Solid Dish Soap Recipe (cold-process)
This website is reader-supported - thank you! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
A simple, but highly effective, solid dish soap recipe with long-lasting, fluffy bubbles. It gets dishes squeaky clean and works even in hard water. This recipe includes step-by-step cold-process soap instructions and uses recycled glass ramekins as eco-friendly containers—perfect for creating a natural, zero-waste home.
Solid dish soap is a game-changer in the kitchen. It can last far longer than liquid dish soap, be inexpensive to make, and be perfect for the natural home. For years, I’ve made handmade soap for personal care, and if you have, too, you’ll find this recipe easy to follow. If you’re a beginner, you can make it, too! It’s straightforward, uses just a few soapmaking ingredients, and the soap is ready to use almost immediately.
The recipe creates up to six very hard bars that are long-lasting and very effective at cutting through grease. The soap is ready to use after two days and has a thick, sparkling lather for cleaning pots, pans, utensils, and dishes. It’s also unscented, palm-oil-free, vegan, and, best of all, 100% natural. Though you could pour the soap batter into silicone cavity molds, I include instructions for pouring it into recycled ramekins. They’re attractive and convenient, and you can reuse them for solid dish soap indefinitely.
What makes this solid dish soap recipe better than others is that it uses coconut oil together with soy wax. I’ve also included citric acid because it reacts with some of the lye, creating a natural substance that acts as a chelator. This makes it very effective against soap scum and lathering in hard water. Lemon juice, as used in other recipes, is too weak to create a chelating effect.
Solid Dish Soap Has a 0% Superfat
Let’s delve a little deeper into what makes this solid dish soap recipe the best one around. When washing dishes by hand, we want soap that cuts through grease without leaving an oily residue or anything harmful on our dishes or hands. We also want the lather to be fluffy and the product to last a long time. Many people might also want it to smell nice.
Usually, when you make cold-process soap, you add a superfat. This is the percentage of extra oil that does not saponify (turn into soap) and remains free-floating in your bars. This extra oil makes body soap conditioning and gentler on the skin, but it can also leave an oily residue on dishes. When making cold-process solid dish soap, you make the bars with 0% superfat to avoid this issue.
Ingredients for Maximum Cleansing
Homemade dish soap also needs a much higher cleansing power than body soap, which is why the main ingredient in this recipe is coconut oil. It’s highly cleansing and bubbly! Many homemade dish soap recipes use only coconut oil, and that’s fine. But using one additional “oil” makes the final product so much better.
With this recipe, 70% of the oil content is coconut oil (cleansing, bubbly, adds hardness), and 30% is soy wax (adds longevity, hardness, and foamy lather). Together, they create an extremely bubbly, foamy lather that’s a dream to use.
I’ve had quite a few people ask why soy wax is in the recipe and whether they can leave it out. If you’re experienced in formulating soap recipes, you could recalculate the recipe using another oil with a high stearic acid content. Cocoa butter, tallow, and shea butter could work. However, they would not create the foam-like lather that soy wax does. I personally would not mess with this recipe—make it, and you will see.
Soy Wax in Dish Soap Recipes
When you use soy wax in a solid dish soap recipe, it creates a very hard bar with excellent longevity and an incredible, shaving-cream-like lather. It would not be suitable on its own for making dish soap, though, since its lather is more creamy and its cleansing power is quite low. That’s where coconut oil comes in.
Coconut oil also contains a small amount of stearic acid, but it is much higher in lauric acid. This fatty acid creates a very bubbly, highly cleansing soap. This is why most bar soap recipes include it at only about 20-25%—using too much can make the soap feel overdrying. Though you can make pure coconut oil soap, it needs a very high superfat and a long cure time. It also doesn’t last very long when you begin using it compared to soap made with coconut oil and other oils.
Used together, coconut oil and soy wax create an excellent, long-lasting soap that leaves dishes sparkling. This recipe includes 70% coconut oil and 30% soy wax, which I think is the perfect ratio for making homemade dish soap.
Adding a Chelator to Stop Soap Scum
Soap scum is bad enough in the shower, but it’s even worse on dishes. To avoid it, we can add a chelator to our soap recipes. Chelators bind to metal ions (minerals such as calcium and magnesium) in water and prevent them from forming soap scum. They also improve lathering if you have hard water. You can create a chelating effect in your natural soap by adding sodium citrate.
Sodium citrate can be purchased as a powder and added to the lye water or later in the soapmaking process. You typically use it at 1-3% of the recipe, and you do not need to adjust the lye amount when using sodium citrate.
Sodium citrate can also be added to soap by using citric acid. It reacts with lye, using some of it up, and transforms into sodium citrate. Citric acid is a more common ingredient, and you might have some around if you make bath fizzies. You use it at about 1-2% of the recipe, and you need to compensate for the loss of some of the lye it neutralizes.
Citric Acid in Soap Recipes
If we add 1 g of citric acid to a soap recipe, it reacts with some of the lye to form 1.34 g of sodium citrate. Where does the 0.34 extra gram come from? It comes from lye, and each gram of citric acid will neutralize 0.624 g of sodium hydroxide (source).
Okay, let me do the math for you—please don’t be overwhelmed by this, and know that you don’t have to do anything extra to the soap recipe I’ve shared below.
Because this solid dish soap recipe contains 14 g of citric acid, it neutralizes 8.75 g of sodium hydroxide during the transformation into sodium citrate. So, when I formulated it, I added that back in as a little extra lye. If I had not, the soap would have a superfat of about 11%, which would be disastrous for dish soap. This means that 11% of your oils do not turn into soap, and that when you use the dish soap, it will be slippery on your dishes and may leave a greasy residue.
That’s why this recipe might seem very lye-heavy if you enter it into a soap calculator without including citric acid.
Washing Dishes with Homemade Dish Soap
The solid dish soap bars produced by this recipe are pure white, hard, and brittle. The soap batter also hardens very quickly! Though you can pour the soap batter into a loaf or slab mold to make traditional bars, pouring it into cavity molds or ramekins is even better. You don’t have to worry about the soap getting too hard to cut.
Ramekins are also a functional option that looks great. Not only do they tightly hold the soap, but they also provide a surface to hold onto when creating the lather. After use, you can empty out the sudsy water and set them next to the sink or in a cupboard for the next time you wash dishes. Soap and soap dish in one! The ramekins I’m using are glass, the type some desserts come in at our supermarket. They’re basically free.
Washing dishes with homemade dish soap is a little different than using liquid dish soap. First, the soap is solid, so you’ll need to work up a good lather on the brush. At this point, you can either wash the dishes with the brush or add the lather to your basin of hot water. It can be slightly more slippery than conventional dish soap, so you should thoroughly rinse the dishes with water before leaving them to dry.
Without that rinse, you may get a soapy residue on your dishes, and it’s especially noticeable on glasses. Though I don’t use essential oils when I make homemade dish soap, you can add some for scent if you wish. Lavender would be a good choice, as would citrus oils such as may chang, or folded lemon or orange essential oil. More guidance on how much to use is in this chart.
Storing Zero-Waste Dish Soap
Homemade dish soap made with my recipe has a 0% superfat. That means it’s extremely good at cleaning dishes without leaving an oily residue, and there are no extra oils floating around in the soap that could go rancid. It also helps give this dish soap bar recipe an almost indefinite shelf life.
Once you start using a bar and get it wet, try to use it up within six months. Until you use it, keep homemade dish soap bars stored in a dry, room-temperature place. For convenience, I put mine in the cupboard under my sink, but first wrap the ramekins in beeswax wraps. They’re somewhat breathable but will protect the soap from dust, moisture, and spills. Simply fold the wrap over the soap and ramekin and store it until needed.
More Natural Cleaning Ideas
If you’re on a mission to replace store-bought cleaning products with homemade ones, this dish soap recipe is a great way to begin. It’s honestly the best solid dish soap you could make!
There are plenty of other products you can make, including an all-purpose cleaner and homemade laundry detergent. If you’re after simple solutions, washing soda, vinegar, and baking soda have many uses for cleaning the home, including as an oven and toilet cleaner. And if you’re interested in making more soap, here are some ideas for you:
- Homemade Liquid Soap Recipe
- Beeswax Furniture Polish Recipe
- How to Make Castile Soap (olive oil soap)
- Shampoo Bar Recipe (cold process)
Solid Dish Soap Recipe (cold process)
Equipment
Materials
Lye solution
- 85 g sodium hydroxide 3 oz
- 123 g distilled water 4.34 oz
Solid oils
- 318 g coconut oil (refined) 11.22 oz / or babassu oil
- 136 g soy wax 4.8 oz
Citric acid solution
- 14 g citric acid 0.49 oz
- 30 g distilled water 1.06 oz
For scent
- 3 tsp may chang (litsea cubeba) essential oil optional
Instructions
Prepare to Make Soap
- Cold-process soapmaking is a chemical process, and this recipe uses lye. Lye, in this case sodium hydroxide, is a caustic substance that is completely neutralized in the soapmaking process, but it can be harmful if not handled correctly. Please read this soap making safety guidance before proceeding.
- Prepare your workstation with the tools and equipment. Put on rubber gloves, goggles, and an apron. Carefully pre-measure the ingredients. Add the oil and wax to the pan, and the lye, two water amounts, and citric acid into each of the four jugs.
- Prepare the ramekins by washing and drying them thoroughly and setting them on a sheet of greaseproof paper. The ones I'm using came from a supermarket dessert pack and are 3¼" in diameter. At that size, you'll be able to fill four ramekins. If your ramekins are smaller, prepare a few extra—around 6 solid dish soaps.
- You can also pour the soap into soap molds, but it hardens very quickly. If you use molds, opt for silicone cavity molds. If you decide to use a loaf mold, cut the soap into bars as soon as the soap feels as firm as refrigerator-cold cheddar cheese. This can be after just two hours of making it. If you wait too long, it will be impossible to cut the soap into bars since it will crack and break. Homemade solid dish soap is very brittle after that point.
Mix the Lye Solution
- Next, dissolve the lye (sodium hydroxide) crystals in the water designated for the lye solution. In an airy place, pour the lye crystals into the water and stir well. There will be a lot of heat and steam, so be careful. Try not to breathe it in. Leave it to cool in the sink.
Mix the Citric Acid Solution
- While the lye solution cools, make the citric acid solution: pour the citric acid into the water you set aside for it. Then, swirl and stir until the citric acid is fully dissolved. This can take up to a minute as the water will be room temperature.
Melt the Oil and Wax
- Melt the coconut oil and soy wax in a stainless-steel pan on very low heat. When fully melted, remove the pan from the heat and set it on a potholder.
- Pour the citric acid solution into the pan and stir until well combined. You'll notice the citric acid solution beading up at the bottom of the pan under the melted wax and oil. This is normal.
Preparing to Mix
- Measure the temperatures of the lye solution and the contents of the pan. You should aim to cool them both to be about 125°F (52°C)*. The lye solution can be slightly higher than this, but try not to soap at lower temperatures for this recipe.
Mix the Ingredients
- When the temperatures are just right, pour the lye solution into the pan of oils. It's now time to blend. You can completely hand-stir this recipe or use an immersion blender to give yourself a head start.
- If you use one, dip the immersion blender into the pan and, with it turned off, gently stir the mixture. Next, bring it to the center of the pan, and with both your hands, hold it on the bottom of the pan and blitz it for just a couple of seconds. Turn it off and set the immersion blender aside. It's best to switch to hand-stirring with a spoon or spatula.
- Stir the mixture until it thickens to a light trace—when the soap batter leaves a distinct trail on the surface, and has the consistency of thin custard. Trace occurs very quickly in this recipe, so please be prepared.
- If you choose to use essential oil in this recipe, add it to the pan of oils at this point. Stir it in quickly.
Pour the Dish Soap
- Working quickly, pour the soap into the ramekins (or molds). Tap each ramekin gently to settle the soap.
- Leave the soap in a place where it won't be disturbed for two days. Saponification will be complete, and you can begin using dish soap from that point. However, soap always performs better if you leave it to cure for at least 28 days.
- To use your homemade dish soap, I'd recommend wearing gloves, as the soap may be too harsh on your hands. Wet the soap and work up a lather with a dish brush or scourer. When you have a good lather, use it to wash dishes or to add to your washing-up water. Rinse dishes thoroughly with fresh water before drying.
HELP!!
Oh man I forgot to add the soy wax into my soap.. is it ruined?? What can I do?
Hi Reba, without the soy wax the soap you’ve made will be highly caustic. Though it is possible to hot-process rebatch it, it might be easier (and safer) to chalk it up to one of those things and start over.
Hello Tanya
I have learned already so much from your site
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us all!
I tried my whole evening reading through all the comments to see if my question is answered
I believe it’s not
Someone mentioned
Golden Brands – GW 464 soy wax and you commented that that one was OK to use.
Gw464 is available at a local place!
but..
they also have:
Golden Brands – GW 415 soy wax
Are you familiar with this one?
Under the technical info it says that it has a “pouring temperature of 90°F – 100°F”..
Which imo makes it so much easier as it won’t come so quick to a trace.
Hi Frances, Golden Wax 415 is a great choice for this dish soap recipe since it does not contain any additives – it’s just pure soy wax. That’s great that it has a lower pouring temperature and that could certainly help with trace coming too quickly. Hotter temperatures plus soy wax can mean a very speedy trace. However, please be prepared for trace to come relatively quickly anyway, especially your first time trying this recipe out. And definitely report back on how you do :)
Hello Tanya,
Sofia from Argentina. thank you for all your recipes.
The soy wax is regular candle soy wax right? any thins specific in that wax we should look for for better quality?
Thank you
Hi Sofia, soy wax for candles often contains additives to help it perform better as candles. Try to buy soy wax that does not have additives—look for pure soy wax.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it twice and I’m delighted with how well it works! Wondering if there’s anyway to modify this to make dishwasher pods?
Hi Melanie, I don’t think that using real soap in a dishwasher (or washing machine) would be a good idea- even soap with a 0% superfat and chelator. They’re not made to handle soap and if soap scum builds up somehow, there’s no easy way to clean it out. It could cause damage or even break your machine. For dishwashers, I recommend sticking with detergent.
Hi there! After reading through the comments I was hesitant to try this recipe, I am glad I did! I was able to get it to trace to the perfect consistency, also did not trace too fast on me. I will be doing this agin. My first batch I used orange peels, and orange essential oil. Looks and smells amazing! Thank you for sharing.
Amazing! Thanks for letting us know and I hope that you love using your homemade dish soap :) Orange essential oil sounds a perfect choice for if you wanted to scent this recipe.
Can you use beeswax instead of soy?
In short, no. Beeswax is high in unsaponifiables (components that don’t transform into soap). Make solid dish soap with beeswax and you could have streaks of wax all over your dishes. It’s also not even close to soy wax in terms of soap making properties.
I have made this recipe twice now. Both times it has accelerated so fast it had to be spooned out. I made the second batch in case I had made a mistake in measurements. The second batch I was very careful to weigh correctly. Both batches were mixed at 125°F. Neither times were hot days. I’m thinking could I grate and powder and make a liquid dish soap as I require.
This recipe traces VERY quickly, which is why I recommend hand-stirring rather than using the emulsion blender too much. Watch the video at the bottom of the recipe card and I take you through that.
Thanks. I didn’t use an immersion blender. As soon as the lye mixture went in and I started to hand stir, it went straight to spoonable thick. The same both times.
I wonder about the type of soy wax you used. Do you know what brand/type it is? Soy wax often has candle-making additives in it and these could cause seizing. Check that first. Soaping in hot rooms/climates could also contribute. If you want, you could try increasing the water amount slightly and lowering the soaping temperature. Soy wax (depending on brand) will start resolidifying if you drop below 115-120F (46-48C). Just remember that this recipe will trace quickly regardless of what you do. It shouldn’t seize on you, though.
Excited to try this recipe! Thank you!
Wondering if you recommend a specific source for the scrub brush?
Sure :) I got both of them from a local shop called Feltons (Ramsey, Isle of Man) but the same ones are for sale online. Here’s the one with a long handle and here’s the smaller one. For those in the USA, you can find the similar ones here and here.
Can you use bees wax instead of soy?
Sorry, April, but no. Beeswax is the last thing that you want to use in dish soap recipes. It is high in unsaponifiables (constituents that don’t turn into soap) and could leave a waxy residue on your dishes. Each wax – soy, coconut, rapeseed, beeswax, etc – has different fatty acid profiles, different saponifiable levels, and different uses. For example, you should never use more than 2% beeswax in a soap recipe since it turns your bars into lumps of wax that don’t lather. At 2% or less, it adds hardness to a bar such as in this honey and beeswax soap recipe.
Can I sub coconut/soy wax blend? Is there a way I can calculate a new recipe to substitute this wax blend?
Hi Marcy, I shared this solid dish soap recipe because it’s the best one that you can make at home using natural ingredients. The most important factor in the recipe, and what makes it different from others, is the inclusion of soy wax. It’s naturally high in stearic acid and will create a much better and longer-lived soap than using other recipes. I’ve answered several questions about this in the comments if you haven’t seen them already. If you were to substitute soy wax for anything, it would be for pure stearic acid but the amount would not be the same and the lye amount and coconut oil amounts would change, too. Soapmakers who are comfortaable with creating soap formulations can use an online soap calculator to work out a new recipe.
Hello, what’s rhe purpose of soy wax in the dish soap?
Hi Rachel, both coconut oil and soy wax contain stearic acid. This fatty acid transforms into hard, high-cleansing soap with lots of lather and bubbles—it’s perfect for washing dishes. Though many solid dish soaps are formulated to be 100% coconut oil, using up to 30% soy wax will give you a much longer-lasting bar. Coconut oil soap, though hard and cleansing, does not last very long on its own. This recipe will also be less harsh on your hands than dish soap made without soy wax.
Hi there,
This is Jeannette from Melbourne Australia.
I have just made your dish soap recipe and followed instructions carefully.
My soap looks terrific and I’m so pleased that your shared this recipe. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the positive feedback, Jeannette :) Enjoy using your all-natural handmade dish soap!
Can I use unrefined coconut oil for this recipe? Thank you for sharing.
You can, but it’s a waste of money and good food. Refined coconut oil is cheaper and what is used for “healthier frying.” It doesn’t have the coconut oil scent or flavor but if you’re thinking that using virgin coconut oil will give your soap that scent, think again. It disappears after making soap since in the process you refine the oil.
Does this dish soap get goopy like home made bar soap (for human bodies) can if the water doesn’t drain from the soap or the soap sits in a dish that holds water, i.e. does the ramekin not hold water turning the whole thing into a goopy mess?
Hi Rick, if you left water sitting in it, the top could get a little mucky. That’s why you pour the water out after you use it and/or turn the ramekin upside down. The soap won’t fall out.
Can I scent lightly with essential oils at the end?
You can, but there’s not much point in it in my opinion. It won’t stay on the dishes and if it does, that’s a worry. Unscented dish soap is the best option for safety and practicality.
Since you are using a citric acid mix, can you substitute beeswax for the other wax
Hi Terri, no, beeswax is not suitable for this recipe in any shape or form. It’s mainly made up of unsaponifiables, meaning it doesn’t change into soap in the process. Using beeswax in this recipe, even with the lye calculated correctly, would lead to waxy dishes. Citric acid has nothing to do with beeswax in soapmaking.
Instead of using soy wax can I substitute it with beeswax for the dish soap recipe? And do I use same proportions?
Hi Olga, beeswax is not a substitute for soy wax in soap recipes. It has different properties and fatty acids and also doesn’t saponify very well at all. You tend to only include a maximum of 2% beeswax in soap recipes. If you can’t find soy wax, you can replace it with coconut oil. However, the lye amount would change to 92 g for a single (1x) batch.
Hi! Loved the recipe, but had a question. I poured at 123 degrees. It looked great, and then began to Crack 1 min later, do you recommend in humid climates, to put into the fridge ir freezer for a few minutes after pouring?
That would help, yes. It’s not so much humidity as ambient temperature that can cause soap to overheat once poured into molds. If your room temperature is warmer than usual, then cooling the soap in the fridge after pouring can stop it from overheating and cracking.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it using tallow instead of soy wax! I was wondering how would I go about putting this in a soap calculator? I’m not sure how to add in the water differences and what to super fat it as.
Thank you!
Hi Axel, tallow is a good source of stearic acid so you were lucky that you chose it and it worked. Really pleased for you on that count. However, you should not change cold process soap recipes unless you understand the chemistry behind it and how to use a soap calculator.
Can this exact recipe be made by the hot process, or do I need to tweak it?
If you have never formulated soap recipes and don’t understand the chemistry behind it, don’t mess with the recipe. Make it as-is and you’ll have fantastic dish soap!
Hi Tanya,
I was wondering if I substituted some of the coconut oil for castor or sunflower would I have to adjust the amount of lye? I have hand eczema and I know coconut oil can be very drying, so I want to make a little bit milder for my hands. Thank you! 🙏
Hi Erica, homemade dish soap will have no extra oils left in it (a superfat), which means that it will not be gentle on your hands no matter what oils you use. Substituting some of the coconut oil for another oil will only decrease the cleansing and bubbles, which is something you don’t want with this recipe. You want a strong cleanser that is going to remove all the grease, food, and bacteria from your dishes. If you’d like to make and use natural dish soap, I highly recommend that you make it as-is and to instead wear gloves when washing.
Can sodium citrate be substituted for citric acid? If yes, what amount?
Thank you so much.
Hi Judianne, yes you could but since sodium citrate is already neutralized, it won’t react with any of the lye in this recipe. Therefore, you would make this recipe with a 0% superfat and not add in an extra amount of lye to counteract the reaction it would have with citric acid. You would also use more sodium citrate than you would citric acid – instead of 14 g you would use 21 g (1.5 the amount).
This turned out perfectly! I was able to add fragrance and can attest that it does go trace quickly as noted. Quick and easy gift idea that I’ll be making again!
Hello Tanya,
Wondering if I could make it as hot process?
Hi Ginger, I think it might set too fast in a crock pot. You can make liquid soap that could be used as dish soap using hot process, though.
Hello. Would soy wax 464 work? Thank you.
Hi Mary, I love working with golden wax 464 and it makes great diy candles. It’s soy wax that has been blended with a soy-based emulsifier that helps reduce frosting (frosty white streaks and patches) and helps with fragrance throw. And to answer your question, yes, you can use it in this recipe. I’ve used it before.
Hey Tanya,
Valentina here from Mysore, India.
Can I use stainless steel containers instead of glass? Thank you.
Hi Valentina, yes you probably could. Stainless steel doesn’t react with lye and I’ve seen quite a few stainless steel soap holders and dishes.
Thank you Tanya. I have another question: I have followed this recipe of yours, and noticed that the PH of the soap is still around 11-12. Is this normal? If not, what could have gone wrong?
Hi Valentina, handmade body soap typically has a pH of 8-10 but can even get up to about 11. So, I wouldn’t be worried about dish soap being around 11. The important question is do you like using the dishsoap? Is it cleaning your dishes and have you had any issues?
I see, thank you for explaining.
I started using it yesterday, and it seems great. I also washed some clothes with it and they came out super white!
With metta,
Valentina
Hi there! I want to try your recipe but i’m allergic to soy, could i use beeswax?
Hi Dominique, beeswax is not a replacement for soy wax in soap recipes. If you’re not an experienced soapmaker, then probably don’t make this recipe. If you have a little experience, you could instead use pure stearic acid (a natural fatty acid) instead of soy wax. If you do, I’d probably reduce the stearic acid to about 130 g and make up the difference with coconut oil. If you do this, make sure to run the recipe through an online soap calculator to work out the lye needed. Then increase the lye based on the instructions given in the article to make up the difference consumed by the citric acid.
Hi Tanya,
I’m sorry – I should have done a search on the soap turning pink query before I wrote to you. You have answered the question already – so no need to reply again. I now know that it’s most likely the soy wax I used and safe to use. Thank you for all your answers – so helpful. And I actually quite like the pink! :-)
You’re most welcome!
Hi, Thank you so much for this recipe! I tried it today and found that the soap came out pale pink as soon as I was pouring into the ramekins. Not sure if this is ok and simply a reaction to the citric acid. Could it be something else. The soy wax I used was eco soy wax flakes from The Soapery. Is there another possible reason and will it be safe to use?
Thanks so much
Hi Jacinta, I’ve had reports of this before and it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. It seems that some types of soy wax cause this.
Hi, can the soy wax be replaced by something else maybe..? Don’t think i will be able to find it where i live..
Hi Jane, it could be replaced with stearic acid then run through a soap calculator to adjust the lye amount slightly. Otherwise you could order soy wax online! Here’s where to get it in France.
Hi Tanya,
I have taken your course and made this dish soap and love them all! Thank you so much for sharing — this new hobby is super fun. Is it possible to double or triple this recipe to make more product at once? Or any soap recipe, for that matter? Thank you!
Hi Michelle – that’s so lovely to hear :) Most of my soap recipes you can easily double, triple, or otherwise scale up. This one is a little tricky, though, since it does have a tendency to harden up quickly. Personally, I’d only risk doubling it and then working double-quick when pouring. Good luck!
Hello Tanya! Hope your day goes well. Writing from Montana. I received a gallon of fractured coconut oil and need ideas and recipe Resource.
Thanks for your help.
Pat
Hi Pat, fractionated coconut oil (liquid coconut oil) is not used in cold process soapmaking. You can use it in lotion recipes, bath oils, and other skincare, though.
I love the glass ramekins you used. Are they vintage? How can I find them? Thank you kindly!
Lisa K.
Hi Lisa, in the British Isles there are a couple of companies that produce desserts that are sold in these ramekins. Usually a set of two or four to a pack! They’re not vintage and because they’re a regular supermarket product lots of people tend to have a couple (or more!) stashed away in the kitchen. You can also buy them, and I found some similar ones here.
Hi! I’m a CP goat milk soap maker and wondering about using goat milk instead of water for the lye solution like I do for my regular soaps. Any tips/cautions? Also I am wondering about using a soap calculator but there isn’t soy wax as an option, or citric acid. I see bees wax but wondering if that would calculate the same. Also do you have a total weight for this recipe?Thanks for any tips!
Hi Elise, what purpose goat milk would have in homemade dish soap. I’m coming up with nothing but maybe you can explain the intention? I believe every ingredient should have a purpose and arbitrary ingredients should be avoided. As far as soap calculators, each is different but all that I know include soy wax. It’s called soybean, fully hydrogenated (soy wax) in the SoapCalc.
Hi Tanya, thanks for the quick reply! It would leave the hands more moisturized so you wouldn’t need to wear gloves. I’ve read other recipes using goat milk in dish soap and curious if you had any experience with it. thanks for the SoapCalc info on soy wax.
Hi Elise, this dish soap has a superfat of 0% and will not be moisturizing on the skin, no matter what is added. It’s best to wear gloves when using it to wash dishes or your skin may feel dry afterwards.
I want to make this but am confused by step two. Use 2x the water ? And put water,lye, and citric acid in 4 jugs? Why the four jugs?
You need two jugs filled with distilled water – one for the lye solution and the other for the citric acid solution. The other two jugs are for measuring the lye and citric acid into.
HI This recipe looks amazing! I would like to make round bars ( can I pour the soap into silicone round molds) so I can demold them and give them away without the ramakins?
Thanks!
Maria
Absolutely!
Hello! I’ve been using your recipe for a few months now, it works great! But i think i am doing something wrong with the process?
I’ve noticed a couple of things:
– once the soap dries and hardens there is a white residue on top (it quite noticeable because my soap turns yellow due to the lemongrass essential oil that i add)
– sometimes, after washing oily finger print residue would be noticeable on some dishes (I don’t know if it’s because of the soap or what not, but whenever i do notice it i would wash it again but it leaves some oily residue still)
Is there anything that maybe im doing wrong and could fix?
Thank you!
Hi Jaelie, the white residue that can sometimes appear on the top of handmade soap is called ‘soda ash.’ It’s completely harmless and happens when lye in soap batter reacts with the carbon dioxide in air. You can reduce the chance of it happening if you make soap in places (or times of the year) when it’s not humid. Humidity can increase the chances of soda ash forming. As you may have seen already, it washes off without any issues. Some people steam the tops of their soap and that removes the soda ash and gets it looking prettier as a product. Again, soda ash is completely harmless, though. As for an oily fingerprint on dishes. It seems that it’s only happening sometimes with you? Not all of the time? In that case, maybe it could be a particular food ingredient that’s oily? Keep an eye on when it happens and take note of what was on the dish.
Thank you!
Also I am wondering, can I make this recipe into a liquid dish soap as well? just replacing the naoh to Koh? have you tried doing that?
Hi Jaelie, I’ve shared the full process of how to make liquid soap for those who want to use it. I’ve not tried it with this recipe but imagine that it could work. This recipe solidifies very quickly, though, so it may be worth making just a small batch at first to see.
Hi Tanya,
Can you use liquid Lye for this recipe instead of Lye Crystals and water? Also is there a way to add in the citric acid without mixing it with water before hand?
Thanks
Hi Zoe, liquid lye for cleaning drains is not suitable for soap recipes. You must begin with granules so that you can precisely measure out the weight. What is the issue you’re having with mixing the citric acid in at that point? It should be added exactly as the recipe instructs.
Hi Tanya.
Do you think lard would Work instead og soy wax?
Love your site 🙏🏼
Hi Rikke, sorry but lard isn’t a good substitute for soy wax in this recipe. Thank you for your kind words :)
Hi Tanya
Does the lye solution in the recipe already includes the citric acid correction? Or do I still have to add it? I am trying to double the recipe to give to some of my friends and want to make sure.
Thanks
Chrissie
Hi Chrissie, the full steps are to make the soap are in the recipe card. You don’t need to manually calculate anything…just follow the steps.
I’ve made this dish soap and it’s fantastic! Thanks so much for this recipe 💕
Hi Tanya! I so enjoy your content and recipes. It has been a joy to see your growth over the years. Wishing you much continued success. I am going to make this recipe. Very excited to give it a try. Quick ? I was contemplating using hydrosol water such as lavender and lemongrass. Have you ever used a hydrosol? Will it cause it to trace even faster? Interested in hearing your thoughts on hydrosol as water portion of recipe.
Kindest Regards ~ Kristine
Hi Kristine, my advice is to save your precious hydrosol for making skin cream. It’s a waste in a dish soap recipe like this! You will not get a scent and any remaining rose essence in the soap will get quickly washed down the drain. Rose, lavender, and other hydrosols are best used in recipes that are leave-on. Meaning that they aren’t washed off after you apply them to your skin or hair.
I am a soapmaker always looking to get away from detergents but with the hard water it seems impossible. This recipe calls for soy wax and I was just wondering what it’s purpose is in the recipe
Hi Alicia, it’s high in stearic acid which creates a hard bar and the fluffiest lather, ever. I know that other soapmakers use only coconut oil to make dish soap, but the soy wax takes the recipe to another level.
Do you have to use soy wax? Is there a sub?
Hi Laura, without the soy wax the entire recipe would need to be recalculated. In my opinion, it’s essential to making a great dish soap with thick, fluffy lather – I wouldn’t make dish soap without it.
Can o change out soy wax or bees wax?
Sorry, no, that won’t work for this recipe. Soy wax is high in stearic acid, a fatty acid that creates big fluffy lather. Beeswax does not create any lather, and much of it doesn’t saponify in soap recipes. Meaning that it creates waxy, non-lathering soap. That’s why in an ordinary beeswax soap recipe, beeswax is only used at 2% or less of the recipe. All it does is make the bar hard and potentially waxy-feeling.
I made this, it’s excellent at cleaning dishes. I also had some coated kitchen knives which had become stained. Normal washing up liquid had no effect on the stains, but the dish soap did the trick!
A zero waste product that’s cheaper than store bought washing up liquid & is more effective – win/win!
Thank you so much for leaving your experience here, Carole. Glad to hear that the dish soap works so well for you :)
Hello! WONDERFUL article! I would love to make this soap, but I want to switch out the soy wax with another steric acid option such as tallow, shea or cocoa butter. How may I calculate those in with the citric acid–I’ve not seen a calculator that includes that option.
Thank you!
💜 Tracy
Hi Tracy, very sorry but this is an excellent recipe and I don’t suggest any alterations to it. However, you can make a 100% coconut oil dish soap with 0% superfat very easily by using the SoapCalc. As for citric acid, this is something that must be manually worked out.
Thanks for this recipe. I’m an absolute beginner currently fond of Mrs Meyers Clean Day scented dish soaps. I’d like to add essential oils to this recipe. Would that be safe and at what step in the process should that happen? Thanks so much😊
Hi Allison, I’m not a big fan of essential oils for dish soap, but if you stick to a very low usage rate, you should be safe. Many you can use at 2% by weight of the soap recipe without the water included. You’d add the essential oils, and stir them in, right before you add the lye solution.
Thank you for your detailed instructions! I made your dish soap and from how it set up and looks in the ramekin, it seems to have turned out perfectly :) My question is, since it is not hot process, how is it ready to use in 2 days? thank you.
Hi Pat and that’s wonderful to hear :) Though it will be more bubbly after a month’s cure, you can use it successfully just two days after making it. That’s because two days is how long saponification takes to complete. Since you’re not using it on your skin and the recipe is water discounted, it’s fine to use from day two onwards.
Do you have a new link for the soy wax? it is unavailable at your current link.
Sure, if you’re in the UK, here’s where you can find a small amount of soy wax. The link in the recipe works for the USA, though.
Hi there can I replace the soy wax for bees wax?
Thank you
Not in soap recipes. They have different fatty acid profiles and fulfil different purposes in soap. Soy wax is an essential for this recipe, whereas beeswax would ruin it.
Hi! Super excited to make this soap. I don’t have any extra glass ramekins at the moment. Does tin work? I have a candle tin stored away that I could use for this.
Hi Sandra, unless it’s stainless steel it will rust and/or react with the lye in the soap before it saponifies. I’ll bet if you go to a thrift/charity shop that you’ll be able to find glass or ceramic ramekins, though :)
Thank you so much Sandra, I will definitely try this! :)
This is great! Just made this and everything turned out so well.
I do however notice that on my stainless steel it seems like leave a bit of a residue, but not on my glass or ceramics. Is this a reaction of the lye? How can I get rid of this? Our water is hard, mainly with calcium, is that my problem?
Hi Emily, lye does not react with stainless steel so that isn’t what’s going on. It may potentially be your water, but it’s hard for me to say without seeing what’s going on. If it is your hard water, then scrubbing your pans with baking soda and white vinegar can help!
Hi There, I made this recipe a few weeks ago. I had the soap ramekins stored in my garage/studio. It get’s pretty hot in there, and my soap has softened after already being hard. I brought it inside, but it isn’t hardening. Is it ruined?
Hi Claire, my guess is that you may have experienced false trace. That’s when the soap seems to firm up to a trace, but it’s actually just the solid oils returning to be solid at a cooler temperature. They then melt again when the temperature warms up! You can avoid this keeping the ingredients warm (in this case, around 125F) and by stirring longer. As for this batch, you could pour the ingredients back into a pan, gently heat to 125F, and try mixing it together again.
I tried making it for the first time tonight. I forgot to add the citric acid water before the lye water so I threw it in after the lye. Is that ok? Also, the soap is pink……. it hasn’t cured yet so maybe that will go away?
That’s fine to add citric acid at that point. As for the pink color, don’t worry. Some soy wax brands can cause it, but it’s perfectly harmless. Unfortunately, the color won’t fade away but the dish soap is fine to use.
Hi Tanya, I’ve made this soap dish recipe several times and love it. However, when making it today, I’ve only realised I accidentally used beeswax instead on soy wax 😬!! Do you know what the outcome might be like?? And if it’ll be useable??
It’s likely that the lather won’t be as good for one. I’d also run the recipe through a soap calculator to see what the superfat would be, if any.
Hi Tanya
Thank you so much for this detailed instruction and recipe for kitchen soap. I would like to tweak the kitchen soap at 1% superfat to try out. I was wondering how do you know the % of superfat excess when adding citric acid?
Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Rebecca, you’ll need to put the recipe into a soap calculator, and calculate it for a 1% superfat. Then manually add the extra lye amount on that I go over in the section on using citric acid in soap recipes. Please be aware that having any superfat in dish soap recipes will likely leave spots/residue on your dishes, though.
Hi! I was wondering, about how much does each soap weigh?
Hi Tanya,
If you wanted to add essential oils to this recipe for scent, at what point would you add it in the process? Thanks!
Hi Sloane, I’d add them before adding the lye solution. Otherwise, you might not get a chance to add it before the soap starts setting up.
I loved the simplicity of this recipe and was anxious to try. I tweaked the recipe by adding 3% clay to the oils to help with the oily dishes. Then I used some soap nuts in the hot lye water. I think this is where I went wrong. It cured for 3 days. It had amazing suds, but left a waxy film on dishes. I’m going to try it again, but without the soap nuts.
And I’d advise leaving the clay out too :)
Thanks a lot for the great recipe. If I use a silicone molt, when can I take it out and cut it?
This soap is very hard and very brittle. If you do use a loaf mold, you will need to take the soap out before it cools to room temperature to cut it.
So I have done a lot of reading and was very excited to try this recipe as it has both a wax and citric acid. I gave it a 5 star as I’m certain my issue was with something I did and not the recipe. The first time I made it I did it at 125f as per the recipe. Part of it solidified immediately and half was still liquid. I used the immersion blender and continued to try to reach emulsion, which I kind of did, but it was difficult to scoop into the ramekin. Then, it reached gel phase in seconds and volcanoed. I realized I forgot the citric acid and it was lye heavy so I tossed the batch. I thought my issue was that the temp was too low as my Soy wax has a melting temp of 145f.
Take 2- this time I did it at 150f, and the same thing happened! I think I got it all emulsified, but it wasn’t easy. I only filled the ramekins 2/3 to reduce the volcano. It still did it a bit. The last one filled is dry and crumbly, like pie dough needing more water. I have no idea if this batch is usable. What did I do to make this recipe do this? What should the ph be if the batch is good, since it is high cleansing? I followed the recipe perfectly! Thank you for your help.
Hi Denise and so sorry that you’ve been having challenges. Next time, stick with making the dish soap at the temperature in the recipe — 125F. Also, try just stirring and no immersion blender since this recipe does thicken quickly. Hope this helps :)
I think stirring is out of the question as there was a big mass of solid goo as soon as I poured in the lye water, which I did slowly. Could it be my coconut oil? I bought the Kirkland one with the orange lid, so it’s just regular oil, not refined. Does the refined make a difference? Because the exact same thing happened twice regardless of the temperature. I would appreciate knowing the ph of your soap to test mine against…or what ph level should it not be higher than? Thank you for your help!
Hi Denise, unless the Kirkland coconut oil has another additive, I don’t think that it could be it. What it might be is the soy wax you’re using. Could you send me a photo of the package over email? My email is tanya at lovelygreens dot come
Thank you so much for your help Tanya! I just wanted to clarify that my issues were because of the Virgin unrefined coconut oil I used (Costco’s Kirkland brand) and not the fault of the recipe. I figured it was something I wasn’t doing correctly! I will order “Refined coconut oil, 76 degree” and give it another go.
You’re welcome, Denise, and please be in touch again if you have any further questions :)
So I panicked when I read this thread as I’d already measured out everything using unrefined coconut oil (PC Organics 100% virgin coconut oil). Fortunately, I always half a recipe when I do it for the first time. I double-checked the soy wax too, which turned out to have a 125F melting point. I was expecting a mess.
Wink and a prayer, I went ahead and soaped at around 130 (my oils were a little warmer than my lye solution: 134 for the oils, 125 for the lye when I mixed them). They emulsified and went to trace just fine. So far so good. No volcano as of 10 minutes, so unrefined coconut oil might be okay.
I wonder if there’s something weird with Kirkland.
Hi I made up dish soap and not sure how to write this! It does clean but I feel it’s grease cutting powers are very weak? Or ability to emulsify fat. My dishes come out with a waxy residue which either comes from the soap or the oils in the food. The water kind of beads on the washing up even after a rinse. The actual washing up water has oil blobs in it.
I followed the recipe to the dot but I do live in a hard water area. I’m wondering if there’s too much wax? Or not enough citric acid? I thought I’d pick your brains over this if possible before attempting take 2! Thank you!
Hi Zoe, It’s almost certainly your hard water that’s affecting the lather of the soap. It’s unfortunately a common issue for most handmade soap! This recipe uses the maximum amount of citric acid recommended for soapmaking so adding more isn’t the solution. I think a water softening unit for your home or considering sticking with liquid detergent-based dish soap will be your best option. The latter won’t be natural soap, but it will clean dishes in hard water and there are more sensitive products to choose from including Meyers Clean Day.
Ah thank you for replying! We usually try to stick to the eco dish soaps but I will continue to experiment on reducing my waste! About to experiment with diluting normal dish soap with bicarb and vinegar, which would make one bottle last over a year. Fingers crossed!
I’ve made some of your other soaps and loved them, just a shame I’m in the wrong area currently for block dish soaps.
Hey Zoe! I had water spots and a waxy feel at times. Lower the lye from zero to -1. It worked for me! Could be the lye is old, therefore less effective. Regardless it works.
Hi. This recipe looks great. But I have a small problem. That is the soy wax.
All I can find of soy wax (here in Norway) is intended for candle making. Is there a difference, or can I buy Eco Wax C3 and use it?
Hi Helen, and yes, you can use that type of soy wax for this recipe and other cosmetic applications.
Thank you so much for a quick reply :)
Hi,
This recipe looks really great and I can’t wait to try it out.
I just have a little question: I don’t have soy wax at home but I do have a stock of stearic acid. Can I just swap the soy wax for the stearic acid ? Or is there any adjustment needed to the recipe?
Many thanks for your help.
Marie
Hi Marie, and though I haven’t tried I’m sure that yes you could :) Use the same amount of stearic acid as you would soy wax when making the swap. There is a small difference in the amount of lye you’ll need so run the new recipe through the SoapCalc and make adjustments for the amount of lye that the citric acid will use up. There’s information on how to do that in the article above the recipe card.
I made your soap and it turned out great! I want to post on IG about ditching bottled dish soap and switching to a more sustainable alternative and I’d love to link to your recipe and blog or IG account with your permission.
Hello, I love this idea but I am desperately trying to find a natural dish cleaner that doesn’t have citric acid. Can this be omitted or substituted? Thank you
You can omit the citric acid as long as you recalculate the lye amount. Use 0% superfat and the amounts of the other oil/wax using your favorite soap calculator.
Hello! Is it possible to swap the soy wax for bee wax? Thank you!!
Sorry, no, not for this recipe. Beeswax does not have the same chemical profile as soy wax and is not a replacement for soy wax in making solid dish soap.
Hello, what about coconut wax? Could you swap the soy wax for coconut wax?
Sorry, no, it’s not a substitute.
Hi! Is it possible to use bee wax instead? I’ve made the pure coconut soap and it’s my son’s favorite so far. Thanks!!!
Hi Giselle, and very sorry, but beeswax does not have the fatty acid profile that soy wax does. Soy wax is a must for this recipe. Glad to hear your son enjoyed the pure coconut oil soap recipe! :)
Hello,
I’m not into soap making but I have an inquisitive mind: someone mentioned that adding citric acid can lower the pH of a soap which I knew it’s impossible but I’ve googled it anyway and I ended up on this website.
I have to acknowledge the quality of your articles here and also to thank you for explaining in such a detail.
I’m very tempted to make this dish soap but I have two questions, please:
1. May I use unrefined coconut oil or this will mean I have to make some adjustments? 2. I only have laboratory glass thermometers which I use for my emulsions. Can these be used in the lye solution?
Thank you, a lot.
Kind regards,
Ileana
Hi Ileana, citric acid does not affect the final pH of handmade soap. Instead, it reacts with some of the lye and forms sodium citrate, a substance that helps reduce soap scum and helps soap to work in hard water. For your other questions, you can use unrefined coconut oil if you wish but it’s quite expensive and better used in food recipes. Lab thermometers work fine but take longer to give you a reading. It’s only a slight inconvenience though.
Thanks for the recipe, how long do you have to cure dish soap.
You can use it almost immediately, but it’s best to fully cure it for a month for the best bubbles and cleaning ability.
Would it work to use beef tallow
Instead of the soy wax?
Hi MJ, the soy wax is important to this recipe and can’t be replaced with another ingredient.
I made this and it’s a roaring success. Just read the recipe steps a few times before starting out. No lies, it traces quickly so everything has to be washed and ready to go. Works great with city tap water (soft). I’ll try it with well water next. A neat project, I had fun thanks for posting.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Monica! It’s a great homemade dish soap in my humble opinion — I use this exact recipe to hand wash dishes practically every day :)
Hi Tanya,
Tried this recipe today. It traced instantly to a very hard mass. And after a minute or so it started volcanoing. Kept mixing and I think it went through gel phase and turned into a hot process soap. The temp of the oilwax mix was about 64C and lye about 58C. Did it happen because of the high temperatures? My wax melting temp was 60C. Do I need to look for a different type of wax?
Thank you.
Aurelija
Oh boy. What I can’t understand is why you would rate this recipe a four-star when you clearly did not follow the instructions. Making soap at hot temperatures, such as those you used, can result in volcanoing and aesthetic issues. Try making it again but stick to the temperatures listed in the recipe. Ignore the melting temperature of the soy wax you use and good luck!
Thank you so much for the reply. Sorry for the rating, I was doing it ina heat of the moment.
So I take it it’s ok if soy wax is not fully melted?
Hiya and no worries. To clarify on melting temperatures: when different oils are mixed together (such as coconut and soy wax) their melting temperature generally becomes the average of the oils. In this case, will begin melting at the lowest melting temperature (76F) and the vast majority of the melting will be complete before you hit the melting temperature of the soy wax (melting temperatures vary). The most important thing is to keep the lye solution close to the temperatures of the oils and for the oils to be completely liquid when it’s introduced. If the oils look cloudy then it’s too cold. It’s good to think about these things and understand them but if you’re following a recipe and deviate from it then toss it up to experience and try making it again sticking to the instructions.
Hello! I just made your recipe and mine turned pink while mixing too, like a previous comment. The only thing I did differently than your instuctions, were I used unrefined coconut oil since I didn’t have refined. Do you think that would make it pink? I hope ill still be able to use it.
Thank you
Hi Beverly, some hydrogenated oils can turn soap pink and the culprit is likely the soy wax in the recipe. It doesn’t happen with all soy waxes though and don’t worry, your dish soap is okay to use :)
This is brilliant. I have never made soap before, but this has changed the way I wash up now. So much better than the unknown chemicals in washing up liquids! Also, it makes my hands nice and soft and very clean.
I was puzzled why the recipe said 4 jugs were required – I think that must have been a typing error.
I will try to get others to make this too.
Thanks so much,
Nancy
Good evening,
Thank you for the amazing recipe, i just did it. I’ll wait two days to use.
I just have one question, that i don’t see it on the comments. Any idea why can turn pink? Mine turned pink while blending.
Thank you.
Hi Emma and great to hear that you’ve made the dish soap successfully :) I can’t think of anything in the recipe that could turn it pink so I wonder if there was something in/on the equipment you used such as inside the immersion blender head or the pan. If you added something not called for in the recipe (such as milk/sugar/honey/fragrance) then that can cause the soap to change color too. UPDATE: I looked into the pink issue and found that hydrogenated oils (such as soy wax) can turn soap pink on exposure to air. It doesn’t happen with all soy wax though, and if it does, it does not affect the properties of the soap in any way.
Thank you so much! I later though i could have been that i didn’t wait long enough to cool the lye. They worked out great, i’m almost done with that batch and I’m making more :-)
Fab, and great to hear :)
Is there anything we can substitute the Soy wax with? We tend to avoid soy at all costs in out family.
Soy is very important in this soap recipe since it gives the soap its very stable bubbles. You could make dish soap using a 100% coconut oil recipe with zero superfat though :)
Because I don’t have any soy wax except what I use for candles, and didn’t readily find a pure soy wax I am using stearic acid in place of the soy wax. The online lye calculator I use has stearic acid as an ingredient, so that made it an easy substitute. It is very close to the soy wax. I’m excited to try this formula! I was looking for something beyond just 100% coconut oil soap (which I use as part of my laundry blend).
This recipe is amazing! I’m so impressed. I love it as a dish soap, entire kitchen cleaning soap, window soap. I’m currently preparing to try it as a dishwasher powder and laundry powder. It’s just soooooo good. I can’t thank you enough!
My husband is a scientist and very impressed with your description.. lol. I have made allot of things from laundry soap to dishwasher soap.. all fails.. BUT THIS IS A WINNER.. amazing.. I was shocked that it worked so incredibly.. lathers, not greasy, cleans.. I am just FLOORED and so excited about this soap.
Question. Can I add lemon zest to it and when and any essential oils drops.
Thank you Thank you for this recipe..
Shauna
Hi Shauna and thanks :) I’d avoid putting lemon zest or anything else that could leave a residue on dishes. I’m also unsure about using essential oils in dish soap, which is why I left it out. It could leave a residue too and potentially get into your food. Not all essential oils are created equally, and none of them should be ingested. I’d recommend sticking with unscented for this recipe.
hello. merci pour cette recette que j’ai très envie d’essayer mais je n’ai pas accès à la cire de soja est il possible de remplacer par de l’acide stéarique directement en repassant la recette dans soapcalc par exemple pour les changements éventuels de la quantité de soude?
Hi Betty, your message in google translate says: ‘Hello. thank you for this recipe that I really want to try but I do not have access to soy wax is it possible to replace with stearic acid directly by ironing the recipe in soapcalc for example for possible changes in the amount of soda?’ –> If you are comfortable and experienced with customizing a soap recipe, then try it out. Remember that lye will need to be manually adjusted due to the amount consumed by the lye, though. Good luck :)
Hi, Tanya!
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
I have two questions about it.
1. Where did you find NaOH SAP of soy wax?
2. How did you calculate the amount of Citric acid ?
I appreciate if you let me know them.
Hi Miho, that information is freely available on the internet and even linked to in the recipe above.
I love this dish soap.
Can this recipe be doubled? I want to make Christmas gifts.
Thank you
It could but it does firm up rather quickly so you’d have to pour it into ramekins quickly too!
What is the purpose of the soy wax?
Can you give percentages for all ingredients?
The purpose of soy wax is already explained as are the percentages used.
Hi Tanya, I have question. Can we replace citric acid directly with natural pure lemon juice or orange juice in this recipe? In that case, how do we calculate the amount of lye used in the recipe?
Very sorry, but you need to use powdered citric acid since the citric acid amount in citrus fruits is not nearly enough for this recipe. 2 TBSP of lemon juice only contains about 1.2 g citric acid. To get the 14 g required you’d need 11.5 oz of lemon juice. That’s 3x more liquid than the recipe calls for and would likely result in a soft and wet mixture.
Can I use a regular food/meat thermometer?
Yes, you can. Make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned afterward, though.
Well, I was so excited to make this recipe, I’m a little sad it didn’t work out. I have soy wax that says heat to 180 F for candles. When my oil mix was about 136 the wax looked like it might get too solid, and the lye was at about 124 so I put them together with a few drops of lemongrass eo. it seized right up, wasn’t even able to give one burst with my blender! Do you have any suggestions for my next batch?
Hi Beverly, this soap traces FAST. You could probably make it without the use of a stick blender if you wanted to try it that way next time. Also, remember that the melting point of mixed oils is different from that of the singular oils in it.
Lemongrass EO also speeds up trace. I discovered this trying to make a camping soap to keep bugs off while outdoors. I had to eventually just stir my oils together, leave at room temp and also do the same for my Lye solution. I add Lemongrass EO Before I add my room temp lye water.
Tanya, I have a question. I am new to soap making. Does the soap need to be insulated once poured? I am thinking no as it can be left uncovered for 2 days?
Hi Patricia, soap doesn’t need to be insulated after pouring it. You do that step in other soap recipes to help the soap to gel, and that deepens the color. Insulating doesn’t affect anything other than how the soap looks and it’s not necessary for this recipe :)
I always have used Sunlight soap for my dishes as it cleans and leaves the sink shining. I thought that making dish soap would not be cost effective. I decided to read the label and found that Sunlight soap is made from palm oil.
Wow! Fantastic recipe with a clear and very good tutorial. The soap makes great long lasting suds (much better than any soap or liquid I have tried) that stay even when you are washing greasy dishes, my sink is sparkling and it costs about the same as Sunlight soap. The dishes dry crystal clear no streaking at all
I love this recipe!! I almost have up with dish solid bars altogether as the few I bought didn’t lather and left so much residue. Then I came across this post… I liked the citric acid in it and I was curious to try. I have zero experience in making soap but I did it and it is amazing!! Definitely use it again and again. So effective and lathers so nicely after only 2 days of curing so it can only get better. I live in a very hard water area. I tried it on my silicon oven mats and no feeling of oilyness left behind. Super happy I found this post!! :) :)
Thank you for the wonderful recipe and instructions. I made your dish soap and sold it a my local farmer’s market. Customers come back and rave about the product. They all say “I was skeptical at first, but I love this dish soap.” One lady was so complimentary that I sold completely out of the 6 ramekins I brought to the market that day. I package the dish soap with a brush, instructions and a bakers twine ribbon. Thank you I really appreciate the time you take to research and communicate.
That’s amazing Rose! Woo hoo for succeeding with the recipe and turning customers to a more eco-friendly product 💚😍
Hi Tanya
Well – I finally made this dish soap today
Oils and citric acid solution were 52 degs C and lye solution at 56 degs C
It comes together so quickly – barely pulsed on low and used stick blender to whisk then pulse on low again – did that 3 times and it was ready
pours beautifully – got 4 nice wee ramekins and 2 rounds in a silicone mold – was able to level the silicone mold ones but left the ramekins with a bit of a swirly uneven top but i dont care about that
as i do it more i will learn how to smooth it if i want to
now – can i add an essential oil like lemon or peppermint??? – and would i work out the percentage according to the weight of the coconut oil and soy wax base combined weight???
i am so looking forward to trying again – but must find more of the wee ramekins like the ones i used today – the only ones i can find are the deep ones now – but will keep on hunting on the net and when i am next in the big city i will try to find a junk shop and look through there – i live about 200km from the nearest city so it will be a while away before i get there
thanks for the inspiration
Liz
Great to hear Liz! The ramekins I use are the types that pre-packaged desserts come in at the grocery store. I’m not sure if you have the same products in your region, but here, you can get inexpensive chocolate mousse, panna cotta, and other things in these glass ramekins. As for essential oil — it can be dangerous if ingested. Even the smallest amount left on a plate or cup can cause reactions in people if it gets into food or drink. That’s why I didn’t include essential oils in the recipe and why I don’t recommend them in dishwashing soap.
Hi Tanya,
When I made this soap it was slow to trace for some reason, so I’m wondering if I did something wrong and if it is Ok. After two days, I tried it out. It looks good, makes a lot of lather, but the pH is 11. Does it sound Ok to use? If it is lye heavy, could I use this bar for laundry? Years ago, my mom used to make soap and put the bar right in the washing machine.
Thanks for your website. It’s great!
Lynnette
Hi Lynnette, not really sure but I wouldn’t worry about the pH too much. Continue using it to wash dishes :) Also, if there’s any chance that the superfat is more than zero, then the soap will unfortunately not be suitable for laundry. There’s a chance that superfat oils can leave an oily residue on your clothes.
Hi Lynette,
I grate up all my soap left overs, fails, end bits and ugly bits. Then add an equal amount of washing soda (sodium carbonate) to the grated soap and bingo washing powder. I have been using the washing powder for a while now and the clothes are clean with no residue or soap burns.
Hi, absolutely love this recipe – but I’m trying to use less coconut oil in soap making and using local oils produced in Europe. Would you recommend swapping the coconut oil for olive oil (or another oil)?
Hi Sophie, you can’t directly substitute olive oil for coconut oil in this recipe as the lye amount would change too. It’s possible to make a 0% superfat olive oil soap but please be aware that it wouldn’t have a good lather and would not have the cleansing power of coconut oil soap. I wouldn’t recommend it so don’t have a recipe to share.
Hi Tanya,
I’d like to make this into a liquid dish soap to use as a refill for old plastic bottles…could I grate this soap into flakes and use it in a liquid dish soap recipe (with distilled water, a bit of washing soda, glycerine, essential oils and a touch of xanthan gum to thicken)? You’re my hero with these recipes. I love your site and was googling around for a good dish soap without thinking to search here and ended up on your site anyways because it’s exactly what I needed!
Thanks so much! Can’t wait for your new book!
I’ve not yet tried grating and diluting this soap with distilled water, but it would probably work. I’d leave out the washing soda, essential oil, and glycerine though :) If you do end up trying it out, let me know how it goes?
Hello,
I love the look of this recipe! I am new to soap making and have been searching for a dish soap recipe. My only question is how to replace the soy wax. I have a severe soy allergy so I definitely don’t want to use soy wax. Do you have any suggestions on how to make the recipe work without it?
Thank you!!
Hi Karen, if any of the ingredients are changed in this recipe, then the amount of lye used changes too. The same goes for any from scratch soap recipe. The end product will be different from the original recipe too and in this case, you would not get the thick stable lather that you see in this dish soap recipe’s photos. As long as you are aware of that, you can make a soy-free dish soap using the recipe below. It will not be as good as my original but it will be better for those with soy allergies.
Lye solution: 92g Sodium hydroxide + 120g Distilled water
Base oil: 454g Coconut oil
Citric acid solution: 14g Citric Acid + 30g Distilled water
Hi there. I’m looking to make this recipe and am wondering what my ramekin has to be made out of. Will A porcelain ramekin work? Can I pour my soap directly in to cure in there?
Glass or ceramic is best — I’m not sure about porcelain and wouldn’t want you to ruin the dish.
Hi, I’ve been making cold process soap for about 20 years. Just recently I’ve been trying to reduce my plastic usage and branching out.
I’m the first to admit I’m no chemist! I find a recipe I like and stick with it.
Here’s my problem. I have made another hard dish soap which worked wonderfully at our lake house. . Tons of suds and no residue. So I thought this is great and brought the same ramekin to our other place. It’s horrible! No lather waxy feel….so sad. I’m thinking the water has to be the difference. We have very soft water at our lake house.
Do you think the addition of soy and citric acid will make a difference? My last recipe was coconut oil and tallow that came to zero fat.
Now I’m afraid to make a another batch before the last can be used up.
Care to give an opinion.?
JR
Hi Janet, and you’re bang on the money with the water quality. Hard water can impede the lather of all-natural soap. However, adding citric acid to the recipe, as mine does, helps the soap to lather in hard water.
Hello,
I really love this soap. The bubbles are truly fluffy and it lasts through piles of dishes!!! We dont get any residue on stainless steel pots or glass cups, they actually sparkle! But both my husband and I feel a little waxiness left on rubber or plastic material. I feel waxy residue leftover on our sponge and hands too even after a thorough cleaning, is this how the soap should feel? Is there any recommendation for reducing the waxy feel? Still very happy to have found your recipe, thank you!
Hi Leydie, there shouldn’t be any waxy residue left in the soap as this is a zero superfat soap recipe. That means that the lye uses up every drop of oil and wax. If there’s a residue, it’s possible that you accidentally added too much oil or wax, or not enough citric acid. I’m glad it’s cleaning your pans and glasses though :)
Hello Tanya,
I made these soaps but when I added the lye to the oil mixture it became in to trace instantly… I am not sure why this happened so I stirred really quickly and put it into the mold as fast as I can.. another thing is that I was excited to use these so when I tried it, on stainless steel pots and in the sink it gives like a white /film coating … so it doesn’t really feel clean… I wonder if this is from soy wax? Do you know what I did wrong?
Thanks,
Michele
Hi Michelle, this recipe does trace VERY quickly, but it’s possible that you experienced a false trace. That’s when the temperatures that you’re working at are so low that the solid oils re-solidify when you add the lye solution.
I am not sure if that was the case because I made sure temperture in both oil mix and lye solution was at 125 degrees.
hi tanya
oops – i meant the diameter at 3 1/4 inches
cant type today – all fingers and thumbs it seems
liz
hi tanya
i am sooooooooo keen to try this recipe – you gave the measurement for the ramekin as 31/2 inches diameter – not a problem there – but what i am wondering about is the depth – my ramekins look so much deeper than yours and i dont want to make a huge block of it – i also have the 6 mold of round deepish pucks which i may end up looking for a dish to pop them in once they are set up – but if i could have the depth of the ones you used it would be easier to look for them
hope that made sense – lol
liz
Hi Liz, the soap in my ramekins is about 3/4″ deep. Hope this helps :)
Hello Tanya, thank you for this wonderful, simple, and easy to make recipe. I made it as directed and it’s working great–so bubbly! I bought some cute ramekins on Amazon to match my kitchen. Love that I can use them over and over. This recipe filled six (6) traditional ramekins.
Fantastic, and thank you for letting us know that it fills six traditionally sized ramekins. That will be a big help for others :)
Hi Tanya, thank you for sharing your dish soap recipe. It seems really different from most I’ve researched so far. Can you share more about why you add the soy wax, it seems counter intuitive to me, and I’m afraid of clogging up the pipes in my old house.
Ramona
Soy wax is high in stearic acid and creates a soap that’s long-lasting and with big fluffy stable lather. From your question, I can tell that you’re a beginner and I recommend that you pick up a copy of my Guide to Natural Soapmaking. It will introduce you to the chemistry of cold-process soapmaking and lead you on to how to make your first batches of natural soap.
Hola recién estoy incursionando en los jabones y quería sabes si es q le pongo más agua a esta receta podré obtener un jabón líquido
I put your comment into google translate and got “Hi, I’m just getting into soaps and I wanted to know if I put more water in this recipe, I can get a liquid soap”
The answer to this is no. Making liquid soap is a much different process, using a different type of lye. Here’s my recipe.
Hi Tanya!
I love your website, recipes and helpful tips! Thanks so much for sharing your hard work! My question is also about the soy wax. I don’t have any on hand, but I do have stearic acid. If I put that in the soap calculator along with the coconut oil and citric acid, will that produce the same hard bar with fluffy lather? I saw a S.C. with citric acid on the list, but I can’t remember which one. I think soap calculator made the needed adjustment for the citric acid. Assuming I can find that calculator again, would you recommend the use of stearic acid as a substitute to soy wax?
Thanks!
Hi Lisa, I don’t work with stearic acid in soapmaking personally, but yes it’s possible to add it to the recipe to compensate for the 26% lost from the soy wax (The total recipe contains 28% stearic acid naturally occurring in the oil and wax.) Doing that will help keep the lather thick and creamy.
Hi Tanya! Thanks so much for the reply! I will experiment with this and see what I can come up with. If I run your original recipe through the lye calculator, I can make the needed adjustments from there. I was wondering which soap calculator you used when formulating this recipe. Since this will be an experiment, I’d like to keep all the other values the same. Thanks for your help! I’m excited to try your recipe!
Hi Lisa, I always use the SoapCalc, but have manually calculated the lye amount based on the citric acid ingredient.
Wow, amazing. I’ve never gotten into soapmaking before, and want to see if it is cost-effective.
Do you have any suggestions for buying sodium hydroxide or soy wax in bulk?
Hi Kim, it will be different based on your country/region and suppliers but I have some listed at the bottom of this piece.
Can it be any wax that you use I have beeswax and would prefer to use that or how would you adjust this recipe for that? Can you give me any advice? And also can you put essential oils in this soap?
Hi Shelly, to answer your question, no, you cannot replace the soy wax with beeswax. Handmade soap with more than 2% beeswax loses its ability to produce lather and to clean. If you wanted to make this recipe without soy wax, you could make it with 100% coconut oil but the lye amount would change. You would have to work that out using the SoapCalc and manually add the amount back in that the citric acid uses up.
As for essential oils, I wouldn’t recommend using them on items that you wish to eat from. I don’t recommend that they’re used in dishsoap.
Hi Tanya!
I was looking online for soy wax and all I am seeing is soy wax for candle making. Is this the same soy wax? I just want to make sure I buy the right kind. :) Or, can you suggest a brand or share an Amazon link?
Thanks!
Theresa
Yes, it’s the same stuff :) Just make sure that it’s 100% soy wax since some types can have additives.
Hi Tanya!
Since you said Soy wax is good even in creating strong leather; can it be used in making body soaps?
Thank you
Hi Asela, and yes it can. It’s also be used for shaving soap recipes that need a thick, rich lather.