How to Make Olive Oil Soap Without Lye

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By Carol McKenzie
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Make Olive Oil Soap Without Lye

Making your own soap is a fun activity, but many people shy away from using lye, which can be harsh and caustic, and is a main ingredient in most soap recipes.

Soap is not soap without lye though...it's the ingredient that makes soap harden. Without it, you'd have liquid soap. But there are ways to make your own soap without using lye. This article discusses steps you can take to make soap without lye.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Melt and pour soap base, olive oil or coconut, or glycerin base, 6 ounces
Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Essential oils of your choice, 15 drops
Dried herbs or dried flower petals, if desired
Soap molds
Microwave oven
Double boiler
Microwave-safe bowl
Plastic spoon or stirring stick

Step 1

Use a melt and pour soap base. This is the easiest and fastest for the beginning soap maker, or someone who just wants to make a few bars, to make soap without lye. There are many companies online that sell melt and pour soap bases (see resources below). They're already been through the process that turns lye into soap, so there is no need for you to use lye. These also allow you to add your own aromatic ingredients, essential oils, even flower petals and herbs for an individualized soap.
Step 2

Use a base with olive oil. There are melt and pour bases that already contain olive oil, so that is the simplest way to make olive oil, and then add your own special scents. You'll have the olive oil you want, personalized with whatever you like...lavender, geranium, neroli...as a scent.

Use a coconut melt and pour base and add pure olive oil to the base, along with scents, to make a rich olive oil soap. Coconut will make for a rich lather, something a pure olive oil soap may lack.
Step 3

Calculate how much base to use before you begin by filling your molds with water and then pour that water into a measuring cup. It will give you the amount of base you should melt. Add an extra ounce of base to make sure you have enough to fill the molds.
Step 4

Assemble all your ingredients so you're ready to go, since parts of this process go pretty quickly. Cut 6 ounces of coconut base, white base or glycerin soap into tiny pieces to make melting easier and more consistent. If you're using the microwave, use a microwave safe bowl, and gently melt the base, 10 seconds at a time, stirring between heating. If you're using a double boiler, gently stir over medium heat. Don't let the mixture boil.
Step 5

Quickly stir in the olive oil and essential oil when your base is melted. Add any other ingredients and give a stir. Quickly pour into two 3 ounce molds or one 6 ounce mold. Unmold when the soap is cool.