Tweak and Tinker

  • Soap Making
  • Homemade Skincare
  • About Celine
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Soap Making
  • Homemade Skincare
  • About Celine
search icon
Homepage link
  • Soap Making
  • Homemade Skincare
  • About Celine
×
Home » Soap Making

Using Bananas in Soap (Cold Process)

Published: Feb 18, 2019 · Modified: Apr 19, 2024 by Celine Logan · This post may contain affiliate links · 35 Comments

9.1K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

I've had this idea for a banana soap in my head for quite some time. Something like a banana cream pie soap maybe. But what would the end result look like and would I be happy with it? I started to do some research and saw a variety of banana soaps that ranged from very brown to very speckled to creamy yellow with few specks. Some soap makers reported the specks would disappear after a while. Well, I decided it was time to do my own little research project on using bananas in soap.

four round soaps
Pictured left to right top to bottom: non gelled green banana, non gelled ripe banana, gelled green banana and gelled ripe banana

Here's what I did:

Using Bananas in Soap Trial No.1:

  • I used a fairly green, not ripe banana mashed it up with a fork and then stick blended it into the base oils (you absolutely want to avoid clumps here)
  • Then I split my batch of soap batter in half: one part went into the oven at 170 degrees F to force gel, the other part went into the freezer to prevent gel

As you can see the gelled soap turned brown with small speckles and the non gelled soap stayed nice and white with I would say the same amount of speckles as the gelled soap.

Using Bananas in Soap Trial No.2:

  • This time I used a very ripe banana where the peel was starting to show some brown marks, but the inside wasn't
  • I proceeded the same way as above: made sure the banana was incorporated well by stick blending and then split the soap batter, one to be gelled and one to be frozen

The gelled soap - no surprise here - turned brown, but with more speckles. The non gelled soap has a lot more tiny specks as well with colors ranging from brown to almost orange.

The pictures you see in this post were taken after a 2 week cure. I didn't notice the speckles becoming over time, and if anything they became more especially with the ripe banana. But I will keep an eye out for any changes and as always I will update this post in 6 months with a follow up picture.

Ripe banana with two round soaps

Curious to know what recipe I used? Here it is (makes 1 lb of soap or 454 g):

I made this recipe twice using the same amount of banana puree for both batches. The only difference was the ripeness of the banana. This recipe is superfatted at 5% and uses a lye concentration of 40% (which is steep, but accounts for the added liquid coming from the banana).

  • Coconut Oil (30%): 3.5 oz / 99 g
  • Olive Oil (virgin) (30%): 3.5 oz / 99 g
  • Shea Butter (25%): 2.9 oz / 83 g
  • Soybean Oil (10%): 1.2 oz / 33 g
  • Castor Oil (5%): 0.6 oz / 17 g
  • Lye: 1.6 oz / 46 g
  • Distilled Water: 2.5 oz / 70 g
  • Banana (pureed): 1 oz / 28 g
  • Scent (optional, I left my soap unscented)

Tell me:

Have you tried using bananas in soap before? How did it turn out?

Until next time. Happy Tinkering!

Looking for more natural soap recipes? How about:

  • Cucumber Mint Soap
  • Turmeric Papaya Soap
  • Smoky Vetiver Soap
Ripe banana with two round soaps

More Soap Making

  • bar of soap in soap dish.
    Shea Butter Soap (Cold Process)
  • hand holding round lard soap.
    Lard Soap Recipe (Cold Process)
  • Easy Lavender Soap Recipe (Melt & Pour)
  • bar of turmeric soap in soap dish.
    Turmeric Soap Recipe (Melt and Pour)
9.1K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Brenda says

    March 19, 2019 at 8:39 pm

    Hello
    I tried your recipe and instead of water I used
    Lavender blueberry almond milk I froze in
    Ice trays. Added lye slowly 1tbs at a time
    I added coconut flakes n little gr oatmeal
    I put it in the freezer 24 hrs tried to slice it it was brittle
    So now I’m letting it sit out what to do your
    Recipe didn’t give instruction to cover or freeze I looked it up I saw freeze
    Please advise
    Thank you
    Brenda

    Reply
    • Celine says

      March 20, 2019 at 7:33 am

      Hi Brenda,
      If the soap was brittle, I would let it rest at room temperature for another day, before trying again.

      Reply
      • Emma Agbley says

        December 03, 2021 at 6:37 am

        I used ripened banana in my cold process soap. I added a bit of fragrance. It turned out so well. After a while, though, the soap turned very dark brown. Is it normal? Please tell me something
        I gave to my friends to shave with.

        Reply
        • Celine says

          December 03, 2021 at 8:14 am

          Hi Emma, the soap is still good to use. Cold process soap tends to change color over time. It could also be that your fragrance caused it. Try a less ripe banana next time.

          Reply
  2. Chelsea says

    March 31, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    Hi Celine! I tried to make a rose banana soap today. I did it before reading this. I'm still learning, it's been just four months since I started making soaps. I really wanted to use bananas and roses together since is a very special combination that reminds me of my mom. As soon I mixed the rose water (made by myself) the lye turned it green and few seconds after turned orange and the smell was strange but then I mixed it and put the smashed banana inside and it saved the smell A LOT! it turned put completely brown like dark brown and it's really soft. I will make it again with your suggestions. Thanks a lot for this article and I'm going to follow you.

    Reply
  3. flora says

    April 23, 2019 at 7:22 am

    I want to make banana soap, but the oil I have is palm oil,camel oil,lye and banana.May I make it by using those oil I uave or?thanks

    Reply
    • Celine says

      April 24, 2019 at 7:59 pm

      Hi Flora, if you have a favorite recipe or one that you’ve tried before you can add banana to it. I’m not familiar with camel oil. But I would add another nourishing oil like olive oil for example.

      Reply
  4. Naomi says

    April 25, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    Hi Celine
    I love to make soap using a variety of things and bananas are one of them. I sometimes split the batch and add cocoa to make a decorative swirl. It's like chocolate covered bananas and has a nice natural scent.
    Mine usually get, but after seeing this, I think I will try freezing for a different look.
    Thank you for the informative article!

    Reply
    • Celine says

      April 25, 2019 at 5:47 pm

      Hi Naomi, that sounds great. Happy the article was useful to you. Happy Tinkering!

      Reply
  5. wendy Gold says

    June 06, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    Hi Celine, Id like to do a goats milk and banana, Can i use my own recipe and just add the banana to the oils? Do i have to discount the milk for banana? Or leave my recipe and just add the banana?
    Regards wendy

    Reply
    • Celine says

      June 06, 2019 at 8:07 pm

      Are you making your lye solution with goats milk? I like to reduce the amount of liquid in my soaps whenever I add a vegetable or fruit. Maybe try a 38% lye solution to begin with. Happy Tinkering!

      Reply
      • Monica says

        June 19, 2019 at 6:16 am

        When you say a 38% lye solution, does that mean you are discounting the percentage of the water?

        Reply
        • Celine says

          June 19, 2019 at 3:11 pm

          Hi Monica, yes it’s a water discount. The solution is made up of 62% water and 38% lye. To calculate go to soapcalc and give in 38% under lye concentration.

          Reply
      • Odissiearth says

        January 28, 2020 at 10:31 pm

        Hi dear Celine ,

        Am extremely happy with your answers. Developing a solution for a goat milk and banana puree liquid shampoo. Would you please guide about the percentage of KOH and water ratio..

        Reply
        • Celine says

          January 29, 2020 at 8:50 am

          Hi, I wouldn’t put fresh fruits in a liquid shampoo. You most likely will run into mold issues and spoilage. Hope that helps. Happy Tinkering!

          Reply
  6. Scott says

    June 19, 2019 at 2:35 pm

    Is there any scent benefit from the ripe banana version?

    Reply
    • Celine says

      June 19, 2019 at 3:12 pm

      Hi Scott, sadly the banana scent doesn’t come through in the finished soap.

      Reply
  7. Affrodite says

    September 14, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    Hi, I'm planning to do a banana peel soap for my project. Am I just going to mix these ingredients and let it sit at room temperature to harden? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Celine says

      September 14, 2019 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Affrodite, I used fresh bananas in this soap without the banana peel. I liked the look of it better when I put the soap in the freezer after pouring it turns less brown. Keep in mind that this is a recipe for cold process soap, if you've never made soap before I recommend you read up on lye safety before you start. Happy Tinkering 🙂

      Reply
  8. Seetha says

    November 04, 2019 at 8:43 pm

    Hi Celine,
    Thanks for this post.
    Is there any difference in the quality of soap or lather when the very ripe banana was used ? Which one was good in your opinion?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Celine says

      November 05, 2019 at 6:52 am

      Hi Seetha, good question. The riper the banana the higher the sugar content and the stronger the lather will be. I liked the ripe banana the lather was creamy and abundant. Happy Tinkering 😊

      Reply
  9. sandy j wolfe says

    February 11, 2020 at 1:40 pm

    in measurement is it cups and spoonfuls or what and 1 bannasa or what how ripe
    plus can you use as a melt and pour

    Reply
    • Celine says

      February 12, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      It's 2 ounces, you should always measure in weight when making soap. I don't recommend using fresh fruit in melt and pour soap, you run the risk of spoilage. Happy Tinkering:)

      Reply
  10. Sujitha says

    April 25, 2020 at 12:06 am

    Hi

    For few days now, I have been very curious about making banana soaps. I finally found your article. I have few queries regarding the same.

    Should I make up lye and oil mixture and then add banana fruit juice in it?? What is the life span of the soap??

    Can you please help me with this

    Reply
    • Celine says

      April 25, 2020 at 4:22 pm

      Please see my banana and cream soap recipe Banana and Cream Soap yes, the puree is added after the oils and lye are mixed. Happy Tinkering 🙂

      Reply
  11. Yulia says

    April 01, 2021 at 1:44 pm

    Hi Celine! I am starting with soapmaking and am very curious about banana being an ingredient. Vwhst do you think about using dried banana skin? Have you tried it? Would love to know what you think about it. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Celine says

      April 05, 2021 at 11:40 am

      Hi Yulia, I’ve never tried dry banana peel, but there could be a chance it could turn your soap brown or blackish. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  12. cathy patient says

    July 10, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    Hi, im new to soap making im using melt n pour bases can you use banana in that?

    Reply
    • Celine says

      July 15, 2021 at 7:57 pm

      No unfortunately not.

      Reply
  13. Brittany Atkins says

    July 06, 2022 at 4:53 pm

    I tried your recipe in about a three lb loaf and followed it precisely. It still did a dark circle gel in the middle even after putting it in the freezer for almost 24 hours. I’m discouraged because a lot of soaps I’m making lately are gelling and I don’t like it. I’m waiting for my oils to cool as well. Any advice? I’d love to have this banana soap turn out

    Reply
    • Celine says

      August 15, 2022 at 11:01 am

      I'm sorry to hear that. It might be that your room temperature is too high in the summer months.

      Reply
  14. Hana says

    March 21, 2023 at 4:13 am

    I just made a banana soap with coconut milk about 2 weeks ago. I didn't insulate or do oven process since it was already heating up the moment I put my batter in the mold. It gelled but not completely so there are parts that have turned like the color of oats and the outer un-gelled rim is cream.

    The speckles are from the banana seeds and they are well dispersed across the bars. The lather is rather nice! They're big and fluffy and rich.

    I didn't read much about how much of the whole ripe banana I should use per pound of oils so I just put in the whole ripe banana that I had and blended them in my 1000 gram oils until there weren't any large chunks visible.

    Now I'm praying that I won't smell anything rotting in the bars after 2 more weeks of cure time....

    Reply
    • Celine says

      March 21, 2023 at 1:57 pm

      I'm glad you tried this recipe. Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply
  15. Tracy says

    July 11, 2023 at 2:41 pm

    What about putting a small amount of lemon juice in the soap if you don't Wang it to turn brown or even some of the lemon pulp?

    Reply
    • Celine says

      July 12, 2023 at 2:07 pm

      HI Tracy, I've never tried that method. I know that the acidity of lemon juice can mess with how effective your lye solution will be.

      Reply
headshot celine.

Hi, I'm Celine, I've been making my own soap and skincare since 2015 to help my family's sensitive skin. You can do it too, I'll show you how right here.

More about me →

Popular Posts

  • whipped body butter recipe
    Homemade Whipped Shea Butter
  • soap bar in soap dish
    How to Make Goat Milk Soap (3 Different Ways!)
  • woman wondering.
    Soap Making Equipment I wish I hadn’t bought (right away)
  • baby soap with toys and rattle.
    Gentle Bastille Baby Soap

Footer

↑ back to top

Privacy Policy

Disclaimer

Contact

Food

Gardening

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Tweak and Tinker LLC