Learn to make Handmade Soap with Lovely Greens

Learn how to make natural soap at home

Are you interested in learning how to make handmade soap as a hobby or for a business? Lovely Greens is here to help! I’ve been making soap as a business since 2011 and have shared a lot of what I’ve learned on this website. I remember the early days of teaching myself how to make soap and the failures I had along the way. With that experience, I’m here to help you move as quickly as possible from complete novice to confident soap maker. Here are some popular soap recipes and DIYs:

Silicone moulds are great for soap making

Natural Soap Making Series

The best place for beginners to start is with the four-part natural soap making series. It’s a very popular (and free) introduction to natural cold-process soap making. The basics are fully covered and the series has launched quite a few crafters on their handmade beauty journeys. I know how delighted you’ll be to see your first batch thicken into handmade soap!

The series begins with an introduction to ingredients, continues to Equipment and Safety, follows on with Basic Recipes and Formulating your own, and ends with the full Soap Making Process. Use the series as a guide and foundation for all other cold-process recipes.

Natural Goat Milk Soap Recipe

Cold-process Soap Recipes

There are a lot of soap recipes that I’ve shared on Lovely Greens over the years and I invite you to use them. It can be complex creating your own recipes and a real headache as a beginner. My opinion is that when you learn to make handmade soap it’s best to begin with tried and tested recipes. Here’s a selection of recipes:

When you’re ready to progress with creating your own recipes, you can begin by reading this article. Until then, have a browse of the soap recipes on Lovely Greens.

Make Handmade Soap

Once you’ve had a thorough look through the 4-part Natural Soap Making Series it’s time to make soap. I always tell the students in my soap making lessons that the biggest challenge to getting started is the fear of handling Lye. Though you need to respect this ingredient, it’s in no way scary if you’re wearing the proper protection and working in a well ventilated environment. Watch my video on making Lemongrass soap to see exactly what to expect.

Afterwards, you’ll be on your way. Each recipe that I share on Lovely Greens comes with detailed instructions including any special steps and differences in ingredients and temperature. So get your station set up, read through the instructions, ask a question if you’re not sure about something, and make handmade soap!

Make Handmade Soap as a Business

As a professional soap maker I’ve had a lot of experience in growing a successful soap business. I’m a one-woman band with help only in peak times like Christmas! In my upcoming E-Book I’ll be sharing what I know to help propel your hobby into a profitable business. It will include everything from safety assessments, marketing practices, and working with customers, to guidelines on selling soaps to countries in the EU.

The e-book will be released in November and if you’d like to get notified of when it’s out, sign up to my newsletter using the form below.