oil — I’m thinking of adding some orange zest to it.
Hi Nandita, An all palm oil soap would not be a good recipe because it would be neither bubbly or cleansing. You can check all of your recipe ideas in this online soapcalc: http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp
As for half recipes — yes you can. Be prepared to stir by hand for at least an hour to hit trace though.
I just made my second batch of soap: Coconut, olive, shea butter and castor oil. Upon rereading your website I realized I needed to also add an antioxidant. Will my soap go rancid?
It will probably be fine Marlene. A lot of soapers don’t use one at all but I’d recommend that you use your soap within a year to make sure your extra oils don’t go off.
Hi Tanya, I want to try making a basic soap but I can not understand how to use the lyecalk’s ? I want to make a small amount . I have coconut oil, caster oil and olive oil my lye but no idea what quantities to use . Please help , Julie.
Hi Julie! You can play around with the soapcalc but a good recipe might be 30% coconut oil, 60% olive oil, and 10% castor oil. Pop those into the calc and give it a 6% superfat. Once you have the percentages in, click the radio button on the other side of the percentages column — it will be lbs, oz, or g. Then at the top under number 2, select your preferred value and put the total weight of the batch size you want to make. Press ‘Calculate Recipe’ then ‘View/Print Recipe’ to see your recipe.
Love all the information in your blog. Starting my own adventure in soap making. For the calendula soap, when do you add the Shea butter – at the beginning with the ‘hard’ oils or after trace ?
It’s entirely up to you! If you put the shea butter in with your hard oils then your soap will have a superfat of all the oils in your recipe. If you add the shea after Trace then it’s more likely that it’s the shea butter that superfats your soap.
Thank you so much for all the information! I love your nature oriented life style and admire you for it. I was wondering if the soap recipes can be doubled or tripled. Thank you!
Thank you Diana :) In regards to doubling or tripling batches — absolutely. Just be aware that the tracing time will take a little bit longer with larger batches. Also, I’d recommend that the soaping temperatures are dropped about 10 degrees F if you’re using larger moulds.
Hi Tanya, thank you so much for this blog it’s the best one out there! I’m not sure if this has been asked before, but for the Honey, Oats and Beeswax Soap recipe, if you want to get the lovely brown colour you say to add the honey in lye solution. However, in the Part 4 you say not to have any sugars, such as honey, in the lye solution as it can result in a mini explosion. At what point would you add the honey? Is it once the water and lye have been mixed together and the lye is cooling down? Many thanks :)
Sorry, I forgot to ask, I have a silicone mould with individual soap cubes, and I noticed you advised someone to use a higher temperature (55C/130F) with this type of mould but with using honey in the recipe I should stick to lower temperatures. What do you think would be best? Thanks again!
When you have sugars in your soap recipe (like honey), your soap will naturally become hotter once its poured into the moulds. Stick with cooler soaping temperatures when you’re working with sugars.
Hi Jana! Yes do add the honey to your lye water to get a rich brown colour for the Honey, Oats, and Beeswax soap. In part 4 I say that you can have a mini volcano if the water/infusion you mix with your lye has both sugars in it AND is more than lukewarm in temperature. Hope this helps :)
Hi, I noticed all the recipies require pomace olive oil!! I live in the middle east where organic vergion olive oil is available in abundance , we have millions of olive trees here in Jordan and it’s the only olive oil we have and know :) my question is can I use it instead of the pomace kind? thank you
Yes of course! Crack on with your lovely local organic olive oil :)
Thank you for a great series of articles – I have been making soap for a couple of years just for my own use and to give to family as presents – I have been thinking about maybe selling them. I have been told in order to sell them each recipe needs to cosmetically tested to comply with EU regulations’ – this is not cheap around £49 to £65 each one. You must have been though this process Just wondered if you could share your experience and offer any pointers or a good cheap tester – many thank for a great resource
I fortunately had my soap recipes certified before it started getting too expensive. These days yes, it can be pricey depending on how many variations you have in mind. The best advice I can give you is to get in touch with a reputable EU certified chemist and get a quote.
Your website is a fantastic resource for us soap makers. Thank you for being so generous in passing on your knowledge. I have a question that follows on from this query. You use (I think) herbs and flowers you have grown in your garden. I am applying for the certificates for my own recipes, but am wondering how I can use the herbs from my garden and sell the soap, and abide by the EU regulations when the products won’t have the relative MSDS and allergen certificates etc. I know it’s a long shot to ask you, but how did you go about that? Thanks again for an amazing web site. I get lots of inspiration from it!
Years ago I spoke to the chemist who does my own safety assessments about this very thing. It is perfectly fine to use your own homegrown herbs and flowers in handmade soap. What you’ll need to do is create a record of your harvests though. Each harvest should have a batch number, harvest date and a MSDS sheet. You can create your own MSDS by literally copying the information from another MSDS sheet for the same herb. Also make sure that you have that ingredient included in your safety assessment and to stick by the maximum usage percentage. Hope this helps :)
In one of the recipees above the instructions say, ’10g (0.4oz) Essential oil (approx. 1 tsp) – Match to your selected herb’, my digital scale measured this as about one tablespoon (tbsp) rather than 1 tea spoon (tsp). Just wanted to clarify for others incase they found the same thing. Thank you for your lovely instructions :-)
these look awesome!!
I’m sorry if I’m repeating a question from earlier … what is the shelf life for homemade products?
If you’re selling it, your shelf-life will be the expiration date of the oil you’re super-fatting with. If it’s just for home use, then there really isn’t a general one in my opinion. Soap stays soap a long time and though the fragrance might fade, the soap will still clean :) Saying that, if it smells strange, has weird growth on it, or is generally icky then don’t use it. Keeping soap stored in an airtight container will help prolong its life/scent too.
Thank you so much for these priceless information!!?
great resource. thank you. I have a question. I am unable to find palm oil . Do you know if there is a substitute in your lavender soap recipe?
Palm oil is fairy easy to find in bulk food shops or wholesalers. Sustainably sourced is more difficult! A very easy substitute is beef tallow but if you wish to make a vegetarian soap then a new recipe will be needed. You could use the base recipe for this one: http://lovelygreens.com/2015/03/lavender-rosemary-hand-soap-recipe.html
This is a wonderfully well written and researched series of articles. Just what I was looking for. Thank you!
Is Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) also called caustic soda?
It is, yes.
Hi Tanya,
I’ve found your soap making tutorial and am going to give it a go! The only thing I am confused about is the oils in making my own recipes. I have the soap calculator and the 3-4 oils I want to use, but I don’t understand how to decide the % of oils to use. Is there a guideline as to which solid or liquid oils need to be in %? And does this include the superfatting oils? That was also one thing I didn’t understand – in the soap calc, it asked for the super fat %, but I am hung up on how to figure out how much of each oil to use! I’ve chosen coconut, olive, sunflower and either shea or cocoa butter but am unsure of how to figure out the amounts to use of each. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!!!
deciding which percentage of oils to use – experienced soap makers will know this but your best bet is to think olive oil first, then coconut, then other oils. Those first two will make up the bulk of most soap recipes. You’re going to have to play with the calc to get a good result though.
Superfat oil – this is an area that the soap calc does need work in my opinion. What I do is take the percentage of oil that I want superfatted out and set that aside. For example if you’re making a 800g batch and your superfat is 6% then choose the oil you want (shea butter for example) just use 48g of it at the end. Or if there isn’t 48g of it in your recipe, just set what you have aside for the end. The lye can only combine with so much oil so whatever is left after will superfat your bars no matter if you add it in with the lye or at the end. The reason you would set aside a specific superfat oil for the end is to stop it from combining with the lye and becoming soap itself.
Hi Tanya. Thank you for your wonderful, easy-to-follow tutorials! I can’t find ultramarine violet to purchase in small quantities here in New Zealand, but I found this purple mica trademe.co.nz/crafts/other/auction-976853831.htm – would that be a suitable substitution? I’d hate to end up with something that looked fake and tacky! Do you think the quantity required would be similar? Many thanks :)
You could use purple mica as well but be careful about the proportions. You might need less than the amount listed for the ultramarine purple so I’d recommend you do a test batch(es) first.
Hi again, Tanya.
Hurrah! I have now made 4 batches of soap and am well on my way to being dangerously addicted ;) Christmas presents are sorted for this year haha! I’m just struggling to get my head around a couple of things. Firstly, I bought a silicone mould with 12 individual bars instead of a loaf, and am struggling to get it to gel. Either that or I’m just not recognising gel when I see it. I’m wrapping it up with 3 or 4 towels and heating the oils & lye to 45C. Ought that to be hot enough for individual moulds?
I also have a question about trace. It seems different soapmakers have preferences as to whether they blend to light, medium or full trace before pouring. I am just wondering what difference this makes to the final soap? Does a lighter trace mean longer setting/curing time, or does it make no difference?
Thanks again for your wonderful wealth of knowledge :) If I lived in the UK I would so come to one of your classes!!
Yay! Soapmaking is addictive…but it’s a useful addiction, especially at Christmas time :) As for your questions:
Gel with individual soap moulds – you’re probably going to need to use a higher temperature (55C/130F) for mixing and then pop them into a well insulated box wrapped with towels. If you have a wooden box that the mould and towels will fit in, all the better!
Trace – the thicker your trace, the less likely it will be that your soap develops ‘Soda Ash’, that white powder that sometimes develops on top of soap. Thicker trace is also preferred by soap makers who like to create textures on the tops of their bars, fluffy meringue-like spikes and the like. Personally, I prefer a medium trace but that’s just me :)
I have been reading your 4 part series and noticed where you mentioned antioxidants you mentioned using either Grapefruit seed extract or rosemary oleoresin extract, however in all the recipes it lists using vitamin E or Grapefruit seed extract. Is vitamin E an acceptable antioxidant to use and can you use the powdered form or liquid form?
Vitamin E is also an antioxidant so you can use it as well. Use a high quality liquid form – many bottles of inexpensive Vitamin E are mainly carrier oil and contain very little of vitamin e.
Thank you so much! I have decided to try my hand at soapmaking and this info is by far the best and most informative that I have found.
I have a lot of frozen goats milk that I would like to use in my soap. I do not want to use Palm oil or Tallow. I would like to stick with coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, beeswax and goats milk. Is this doable? What are your suggestions?
I’d use the Soap Calc to see what it says but your ingredients will work. Note that you should only use a tiny amount of beeswax in your recipes (only 1-2%) and that the goats milk should be added to the lye in your recipe slowly and in its frozen state.
How Can I replace shea butter if it isn’t available for me ?
Place the recipe into the Soap Calc tool mentioned in the post, make note of all the figures for ‘Soap Bar Quality’ then edit the recipe to your heart’s content.
For the honey and beeswax recipe, when should the beeswax be added? Is it melted with the other oils or added separately? I think I’ve seen some instructions that it is melted separately and added after lye and oils are combined?
You can add it with your other oils to melt down or afterwards – either works. If you add it afterwards though, there’s a higher chance of the beeswax not saponifying and staying in your bars as-is. Personally I think adding the wax during the melting phase is better since beeswax is better used to harden bars rather than moisturise the skin. Other ‘superfatting’ oils like shea butter and cocoa butter are better to add at the end.
I realize this post is a bit old but I’m curious about the broken link on this page under ‘Coloring and Decorating Soap Naturally’. Could you update your post to reflect the corrected link — if it still exists? Thanks for sharing your work! =)
Hi Tanya. I have just made the honey and oat soap you have posted in this page. I only realised toward the end, that I had mixed all the oils together, instead of leaving the superfatting oil aside to mix at light trace. So for next time which is the superfatting oil and what are your thoughts on 10% superfatting?
It’s alright to add all the oils in at the same time – you’ll still have your percentage of superfatting but it will be a mix of all the oils you used rather than just one key oil of your choice. As for a 10% superfat, you’re running the risk of your soap being too soft and oily. Saying that, it could turn out to your liking though so give your recipe a go! Just try making a smaller test batch first :)
Hey Tanya, thank you for the info, your posts have been so valuable on my soaping journey! I noticed the links on this post are broken, any idea on where else to get the information you were trying to share because I am about to try to create my first recipe and i need all the help i can get! Thank you in anticipation of your response.
Hi Deenie and thanks for the heads up on the links!
This is very informative for any kind of DIY products. I was wondering if anyone can shed some light, suppliers do not list that the stock is food safe, but things like cacao butter should be edible also correct? I can’t find any info on that and it would be nice to get everything at once!
Also, Saffire Blue has become less reputable over the years but I hear good things about Candora Soap.
Hi There! Lovely post! I've been making soap for about a year and a half now, and I've been using a wire multi-cutter, which leaves bumps and grooves on my soap. What kind of mold and cutter do you use to achieve the clean edges of you natural lavender soap above? Thanks!
can you advise on a nice soap with lard and maybe 2 other oils also can you give me some advose on colouring as my soaps all come out wrong colour
Can I substitute extra virgin olive oil for regular olive oil in these recipes?
You can do, but it's said that extra virgin takes a lot longer to 'Trace'…and it's also more expensive and not necessarily all that much better for your skin once it's transformed into soap. I'd recommend 'Superfatting' with extra virgin but probably not using it as the entire quantity of olive oil needed :)
Hi, this blog of yours it's awesome. You explain so clearly and i just want to thank you for sharing. I'm a beginner at soap making, and all your advices aré really useful.
Have a nice weekend!
Thank you and I'm so pleased I could help :)
Hi Tanya! I'm making soap for the first time this winter and just wanted to run my recipe by you to see if you have any advice you could offer. I have been living in South Africa for the past year and so was thinking of using rooibos tea in place of the water, pairing that with orange essential oil. I was thinking of using coconut (60%) and olive oil (35%) as the bulk oils, with cocoa butter as the superfatting oil (5%). Would you recommend different ratios in the oils?
Hiya! Coconut oil is amazing stuff…especially if you use it directly on your skin. When it's made into soap though, it creates a very hard bar that is very cleansing and bubbly. Personally, I wouldn't use a recipe that was so high in coconut oil for fear of the soap stripping my skin and leaving it feeling dry and tight. What I'd recommend doing is swapping the percentages of Olive oil to Coconut oil for a much gentler bar of soap. Also love the Rooibos tea idea for natural colour – it will range from tan to dark brown when finished. A caution on the orange essential oil though…it will evaporate very quickly from your bars leaving them smelling unscented. Have a great time making your soap and good luck :)
Thanks so much for your advice! I've made several attempts to research soap-making, and your tutorial is the most balanced and practical that I've found.
I have a crazy question for you. My six-year-old and I collected a bunch of acorns, and on a whim I decided to make flour with them – which involved leaching the tannin from the nuts first. I boiled down the water into a concentrated tannin-rich solution. I'm working to perfect a recipe that uses this solution in place of water.
I'm hoping the tannin-rich solution will produce a soap that will be cosmetically beneficial.
Have you ever tried anything similar, or heard of anything like that? Could all my work be for naught – for instance, could the heat of the production process render the tannins ineffective?
I have over a gallon of the tannin solution, and would like to justify its presence on our countertop to my wife….
Hi Jason and I'm pleased to hear you've found my tutorials helpful :) Regarding Tannin water soap…please give it a miss! That water leftover is acidic and not only will it stop your soap from lathering but it can also burn your skin. If I were you, I'd listen to your wife and dispose of it from the counter top! haha
And thank you for all this great information on your site!
Tanya, May I ask a question about the soap calculator on soapcalc.com? how do you figure out step 2, the weight of the oils? I tried to use this two weeks ago and botched it. I don't get it. Thank you
That's a step you can use to tell the Soapcalc how much soap to make. So if you have a mould that can only hold a 1 lb batch (the weight refers to the weight of the oils only) then you choose 'lbs' and input 1. Then you toggle the oils units to % and the resulting recipe will fit the amount you require. Hope this helps :)
Tanay – What does it mean Coconut oil 76 degrees / 92 degrees and fractionated? I just order a tub of coconut oil – and have no idea what it is?
There are two main types of refined Coconut oil – one melts at 76 degrees and the other at 92 degrees. Fractionated coconut oil is created to be liquid at room temperature and is used in lotions and as a carrier oil. Hope this helps :)
WOW- so much great information. This is just what I needed to dive into soap making. I would love to link to this post if you didn't mind.
Feel free :)
You are doing such an amazing job with this series!! So thought out and so fantastically written. Such a great resource!
Forgot to click the NOTIFY button. LOL.
I just started to gather supplies in the last few weeks. No one working here so the majority of the stuff will be Christmas presents. :)
Thanks for the tutorial and can't wait for the rest.
Susie in northern NY
This is fascinating Tanya! Looking forward to exploring the rest of your blog. Particularly liked the blue Burmese (??) enjoying the radiator on the last post – although it made me a little guilty because I didn't buy beds like that for my three when I saw them for sale recently! Looking forward to more…
This is so great Tanya. Are you do soap making gift sets in your shop?? Would make wonderful presents with just the right amount of everything for people to have a first try and making soap.
I have bookmarked it, I have some fat stored and some that needs rendering as well. I am not going to attempt the wonderful bar that you sent me but just want to do something simple at first. I will start getting stuff together.
Animal tallow can directly replace palm oil in a recipe (for you Sunnybrook and for those reading the comment above). It has the same soapmaking properties and palm is often referred to in soapmaking as vegetable tallow.
Olive oil pomace is chemically produced. Might want to look into that.
It’s extracted using a solvent but the end product is pure oil. Personally I like to see all of the olive oil from a harvest used – waste not, want not – and keep EVOO for preparing food.
Can I sub caster oil instead of Palm oil?
Good question. I'd be interested to hear the reply.
Castor oil cannot be used to replace the exact same quantity of Palm oil in a recipe because it takes a different amount of lye to convert it into soap. You do not need to use palm though – check out the section in the series on using the soapcalc :)