Basic Soap Recipes

Coffee Soap

The beauty of this recipe is that it contains a natural preservative-from the grapefruit seed! Add this ingredient to oils when melted.

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Basic Soap instructions. You can also add a tablespoon of coffee at trace. This soap is good for the kitchen-gets rid of onion and other cooking smells from your hands.

Basic White Soap

This is a small basic soap recipe. Makes only a 1/2 pound of soap, but that is a good amount if you are new to the process.

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Basic Soap instructions.

Chocolate Mint Soap

This is a basic soap that is best left un-milled due to the added ingredients at trace. Not as nice as milled soap in a fancy mold, but saves a step and makes an excellent bar soap.

Ingredients

Instructions

Pour lye into water and stir until lye is dissolved. Set aside to cool. 100 degrees F (38 degrees C)

Melt tallow with oils and cocoa butter (reserve a couple of teaspoons to mix the cocoa powder in). Cool to 100 degrees F (38 degrees C).

Slowly pour the lye into the fats, stirring constantly until a small amount of soap can be drizzled across the surface leaving a "trace" before dissolving.

Put in peppermint scent and stir well.

Take out a cup of the white soap and set aside in a warm bowl (or a bowl sitting in warm water). Blend the 1/4 cup of cocoa powder with the reserved oil and pour this mixture into the main batch of soap.

Pour soap into mold. Then swirl in the white portion set aside.

Wrap in towel a and put aside for approx. 20 hours. Un-mold, cut into bars and cure for three weeks.

Oatmeal Soap

This is a basic soap that is best left un-milled due to the added ingredients at trace. The quantity is small so you can pour it directly into your final molds.

Ingredients

Instructions

Pour lye into water and stir until lye is dissolved. Set aside to cool. 100 degrees F (38 degrees C)

Melt palm oil and coconut oil together and set aside to cool.

In a blender, mix the olive oil and oatmeal.

Slowly pour the lye into the fats, stirring constantly. When a small amount of soap can be drizzled across the surface leaving a "trace" before dissolving; add the oatmeal mixture and stir until well mixed.

Pour mixture evenly into mold (s). Wrap in towel and put aside for 48 hours. Un-mold and cure for three weeks.

Avocado Soap

Ingredients

Instructions

Carefully add the lye to the distilled water, while stirring. Set container aside. While that mixture is cooling, start mixing the oils. Measure out and put avocado and olive oil in soap pan. Then add the coconut and palm oils. Place pan over low heat until melted. Add grapefruit seed extract, a natural preservative. When temperature of lye mixture and oil mixture reach 85 degrees F (32 degrees C), you are ready to mix the two.

Slowly pour the lye into the oils, stirring constantly. When a small amount of soap can be drizzled across the surface leaving a "trace" before dissolving, it is ready to pour into molds.

Pour mixture evenly into mold. Wrap in towel and put aside for one to seven days. Check daily. If you push on it with your finger and it has the firmness of Swiss cheese, it is ready to slice into bars.

This soap can be further milled at this stage or set aside to cure. Cure for one month.

For all the Canadians and Australians that have been visiting this page, try this version. I am working on making the whole site metric friendly!

Pioneer Soap

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Basic Soap instructions.

This soap is mild and sets up well. Great for milling and dries hard. Good all purpose base.

Palm Oil Soap

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Basic Soap instructions.

This soap yields small, luxuriant bubbles. It is good for sensitive skin and can be used as a facial soap.

Olive Oil Soap

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Steps in Basic Soap instructions up to Step 12. Because this recipe has only liquid oils, the wrapped mold must be checked twice a day. Simply unwrap the mold and remove the lid. If there is a layer of oil on top, carefully stir it back into the soap with a wooden spoon. Replace the lid and rewrap the soap. Check the soap every twelve hours until the oil is absorbed, then proceed as usual.

This soap works well in Milk and Honey, Maize, and Cinnamon Soap.

White Soap

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Basic Soap instructions.

This soap is has small creamy bubbles. Great for use in fancy molds because it shows detail well.

Nineteenth-Century Soap

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Basic Soap instructions.

This is my favorite basic soap recipe. It shows trailings quickly. In less than 48 hours it will be ready to cut and mill. It is best to use for milled soap when it is still somewhat moist. I made Vitamin E milled soap with this base and it came out fabulous.

Coconut Cream Soap

Ingredients

Instructions

Follow Basic Soap instructions.

This soap has a nice creamy lather due to the coconut oil. It should be milled when moist.

Metric Conversion Tables