More than a decade ago, I experimented with making my own soap with some success. My goal wasn’t to try and sell them or become the best soap maker ever, but simply to create something useful that was healthier on my skin than what I was buying at the local drug store. After experimenting for a bit, I moved homes and packed my supplies in the garage where they’ve lived the last 14 years. Although the thought of picking the hobby back up crossed my mind over the years, it wasn’t until recently that I lathered up and tried again.
The “How To” of making cold process soap wasn’t clear enough in my mind anymore so I searched out a video on YouTube and found one that had a fantastic tutorial which I watched a couple of times to refresh my memory (linked below). The video was step-by-step so it’s great for anyone starting out in soap making. I didn’t use their recipe exactly, but I did follow their tutorial. I still had many of the supplies needed such as googles, gloves, pots, and utensils so I only needed to purchase lye and oils. I didn’t have an immersion blender for my first batch and had to hand stir, but I later purchased one which made the soap making process even easier.
Soap making allows one to be creative and experiment with different recipes, textures, shapes and scents. There are endless options in constructing a beautiful bar of soap and I’ve only touched the surface. My favorite hobbies are ones where something tangible is made. Much like making bread, sewing, or crocheting, I’m granted a “prize” (in this case multiple bars of soap) for my effort.
On my second batch I added some colored sugar that my MIL had given me to see how it would affect the bars. I was hoping the sugar would add some fun color and provide extra texture. The color stood out, but they didn’t really provide a scrub effect I had desire. The result was great though and the bars seemed to last longer in the shower than my original batch.
One of the drawbacks to handmade soap bars is that they don’t seem to last as long as a traditional soap bar from the store. Although I keep them from being directly hit by the shower, they still dissipate faster. It’s not a problem though as one batch can make about ten bars so it’s easy to keep them on stock. Any negatives are more than an even tradeoff since they provide a cleaner feeling and seem to cut through dirt and deodorant more effectively on the skin.
Bar soaps have fallen out of popularity over the decades and been mostly replaced with body wash, but body wash tends to have more skin irritants and of course the plastic it comes in adds to our plastic waste. By making my own soap bars, I’m cutting down on my plastic waste and removing all the unnecessary “extras” from soap such as sulfates and fragrances. My soap-making hobby probably doesn’t save me any money, but it’s something I enjoy and love to do. I even made some bars into fun shapes and passed them out during the holidays to family. Overall, I don’t see myself returning to store-bought soap.
How To Make Soap At Home – Make Simple & Gentle Cold Process Soap | BrambleBerry.com
Simple Cold Process Soap
Equipment
- 1 Metal pot
- 1 Pair of rubber gloves
- 1 Pair of goggles
- 1 Large measuring cup
- 1 Stirring spoon
- 1 Immersion blender Optional
Materials
- 12 ounces Distilled Water
- 4.5 ounces Lye
- 11 ounces Coconut Oil Can use other oils but recipe calls for 32 oz total
- 21 ounces Olive Oil Can use other oils but recipe calls for 32 oz total
- 2 teaspoons Sanding Sugar Optional
Instructions
- Put on googles and gloves and make sure children and pets are safely away as lye is very corrosive and can burn skin.
- Measure water and lye separately
- Add lye to water slowly and stir continually
- Measure oils and combine oils together
- Wait for lye to cool to 120-130 degrees
- Slowly add lye mixture to oils and use an immersion blender in short bursts or hand stir for about 45-60 minutes until trace (see video linked). When the mixture turns more of a white color, it's ready
- Pour into molds and spray with rubbing alcohol (rubbing alcohol step is optional)
- Let sit for one to two days then remove from molds and cut into bars
- Soap can be used now but I prefer to let the bars sit for a few weeks to harden