I’m going to say right now that I am no expert when it comes to making bar soaps. I’ve experimented with this craft enough to teach it to someone else, but because it works so well that I’m just happy with the basic soap.  The benefit from learning from a soap making non-expert like me is that I can help you to make a basic bar soap that just works (no frills), but works well.

 How to make Soap

There are loads of great material online & in books on soap-making; Elly from Elly’s Everyday Soap Making has great content for both novice & experts on this subject.

The recipe I’m referencing below is from Ellie’s channel, check out her recipe in video form called “100% coconut oil soap for bathing – 3 ingredients – no stick blender soap“. Elly demonstrates how to make this bathing soap without use of an immersion blender (good for beginners who might not already have a stick blender and not yet sure if they like the craft enough to purchase one).

Plus Elly’s ratio of more lye to oil gives the resulting soap a 25% superfat level which ensures the resulting soap isn’t too drying for bathing purposes. Coconut oil based soaps are so efficient at cleaning but it can leave your skin dehydrated if not careful. The 25% superfat level just means some unsaponified oil remains in the finish product making the soap a little more gentle (i.e. less drying for the skin).

Alternatively, you can add olive oil to the recipe for the extra hydration.

Note, different oils possess different properties, so you shouldn’t add or subtract oils to your soap recipe willy-nilly style. If you wish to experiment with using BOTH olive & coconut oil, AND want to see how to make the soap with an immersion/stick blender then check out Elly’s other video “Soap Making Tutorial for Beginners – Full Demonstration & Cold Process Soap Beginner Recipe“

What is lye

Lye (a chemical compound known as sodium hydroxide) was historically derived from wood ash & used to make soap for centuries. Lye that is commercially available is most commonly manufactured through a chemical reaction involving salt water (i.e. electrolysis of brine); this standardized version manufactured from salt water helps to make soap recipes more reliable (i.e. easier to measure out the ratio between lye, water & oils).

Soap Making Equipment

First thing, make sure you have all of the proper soap making equipment. Having everything ready and within reach is key because chemical reactions can occur very quickly and lye burns if in contact with skin.

Any kitchen tools that are used for making soap shouldn’t be used for anything else, so try to use old or inexpensive items. Here are the absolute basics:

• small plastic container for measuring lye
• larger heatproof plastic container for mixing the lye and liquid
• digital kitchen scale
• rubber gloves for handling the lye
• goggles (if you’re not already wearing glasses) to shield from any accidental lye-water splashes
• container for mixing the soap in (aluminum will react with lye so avoid aluminum) If a magnet doesn’t stick to your metal container then it is aluminum material)
• thermometer
• immersion blender
• big stirring spoon and silicon spatula
• soap mould (you can go DIY-style and use cut-out tetra Pak cartons, or get fancier and use silicon moulds)

• Optional: keep vinegar nearby, in case you accidentally splash lye water onto skin the vinegar helps to neutralize the alkaline in the lye thus preventing the burn
• Optional: essential oil & food colour of your choice to give your soap a little pizzazz

Let’s make soap!

Bathing soap (100% coconut oil)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Measure ALL 3 ingredients and put them into their separate containers
2. Combine lye and water.T IMPORTANT! – Add Lye to the water (NOT the opposite) – do this part outside or somewhere with good ventilation – let the lye-water cool down to a warm temperature
3. Combine lye-water to coconut oil
4. Use the immersion blender to mix the liquid. Alternative between stirring by hand (with the blender) and blending with electricity, so you can see when the liquid starts to thicken.
5. Add food colour now.
6. If the liquid is thick and smooth like pudding, then stop blending. This is what is called reaching trace when you get the thick consistency that is evident of saponification.
7. Add fragrance or essential oil. Mix.
8. Pour the liquid into silicon moulds.
9. Let it rest for 24 hours.
10. After 24 hours, remove soaps from moulds. Put soaps into paper bag or cardboard box (somewhere the soaps can dry).
11. Use soap after 6 weeks. The curing time allows all the moisture to evaporate and prevents the soap from dissolving too quickly during use.

Tip: Freeze the water

If you make ice cubes out of the portion of water for the recipe first, then when you add the lye to the ice cubes there will be no fumes to worry about (so no need to do the mix in an area with good ventilation). Elly discusses this tip in one of her later videos.