How to Make Soap at Home

Whether you want to make soap from yourself or start a home-based business, this post will teach you how to make soap at home.

Though it can be messy and take a lot of work, making your own soap in an incredibly enjoyable past time as well. With a luxurious result!

Homemade soap is easy and beneficial.

Natural soap is made with natural, healthy ingredients.

You know everything is organic when you are the one who makes your own soap.

While most commercial soaps are made with everything artificial, handmade soap isn’t. Everything is organic, even their colors are made from natural colors.

Because it is made organically, it is eco-friendly and economical, too. Here are some soap recipes you can use to make your own bars of soap at home.

How to Make Soap at Home

Soap making is easy and quick.

Start out with this easy soapmaking process if it is your first time.

If this is your first time, this could be a little bit costly. The first batch is when you will be purchasing everything, and you can’t use some stuff.

This melt and pour soap is great for those with sensitive skin. Have fun with this easy lye soap recipe!

Useful tips:

When handling lye solution, be very careful. This is a caustic substance that can cause harm to your hands and eyes when handled incorrectly.

This is why as a soap maker, wearing gloves and eye protection gear is important when handling lye. If you get lye on your skin, rinse quickly with cool water.

However, because of the chemical reactions during the saponification process, the lye gets used up, making the finished product safe.

If you think there’s too much lye on your soap, you can add more animal fats or whatever type of fat you are using.

The saponification process is done faster when using the hot process soap method. This is done by using an external heat source to catalyze the process.

The other type of method is the cold-process soap method. The cold process method doesn’t use any heat source. It takes a longer period.

Whether you want to use any of the two methods is a personal preference.

Basic Handmade Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces of coconut oil
• 14 ounces of palm oil
• 21 ounces of olive oil
• 1.5 ounces of castor oil
• 19 ounces of distilled water
• sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide
• 7 teaspoons of pure essential oils or fragrance oil

Tools:

• a large heat-resistant container, such as a soup pot made of enamelware or stainless steel
• 2 measuring cups or small bowls
• heat-resistant glass pitcher
• spatula
• thermometer
• immersion blender, stick blender, or hand blender
• digital scale
• soap mold—silicone mold, PVC plastic container, or loaf pan
• plastic wrap
• parchment paper
• old towel
• knife
• latex gloves
• safety goggles

Steps:

1. Lye mixing
   1. Wear your latex gloves and safety goggles. For more protection, you can also wear a shirt with long sleeves. Make sure your work area is in a safe place. This could be in a well-ventilated area or outside so you can work in the open air.
   1. Set aside 201 grams of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide (whichever one you are using, for this recipe, let’s assume we are using sodium hydroxide).
   1. Place 19 ounces of distilled water into your heat-resistant glass pitcher
   1. Pour the sodium hydroxide into the pitcher and stir until everything is fully dissolved. Stir slowly to avoid air bubbles.
   1. This chemical process causes a reaction that causes the water’s temperature to rise to 200 degrees F and produce strong fumes. You might want to work quickly and carefully in this process.
   1. Note: Always pour the lye onto the water, and not water onto the lye. This could create a spattering of the lye water which could cause burns and would call for medical attention.
2. Preparing the mold
   1. Line the soap mold with parchment paper.
   1. Use the measuring cup to measure your fragrance oils. Pure essential oils can get too expensive, so you can use synthetic liquid oils.

3. Melt and Mix the Oils
   1. If you are using solid oils—oils that are in solid form when left at room temperature, it is a great option to let them melt first. You can do this by placing the oils in a microwave, heating them over a saucepan, or using a double boiler. Avoid using a slow cooker. When using a microwave, always use short bursts of heat.
   1. Once melted, place your large pot on the scale and weigh every oil for precision. Stir and use a thermometer to check the temperature. Make sure you are using a thermometer that can handle high heat.
   1. The next step is to make sure that the oils are at the right temperature—80 degrees F to 100 degrees F. You can do this by placing the pot on the stove over low heat.
4. Blend and Pour
   1. This is the part where you put your safety gear back on.
   1. When the soap base and oils are at the right temperature, pour soap base into the pot of oils to make soap batter. This will create a cloudy mixture. 
   1. Blend with the immersion blender for 3 to 5 minutes, or until you reach a runny pudding consistency.
   1. Once the mixture has reached a trace, stir in the oil mixture until fully blended.
   1. Pour mixture into the soap mold, cover, and wrap with a towel. Store it away in a dry place for 24 hours.
   1. Keep this out of reach of children. For sure, small children will be drawn to it because of its smell.
5. Cute and Cure
   1. Once the 24 hours is over, cut the big bar into smaller bars using a sharp knife.
   1. After cutting, let the soap cure for 4-6 weeks before using. This time allows all the leftover water in the bars to evaporate.
   1. For the period of curing, keep the soap in the same place you kept it the night before. Make sure to turn it at least twice while in its curing season, so every side has been exposed.

To know the exact amount of lye you will be needing for a certain recipe, you can use this online lye calculator. The first batch of soap you make can cost you more than you would like.

But, in the long run, the cost becomes worth it. You can head down to the nearest hardware store to get everything you need, even down to your last ingredient.

These are just the basic methods when preparing a DIY soap type of lye. Once you learn how to make basic lye soap, you can make your own recipes like shea butter, poppy seeds, or castile soap.

You can even use other essential oils in your recipe.

If this recipe has helped you, click our affiliate links and get more step-by-step tutorials on preparing other soap recipes! Find recipes for liquid soaps and other melt and pour method soaps in this link.