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Gardeners Soap Recipe (Cold Process)

A naturally green gardeners soap recipe made with alfalfa-infused oil, rich butters, poppy seeds, and a blend of herbal essential oils. This cold process soap recipe makes 4-6 bars of hand soap and is oven-processed to help boost the color. Technical information: 1lb / 454g batch -- 6% superfat -- 33% lye concentration.
Keyword soap, soap recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Curing time 28 days
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 bars
Author Lovely Greens
Cost 10

Equipment

Ingredients

Alfalfa Infused Oil

Lye solution

Solid oils

Liquid oils

  • 191 g alfalfa-infused olive oil 6.73 oz (42%)
  • 23 g castor oil 0.8 oz (5%)

After Trace

Instructions

Make Alfalfa-infused oil

  • Make the alfalfa-infused oil, using the cold-infusion method, at least two weeks before making the soap. Pour the olive oil and alfalfa powder into a glass jar, seal it with a lid, and give it a shake. Place the jar in a dark but warm place, shaking it when you remember. Every few days is enough.
  • At the end of the two weeks, strain the oil through a cheesecloth and sieve. The oil will be a dark army green, and the alfalfa may form a thick sludge at the bottom of the jar. Don't squeeze the cheesecloth - let the oil drip through until it stops. At the end, you should have enough alfalfa-infused oil to make at least two 1-lb (454 g) batches of this gardeners soap recipe. Store it in a clean Mason jar in a dim place until needed. Discard the alfalfa.

Prepare Your Workspace

  • Cold-process soapmaking is chemistry, and this recipe uses lye. Lye 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.
  • To make soap, first prepare your workstation with your tools, equipment, and safety gear. Wear long sleeves, rubber gloves, eye protection, and an apron. Carefully pre-measure the ingredients into their respective containers. The solid oils into the pan, the liquid oils into a bowl or jug, the water in a heat-proof jug, and the lye in another jug or container. If using it, measure the essential oil in a small glass or ceramic container.
  • Set out the mold and ensure you have everything else you need laid out. Though this recipe includes instructions and photos for using an empty drinks carton as a soap mold, you can use another, if you wish.
  • To prepare a drinks carton as a simple soap mold, just cut the top of it off. Ensure the inside is clean and dry.

Make Gardeners Soap

  • Working in an airy place, pour the lye (sodium hydroxide) crystals into the distilled water. Stir well to dissolve the crystals completely. There will be a lot of heat and steam, so be careful. Don't breathe it in. I generally have the window open above my kitchen sink, where I tend to do this step for small batches of soap like this one.
  • Leave the jug of lye solution to cool. The best way is to set it in cold water in the sink.
  • Melt the solid oils on low heat in a stainless steel pan on the stovetop. Leave it on the heat until all the oils are fully melted.
  • When melted, remove from the heat and set on a potholder. Pour in the liquid oils. If you have the olive and castor oils in the same container, stir them together before pouring them into the pan. Castor oil is thick and sticky, and it's easier to pour when mixed with a lighter consistency oil.
  • Preheat the oven to 175°F (80°C).
  • Next, measure the temperatures of the lye solution and the oils. Aim to cool them both to around 100°F (38°C). When they are both around that point, pour the lye solution into the pan of oils. Pour it against a spatula held in the oils to reduce splashing and air bubbles from forming.
  • Dip the immersion blender into the pan, and with it turned off, 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 stick blend for just a couple of seconds. Turn it off and stir the soap batter, using the blender as a spoon.
  • Repeat until the mixture thickens to 'trace.' This is when the batter leaves a distinguishable trail on the surface. The consistency and look of it will be like thin custard. The soap batter will look like pea soup!
  • At this point, work relatively quickly. Stir in the poppy seeds* and the essential oil if using. Mix thoroughly but quickly. Essential oil adds scent to your soap, and the blend is very herbal and garden-like. However, they're optional ingredients, and you can leave them out if you'd like.
  • Pour the soap into the mold. Tap it to settle it and release air bubbles.
  • To deepen the green color of your soap, you need to force gel phase. The way I do it is to place the soap in an oven that's been pre-warmed to about 175°F (80°C) and then turned off once the soap is inside. Leave the soap inside, undisturbed, overnight. The next day, take it out and leave the soap on the counter.
  • Once 48 hours have passed, take the soap out of the mold and cut it into bars using a soap cutter or kitchen knife. The paper drinks carton mold is easiest removed by gently tearing it off.
  • Cure it for at least 28 days. Curing means leaving the bars spaced out on a protected surface out of direct sunlight and in an airy place. This allows the extra water content to fully evaporate out. Here are full instructions on how to cure soap.

Video

Notes

*I don't recommend adding any more than 1 tsp poppy seeds per pound of soap. Too much can feel scratchy on your skin.
Once made, your soap will have a shelf-life of up to two years. Check the oil bottles that you're using -- the closest best-by date is the best-by date of your soap.
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