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How to Make Bar Soap Yourself
It's possible to make bar soap at home using ingredients such as lye and oils. Following a recipe and knowing which precautions to take can help make bar soap making a fun and generally safe activity.
You have plenty of options for buying soap in stores, but it's also possible to make soap at home. Making a mild soap can be both fun and cost effective. Plus, you can choose the ingredients and scents based on your preferences.
Read on for tips to make homemade soap and a recipe to get you started.
Bar soap making: The basics
By definition, soap is fat or oil mixed with an alkali. The oil comes from an animal or plant, while the alkali is a chemical called lye. In bar soap-making, the lye is sodium hydroxide.
Combining and then heating oil and lye results in soap. This chemical reaction is called saponification. Without lye, saponification isn't possible, so lye is necessary to create soap.
A note on lye
Some people are concerned about lye. On its own, this highly corrosive substance can irritate the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. However, with proper techniques, saponification turns lye into soap. No lye will remain in the final product.
The following are basic soap-making supplies, many of which you can find online:
kitchen scale
stainless steel container
glass container
candy thermometer (that you use only for soap-making)
soap moulds
soap cutter
Pyrex measuring cup
Avoid aluminum
Avoid using aluminum or tin containers to handle lye, since this can be unsafe.
Soap-making safety equipment
You'll also need safety equipment, such as:
safety goggles
rubber or latex gloves
oven mitt
long-sleeved shirt to protect your arms
apron
well-ventilated work area
Basic ingredients
To make a DIY soap with coconut and olive oils, you'll need:
7 ounces (oz.) coconut oil
17 oz. olive oil
2 oz. grapeseed oil
For the lye mixture, you'll need:
78 grams (g) sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
215 g filtered water
Calculating fat to lye ratios
While you can adjust the ingredients to make smaller or larger batches, it's important to calculate a safe amount of lye. The safe amount for your recipe depends on the type and amount of oil you use.
Always calculate the amount of lye using an online lye calculator.
Bar soap for beginners
There are two methods for making bar soap from scratch:
Hot process: In hot process soap-making, external heat accelerates saponification. It cures more quickly than cold process soaps, meaning it is quicker to use after making.
Cold process. Cold process uses the internal heat that's naturally produced during saponification. The bars will completely harden in around 6 weeks. While it takes longer to cure, cold process soap is more moisturizing.
Below, you'll find instructions for cold process soap.
Directions
According to Stephanie Rose, author of the blog Garden Therapy and multiple DIY books, you can follow the following steps to make homemade bar soap:
Put on your safety gear and measure out all of the ingredients.
Gently heat the oils in a stainless steel pot on the stove. The temperature should reach 115°F (46°C).
Pour the room temperature water into a Pyrex measuring cup or heat resistant glass bowl. While stirring, very slowly add the lye solution to the water. Always add the lye solution to the water. Do not add the water to the lye, as this can be unsafe.
The water and lye solution mix will get very hot. Stir until it dissolves, then place the cup or bowl in an ice bath and let it cool to 115°F (46°C).
Once both the lye and the oils are at 115°F (46°C), pour the lye slowly into the oil mix. Stir rapidly in circles until the mixture becomes thick.
At this stage, you can add in any essential oils or natural colorings. Make sure to add them quickly as the mixture is beginning to thicken.
Pour the mixture into the moulds and seal the tops. Wrap the moulds in towels and place them on top of the fridge for 48 hours.
After 48 hours, take the soaps out of the moulds. Cut the soap with a soap cutter, then place the soaps on a wire rack. Let the soap cure for 6 weeks.
Tips for soap-making
Always work in a ventilated area when preparing the lye.
When adding lye to water, avoid touching the container with bare hands or breathing in the fumes.
Always mix the lye and oils when they are at a temperature of 115°F. If the temperatures are too high, this can be dangerous
Never ingest the soaps or any of the ingredients. Soap can be severely poisonous.
When using essential oils:
The number of drops will usually depend on the oil's quality and your personal preference. Fragrance oils are usually more concentrated, so you may want to start with fewer drops.
It often helps to stick with one scent and one colorant until you understand how they affect the finished soap.
Tips on choosing soap ingredients
The basic ingredients of soap are:
animal fat or vegetable oil
100% pure lye
distilled water
essential or skin-safe fragrance oils (optional)
colorants (optional)
Fats or oils
The best fat or oil depends on your preferences. Traditionally, soap was made with animal fat, but some people also use plant oils.
Depending on your oil, the finished soap's hardness and lather will vary. Examples of fats and oils used in soap-making include:
lard
tallow
olive oil
coconut oil
avocado oil
almond oil
jojoba oil
hemp oil
cocoa butter
mango butter
shea butter
Use oils from animal or vegetable sources only. Soap can't be made with petroleum-based oils.
Water
Water is an essential ingredient. It's used to make a lye solution, which is combined with oil. The water helps the oil and lye complete the saponification process. By the time the soap hardens, most of the water will have evaporated.
It's recommended to use distilled water. Some soap-makers use other liquids, such as:
tea
coffee
beer
goat's milk
coconut milk
These options can be tricky to work with if you're a beginner, so you may want to stick with water for your first try.
Scents
Soap doesn't need a scent to get your skin clean. But if you'd like to add a pleasant smell, you can use essential oils or fragrance oils.
Essential oils are mostly plant-based, and you can combine them to create custom aromas. Fragrance oils are synthetic. When selecting fragrance oils, look for skin-safe options.
Making your own recipe
Following a recipe is helpful when you're a beginner. Before you start making your own concoctions, it's important to get acquainted with the basics of soap-making.
Creative experimentation can absolutely add more fun to the process. But getting some basic experience first can help you understand how to safely handle the ingredients and prevent creative detours from becoming safety hazards.
Tips to keep in mind:
Using recipes will help you understand the proper proportions of lye versus oils required to avoid making skin-irritating soap. For example, crumbly soap indicates that it contains too much lye.
Different oils can lead to different finished products. By trying out varied recipes that use different oils, you can get a feel for the type of soap each oil produces. Then, when you're comfortable, you can start experimenting.
Playing with the fragrances, oil types, and water alternatives in existing soap recipes can help you create your own.
Remember: Using a lye calculator can help you safely align your ingredient proportions with your desired result.
