Before we get into the all-natural homemade soap recipes for holiday gift giving, let’s review a few basics about making homemade cold process soap.
Safety first! Always be sure to wear eye protection and gloves. Keep a jug of vinegar on the counter easily accessible in case of spills or splashes. (It is the neutralizing agent for lye) Make sure you mix the lye into the water in a well-ventilated area. NEVER DUMP WATER ONTO THE LYE. Bad, bad things can happen that way.
Melt the coconut oil and vegetable shortening. Once the oils are just about melted add olive oil. This will bring the temperature down. You want to have both the oil and water/lye solutions around 100 degrees when you add the water/lye to the oils. Add your lye to the water. I like to do this over ice in a pitcher sitting in a bowl with ice in it. Continue to stir your water as you add the lye S L O W L Y.
Once the oils and the water/lye mixtures are both around 100 degrees add the water/lye mixture to the oils and add your almond milk at this point.
Now you stir/blend with your stick blender until it reaches trace. Trace looks like thick pudding. If you want to add essential oils, or additions like ground oatmeal, or honey, now is the time.
The next step is to pour your soap into the mold of your choice. Wait 24 hours then dump the soap out of the mold and cut. Let this dry for at least 6 weeks before using.
To make powdered goats milk soap, you need to reconstitute powdered goats’ milk according to the package directions. Put it in a container that you can put in the freezer so that it becomes slushy. Keeping milk cold before adding it to your soap mixture will ensure a whiter bar of soap. If you mix it while the milk is still not super cold, you stand the chance of burning the milk solids with the lye/water solution.
Use the recipe for almond milk and follow those directions.
Make sure your coconut milk is slushy before starting this process. Mix your lye into your water. While it is cooling down to 90%s heat up your oils to 90%s too. Mix your water/lye mixture into the oils and add the coconut milk. Mix to trace and then add the essential oil of your choice.
Pour into mold. Let sit for 24 hours before cutting. Let sit for 4 to 6 weeks before using.
Lye Water Ingredients
113g / 4oz Lye
200g /7oz /200ml Water – you can make Earl Grey tea for your water, or lavender tea or even coffee for a more powerful benefit from the resulting soap.
Soaping oils
256g / 9oz Coconut oil
304g / 10.7oz Olive Oil
120g / 4.23oz Sunflower oil
80g / 2.8oz Castor oil
42g / 1.48oz Shea Butter
10 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract
4 tsp /50g /20ml Bergamot Essential oil
1/8 tsp dry Earl Grey tea
42g / 1.48oz Shea Butter
4 tsp /50g /20ml Lavender Essential oil
1/8 tsp dry Dry Lavender buds
42g / 1.48oz Shea Butter
4 tsp /50g /20ml Coffee Essential Oil
1/8 tsp dry Coffee grounds
Starting with a melt and pour base is the best way to make soap with younger kids. You can find another fun jelly soap recipe here.
All you have to do is melt the base, add your favorite essential oil and/or additions like lavender buds, oatmeal ground fine, etc. Once you have what you want added pour your soap into a mold. Wait 24 hours then cut and use!
Save
Chickens eating eggs problem one you experience too? Let me show you the Ingenius hack…
Discover how to grow an edible flower garden. Flowers are beautiful, but many are also…
Making goats milk soap for the first time was a long adventure for me, over…
Discover how to make soap the old fashion way. Practice this survival skill now while…
Come see the progress we have made on your DIY camper project. We are building…
This is how to make artisan sourdough bread at home to get great results. Simple…