Make Natural Soap At Home - Basic Recipe

Posted 4 May, 2008 at 8:35pm by Tina Jiang

(Filed under: Soap Making)

126 comments to Make Natural Soap At Home - Basic Recipe

Corinne, May 7th, 2008 at 7:07 am:

• This is the coolest thing ever! Trying to become self-sufficient in a world where you can buy EVERYTHING is hard… learning to make things from scratch is awesome, especially when you learn how easy it is!

Maria, May 7th, 2008 at 4:58 pm:

• My Mom experimented alot with soapmaking when we were younger. The bars really do last forever when you compare them to any other bar on the market, you just end up missing the convenience of liquid soap. My mom would get huge bags of beef tallow from a butcher for pennies a pound and would render it all down. Now THAT will make you a cheap bar of soap! We had so much fun picking different scents and fillers (baby oatmeal was popular)! I will definitely be looking for a follow up blog, you may have just inspired me to get into soapmaking again! I think I’ve read the book you mention, too. Very informative, if I remember. The most fun books are the ones full of pictures though, they can give you so many creative ideas!

Maria, May 7th, 2008 at 5:05 pm:

• Oh, one thing I didn’t see mentioned (perhaps I missed it) is once a tool is used for soapmaking, or more specifically if it comes into contact with the lye or young soap, it shouldn’t be used for any other purpose. That goes for glass and metal as well. Lye is powerful stuff and you really don’t want to risk accidentally ingesting traces of it. Thought I should throw that out there for anyone feeling ’soapy’!

Tina Jiang, May 7th, 2008 at 9:00 pm:

• Corinne,
  It’s a lot of fun making soap from scratch, and I get so much satisfaction from using what I made with my own hands and giving it to others to enjoy. I hope you give it a try ;-)!

  Maria,
  I do hope you pick up soapmaking again! Oatmeal soap was very popular with my testers also (I mean friends, family, and coworkers :). I love trying different scents (have a lot of fruity and floral ones waiting to be tested) and experimenting with colors… I’ll be writing about that for sure. I haven’t made soaps with tallow yet since it’s harder for me to get than plant oils (and I’m too lazy to render the fat :-P), but I have promised a couple of friends who are bacon lovers that I’d make bacon soaps for them… LOL.

  I’m still a beginner soap maker, so as I continue to learn and experiment I’ll definitely be sharing more info with everyone. I agree pictures are awesome - I can’t seem to get tired of looking at beautiful soaps in books or on the internet… that’s when I decided I must have developed an obsession :-D!

  Good point on using separate tools for soap making vs. cooking. Safety first always! Thanks for pointing that out!

Dr Bubbles, May 8th, 2008 at 2:49 am:

• your a nut! spend 50cents on a bar of Ivory. save weeks of dangerous hassles…..ahduhhh!

Jen, May 8th, 2008 at 1:09 pm:

• I think this will definitely be something to try this summer. I have an organic respirator, so I think I’ll wear that instead of holding my breath during the fumes.

Elizabeth, May 10th, 2008 at 3:28 am:

• I have been making soap for more than 11 years. I love it!!! There is nothing like kitchen chemistry to fill a day with fun and excitement.

  Dr. Bubbles, you have no idea what Ivory does to the skin. If you pay attention to your skin, you will find that ivory soap will leave a film of drying detergent. If you do any research you will find that sodium tallowate — the chemical salt that is created from combining lye with tallow — comes from the old oil that is picked up from places like McDonnald’s and other fast food joints. Hmmmm… seems to me I don’t want to wear my frechfries.

  Tina, you might want to look online for some lye calculators. They will make your life so much easier. Also, I would suggest branching out to other oils. I have found that a combination of coconut oil, cocoa butter and olive oil make an extremely hard bar of soap as well as fast tracing as well.

  If you are interested in learning to make goat milk soap, feel free to email me

  *HUGS*

  Elizabeth

raymund, May 10th, 2008 at 3:40 am:

• wow, its very informative,. i like the way it was done but i need an easy and affordable materials yet it was educational. more power and GOD BLESS!

Joal Heagney, May 10th, 2008 at 4:10 am:

• In response to Maria’s comment about liquid soaps, the early soaps were liquid rather than solid. Instead of using soda lye, households would collect the ash from their cooking fires and soak them in water in order to collect the “pot-ash” lye. (KOH rather than NaOH)

  The soaps made using this alternative lye were often very soft or outright liquid, and were either used as-is, as a liquid cleaner, or were “hardened” by the addition of salt to the recipe, replacing the potassium ions with sodium ions.

  For a really strong (but extremely caustic) cleaner, the potash lye was also used straight onto surfaces. A more moderate modern cleaner is good old baking soda, which is a bicarbonate rather than a hydroxide. It’ll still cut through fat though (Excellent on greasy fry pans). Not entirely certain if you could make soap with it however.

deez, May 10th, 2008 at 8:10 am:

• Very interesting reading, but all this talk about wearing goggles and gloves and long sleeves in order to not get lye on you….and no mention of what to do/what happens if you DO?

  I only know what I recall from that movie “Fight Club” and I think he poured vinegar (an acid) on it to neutralize the strongly alkaline lye.

Michael Chu, May 10th, 2008 at 11:46 am:

• Elizabeth,

  Although sodium tallowate can be made from waste oils, it’s unlikely that a company the size of P&G would do so because of several factors - P&G can negotiate with cattlemen/slaughterhouses to either get raw beef fat or rendered tallow at low rates with reasonable expectations of quality without having to deal with the filtration of waste frying oil. Waste frying oil will also vary drastically in chemical composition depending on how long the oil was used before discarding, what was fried in it, and the original oil composition. When making a commercial product, most corporations aim for consistency and uniformity of product - you don’t want to buy Ivory in January and another bar in August to find them of different colors, odor, or texture. It’s off-putting to the customer, so companies who can afford to do so, generally use virgin oils and fats to manufacture goods. Quality levels are easier to maintain that way.

Adam Seale, May 10th, 2008 at 9:57 pm:

• As if it needs repeating (and it does),
  don’t mess around with the lye.

  In the event of a lye spill (or any other strong base), treat it as you would an acid spill in the lab.

Adam Seale, May 10th, 2008 at 10:04 pm:

• That is to say, yes, vinegar (which contains dilute acetic acid) would be a good choice, immediately preceding a trip to a doctor.

  Anyway, I do like the idea of home soap making. Natural bars seem to be a good step above the average store-bought brands.

  Maybe someone should find a chemical that would have the same effect as raw sodium hydroxide (I’m not sure if it’s the simple pOH increase or some reaction involving the NaOH itself that’s at work here), but would bond it with some other chemical to make it inert until used.

Michael Chu, May 11th, 2008 at 12:19 am:

• Adam’s right, but anyone who is able to concentrate on a task and be careful shouldn’t let the lye part dissuade them from attempting this. If you took high school chemistry, you’ve probably worked with sodium hydroxide before - just remember that you were careful then, so be careful now. I think a lot of accidents happen to people because they get distracted or aren’t really present (mentally) when they’re doing things. I see this in the kitchen all the time - people don’t have their mis en place, are chopping up veggies while something is already burning on the stove, and changing a baby’s diaper at the same time. If you know you’re going to be attempting soapmaking in that state of mind, then I think it’s not a good idea. Otherwise, understand that lye is a strong base and will produce chemical burns and pay attention when you’re working with it. No problem, right?

Heather, May 11th, 2008 at 7:34 pm:

• That is just awesome we have often talked about making our own soap cant wait for the different smellie ones lol thanks so much

mypraise, May 11th, 2008 at 11:50 pm:

• It’s an interesting article. I would like to try it at my free time.
  you have suggested ” safety goggles to protect your eyes and thick rubber gloves to protect your hands and arms from the lye (wear long sleeve shirt, long pants, and socks if possible so none of your skin is exposed in case there’s a splash/spill)” you covered almost everything but you did mention something to cover the nose, mouse and cheecks, isn’t it need a mask or something to protect them also?

Jen, May 12th, 2008 at 11:23 am:

• I just found lye crystals at my local hardware store and the MSDS sheet states the concentration of NaOH is 95 to 100 %. I take this to mean that it’s meant to be all sodium hydroxide lye, but there might sometimes be incomplete reactions in the production. Think I should be concerned about that up to 5%?

  For the Canadians, this is “Free Flowing Lye Crystals” sold at Home Hardware, and the MSDS sheet is available through their website, Home Hardware (HH) product # 3226-431. Thought I’d put it out there, since I don’t think Roebic and Rooto are sold where I live.

Tina Jiang, May 12th, 2008 at 1:25 pm:

• Dr Bubbles,
  My husband likes cooking from scratch, and I like making soap from scratch… see any similarities here :)? I’m not saying everyone should make soap, but personally for me it’s a lot of fun, and there’s the added benefit of having an usable/practical end product :)!

  Jen,
  You may want to try freezing the distilled water into ice cubes then supplement with additional water to get the right amount of liquid. This is actually the method I prefer since it greatly reduces the amount of fume generated while mixing the lye as well as the time it takes the lye water to cool down. Just make sure to pour the lye into the ice cube/water mixture slowly and stir well, so you don’t end up with a lump/crust of lye sitting at the bottom of the container (which takes more work to break up - speaking from experience :).

  With regards to the “Free Flowing Lye Crystals”, I think the safest thing to do is to call the manufacturer and ask them if there’s anything else in it other than lye. I wouldn’t take the chance of having the 5% of unknown ingredient(s) in the soap…

  Elizabeth,
  Nice to meet a veteran soap maker :)! Yes I’ve been using lye calculators and tried recipes using different oils - in fact this is the topic of my next post (soon I hope:). I made cow milk soap once and people really liked it! I’d love to try making goal milk soap next and will be emailing you for tips and advice :).

  Raymund,
  I plan to write about creating your own soap recipes using different oils and using online lye calculators in the next post - stay tuned! In the mean time, please check out this recipe using vegetable shortening which is more economical than olive and coconut oils: http://waltonfeed.com/old/soap/soapgwil.html. The Waltonfeed soap page is a good resource for beginner soapmakers: http://waltonfeed.com/old/soaphome.html. Another good resource is Kathy Miller’s site: http://millersoap.com. For online lye calculator try Majestic Mountain Sage: http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

  Joal,
  I’m not a chemist, but from what I read - soap cannot be made with baking soda. However, for those who are interested :), baking soda does make an effective and very affordable “microdermabrasion” facial scrub. Just mix with a little bit of water and gently message onto skin in circular motions, then rinse off with water. Note: it might sting sensitive or inflamed skin, so use personal judgment and remember to be gentle.

  Deez and mypraise,
  I’ve seen different advices on what to do if you get lye on the skin - some say pour vinegar over it, while others say it’s better to just rinse with cold water. I’ve made a number of batches of soaps and haven’t had this happen, so (fortunately) I don’t have any personal experiences to share. However I do think it’s prudent to seek medical attention immediately if a burn occurs. I know lye seems very scary (if it wasn’t for the fear of lye, I would’ve started soap making a long time ago), but given how many people have done this at home and from my personal experiences, I can tell you that it’s safe to make soap when you take proper precautions.

  Regarding protection of the rest of the face - it is a good idea, but in my opinion it’s not necessary. I wear goggles because I don’t want to take chances with my eyes, even though I don’t like it since it fogs up often and is uncomfortable. But for me the inconvenience of wearing a face mask outweighs the benefit of protection in the unlikely event that I get splashed. Wearing gloves is a necessity however, because you definitely don’t want your hands to come into contact with lye. Long sleeve shirts, pants, and socks don’t add too much inconvenience so it makes sense to wear them as well. I’m not against more protection, just weighing in practicality. I want to also call out that folks should not be working with lye when you are tired, distracted, or in anyway unable to focus on the task at hand. I only make soap when I’m in a good state of mind to focus on what I’m doing, and that’s the only thing I do during that block of time. This is perhaps one of the best ways to protect yourself from accidents (in addition to wearing goggles and gloves, and following instructions :).

Jen, May 13th, 2008 at 7:46 am:

• thought I’d follow up regarding the Home Hardware lye crystals, manufactured by CP Industries. Email response:

  Thank you for your interest in our product
  The 5% is natural impurities in the lye. This product is used regularly to manufacture soaps at home.
  Please read the msds carefully as it is material that should demand caution and safe handling.

  Thanks again,
  Keith Lucas

Tina Jiang, May 13th, 2008 at 9:20 am:

• Oh that’s great - thanks for sharing this information!

Brandon, May 14th, 2008 at 2:18 pm:

• OWWWWWW!!!!!!!!! Don’t replace sodium hydroxide with hydrochloric acid.

Andrea, May 15th, 2008 at 12:37 am:

• I’ve always wanted to try this. It’s looks like quite a bit of work but I’m going to give it a go.

michelle, May 16th, 2008 at 1:07 pm:

• Hello everyone My husband found this page and is wanting to try it out Ive got so experience I’m not sure if you can call it that though the little hobby kits they sell at wal~mart and Michaels. but getting to my quests and remarks I would love to see how to add scents and colors to to the homemade soaps as well as other versions of the recipes(ex cows milk soap). My husband would also like to try this recipe with palm instead of the coconut oil is there any difference in measurements or any different ingredients that should be used? other than that thank you for putting this up finally something me and hubby can do together

Rob, May 19th, 2008 at 4:21 am:

• Tina my spouse wrote the post right above mine. We tried the recipe yesterday, and boy oh boy…

  First came the running around for the components we did not already have. Walgreens does not carry coconut oil, nor do 3 other shops in my town, but I did find it at GNC, a vitamin and supplement store. Then to Ace hardware for the potentially face melting chemicals. They no longer carry Rooto, but they do carry a product called insta-flow, which is 99% lye with no other active ingredients according to the MDS sheet.

  So to the actual making…
  The lye turned the water black. Not grey, but midnight in a mineshaft black. Coooool.
  I used standard ounces for the coconut oil, and fluid ounces for the olive oil, not that it made much of a difference, as the scale we have appears to have a case of the gremlins, and I ended up kinda eyeballing everything after the lye.

  All in all, I think we may have used too much oil, but the mix did trace and achieve the consistency you mentioned. I currently have it in the mold, where it kinda looks like soap. By Wednesday I should know how it turned out, as that is when I will take it out of the mold. Thank you for the recipe, and if you have any further advice, or suggestions, please let me know.

Jen, May 19th, 2008 at 10:21 am:

• hey Tina, I was checking my unit conversions and put the recipe as you posted it into the Misty Mountain Sage Lye calculator and it comes out as much more than 4% superfatted… is there some big round off error at some point?

Tina Jiang, May 19th, 2008 at 9:43 pm:

• Jen,
  I’m glad that you are using the lye calculator to check the recipe. Yes this recipe is ~10% superfatted per the Majestic Mountain Sage lye calculator. Different soapmaking books/sites recommend various superfat (or lye discount, same thing) percentages ranging from 0% to 10%. My guess on why this particular recipe has a higher % of superfat is that the author probably wanted to build in extra buffer since many readers who try this recipe are probably making soap for the firs time, so it’s better to error on the side of having excess oil rather than excess lye. You’ll get an extra mild and moisturizing soap, although the higher amount of excess oil will probably cause rancidity to occur faster. The batch I made turned out very nicely and was used up quickly before it even had a chance to go bad :)! I normally go with 5% superfat and have been pretty happy with the results. I do recommend using the lye calculator to check recipes in books and on web sites before you try them, just to make sure they are not lye heavy (due to typos, etc.) and that the amount of superfat is what you want. Happy soaping!

Tina Jiang, May 19th, 2008 at 11:01 pm:

• Michelle and Rob,
  I’m glad you are trying soapmaking together :)! To answer your questions:

  Scents are usually added at trace before you pour the soap mixture into the mold. Amount of scent needed varies depending on the strength of the scent as well as personal preference. I don’t like very strong fragrances so I usually use 1-2 teaspoons of fragrance oil for a batch of this size or 1 tablespoon for a batch twice this size. Start with less and you can always add more. Make sure to mix the scent well into the soap mixture before pouring into the mold, otherwise you may get pockets of fragrance oil in the finished soap.

  Colors can be added at various times, depending on the type of colorant used. Some can be mixed into the lye water (e.g. titanium dioxide which makes the soap white), melted into the oil at the beginning (e.g. crayons), or added at trace to create a marble/swirl pattern (e.g. pigments mixed with glycerin then added to a portion of the soap). For the first time, the easiest and most affordable option to try may be crayons, however not all colors will come out true so you’ll have to experiment. I made a batch (twice the size of this recipe) with 1 tablespoon of mandarin orange fragrance oil and a piece of orange crayon (Crayola brand) and it turned out beautifully. Just melt the crayon with a little bit of oil first before you add the other oils.

  Substituting oils – you can use palm oil and not coconut oil, but it makes a different soap due to the different properties of the oils. Palm oil makes a hard bar and so does coconut oil, but in addition coconut oil provides fluffy lather that few other oils do, except palm kernel oil which can be used in place of coconut oil. Coconut oil is obtained from the meat of the coconut from the coconut palm tree, while palm oil and palm kernel oil are obtained from the pulp and kernels of the fruit of the oil palm tree. To make a recipe with palm oil and olive oil, use one of the online lye calculators below to figure out how much lye is needed. I usually go with 5% superfat/lye discount.

  Lye water – something is not right here… the lye water should not be black. My guesses are: 1) the other 1% of inactive ingredients in the insta-flow is causing this. I strongly recommend that you contact the manufacturer to find out what’s in the 1% - you don’t want metals or anything toxic to be in your soap (in fact, I don’t think you should use this batch of soap) and 2) the container used to mix lye water reacted with the lye – what kind of container was it? Glass and stainless steel are ok; nonstick, aluminum, cast iron, or tin are not. If this is the case, please don’t use the soap since it would be toxic due to the reaction between the lye and the metal.

  Weighing the oils – if possible please invest in a new scale. It’s hard to get the right proportions of oils and lye without a good weigh, and you risk using lye heavy soap on the skin or having excess oil oozing out of the soap or fast rancidity.

  Here are some additional online resources for soapmaking:
  - Majestic Mountain Sage lye calculator: http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php
  - Soapcalc lye calculator: http://www.soapcalc.com
  - Kathy Miller’s soap site: http://millersoap.com
  - Waltonfeed soap page: http://waltonfeed.com/old/soaphome.html
  - Teach soap site: http://teachsoap.com/
  - About.com Soap Making Central: http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapmakingbasics/Soap_Making.htm

  Happy soaping together :)!

Jen, May 20th, 2008 at 8:34 am:

• Hi Tina,

  I ended up making it yesterday, adjusting the lye to about 6% super fatted. Although it’s looking okay to me right now, I gave up whisking before trace I think (it had been about 2 hours and I was hungry.) Any idea what that’ll mean for my soap? Guess who’s got weak arms? too bad I can’t harness my bicycle legs to do the work.

Tina Jiang, May 20th, 2008 at 10:18 am:

• Hi Jen,
  When you were mixing did the soap mixture get thicker and more opaque? How does the soap look in the mold right now? Does it look solid or has it separated into layers of oil and lye water? If it’s solid it’s probably ok… next time try using a stick blender (I never hand whisked again after the first batch :-P).

Jen, May 20th, 2008 at 1:27 pm:

• yes, it thickened and went opaque, just not as thick as I thought it needed to get. it’s looking solid now with no separation, so I guess it’s fine.

  considering I have enough lye for some 40 batches, I think I’ll get the stick blender

Michael Chu, May 20th, 2008 at 2:01 pm:

• I recommend the MyWeigh i5000 digital scale. It’s fast, accurate, and about the same price as the slower readout Salters they sell everywhere.

  In case anyone is interested, I wrote an article on scales a while back.
  http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/82/Kitchen-Scales

Tina Jiang, May 20th, 2008 at 4:24 pm:

• Jen - it does sound like your soap is ok :). My first (and only) hand mixed batch didn’t get too thick neither, but turned out nicely. I’ve been using the Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender which has worked well so far. You can find it online or at Bed Bath and Beyond if there’s one near where you live: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14915265

Betty's Only, May 21st, 2008 at 6:08 pm:

• I think that your site is very interesting. This will help me to get on the ball for my candle making. I have never made soap, but to my understanding it is very similiar to candle making. I like your pictures and it is hands on. Keep up the good work.

Karrie, May 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am:

• Tina~~I’ve been making soap for a few months also–it’s very addicting! The sites and books you’ve mentioned are great, and are ones that I’ve also read/researched. A couple more books that are really good, are Soap Naturally, and the Susan Miller Cavitch books. It’s interesting to research from several sources because although the basics are the same, each person has their own individual way of making soap, and in turn, you develop your own.
  Great blog~~and I wish you Happy Soaping!

michelle, May 23rd, 2008 at 8:17 am:

• Tina
  My husbands soap thickened up and changed colors there was no separation of the lye nor the oils its the same color as yours is above the only problem we had was getting it out of the mold my husband used. He decided that pvc was the best mold. Needless to say its not and please anyone that is reading this don’t use pvc. I made a batch as well but mine reacted differently then my husbands even though I followed the same steps to a T My batch seemed to set up a lot faster than his it also seemed like my batch produced more heat but I used a microwaveable Tupperware dish for mine instead of the pvc in which he used

michelle, May 23rd, 2008 at 8:23 am:

• ps Tina the container was a glass measuring cup and a stainless steel whisk to mix. As to the other 1% I’m unsure I know that mine did not turn to black it was like a dark Grey.

Michael Chu, May 23rd, 2008 at 3:57 pm:

• Every time I’ve seen Tina make soap, the lye water has been clear… I’m a little concerned about all the grey/dark grey/black comments. The lye crystals themselves are white, but after it’s been dissolved into the water it’s clear.

Tina Jiang, May 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 pm:

• Michelle, try putting the pvc pipe in the freezer for an hour then dip it in very warm water for 30 seconds or longer (with the end covered with plastic wrap and rubber band). I’ve never tried this but some of the soap books I read suggest this method for easier releasing of the soap. I have made soaps in pvc pipes, which were lined with parchment paper I got from Walmart. The paper is longer than the pvc pipe, so after the soap solidified I just grabbed the end of the paper that’s sticking out of the pipe and pulled the whole thing out. This seems to work well every time. Some people coat the inside of the pvc pipes with oil first, which also makes it easier to push the soap out later.

  Also even with the same recipe and steps, every batch is a little different in terms of time to trace, amount of heat generated, etc. I guess the important part is that the soap comes out ok in the end.

  I am concerned about the other 1% ingredient in your lye. I still think you should contact the manufacturer and find out what it is. You don’t want to risk using toxic soap on your skin…

michelle, May 24th, 2008 at 5:55 am:

• Tina

  Robert is going to contact the company about the lye today or tuesday since hes on vacation to see what they say ill let you know what out come is

Rob, May 28th, 2008 at 5:44 am:

• I just got the word from the folks who make insta-flo. They confirm that there are no metals in the lye, and what caused the water to turn black was just plain old carbon. Funny thing about that is that my batch cured white.

  Keep in mind with MSD sheets they have to list things like metallic powders. I’m no chemist, but I worked with the sheets when I worked in land surveying and also rock crushing facilities. The idea behind those sheets is to save lives, so while product labels may be a bit confusing, the msd sheets pretty much have to tell the truth.

Claire, May 28th, 2008 at 6:09 am:

• I made a batch and it hasn’t gotten completely hard after 2 days. Doe’s anyone know anything about rebatching.

Claire, May 28th, 2008 at 6:10 am:

• I need to know about rebatching. My soap has not hardened after 2 days.

Tina Jiang, May 28th, 2008 at 10:35 am:

• Rob, I’m glad the lye is ok. It’s good to know about the MSD sheets (I’ve not looked at one before). Enjoy your first batch of soap :)!

  Claire, what consistency is your soap? Is it just soft, or have the oil and lye water separated? If the latter, the soap should not be rebatched and needs to be disposed of. It would be good to know why the soap is not hardening, e.g. excess water/oil, not enough lye, etc..

  Here are some links on rebatching information:
  http://teachsoap.com/rebatch.html
  http://millersoap.com/re.html

Tina Jiang, May 28th, 2008 at 10:42 am:

• You can do a Google search on “rebatch soap”. Here are some more results I got in addition to the two in my previous response:
  http://www.geocities.com/blueaspenoriginals/how_to_rebatch.html
  http://www.soapnuts.com/indexrebatch.html
  http://waltonfeed.com/old/soap/soapbach.html

Carolyn, May 29th, 2008 at 10:38 pm:

• I have a three year old and “traced” my way to your site after reading about lye, wondering why on earth would we ever use it in soap products. Anyway, this blog is FANTASTIC, I guess I’ll be buying lye after all Many thanks to all participants, I hope to share my experiences too soon.

Neerja Singh, June 2nd, 2008 at 1:22 am:

• Dear Tina,

  Yours is the best, most informative blog I’ve seen on soap-making, thanks a lot.

  I’ll look forward to your future posts because I would love to know how to add exfoliating agents, flowers or ingredients like activated charcoal to make them more interesting and valued as gifts.

sir jorge, June 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm:

• this is nothing like fight club! I’ve missed out for so long.

Loren, June 4th, 2008 at 7:52 am:

• Excellent article. I’ve often toyed with the idea of making my own soap. This post will be a great reference. Thank you!

Six Neat Things » Blog Archive » Hey!, June 8th, 2008 at 5:21 pm:

• […] how to make hand made soap. Like from scratch, not melt and […]

linda, June 10th, 2008 at 11:29 am:

• Tina, what can you tell me about making goat milk soap. Would you have a good beginner recipe? I have goats and lots of milk.

Tina Jiang, June 10th, 2008 at 11:46 am:

• Linda, I have not made goat milk soaps yet. I did a Google search for “make goat milk soap”, and found this tutorial with instructions and pictures:
  http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/tipstricks/ss/goatsmilksoap.htm
  Hope this helps! I’ll try making goat milk soaps in the future and write a post on that someday :).

Jen, June 12th, 2008 at 11:04 am:

• I came home from vacation Tuesday and used my freshly cured soap for the first time

  I also got a cheap (under $9) stick blender. it’s not very high powered at 150 Watts, but I figure in soap making, it doesn’t have to break up any solids so it ought to do.

Tina Jiang, June 12th, 2008 at 5:12 pm:

• Awesome! How did you like the soap :)?

Kerri, June 18th, 2008 at 11:08 am:

• I’ve made soap for years. I don’t and won’t use lye. I use the huge slabs of glycerin, add in oatmeal, olive oil, lavendar, etc. I have done a lot of different add-ins, but really love the oatmeal because I really sensitive skin. Thanks for the article. I really love reading about others that go the distance to create a product at home.

Glenn, July 2nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm:

• Fantastic ! I followed your directions and whamo, have my first batch drying now The only problem I have is waiting, do I HAVE to wait 4 whole weeks ? What could happen if I try a stick in 2 weeks ?

Tina Jiang, July 2nd, 2008 at 9:50 pm:

• Glenn, you can try it after 2 weeks :). It’s better if you wait 3-4 weeks, i.e. the soap will become milder and longer lasting, but it is usable after 2 weeks. I’ve tried various batches after 2 weeks and they worked fine :).

Glenn, July 17th, 2008 at 5:28 pm:

• Tina, thanks for the info. turns out the soap is great !!
  Well, one thing. Its a little soft. Im almost done with the batch!
  Between my wife and I we go through 2 bars a week
  Is there anything to do on the next batch that will firm the soap up ?

Tina Jiang, July 21st, 2008 at 7:25 pm:

• Glenn, I’m glad to hear that the soap is great :D! To make a harder bar you can substitute a portion (try 4 oz) of the olive oil with another oil that’s solid at room temperature, e.g. palm oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, lard, or tallow (beef fat), depending on what you can get easily. I don’t recommend increasing the amount of coconut oil since it’s already 38% of the original recipe and too much of it can be drying to the skin. Please use the Majestic Mountain Sage online lye calculator (http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php) to get the exact amount of lye needed for each recipe you make. Hope this helps!

Virginia, July 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 am:

• I didn’t notice that this was mentioned but, you can use Rice Bran Oil in place of Olive Oil and also Canola Oil can be used in place of Olive Oil. I have been making soap for about 8 years and have used both oils as they are more inexpensive than Olive Oil. Do any of you make shampoo bars? I have had dry scalp all my life until I made and tried shampoo bars. They are great.

Rev. Kathryn, July 27th, 2008 at 9:18 pm:

• This was the most interesting read I’ve had in a long time. I usually get frustrated reading stuff on line and click out of whatever it is I’m reading. For some reason I found your explanations along with the pictures just perfect for keeping my interest. Now I’m sure I can make the kind of soaps I would like to use. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smell of rosemary, thyme, lemon balm, and sage and would love to make soaps with those herbs in it. I do yearly projects…last year was picking 20 lbs. of blackberries and making freezer jam which I sold. The year before I made natural christmas wreaths, which was fairly lucrative.

  My friend just sent me a juicer…I wonder if I can use it to press oils from my herbs or do I have to get some other contraption that presses oils? Any ideas?

  Why are the last 6 photos missing from your soap making?

  Thanks and many blessings,
  Rev. Kathryn
  Featherstone FMCC

Tina Jiang, July 29th, 2008 at 8:28 pm:

• Virginia, I recently tried using canola oil in place of olive oil and it worked out well :). In my next blog article I plan to write about making your own recipes using different oils and liquids, using lye calculator, adding colorant and scent, etc.. I’ve made a batch of shampoo bars using olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and castor oil - I was surprised by how much lather it had and really liked the solid form. The only problem for me is hard water, so I need to do a lemon or vinegar rinse after shampooing. Overall I like the idea of a natural shampoo bar vs. conventional shampoos that’s mostly water and sodium laureth sulfate.

  Rev. Kathryn, thank you for the positive feedback. I think the best way to get oils of herbs is to purchase the essential oils from an online supplier (e.g. http://snowdriftfarm.com/essentialoils.html or http://www.thesage.com/catalog/EssentialOils.html), which is cheaper than buying them from health food stores. I’m not an expert in the process of extracting essential oils, but I don’t think it can be done with a juicer. You can use herb tea in place of water in soap making, or add powdered herbs to the soap mixture at trace, but the scent of the herb is unlikely to survive the chemical reaction with lye. Essential or fragrance oils are usually the way to scent soaps. The online suppliers I mentioned earlier have both available for sale.

toodles, September 18th, 2008 at 11:58 am:

• I have been making soap for 15 or more years and have never had a lye burn. I am careful and do all my work outdoors so that the fumes are not a problem.
  Use a deep container, pour slowly and stir gently and there is no problem.
  I have probably made 200 bars of soap. I use lard and tallow (if I can get it)and lately I have made absolutely wonderful goat milk and oatmeal soap.
  I started making soap because my granddaughter was allergic to commercial soaps and also I had dry skin before I changed to my own handmade soap.
  Follow the recipe, use common caution and enjoy the thrill of creation. Happy soap making to all.
  To Dr. Bubbles..Ivory soap is the worst thing that I can use. It gives me “alligator skin’ that itches intensely.

fenay, September 27th, 2008 at 6:31 pm:

• TINA.

  we’re making soap bars for our investigatory project, and my chem teacher refuses to help us unless we know the concentration of lye we need to use. and he likes things in grams, not in ounces.

  can you help me?

Michael Chu, September 27th, 2008 at 11:18 pm:

• Fenay,

  The lye is in ounces (weight) which you can convert to grams using a calculator (or typing “x ounces in grams” into google). The volume of water you used can also be converted into milliliters/grams in the same way.

Karen, September 30th, 2008 at 8:24 am:

• I started soap making in Oct 07. It is the only soap we use in my
  house. Huge difference between store and real soap!
  Love it!

Stephanie, October 11th, 2008 at 9:00 pm:

• I really want to try soap making, just one question, can you still use the bowls for food afterwards, or only a couple of them, or none at all?

Tina Jiang, October 13th, 2008 at 6:45 pm:

• Stephanie, if you are using stainless steel, glass, or ceramic bowls and wash them well afterwards, you can use them for food again. If you are going to make soap often, I definitely recommend having a separate set of bowls and utensils just for soap making. Not sure if plastic is affected by lye (I don’t use it much)… probably depends on the type and quality of the plastic. I don’t think wooden utensils should be reused for food after soap making since wood is porous and can be damaged by lye over time. Good luck!

tiff, October 24th, 2008 at 9:53 am:

• Tina Jiang.
  I’ve just began to research a more natural website. I didn’t have the slightest clue about soap making until your website. I went looking for natural soap- which led me to soap making at home- which led me to this site. I plan to purchase the necessities within the next two weeks and by December I should be able to rid the home of the store boughten soaps. My entire fam (spouse, children and self) have extremely dry skin, see a dermatologist and are constantly scratching. I am really looking forward to the benefits (and fun) of home made soap. Thank you for sharing your experience with the world. You are a great blessing to us all.

Tina Jiang, October 25th, 2008 at 4:05 pm:

• Tiff, thank you for the kind words :). Since you and your family have very dry skin, you may want to include some shea butter in the recipe for additional moisturization (try the recipe in my hot process soap article). Also you can use plant oils (e.g. olive oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, etc.) in place of lotion and apply it directly to the skin after a bath/shower which will help with the dry skin as well. Good luck with soapmaking and let me know if you have any questions!

Erik, November 9th, 2008 at 11:35 pm:

• Hi Everyone
  I came here by way of google for some info on Insta-Flo. I read thru all the comments and the superb soap “walk-thru”. You all seem like such great people, i can’t believe it. Never seen such civility and genuiness in a group of posts before. I ‘ M INSPIRED TO MAKE A BATCH OF SOAP MYSELF. It sounds like so much fun and I’m a natural tinkerer. The idea of producing our own goods really appeals to me. In the pioneer days folks made everything them selves. There was no Walgreen’s on the corner.

  We need to start living in A SELF SUSTAINING WAY!!!!!! OIL is not a re-newable resource as we’re starting to realize in a big and quick way.
  well, all for now God Bless all a ya.

  erik

Erik, November 9th, 2008 at 11:39 pm:

• PS
  define orthogonal.
  sounds like something i’d like to be into.

Michael Chu, November 10th, 2008 at 9:52 pm:

• Orthogonal means to be at right angles (90°) from in all dimensions.

Crafts I plan on doing « Pagan Homemaking, November 14th, 2008 at 11:10 am:

• […] Soap. […]

Soda Chanda Suon, November 19th, 2008 at 2:17 am:

• Your HP is very educational for me because I am interesting in making a transparent soap. I have a question. May be you can help me out since making soap is your specialty. How do you calculate the percentage of Lye (NaOH or KOH) regarding to 100g of oil (Olive oil or tsubaki oil) ? Thank you for your time!!

  Best regards,
  Soda chanda suon

Tina Jiang, November 25th, 2008 at 6:06 pm:

• Soda chanda suon, you can use an online lye calculator such as the one on the Majestic Mountain sage website: http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php It’s fairly simple to use and you should be able to figure out how much lye is needed for the type and amount of oil you are using. Good luck!

Sara, December 9th, 2008 at 8:07 am:

• Thank you so much for your detailed instructions! I have a silly question: By lining the box/mold with overlapping wax paper have you ever had a problem with soap leaking through the corners where the edges meet? I was going to make soap for gifts but I’m concerned that it’ll leak through & become a mess? Thanks for any advise.

Tina Jiang, December 9th, 2008 at 9:36 am:

• Sara, it’s not a silly question :). You can double line the cardboard box with plastic wrap or a plastic bag first then wax or parchment paper. The plastic wrap/bag protects the seams and you can leave it on the box and just put in new wax/parchment paper every time. Or you can use a plastic storage container or glass baking pan and line it with wax or parchment paper. Good luck!

juan, December 10th, 2008 at 7:38 pm:

• Hi I was making my second batch of soap making some changes, basically inserting herbal tea addivites that smell really good when I make tea with them. However when I mixed them with with the soap pudding mixture it starts smelling awfull … do you have any idea why this happens?

cristina, December 12th, 2008 at 2:05 am:

• HI. I FOUND YOUR WEBSITE THRU GOOGLE SEARCH AND IT REALLY A GREAT HELP FOR SOAPMAKING BEGINNERS. I’M SEARCHING FOR A GOOD RECIPE FOR VIRGIN COCONUT OIL SOAP. I NEED VCO AS THE MAIN INGREDIENT ONLY, NO OTHER CHEMICALS, DO YOU HAVE ONE, CAN YOU SHARE IT TO ME PLS. THANKS AND I HOPE FOR YOUR REPLY SOON.

Sara, December 24th, 2008 at 10:45 am:

• Hello. I’ve been trying to calculate how much soap your recipe shown makes? Thank you

Doug, January 8th, 2009 at 9:20 am:

• Hi Could you tell me when I should add my scent to the soap?I have heard that the lye eats up alot of the scent and should just make a simple plain soap and mill it down then add my scent then remold.

  Thanks Doug

Tina Jiang, January 8th, 2009 at 8:16 pm:

• Juan, unfortunately herbal tea, flowers, juice, etc. don’t survive the reaction with lye and will smell bad during soapmaking and will not retain their fragrance after the soap is dried. The best way to scent soaps is through fragrance or essential oils. You can purchase these online or in local drug stores or health food stores.

Tina Jiang, January 8th, 2009 at 8:19 pm:

• Cristina, you can make soap using only coconut oil, lye, and water. To calculate the amount of lye you need, use this online lye calculator by Majestic Mountain Sage: http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php. Just enter the amount of coconut oil you are using and it will tell you how much lye and water to use.

Tina Jiang, January 8th, 2009 at 8:24 pm:

• Sara, this recipe makes about two pounds of soap. I cut it into seven pieces as shown in the picture. As the soap dries and water evaporates, it’ll shrink and weigh a bit less over time.

Tina Jiang, January 8th, 2009 at 8:30 pm:

• Doug, I’ve tried milling plain soap, add scent, then remold. I personally think it’s a lot of work and not worth the effort. You may want to try hot process soapmaking (see my other article about making soap using a slow cooker), which requires less fragrance or essential oil since the soap mixture has been cooked and the lye has been neutralized by the time you add scent. The other benefit of hot process soap is that the soap is usable right after it has cooled down.

Cathy Winsby, January 16th, 2009 at 10:42 am:

• Try this site as well for lots of information, recipes and design ideas for making handmade soaps.

  http://www.soap-making-essentials.com

Cosmina, January 28th, 2009 at 10:09 am:

• Can anybody tell me how I can use ashes and water instead of sodium hydroxide? Thanks a bunch!

Cathy Winsby, January 28th, 2009 at 10:54 am:

• Cosmina,

  Ashes and water are what is used to make potassium hydroxide. Way back when you couldn’t just go and get sodium hydroxide, homesteaders would pour water over ashes that sat in a hopper filled with straw. This would leach the lye out with the water and that was used to make a soft soap.

  I honestly wouldn’t recommend this method for making soap as it is highly inaccurate and only makes soft soap…unless you add lots of salt to the recipe. I don’t know the exact process for this method of soap making and I think that homesteaders didn’t actually rely on measurements much either. That is why many people associate ‘Grandma’s soap’ with being an incredibly harsh product for the skin.

  Sorry but I would recommend getting some Sodium Hyrdoxide from a supplier.

  Try this link for a few locations to purchase sodium hydroxide.
  http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/sodium-hydroxide.html

Cosmina, January 29th, 2009 at 3:25 am:

• Cathy,

  Thank you so much for your quick answer. What I want to do is to create my own dish detergent (I am tired of “toxic” store bought ones)- before I make my soap. I tried baking soda and vinegar and essential oils but… (contrary to what I read) this does not cut the grease. I need to add some soap to do this. The potassium hydroxide soap (shreaded in my solution) would add the “soaping” effect. I am very new to this whole -make yourself process- but it is my New Year resolution to become more self sufficient (for price, eco and fun reasons!).
  Potassium hydroxide sounds appealing to me because is also very “natural” comes from ashes. Any ideas on how to use potassium hydroxide - for any cleaning purposes is very much appreciated.
  Also thank you Tina for your great Web site.

  Cosmina

Cathy Winsby, January 29th, 2009 at 7:53 am:

• Cosmina,

  You’ll first need to learn how to make handmade soaps since neither potassium or sodium hydroxide can be used as is. They are both extremely caustic chemicals and will dissolve the flesh from your hands if used that way.

  I suggest at least reading the link I provided in the last post about sodium hydroxide since they are used and handled in the same way.

  You wouldn’t be able to shred a soap made from potassium hydroxide either since it would be a softer substance.

  You mentioned using a baking soda, vinegar and essential oil mix for cleaning and that it didn’t cut the grease. Have you tried using sweet orange oil? It cuts grease like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

  Learning how to make Potassium hydroxide isn’t something the home crafter does these days so you will have to really do your homework to find out how the process is done. Trying doing a search on colonial soap making.

  What about purchasing a bar of handmade soap at your local craft market and seeing if your idea for the dish detergent will work first as well?

  As for making soap for reducing costs of expenses….in my experience soap making is not cheaper than buying store bought commercial soaps but it does produce a much friendlier product both for the environment and for your body.

  Good luck. If you do get into soap making you’ll enjoy it….we all seem to become addicted to making it.

Cosmina, January 29th, 2009 at 9:09 am:

• Thanks again Cathy. Your help is very much appreciated. I know that neither sodium hydroxid nor potassium hydroxid can be used as is. They are highly corrosive. I just thought that potassium hydroxid is easy to make (and as I said friendlier - ashes with water).
  I will try sweet orange essential oil.
  One more concern - really paranoid one - do I need to weight the lye to mg so to make sure it is completely neuralized?
  Also Cathy do you have a good recipe for - baking soda, vinegar and essential oils - dish detergent (I mean proportion of the ingredients)?

  Thanks so much,

  Cosmina

Cathy Winsby, January 29th, 2009 at 10:44 am:

• My concern with using homemade potassium hydroxide is, how can you tell the strength of the lye you have made?

  When you make soap with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide beads/flakes, you must use a specific amount of lye to the amount of oils you are using to make the soap. This is very important since you could easily end up with a soap that was either caustic or greasy. Accurate measurements is a number one priority when making handmade soaps.

  I honestly don’t think making potassium hydroxide is easy for the home crafter….it just uses some simple ingredients.

  As for the dish detergent…no sorry….I do have some other cleaning recipes however.
  http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/cleaning-recipes.html

  Cathy

Cosmina, January 30th, 2009 at 3:42 am:

• Thank you. Well, one last question. The last couple of days I did more reading on making soap. I came across some recipes that use sodium carbonate (Na2CaO3) aka washing soda (used instead sodium hydroxide NaOH) as lye. Did anybody use this recipe?

christie, February 8th, 2009 at 6:36 pm:

• hello
  I really want to make soap but really dont want to use lye.
  is there anything else out there?
  an organic alternative?
  is the lye for making the soap hard?
  what’s it’s purpose?
  I’am very new at this, and hope that this is not a dumb question?
  thank you for your help..

Michael Chu, February 9th, 2009 at 1:04 am:

• Cosimina, As far as I know, washing soda (sodium carbonate) does a good job breaking down fats (oils, grease stains, etc), but is fairly caustic. I believe it should only be used for washing laundry.

  Christie, Lye is used to break down the oils from triglycerides (a glycerin with three fatty acid chains) into glycerine and free fatty acids that combine with the dissolved Na+ and OH- ions in the lye water. This compound that is formed is soap - so what you end up with (if nothing else is added) is glycerine and soap all suspended in water to form a thick gel. When the water evaporates, you get a cake of soap uniformly mixed with glycerin (with some residual water). We call this entire thing soap (or a bar of soap or hard soap). This is pretty much the only way in the universe to make a hard soap.

  You can make a liquid soap using potash lye (potassium hydroxide), but since you get K+ ions (potassium) binding with the fatty acids, the resulting soap is liquid (like the kind you pump from a bottle).

  There’s really no way around it - you need lye or potash lye to make soap. Like Tina said in the article - No lye, no soap.

christie, February 9th, 2009 at 8:08 am:

• hi
  thank you, michael
  i was just hoping that there was something out there other then lye.
  thank you for your info it really was a great explanation.
  even for me.
  thanks, christie

Cathy Winsby, February 9th, 2009 at 8:18 am:

• Christie,

  If you still want to make soap, you could always try melt and pour soap making or rebatching. This way you avoid the stage of using the lye (since it has already been done for you) and still get to have the fun of making your own soaps.

  There are many great melt and pour products now that don’t contain the dreaded Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) and that are quite affordable.

  Good luck!
  Cathy

Cosmina, February 9th, 2009 at 9:30 am:

• I feel like a pest myself but I am kind of in the same line as Christie. I do understand No lye= No soap. I went today to a hardware store and bought a bottle of NaOH. The clerk really insisted that I buy protection glasses and a mask for the fumes that I will be exposed to. The mask was very expensive and I did not buy it. This put me off again. My question to the seasoned soap makers is: will I be exposed to a lot of fumes? Is it soooo really dangerous you need a mask? Is it feasible in a small appartment?

  Thanks,

  Cosmina

Cathy Winsby, February 9th, 2009 at 9:43 am:

• It’s definitely feasible in an apartment. When you mix the lye into the water it creates quite a bit of heat. This heat results in a vapor that will rise from the solution for a few minutes. You don’t want to breathe the vapor since it is a lye solution as well.

  If you won’t be wearing a mask, at least do it near an open window and hold your breath while you quickly stir. Then walk away for about 5 minutes.

  In all honesty a mask is better. Even a particle mask (the little cheap white ones) is better than nothing at all. Long term repeated exposure to fumes can be damaging to your lungs.

  I confess to being lazy and don’t wear one….very bad indeed!

  Cathy

Michael Chu, February 9th, 2009 at 10:32 am:

• Don’t forget to wear rubber gloves and clothing that will cover exposed skin.

GlennH, February 9th, 2009 at 11:47 am:

• Im not telling anyone not to wear protective equipment, but I have found that if you add the lye very slowly, to very cold water, in a glass that it self is in a lager container with ice/water mix that the lye solution does not gas off at all. If the lye is mixed as it is being added, i have had not one whiff. Now if you add the lye too fast, the out gassing is not good, and windows need to be opened !

  I also like to keep a bottle of vinegar handy, I did once get a little lye solution on my hand, washed it off under cold water for what I thought was long enough. Evidently I didnt do it long enough, and felt the burn a little later, so washed again with the vinegar and all was better.

  Should have just wore the gloves !, I will never do it again without glasses !

  Glenn

Michael Chu, February 9th, 2009 at 10:36 pm:

• Tina uses the ice cube technique when she makes soap and it effectively reduces the fumes. (See step 5.)

christie, February 12th, 2009 at 2:50 pm:

• hello
  i am still looking for another option, other then lye.
  i called an organic soap making place, and they said they do not use lye..
  and that the bars are organic.
  can lye be organic?
  i have come across alot of organic soap bars that have the ingredients, and there is no mention of lye or (sodium hydroxide)
  lye really is a hazardous product, and for those that are not wearing masks or gloves, are you wanting to die.. this is a product that is used to get ride of bodies, it turns skin into a goo. i cant imagine what it does to your lungs.
  But i really have a strong yearning to make soap, i have soap molds waiting.
  so if anyone find anything on making soap without lye let me know..
  thank you , christie

Tina Jiang, February 12th, 2009 at 7:44 pm:

• Christie, what is the name of this organic soap making place? Did they tell you how they make soaps without lye? Non-cosmetics products are not required by law to have ingredient lists so companies don’t have to list everything or anything. Lye is a necessary ingredient in soap making, but there’s no lye in the end product because it has been neutralized by the oils. Many soap labels don’t list water even though water is used in soap making. My point is that just because lye is not listed on the label doesn’t mean that lye was not used. As Diane explains in her article on lye and soap making ( http://frontierangelsoap.blogspot.com/2008/10/soap-101-why-lye.html ), ingredients can be listed in several different ways for the same bar of soap:
  Ingredients: Water, Olive Oil, Tallow and Lye
  Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Olive and Tallow
  Ingredients: Sodium Olivate and Sodium Tallowate
  So I really want to know how this organic place is making soap without lye?

Cosmina, February 13th, 2009 at 12:59 am:

• Christie,

  You should have asked them exactly what they use. I am really interested myself. (I agree with both Tina and you! Lye is not good but also since is neutralized during the soap making process is not written on the label since the soap does NOT have lye in it.). I am also not a fun of the fumes of the lye but I decided to do it ONE time with ice water using only a mask for dust! See how it feels and if I decide to make soap on a regular basis I’ll definetely buy and good mask.
  There are also soaps without… “soap” - I guess they are without lye also (usualy for babies that will not give them tears when washing the head). But they have worse ingredients like talc and others. At least the lye - when the soap is properly done - is TOTALLY neutralized (Tina please correct me if I am wrong!).

Robert, February 13th, 2009 at 5:50 am:

• Christie,

  As far as soap without lye goes, a saying you’ll see time and again in your search sums it up best. “No Lye, no soap.” That organic place isn’t giving you the straight truth. My wife and I used this very recipe in our “size-of-a-tictac-box-apartment” using simple dust masks from 3M to no ill effect.

christie, February 13th, 2009 at 3:43 pm:

• hello, everyone
  well the company was a organic soap company on ebay.
  i called and asked if they use lye in the soap making. and they were furm that they do not use lye..
  if you ask, just about all the soap making people on ebay say they do not use lye.
  has anyone made a soap recipe with out the lye?
  like just olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, glycerin, bees wax ect.
  i wonder what it would turn out like? i guess not a soap..
  but a cream bar ?
  it just seems like a really touchy topic? if soap makers are really soap makers, then why are they not telling people that they are useing lye?. because lye turns into a very stable none toxic ingrident, unless i’am wrong..
  i just got my book i ordered “the natural soap book” and low and behold there are “NO” recipes that have lye…
  just kidding!! all of them have lye, 1-st ingrident is water then lye.. so i guess my no lye soap is all a lie…
  i will be off to the store to buy the horrific LYE..
  i will be back i am sure, thank you for your help.

Cathy Winsby, February 13th, 2009 at 5:07 pm:

• Christie,

  It’s not actually a touchy subject at all, it’s just we get asked this question a lot and when we answer that yes you need lye….people don’t believe us….sometimes it’s frustrating.

  I’m guessing these people are actually using melt and pour soap. So technically ‘they’ aren’t using lye but the manufacturer of the melt and pour soap did.

  Some people who sell soaps do not understand the complete soap making process and think that they can make soap without the lye…it’s not that they are telling fibs….they just don’t know any better.

  They also think that ‘glycerin’ is the name for melt and pour soaps when in fact glycerin is a sticky, syrupy clear substance that is a by-product of soap making that commercial manufactures remove before selling the soap.

  Handmade soaps are full of this wonderful stuff.

  Glad your giving soap making a go! I’m sure you will enjoy it. Even though you’ve got recipes in the book you’ve bought, don’t forget to run the recipe through a lye calculator first. Shame to loose a batch of soap over a miss-print.

  Good luck and have fun.

christie, February 14th, 2009 at 8:11 am:

• hi, goodmorning

  just wanted to say thank you to everyone that helped, with my questions.
  and everyone was so so great to deal with.
  i will let you all know how the process goes.
  i tryed to buy lye at the ufa in red deer and the man that i asked looked at me like i was crazy, and said “NO”.
  what else is lye used for? maybe its called something else?.
  i live in alberta, canada. so if you know of any other names its sold buy let my now.. thank you
  christie

Cathy Winsby, February 14th, 2009 at 8:16 am:

• I’ve heard that it’s used to make ‘Meth’ or something like that so that may be the reason for the ‘crazy’ look. Just ask for Sodium Hydroxide (it’s actual name) and explain what you are using it for.

  Some hardware stores no longer carry it or have it stored in the back. I’ve heard as well that here in Canada you can get it a Home Hardware stores. They may even be able to bring it in for you if they don’t have it on hand.

cristina, February 16th, 2009 at 4:52 am:

• dear ms. tina jiang, thanks for the reply.i can’t find perfect recipe for coconut oil,water and lye ingredients only. i hope you can share me please. thanks and your website is really interesting!

Tina Jiang, February 16th, 2009 at 10:16 pm:

• Cristina, are you having trouble using the Majestic Mountain Sage lye calculator (http://thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php)? All you need to do is scroll down the page, enter the amount of coconut oil you want to use in oz (e.g. 16), and click on the “calculate lye” button, then the next page will tell you how much water (4-6 oz) and lye (e.g. 2.80 oz for 5% lye discount) to use. Enter any amount of coconut oil and the lye calculator will give you the appropriate amount of water and lye to use. If the lye calculator is not the issue, then can you elaborate what problems you are having?

Ruby, February 22nd, 2009 at 1:43 pm:

• Tina Jiang,

  Hi! I made this soap about 3 weeks ago. I made the soap about the same way it was written in your instructions. However, I may have cut them a bit too early (barely a day passed until I got impatient and sliced them to cure). I’ve noticed that for each of my sliced soap pieces, the center is slightly more translucent than the outer part of the soap. I thought it would go away as it cured but it still remains. Do you know if it’s because I didn’t allow it to sit long enough until I cut them, or I may have over-traced the soap mix? I’m also worried that it might be unsafe to use. What do you think? Thanks!

Tina Jiang, February 22nd, 2009 at 5:57 pm:

• Hi Ruby, if you followed the recipe and instructions then the soap should be fine to use. The translucent center is most likely due to “gelling” which happens after the soap mix is poured into the mold and while it’s saponifying (oils and lye reacting to make soap), a lot of heat is produced and that causes the soap (especially the center where it’s hottest) to have more of a translucent appearance. If you like the translucent look and wants it throughout the soap next time, you can try covering the whole soap mold with kitchen towels after pouring in the soap mixture - this will help retain heat and gelling will more likely reach the edges of the soap block. Hope this helps.

Laurence, February 26th, 2009 at 3:37 am:

• Hello!!! oh… i followed ur instructions above and it is so easy and exiting to do.. ^-^ but i dont have any trust to use my soap because i think its dangerous to use!! to wash my hands will do.. heheh.. waah!! i done it becos of my project in chemistry.. Chemical reactions!! But i enjoyed it a lot and i want to make many soaps again!!!! tnx.

Jola, March 3rd, 2009 at 1:53 am:

• As far as the “no lye soap” you can do the melt and pour method to “make” soap. Though, it’s more a method of decorating that making. You take soap or soap flakes and melt them down then add the scents and colors desired and pour them into molds or loaves. Christie, you may want to try this. My guess is the lye process has already been done for you and all you’re really doing is remelting the soap (though I’m not totally sure of that). I just know that there is no lye involved in the steps you do at home. You can buy the blocks for melting or even kits at craft stores or walmart.

Wed, March 14th, 2009 at 6:22 am:

• I just feel the urge to comment on the lye issue.

  Lye is not dangerous, unless it is handled wrongly.

  Water is lethal, if you get it in the lungs. Oxygen is toxic if too concentrated. A baseball bat will render you unconcious if applied firmly to the skull.

  Just be aware, and you will be fine.

Joan, March 14th, 2009 at 12:22 pm:

• My ssoap didn’t trace but it set up fine….is it safe to use after it cures? The lye still scares me even though I’ve made soap several times. It didn’t trace right last time either but we used it all with no ill effects. Do I need to redo this batch?

Tina Jiang, March 15th, 2009 at 10:44 am:

• Joan, when I hand stirred my very first batch, it didn’t seem to trace much but it turned out ok. I would say if the soap set up fine like you said it’s probably alright, assuming the recipe you used has the right amount of lye and you followed the recipe closely. If you see any of the following symptoms then the soap is not ok and you should throw it away: separated layers of lye water and oil, pockets of lye water in the finished soap, or bits of shiny lye crystals in the finished soap. If none of these occurred and you tried the soap on your hands with no ill effects it should be ok. I recommend a stick blender if you are not using one right now… it significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to stir and trace (in my opinion totally worth the extra cost:).

Glenn, March 24th, 2009 at 5:12 pm:

• I have been making soap for about 6-7 months now, and would never go back, I haven’t tried many recipes but would like to venture out. I find the soaps I loved in warmer weather just dry my skin too much in the winter. I hate using over the counter soaps because none of them make me feel clean. Can anyone recommend a moisturizing recipe. I pretty much have used Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor oil, coco butter and lye. I also prefer to use the slow cooker for instant gratification

  Looking forward to all replies !

Ruby, March 27th, 2009 at 11:33 pm:

• Tina,

  Hello again, I have a few more question. I made another batch of the soap and now there apppears to be a white residue on the top of my soap after a day of curing. Is this extra NaOH that hasn’t been fully dissolved in the solution before? Should I use this soap?

Johanna, March 31st, 2009 at 10:41 am:

• I’m so glad I found this article. I’m a massage therapy student and many times the subject of natural items come up so one of our teacher gaev us the ingridiants to make soap but I never knew the right amount. He uses different oils than you but guess it’s matter of taste! I’d bought soap from him and the difference it from earth to heaven!! My skin is much softer and silky and I only use a very small amount of lotion in my body as suppoused a lot that I used to.
  Thanks for puting it out there.

Caroline, April 10th, 2009 at 10:48 pm:

• I’m a passionate soap-making beginner, living in Greece. Finding even the most basic ingredients is very hard here. One of them is vegetable shortening, what can be used instead of it?
  Thank you for your ideas!
  ;o)

Barbara, April 19th, 2009 at 12:34 pm:

• What do you do if the lye water cools down too much? I used ice and water and by the time the lye was dissolved the temperature was in the 80 degree range. I microwaved it up to 100, but was that the right thing to do? It took 2 hours to trace, even with a stick blender. I used soybean and cocoanut oil, and lard adapted to a 2 lb batch using the lye calculator from the Sage. I’ve had 2 very successful batches.

Tina Jiang, May 17th, 2009 at 10:16 am:

• Glenn,
  to make a more moisturizing soap, you can try adding some shea butter. For example, see the recipe in my hot process soap article http://www.orthogonalthought.com/blog/index.php/2008/06/handmade-soap-using-a-slow-cooker-hot-process/. You can experiment with various amounts of shea butter to find the best recipe for your skin. Just make sure to use a lye calculator to figure out the right amount of lye for the specific recipe you are using.

  Ruby,
  from what I’ve read the white residue on top of the soap is not harmful, but you may want to scrap it off just to be safe. I’ve also had this on some of my soaps and have not had a problem using them.

  Caroline,
  you can make soaps with all kinds of oils/fats so you don’t have to use vegetable shortening. The recipe in the above article is very simple but works well, and includes only two oils: coconut and olive oil. The coconut oil provides hardness and bubbles, and the olive oil is moisturizing to the skin. You can also add palm oil, or cocoa butter, or shea butter, or tallow, or lard to the recipe. I generally keep the percentage of coconut oil at or below 30% since too much of it may be drying to the skin.

  Barbara,
  I generally keep the temperatures of lye water and oils at or above 100 degrees and I find that trace is easier to achieve at these temperatures, especially for smaller batches where less heat is produced during saponification vs. larger batches. I’ve also warmed up lye water in the microwave before so I think it’s fine but I prefer not to do it to avoid boil over or spill. Try using less ice and more water when dissolving the lye. I stir the ice water while pouring lye into it which helps it to dissolve faster (otherwise it often forms a clump at the bottom of the ice water). Also make sure the oil temperature is not too low which can also contribute to long trace times. Hope this helps.

Anonymous, June 23rd, 2009 at 4:11 am:

• wow

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