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Natural & Handmade Soap Recipe
Hand-making soaps is possibly one of the most em- powering things I’ve ever learnt how to make. It is based on a bit of knowledge and chemistry, but once you crack the recipe, it is endless in it’s possibilities !
To make soap, we need to use lye, a product that can be dangerous and should be used carefully. This is why all measures need to be exact, and we need to use gloves and masks to protect ourselves. So make sure to follow the recipe and the safety instructions well.
What I love with hand making soaps is that you can play around with the essential oils and natural powders to change color or properties. For example, activated charcoal is incredible to degrease and is perfect for the kitchen, simply add a few teaspoons of it in your soap base to make it. For colors, you can play around with grounded turmeric for yellows, clay for green or even paprika powder for pinks and soft reds.
NOW LET'S DELVE INTO THE WORLD OF HAND MADE SOAPS !
TO MAKE ABOUT 12 SOAPS :
450g organic olive oil
400g coconut oil
112g lye
276g water
150 drops lemon essential oil
1 tbsp of poppy seeds (optional)
1 1/2 tsp of ground turmeric powder. (optional)
Two glass or metal bowls (no ceramic or wood)
An electric hand mixer
A metal hand whisk
A cake mold
Cleaning gloves
Mask or towel to cover the mouth,
Protective glasses
White vinegar to clean
LOUISE HERE !
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1. DEALING WITH THE LYE
This recipe requires the soaps to dry for one month to dry in order to let the negative effects of lye disappear. Saponification can not be done with anything other than lye, and although it is quite a rough product, know that it is absolutely harmless once it has evaporated from your soaps. When using lye, make sure to always keep your mouth and hands covered, and to rinse of immediately if it spatters, as it will dry your skin. Clean up all the used material with white vinegar and water, keeping your gloves on until everything is squeaky clean.
Step 1 :
Pour the water in a glass or metal bowl and carry it outside, or close to an open window. Put on your gloves, protective mask and glasses and start to slowly add the lye in the water bowl. Never pour water on the lye, as it might erupt. You can start stirring slowly with your metal whisk, making sure to not breathe in the vapors. The water is going to get very hot, and once the lye has dissolved completely, leave the bowl to cool down by the window or outside.
Pour the olive oil and coconut oil in a glass or metal bowl, and place it over a boiling pot of water to melt it and reserve on the side.
2. SAPONIFICATION
Saponification is the chemical transformation of an oil base into a soap. The traditional process, natural fats are treated with a strong base, here we are using lye, which releasing the fatty acid salts (soaps) and glycerol, turning our oils into soap. To help the process you'll need a strong plonger blender.
Step 2 :
For this step please keep your rubber gloves, glasses and cover your mouth to make sure you do not breathe in the fumes. Lye is a very strong component that until it is transformed, can burn the skin.
Get your cooled down water+lye bowl and make sure the liquid is clear and to room temperature. Then pour it into the olive oil and melted coconut oil. With the electric hand blender, start mixing, making sure to dip the head of the blender completely so it doesn’t splatter. The liquid will start to get yellowy and thicker. Continue mixing it until you reach a mayonnaise consistency.
3. NATURAL COLORS & TEXTURES
Now a really good thing about this recipe is that you can change the colors and textures of your soaps. Using spices and powders from your kitchen, you can play with pigments, using as paprika for a soft orange color, beetroot powder for pinks or powdered spirulina for greens. You can also add some flowers, I made one with dried lavender flowers and some lavender essential oil that is wonderful. I would advise you to stick to dried flowers that are known to be good for the skin, such as calendula, rose, chamomile etc, and match them with essential oils.
On one of the soaps that I tried, I used paprika for soft orange tones, some grapefruit essential oils and I added rolled oats on the top to give them a very soft exfoliating texture.
Know that as it dries, the color will fade slightly so don't get alarmed by seeing it a little strong. Also stick to the amounts given in the recipe, even if you switch the powders or essential oils, to make sure you keep the same result.
So basically, it is totally up to you and your imagination to chose pigments, smells and textures or simply leave your soaps white if you plan on using them for the kitchen.
Step 3 :
Add the drops of lemon essential oil, turmeric powder and the poppy seeds, to your soap mixture to give it a warm yellow color, soft citrus smell and a bit of an exfoliating texture. Blend your soap base really well, until the color is homogenous and no lumps or chunks of powder remain.
4. DRYING IS KEY
As it dries, your soap will lose all of it's harmful lye qualities and leave you with a natural, foamy and long lasting bar of soap.
Step 4 :
Once all is well mixed and the creamy soap base has the color desired, pour it into your cake mold, smoothing the top with a metal spoon. Let the soap dry for two hours before turning the mold upside down to free the bar of soap.
You can then cut it into slices, shooting for an average of two centimeter thick bars, and place them flat on a paper parchment to dry for the next month (I like to leave mine in a vegetable crate but any box or drawer will do), and make sure to write down the date on it, to come back to them a month later and not a day before that !
5. THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP
Clean up every utensil that touched the lye using your gloves and a good dose of white vinegar. Ideally, we would have ustensiles just for soap making, but if this is not an option for you yet, make sure to clean them thoroughly with vinegar, and dry them well before reusing.
One month after the making of your soap, you can start using and gifting them. Store them in an airtight box until ou are ready to use them to keep the smell from fading, as it might evaporate a bit over time. These soaps will be good to use for years !
Making soaps is the most empowering and cool thing to do. The process in itself is really easy, although it requires safety measures. Please make sure to always use your gloves, glasses and to cover your mouth, make sure you clean everything really well with white vinegar and if the soap base get's in contact with your skin wash it off immediately with clean water.
These soaps last incredibly long, are foamy and perfect for kitchen use, shower and even as shampoos !
I hope you can try this recipe and start making the most amazing soaps, filed with colors and aroma to suit your every mood.
Sending you extra love ! xx
I'M LOUISE
Thanks for giving this a read ! I'm a writer, photographer & self proclaimed environmental warrior, excited to share solutions, ideas and recipes to bring sustainability into our lives.
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