Easy Soap Recipe

On this page I'm going to explain an easy soap recipe that's perfect for any beginner. Despite its simplicity this soap making recipe, happens to be one of my all time favorites! The powerful combination of natural skin care oils used creates an incredible product that absolutely no store bought soap can beat.

Here's What you will Need...

• Olive oil (2 pounds)
• Coconut oil (1.25 pounds)
• Palm oil (.75 pounds)
• Lye (253 grams)
• Grapefruit seed extract (15 grams - optional natural preservative)
• Your choice of essential oils (23 grams – optional scent)
• Distilled water (1.5 pounds)

Let's Make Soap!

Step 1: Weigh out the 253 grams of dry lye. I usually do this by filling a re-sealable bag with the sodium hydroxide and weigh it on a digital scale.

Step 2: Weigh out the 1.5 pounds of distilled water in a heat safe jar.

Step 3: Carefully pour the lye from the re-sealable bag into the water while stirring the solution briskly with a silicone, heavy duty rubber, or wooden utensil. Keep mixing until all the lye is dissolved. The reaction created by combining the lye with the water will cause this mixture to heat up to 200 degrees; so be careful!

Step 4: Place a thermometer in the lye/water solution and set safely aside for future use. The temperature needs to reduce to about 95 degrees Fahrenheit before it is ready to use.

Step 5: Measure out the 2 pounds of olive oil, 1.25 pounds of coconut oil and .75 pounds of palm oil. I usually do this in separate glass bowls.

Step 6: Melt the 2 solid oils (the coconut oil and palm oil) to liquid form using a 3 quart saucepan. Always use low heat as you don’t want to burn the oils.

Step 7: Add the olive oil, liquefied coconut oil and liquefied palm oil to the large soap making pot and place your soap making thermometer into the concoction.

Step 8: Now it's time to wait for the lye/water solution and the soap making oils to cool. Both mixtures should be the same temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit before proceeding. In most cases, you will need to adjust the temperatures slightly to get them just right as it is rare for both mixtures to hit the same temperature at the same exact time on their own. If either mixture falls below 95 degrees, you can raise the temperature by placing the entire pot in a sink filled with hot water. Alternately, if you need to cool a mixture that has too high of a temperature, you can place the pot in a sink filled with cold water. Do this until the temperatures are just right!

*note* Once the lye hits 95 degrees, transfer it into a Pyrex measuring cup. The spout makes it much easier to slowly pour into the soap making oils without spilling the caustic chemical all over the place.

Step 9: Now that the temperatures are equal, you are ready to make soap! Slowly add the lye/water solution to the oils mixture within the large soap making pot. Stir in a figure eight pattern continuously to ensure that the lye and oils are interacting throughout this process. For a quicker trace, you can use a stick blender.

Step 10: Watch for trace. Test for it by drizzling a small amount of your mixture from your mixing utensil over the surface of the concoction. If the liquid remains on top of the surface for a brief period before sinking back into the mixture then trace has occurred. You know that saponification has taken place and that your soap is ready when this happens. Keep in mind that you may have to stir for up to an hour or as little as 8 minutes. Although this is an easy soap recipe, recognizing trace before it's too late is the most difficult part of any cold process soap making project, especially for the beginner. I recommend that you test for trace every 5 – 10 minutes to ensure that you don't miss it. If you stir your soap too long after trace has occurred, your soap will begin to solidify in your pot and you won't be able to pour it into the soap making mold. Keep in mind that if you are using a powered stick blender, trace will occur much faster... So modify accordingly!

Step 11 (optional): Add essential oils, nutrients and colorants if desired immediately after you notice trace. There are tons of all natural additives that can make this great easy soap recipe into something even better, but because this is supposed to be an easy soap recipe, I will leave this step out for simplicity sake. For the first time, make this soap without adding any additional ingredients. Once you get the hang of the basic process, you can add your own custom natural additives to make this recipe your very own!

Step 12 (optional): If extra nutrients are added, stir the soap briefly until an even texture and color is achieved.

Step 13: Quickly pour the soap into your mold. This is a 4 pound soap recipe, so you should use a 4 pound mold. If there is any excess solution sticking to the side of the soap making pan, just leave it! There's a good chance that this extra residue did not take part in the saponification reaction.

Step 14: Now it's time to insulate your soap. Place the lid, a piece of cardboard or heavy duty freezer paper on top of the mold to seal it from the air. Wrap the mold in a few blankets or several towels to help insulate it. Allowing the soap to cool slowly through proper insulation is an essential part of the curing process.

Step 15: Let the soap sit undisturbed for approximately 24 – 36 hours.

Step 16: When your new creations are firm enough to cut (should be within 24-36 hours depending on the recipe) remove it from the mold and slice the loaf into bars using a soap cutter.

Step 17: Place each individual bar on a cookie rack to further cure. Flip them over about once a week. After 4 – 6 weeks, your soap should be fully cured and ready to use. Be sure to remove any white powder that may have formed on the surface of the soap before using or selling it. This is called soda ash, and can be drying for the skin.

Step 18: Always test the soap's PH levels before using.

Congratulations! For many of you, you have created your very first all natural homemade skin care product. Because this would be classified as an easy soap recipe, it is a wonderful place to start for the beginner. Let's face it; even experts love this recipe because of the wonderful finished product that it produces!

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