Why Make Your Own Soap?

• Control over ingredients: choose quality oils, butters, and scents.
• Customization: adjust hardness, lather, color, and aroma to taste.
• Sustainability: reduce packaging and select responsibly sourced ingredients.
• Creativity: experiment with swirls, layers, botanicals, and natural colorants.

Safety First

Soapmaking with lye (sodium hydroxide) is safe when done properly. Respect the chemistry and set up a clean, calm workspace.

• Wear protective gear: goggles, gloves, long sleeves, closed shoes.
• Ventilation matters: mix lye and water in a well-ventilated area.
• Add lye to water, never water to lye, to avoid a dangerous eruption.
• Keep children and pets away while you work and while soaps cure.
• Use heat-safe, lye-safe containers (stainless steel, HDPE, polypropylene, tempered glass).
• Label everything and never use soaping tools for food again.

Choose Your Method

Cold Process (CP)

Classic, versatile, and great for intricate designs. You mix oils with a lye solution and cure the bars for 4–6 weeks.

Melt-and-Pour (M&P)

Beginner-friendly and lye-free in practice (the base has already been saponified). Simply melt, customize, pour, and unmold in hours.

Hot Process (HP)

Cooked soap using a slow cooker or double boiler. It gels in the pot and is usable sooner, though still benefits from a short cure.

Tools & Equipment

• Accurate digital scale (grams preferred)
• Stick blender (immersion blender)
• Heat-safe bowls/pitchers and a small container for lye
• Silicone spatula and stainless whisk
• Thermometers (infrared or probe)
• Soap mold (silicone loaf or cavity mold), parchment if needed
• Protective gear (goggles, gloves)
• Vinegar for neutralizing small lye splashes on surfaces (not skin)

Ingredients 101

• Base oils and butters: provide hardness, conditioning, and lather. Examples: olive, coconut, shea, cocoa, avocado, castor.
• Lye (sodium hydroxide, NaOH): essential for saponification. No lye, no soap. It is fully consumed when your recipe is calculated correctly.
• Liquid: distilled water is standard; alternatives include milk, herbal teas, aloe juice (adjust method to manage heat and sugars).
• Additives: clays, botanicals, exfoliants, honey, sugars, salts, chelators (sodium citrate) and antioxidants (ROE).
• Fragrance: essential oils or fragrance oils designed for cold process. Check usage rates and IFRA guidelines.

Reliable Beginner Cold-Process Recipe (5% superfat)

This balanced bar blends hardness, creamy lather, and conditioning. Always run any formula through a reputable lye calculator before you soap to confirm numbers and adapt to your specific materials.

Batch Size

• Total oils: 1000 g (35.27 oz)
• Superfat: 5%
• Lye concentration: about 33% (beginner-friendly range 30–33%)

Oils/Butters

• Olive oil: 400 g (14.11 oz)
• Coconut oil (76°F/24°C): 300 g (10.58 oz)
• Shea butter: 200 g (7.05 oz)
• Castor oil: 100 g (3.53 oz)

Lye Solution

• Sodium hydroxide (NaOH): ~139.7 g (4.93 oz) for 5% superfat
• Distilled water: ~283 g (9.98 oz) for ~33% lye concentration
  Tip: A 30–33% lye concentration is a good starting point; water will typically fall between ~280–325 g for this batch.

Optional Additives

• Sodium lactate: 1 tsp per pound of oils (about 2–2.5 tsp total) added to cooled lye water for harder bars.
• Sugar: 1 tsp per pound of oils, dissolved in water before lye for bubblier lather.
• Essential oils: 0.5–3% of oil weight (5–30 g for this batch). Check individual safety limits.

Step-by-Step

1. Prepare the space. Put on goggles and gloves. Line your mold if needed.
2. Weigh oils and butters. Melt hard oils/butters gently, then add liquid oils. Aim for 32–43°C (90–110°F).
3. Make the lye solution. In a ventilated area, slowly sprinkle lye into distilled water, stirring until dissolved. Cool to 32–43°C (90–110°F).
4. Match temperatures. When both oils and lye solution are in a similar range (within ~5°C/10°F), proceed.
5. Emulsify. Pour lye solution into oils. Stick-blend in short bursts, alternating with hand stirring, until thin trace (light, runny custard) or a stable emulsion.
6. Add extras at thin trace. Incorporate essential oils, colorants, clays, honey, or exfoliants. Blend briefly to combine.
7. Pour. Tap the mold to release air bubbles. Texture or swirl the top if desired.
8. Insulate or not. For solid color bars, you may insulate lightly to promote gel. For milk/sugar-heavy formulas or to avoid overheating, leave uninsulated.
9. Unmold and cut. After 12–48 hours (depending on water, temperature, and recipe), unmold and slice bars.
10. Cure. Space bars on a rack in a cool, dry, ventilated place for 4–6 weeks. This improves hardness, mildness, and lather.
11. Test. pH strips should read roughly 8.5–10. The bar should feel firm, not zap the tongue (advanced soapers use a cautious “zap test”).
12. Label and enjoy. Note batch date, fragrance, and additives for future reference.

Beginner Melt-and-Pour Recipe (No Handling Lye)

1. Cube 1 lb (454 g) of a natural M&P base (e.g., goat milk, shea, or clear glycerin).
2. Melt gently in a double boiler or short microwave bursts; do not overheat.
3. Add 0.5–1.5% essential oils (2–7 g per pound) and colorants. Stir slowly to avoid bubbles.
4. Pour into molds. Spritz the surface with alcohol to pop bubbles.
5. Unmold in a few hours. Wrap promptly to prevent glycerin dew.

Hot Process Snapshot

1. Bring CP recipe to medium trace in a slow cooker.
2. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until it “volcanoes” and becomes glossy, gel-like paste (30–90 minutes).
3. Cool slightly, then add fragrance and heat-sensitive additives.
4. Spoon into mold, pack firmly, and unmold in 12–24 hours. Use sooner than CP (still improves with a 1–2 week cure).

Natural Colorants & Add-Ins

• Clays (kaolin, French green, Brazilian purple): silkier feel and natural hues; 1 tsp per pound of oils (ppo) dispersed in water/oil.
• Activated charcoal: 0.5–1 tsp ppo for gray to deep black.
• Turmeric: 0.25–0.5 tsp ppo for gold; can fade toward peach.
• Spirulina or chlorella: 0.5–1 tsp ppo for green; may discolor over time.
• Annatto or paprika oil infusions: warm yellow to orange.
• Alkanet root infusion: lavender to deep purple (varies with pH and oils).
• Cocoa powder: 1 tsp ppo for brown and chocolate scent notes.
• Oatmeal (colloidal or finely ground): 1–2 tbsp ppo for soothing slip.
• Poppy seeds, jojoba beads, coffee grounds: gentle to robust exfoliation.
• Honey: 0.5–1 tsp ppo; adds humectancy and browning. Expect extra heat—soap cool and avoid heavy insulation.
• Salt bars: 50–100% of oil weight for spa-like bars; high coconut oil recommended; cut early.

Essential Oil Tips

• Usage: commonly 0.5–3% of oil weight in CP/HP; many EOs have lower maximums. Check current IFRA categories and supplier guidelines.
• Anchors and fixatives: blend with resinous or base notes (patchouli, amyris, cedarwood) to extend citrus notes.
• Acceleration awareness: florals (ylang ylang), spice oils, and some citrus aldehydes can speed trace—work cool and at thin trace.

Sample 30 g EO blends for a 1000 g oil batch (approx. 3%):

• Fresh Spa: Lavender 18 g, Rosemary 6 g, Peppermint 6 g
• Citrus Grove: Sweet Orange 18 g, Litsea (May Chang) 7 g, Cedarwood 5 g
• Earth & Lemongrass: Lemongrass 14 g, Patchouli 8 g, Lavender 8 g

Working With Milk, Aloe, and Sugars

• Replace part or all water with very cold milk or aloe. Freeze to a slushy state.
• Add lye slowly, keep temperatures low (<27–30°C / 80–86°F) to prevent scorching and odors.
• Expect a more gentle feel; color may darken to cream/tan.

Curing, Storage, and Shelf Life

• Cure 4–6 weeks in a dry, ventilated area. This reduces moisture and increases hardness.
• Store finished bars cool and dry, away from direct sunlight.
• Typical shelf life: 12–24 months depending on oils used (high-oleic and saturated fats last longer than high-linoleic oils).
• To reduce DOS (rancidity spots), use fresh oils, include a chelator (0.5% sodium citrate), consider an antioxidant like ROE (0.05–0.1% of oils), and avoid overly high superfat in warm climates.

Troubleshooting

• Seize/Acceleration: fragrance or temps too high. Work cooler, add fragrance to portion, hand-stir, or choose slower scents.
• Ricing/Curdling: keep blending gently; most smooth out. If not, hot-process the batch.
• False Trace: hard oils too cool; gently rewarm and blend to a true emulsion.
• Soda Ash: cover with plastic wrap at pour, spray with alcohol, or steam post-cure.
• Soft Bars: too much water or high-oleic oils; extend cure, add sodium lactate, consider a water discount next time.
• Overheating/Cracking: high sugars or heavy insulation; soap cooler, avoid thick blankets, pop air bubbles, and place in a cooler spot.

Design Ideas to Try

• In-the-pot swirl: divide colored portions, pour back into the main pot in different spots, then pour into mold.
• Layered bars: pour a layer, set slightly, then pour the next. Use differing colors and textures.
• Top textures: use a spoon or spatula to create peaks; sprinkle botanicals sparingly (lavender buds, calendula petals).
• Embed and confetti: fold in shreds of cured soap for a playful look.

Sourcing & Sustainability

• Choose responsibly sourced oils and butters; look for verified supply chains.
• Consider high-oleic or locally sourced oils to reduce transport impact.
• Minimize waste: reusable molds, bulk ingredients, and plastic-free packaging.

Simple Labeling Checklist

• Product identity (e.g., “Soap”).
• Net weight.
• Ingredients in descending order (use “saponified oils of…” or INCI names).
• Your name/business and contact.
• Fragrance disclosure (e.g., “Essential oils”).

Regulations vary by region—check local requirements for cosmetic labeling if you make claims or sell.

Quick Reference: Common Additive Rates

• Essential oils: 0.5–3% of oil weight (check IFRA).
• Sodium lactate: 1–3% of oil weight or ~1 tsp ppo in lye water.
• Sugar: 0.5–1 tsp ppo (dissolve before adding lye).
• Clays: 0.5–1 tsp ppo (hydrate first).
• Honey: 0.5–1 tsp ppo (add at light trace).
• Chelator (sodium citrate): ~0.5% of oils, dissolved in water.
• ROE antioxidant: 0.05–0.1% of oils (not a preservative; soap doesn’t need one).

FAQ

Do I have to use lye?

To make true soap from oils, yes—lye is necessary for saponification. Alternatively, use a melt-and-pour base where saponification has already been done for you.

How long until I can use my bar?

Cold process bars are usable after unmolding, but they’re better after a 4–6 week cure. Hot process can be used sooner but still improves with a short cure. Melt-and-pour can be used almost immediately.

My soap is soft after two days. Did I do something wrong?

Not necessarily. High-olive or high-water recipes need longer to unmold. Give it more time, use sodium lactate, and ensure accurate measurements.

What if I changed an oil?

Always recalculate lye. Each oil has a different SAP value; swapping without recalculating can result in lye-heavy or soft soap.