Natural Soapmaking Guide for Beginners (Even if You Failed Chemistry)

Nov 17, 2024

3 min read

My experimentations with homemade soap began when I became enamored with making things at home, like maintaining my own sourdough starter, painting my own kitchen cabinets, and repairing my own clothes. Even if time-consuming, I found that doing things myself, from start to finish, was immensely rewarding. It gave me a far greater appreciation for the goods that came my way and made me a lot more conscious (in a good way) of the quality of ingredients.

What you’ll need:

Ingredients:

Coconut oil

Palm oil, preferably from a responsible source (alternatives: babassu oil, tallow, lard..etc)

Olive oil, any you can find

Distilled water

Sodium hydroxide (lye), a 2-pound container of which will make about 4 batches of soap

Essential oil or fragrance oil (Any scent works! We used different combinations of peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, and sweet orange for these - but feel free to use whichever scents you love!)

Tools:

A large heat-safe vessel such as an enamelware soup pot*

Measuring cup or small bowl*

Heat-safe vessel, ideally with a handle, such as a heavy glass pitcher*

Silicone spatula or other stirring utensil*

Instant-read thermometer*

Immersion blender*

Scale that can measure in grams and ounces

Soap mold or a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan*

Plastic wrap (if using a baking pan)

Waxed paper or parchment paper

Teaspoon and additional measuring cup (if using fragrance)

Old towel or blanket

A sharp, thin knife

Rubber gloves

Safety goggles

*Any tools that touch lye should NOT be reused for cooking!

DIY Steps:

1. Mix the lye.

2. Prepare the mold and measure out the fragrance.

3. Melt and mix the oils.

4. Blend and pour your soap.

5. Cut and cure your soap.

Cleaning up

Simple Flower Soap Recipe

Mix the clay into the distilled water.
Create the lye solution by pouring the sodium hydroxide into the colored water. Stir well and leave the jug to cool in a shallow basin or sink of water.
Melt the solid oils in a small saucepan on low heat until just melted, no longer. Take off the hob and place it on a pot holder.
Pour the liquid oils into the pan. Stir to mix, and make sure to scrape every last drop from the container. Take the temperature – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
Take the temperature of the lye solution – you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
When the oils and the lye solution temperatures are around 100°F (38°C) and within ten degrees of one another, it's time to mix.
Use an immersion blender to emulsify the ingredients. Mix until you reach a light trace.
Stir the essential oils in, ensuring they're well-mixed in, and no streaks remain.
Pour the soap batter into the soap mold.
Decorate with dried flower petals and herbs, if desired.
Leave it on the counter to cool and harden or insulate it to force gelling.
Leave the soap for two days before unmolding, cutting into bars (if applicable), and curing for one month. After a month, the soap is ready to use and has a shelf life of up to two years.

NOTES

* You may use a maximum of 3 tsp of essential oil total in your soap choosing from these scents: chamomile (Anthemis nobilis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), neroli, palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini), rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), or ylang ylang (Cananga odorata).

** Decorate your soap with rose petals, lavender buds, calendula petals, dried chamomile, and other skin-safe dried flowers and leaves. All will lose a bit of their vibrancy over time but should remain lovely for months.

Congratulations, you’re a soapmaker! Now get creative and have fun—but please be safe. Just like a beginner baker will use existing cake recipes, so too should beginner soapmakers use already formulated recipes. If you don’t, the chances of your soap being too soft, too cleansing, or having poor lather will be high.