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5 from 10 votes

Sweet Orange Soap Recipe

All-natural sweet orange soap recipe that makes approximately six standard-sized bars. Includes cold process soap making instructions and a type of orange essential oil that lasts. Technical information: 17.6oz / 500g batch — 5% superfat — 35.7% water discount
Keyword orange, 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 20

Equipment

Ingredients

Lye solution

Solid oils

Liquid oils

Add at Trace

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.
  • Prepare your workstation with your tools and equipment. Put on rubber gloves, eye protection, and an apron.
  • Carefully pre-measure the ingredients. The solid oils into the pan, the liquid oils in a jug, the water in a heat-proof jug, and the lye in another container. Measure the essential oil out in a glass or ceramic ramekin.
  • Zest a small orange with a small zesting tool or grater. Measure the amount and place it in a small bowl or ramekin.

Mix the Lye Solution

  • Working in a well-ventilated place, pour the lye crystals into the distilled water and stir well. There will be a lot of heat and steam, so be careful. Try not to breathe it in. Leave it in a shallow basin of water to cool. You're aiming for the final temperature of the lye solution to be about 100°F (38°C).

Melt the Solid Oils

  • Melt the solid oils in a stainless steel pan on very low heat. When melted, remove from the heat and set on a potholder. Stir the liquid oils together in the jug and pour into the pan of melted oils. Castor oil is very sticky, and it's easier to pour when mixed with a lighter oil.
  • Measure the temperatures of the lye solution and the oils. You should aim to cool them to about 100°F (38°C), though it doesn't have to be exact.

Make Sweet Orange Soap

  • Pour the lye solution through a small sieve and into the pan of oils.
  • Add the orange zest now, too.
  • Dip your 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 blitz it 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 up to 'Trace.' This is when the batter leaves a distinguishable trail on the surface. The consistency will be like thin custard.
  • Pour in the essential oil and stir it quickly but gently. Work quickly since the soap will continue to firm up.

Molding and Curing

  • Pour the soap into the mold. Give it a jiggle to settle it in the cavities.
  • Leave the mold on a kitchen countertop to cool and harden. Wait 48 hours before removing the soap from the mold.
  • Cure it for 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.
  • Once made, your soap will have a shelf-life of up to two years.

Notes

*Other soapmaking sites recommend up to 1 oz (28 g or approx. 6 tsp) of 10x orange essential oil per pound of soapmaking oils. Though this will definitely make the soap more fragrant, it will also be more expensive. The finished soap may also not adhere to European Union cosmetic regulations.
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.