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Yeah, we’re finally here! I’m going to show you how to make soap today, how exciting! Well, lets get to it – and don’t miss the detailed photos of each step of the process toward the end of this post.
If this is the first time you’re making cold process soap I suggest you read up on lye safety here and make sure you check out the full list of equipment and materials you’ll need here. A great part of this process for beginners is that you don’t even have to spend money on a mold- we will be using an empty Pringles can.
Hope you enjoy making these simple beautiful round soaps as much as I have 🙂
About the recipe
When it comes to soap recipes the possibilities are endless depending on the oils/fats you want to use and how much of each one. My goal for this tutorial was to choose as few different oils as possible and they had to be on the cheap side as well. I also didn’t want to use animal fats or palm oil. The result is a simple recipe that packs a pretty punch when it comes to skin loving properties.
About Lemongrass Essential Oil (EO) in soap
I chose Lemongrass EO for this beginner’s tutorial because it’s very forgiving. You can’t go wrong with lemongrass: the scent stays strong (which can be an issue with other EOs), it’s easy to work with, it has a bright, fresh, citrusy scent, and as a bonus it gives your soap this nice yellow, buttery color.
Let’s get started:
Recipe (makes around 23 oz/ 660g of soap):
- Pomace (olive oil): 6.4 Oz. (181g/ 40%)
- Coconut oil: 5.3 Oz. (150g/ 33%)
- Shea butter: 3.2 Oz. (91g/ 20%)
- Castor oil: 1.1 Oz. (32g/ 7%)
- Distilled water: 4.5 Oz. (127g)
- Lye: 2.2 Oz. (63g)
- Lemongrass essential oil: 18g
Prep work:
- Prepare your work area: cover your work surface with old newspaper or freezer paper
- Gather all your equipment: gloves, goggles, containers or pots, freezer paper, Pringles can, tape, scale, stick blender, thermometer, oils/ butter, essential oil, lye, distilled water, spatula, plastic spoon, thick towel, cling wrap, small glass container
- Make sure all your equipment is nice and clean
Prep your mold:
- Cut out a piece of freezer paper about 7 x 9 Inches
- Cut the bottom of the can of so that the remainder measures about 7 Inches tall
- Firmly tape the cap on (you don’t want any soap batter seeping out at the bottom)
- Line the can with freezer paper – the plastic side facing inward
Safety first:
- Put on your gloves and goggles, make sure you’re wearing long sleeves
- Ensure that you’ll be undisturbed for the next 30 min
- Crack a window
Preparing your lye solution:
- Measure out your lye into a small plastic container
- In a bigger container measure out the distilled water
- Slowly while constantly stirring pour the lye into the water. Never, never the other way around! There will be fumes while you’re doing this. As much as possible hold your breath, if you have to inhale turn your head to the side. Work swiftly and set your lye to the side when it is completely dissolved.
Melting the oils:
- In a small saucepan or microwave proof container measure out the coconut oil and shea butter. Sometimes the coconut oil needs to be heated a little in order to get it out of the container.
- Melt the coconut oil and shea butter over low heat or on 20 second bursts in the microwave until fully liquid
- Add Pomace (olive oil) and castor oil
Checking temperature:
Now comes the juggling part. You want to have your oils and lye solution both at about 110 Degrees Fahrenheit and ideally not more than 10 degrees from each other when you pour. This means that you might have to heat your oils slightly after a while.
Let’s make soap:
- Measure out the essential oil into a small glass container and pour it into your melted oils
- Slowly pour the lye solution down the shaft of your stick blender. This will reduce any air bubbles being trapped in your soap. Gently tap your stick blender to further release any air.
- Carefully turn on your stick blender, blend your 20 seconds and check consistency of your batter. We’re aiming for a pudding consistency (see picture below).
- Once you see the soap batter leaving traces on top of the surface you’re done stick blending
- Give it a good stir with your spatula
- Carefully pour the soap batter into your prepared mold
- Scrape all the soap of your bowl and give the mold some small taps to release any air bubbles
- Seal the top of the mold with cling wrap
- Cover with a heavy towel and let rest for 36-48 hours
Unmolding your soap:
- Peel of the tape and take of the cap
- Slowly push the soap out of the can
- Lay your soap on a flat surface. Holding a knife with both hands, shifting your weight evenly perpendicular to your soap, push down as straight and evenly as possible.
Tada! Your first bar of soap!
Curing:
Let your bars sit for 4 weeks before using or gifting. Choose a place that’s away from direct sunlight and humidity. Make sure air can get to your soaps evenly, a wire rack works best I find.
Until next time. Happy Tinkering!
Firmly taping lid to the can to avoid soap batter seeping out.
Line can with freezer paper
Measuring out distilled water
Carefully adding lye to the water
Adding castor oil to melted coconut oil and shea butter
Checking temperatures of lye solution and oils
Measuring out the essential oil- make sure you’re using a glass container
Adding essential oil to warm oils
Slowly pouring lye solution into oils
Oils are starting to emulsify- can you see the them turning white and creamy at the bottom?
Oils are fully emulsified here (no more oil floating on top)
Thick trace- soap batter droplets stay on top without sinking in
Pouring batter into mold
Covering with cling wrap
Ready to rest under thick towel
Peeling off tape
Pushing soap out of mold
Peeling off freezer paper
Cutting soap into bars
Hi Celine I am a new be myself, Still waiting on all my supplies to arrive thats how new I am I will be trying this recipe first, finger crossed it turns out.I am exited and overwhelmed at the sometime if that makes since. I look forward to following you. Thank you for post.
Hi Marcia, I know exactly how you feel. Boy, was I nervous before my first batch, I still get nervous sometimes. Let me know how everything turned out. Thank you for following me:)
Hi Celine,
I am just beginning the adventure of making my own soaps and many other personal care products. My main concern is that I am extremely allergic to coconut oil(: What can I use in substitute of the coconut oil?
Thanks,
Cindy
Hi Cindy, a great oil to use instead is Babassu oil. Every time swap an oil in a recipe for another one you have to run your recipe through a lye calculator though. I use SoapCalc.net for that. Let me know if you have any more questions. I have a coconut free recipe coming up soon as well. 😉
Hey my second batch came out crumbly just starting to measure better
hello. I made a batch of 100% coconut oil soap yesterday using lye and distilled water. I poured the soap into the mould as soon as it traced.
The issue is I forgot to cover the mould immediately and when i realised 40-50 mins later, the oil had oozed out on top in the mould. Just then, I salvaged the soap by spraying and pressing the oozed part with rubbing alcohol and bubble paper respectively. Then, I covered the mould with cloth and unmoulded it 24 hours later. While cutting the soap, some oil oozed out again.
My query is would the soap cure well and how long would it take to lather? Also, is the soap salvaged? Is 24 hours enough time to wait to cut the soap. thanks.
Hi Monica, can you tell if it’s your base oils or your fragrance oil oozing out? If it’s the fragrance oil you could wipe it of and your soap should be fine after the cure.
If it’s your base oils, you would have to check if your soap is lye heavy or not (look for pockets of undissolved lye). What super fat did you use? I know there’s a coconut oil recipe that uses 20% SF I’ve never tried to make it though. Maybe then there’s too much free oil in the soap that it oozes out?
I would have waited for the saponification process to be done after 36 hours to cut the soap, since you saw there might be a problem.
It’s really hard to tell from afar. But make sure your soap isn’t lye heavy, give it some time to dry and then do a lather test. It might just be fine.
I am new to slap making and am trying in small batches. However my soaps never achieve the firmness that is required. Often they break on use or lose shape. Many times the oil remains on top and the soap becomes to lose. What could be the reason. The trace fory last soap was little liquidy than one in image. Could that be the reason or the measurements. I use olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil 3portion, castor oil 1 portion and water was 38gms per 100gm of oil and lye 14gm per 100gm oil.
Hi Nikita,
I just ran your recipe through a lye calculator. I get 14g of lye a well per 100g of oils as well. Try reducing your water content to 29g per 100g of oils. This will give you a 33% lye solution and will help the soap reach trace faster. Assuming that your measurements are correct, try stick blending longer. Especially if you’re a new soapmaker, you want to make sure the batter has emulsified and doesn’t separate later (oil remaining on top). What temperatures are your oils and lye when you mix them?
Hope this helps.
Happy soaping!
I am very new at soap making and I have not purchased any products except coloring and essential oils. Where is the best place to purchase my equipment, utensils, and ingredients? Where can I find simplistic/easy to understand instructions to learn how to make soap?
Hi Jeanine,
check out my post on equipment needed for soap making you can buy equipment and ingredients at wholesalesuppliesplus.com or at brambleberry.com For tutorials check out soapqueen.com, look for the beginner series.
I hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions.
How do you clean the immersion blender?
Hi Lisa, I usually keep a small container filled with water next to where I soap. When I’m done stick blending I put the blender in there a give a few pulses. Then I disconnect the shaft, so that the container doesn’t tip over. Happy Tinkering!
I pour traced soap into Pringle can without paper liner, from top into bottom. Soap tends to leak between the overlap in freezer paper and makes a mess not to mention lopsided soap shapes. Never fill to top as it may expand over top. Spray with 100% alcohol to prevent lye ash. I dont insulate cans as the foil lining tends to gel stage a bit hotter and also expand over top and makes air bubbles. Never cover with plastic cap. When soap is room temp and ready to cut, just cut off bottom of can with a can opener and carefully tear can open at seam like a can of crescent rolls. It is easier if you have left about 2 inches head space on top of can so you can carefully insert a knife point at seam to get it started.
Hi celine..
I try to making soap for my very first time. After 2 weeks i used the soap, and it feel itchy on my skin. Do you know why the soap i make has an itchy effect to my skin?
I use soap calt to calculate the amount of ingredients.
Here is the receipe that i use:
Coconut oil (125g)
Olive oil (200g)
Palm oil (75g)
Sunflower oil (100g)
Water (140g)
NaOH (76.17g)
Can you use a pringles can as a mold for Hot Process, or is it likely to be too difficult to get the soap in before it starts to set up?
I’m plotting out my first soaping adventure.
Good question Elna! I’ve never tried hot process in pringle cans, but I think it might have to be still pretty fluid for it to work, or you might have to scoop it in and then tap it hard on your counter.
Fabulous, thank you for the quick response!
If I go this route, I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Hi dear
Due to rainy season my soap is soft from inside Pl suggest
Hi Daisy, I would recommend protecting your soaps from moisture as much as possible. Keep them in a cardboard box placed in a drawer or cupboard. If you have access to an electric dehumidifier that would also be an option or having a fan on them while they dry. Happy Tinkering 🙂
Can I replace the lye
Hi Sassy,
This is a tutorial for cold process soap, the soap is made by combining oils with lye to make soap. Without lye you won’t have any soap. If you want to avoid using lye I recommend you give Melt and Pour Soap (Glycerin Soap) a try. Happy Tinkering 🙂
Hello, excellent post – I found it really helpful!
I was just wondering if you knew the weight of the soap this recipe produces?
Thanks very much 🙂
Hi Lizzie, the recipe will make 23 oz/ 660g of soap. I’ve updated the post to include it. Happy you found it helpful. Happy Tinkering 🙂