Natural Cinnamon Soap Recipe
This recipe uses 454g / 1lb of soaping oils and makes six bars. If you’re unsure about using cinnamon essential oil, don’t worry. You can also use a skin-safe fragrance oil blend that smells like cinnamon instead of the blend I provide. It’s not considered ‘Natural’ but may be a better option for you. Search for fragrance oils at soap ingredient suppliers in your region.
Cost $20
Equipment
Ingredients
Lye solution
- 70 g sodium hydroxide 2.45 oz
- 140 g distilled water 4.9 oz
- 1/2 tsp Red Moroccan clay
Solid oils
- 150 g coconut oil (refined) 5.29 oz / 33%
- 70 g shea butter (refined) 2.47 oz / 15.4%
- 50 g cocoa butter 1.76 oz / 11%
- 5 g beeswax 0.18 oz / 1.1%
Liquid oils
- 200 g olive oil (light colored or pomace) 7.05 oz / 44.1%
- 25 g castor oil 0.88 oz / 5.5%
Ingredients to add after Trace
- 1.25 tsp ginger essential oil 5.4 g / 0.19 oz
- 0.5 tsp lemongrass essential oil 2.2 g / 0.08 oz
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon bark essential oil 0.9 g / 0.032 oz
Instructions
Preparation
- 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.
- Wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, a long-sleeved shirt, and have your hair pulled back. Wear safety goggles and rubber gloves.
- Get everything prepared and measured before starting to make soap. Have your equipment set out and measure the ingredients into containers. The water and clay in the heat-proof jug, lye into a jar, the solid oils into the pan, and the liquid oils in a kitchen bowl or jug.
Mix the lye solution
- Working in a well-ventilated place, pour the lye into the water. Stir immediately and thoroughly with a stainless steel or silicone spoon until dissolved. Mixing them together will produce heat and steam, so be prepared. Don't breathe in the fumes.
- Allow the lye solution to cool in the sink filled with a little cold water.
Melt the solid oils
- Just after you mix the lye solution, put the pan of oils over low heat. Stir while they’re melting to speed things up. After they’re mostly melted, take the pan off the heat and stir until the last few pieces of oil melt. When fully melted, stir in the liquid oils (but not the essential oils).
Temperatures
- The ideal temperature for this recipe is about 100°F (38°C). Take the temperatures of both the lye solution and the pan of oils. They should ideally be within ten degrees of one another.
Stick blending
- Next, pour the lye solution through a sieve into the pan of oils. It will catch any bits of undissolved lye or chunks of clay.
- Now, stick blend. Alternate stirring the mixture with the blender turned off and then pulsing. When pulsing, hold the head against the bottom of the pan and don't move it while it's on. Do a few pulses at a time. Repeat stirring and pulsing until you reach 'Trace.' Trace is when the consistency of your soap batter thickens to a warm, drizzly custard.
Essential oils and molding
- When you’ve reached the right consistency, stir in the essential oils. When they're thoroughly mixed in, pour or spoon the soap batter into the molds.
Decorating and curing
- To create the swirly pattern on the tops of your bars, you’ll need a wooden skewer. Once your soap is thick enough to hold form, begin working.
- Dip it into the soap batter in one corner of the mold and move it in tight circles like you’re drawing a spring. The end of the skewer should only be just below the surface of the soap. Finish at the other side and then repeat the pattern, but in reverse, all the way back.
- Sprinkle your soap with cinnamon (optional) and leave it in the mold for 48 hours. After that, saponification is complete, and you can take the soap out of the mold.
- Set the bars on a piece of grease-proof paper in a place that's dark and airy. Let the soap dry out for four weeks before using it. This process is called curing. After that time, store the soap in an airy place that's out of direct sunlight. Stored that way, it has a shelf life of up to two years.
Notes
Lastly, are you a beginner soapmaker looking for more guidance on how to make handmade soap? Enroll in the Natural Soapmaking for Beginners Online Course to get up to speed quickly. You'll learn all about soap ingredients and equipment and be guided through step-by-step soap recipe videos. Learn more