How to Make Your Own Natural Organic Soap
Making soap from scratch requires exact measurements and is often complex and challenging. However, as challenging as it may be, it is also a fun and rewarding process. You can find organic, food-grade, oils at specialty grocers or online. The following recipe makes a medium-foam, liquid soap which is suitable for dry skin.
Things You'll Need
- 10 oz. organic coconut oil
- 30 oz. organic extra virgin olive oil
- 10 oz. organic jojoba oil
- 13 oz. lye (potassium hydroxide)
- One gallon distilled water
- The oz. boric acid
- Wooden spoon
- One two-quart ceramic or Pyrex container
- Glass measuring cups
- One kitchen scale
- One candy thermometer
- One five-gallon canning pot, with lid
- One 12 oz. enamel or stainless steel pot (to fit inside the 5-gallon pot)
- One two-gallon enamel or stainless steel pot
- Stick blender
- Goggles
- Gloves
- Face mask
- Mason jars
Instructions
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1
Heat the coconut, olive and jojoba oils in the 12 oz. pot until the coconut oil melts and the temperature reaches 160 degrees. Reduce the heat to low and let the oil simmer at 160 degrees.
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2
Pour 39 oz. of distilled water into a two-quart heat-safe container and slowly add the lye flakes. The lye solution will heat up to 150 degrees and may spatter and release caustic steam. Keep the bowl on a heat-safe surface and wear goggles, gloves and a face mask.
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3
Check the oil temperature and make sure it is still at 160 degrees. If it is not, turn up the heat until the oil reaches the appropriate temperature.
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4
Let lye mixture cool to 140 degrees and pour it into the 160-degree oil---pour slowly while stirring with a wooden spoon. You now have the beginnings of your soap.
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5
Fill the five-gallon canning pot with three to four inches of tap water and bring it to a boil. Place the soap pot inside the canning pot and put the lid for the larger pot over both pots.
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6
Blend the soap, with a hand blender, until it reaches a sticky, fudge-like consistency. Keep the temperature between 160 and 170 degrees while you are mixing. Mix thoroughly to keep the soap from separating during the cooking process.
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7
Boil 3 to 4 inches of water in the 5-gallon canning pot. Put the soap pot inside the canning pot and cover both pots with the lid from the larger pot.
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8
Cook the soap for five to ten minutes then remove the soap pot from the double boiler and check it for separation. If there is separation, stir the soap and put the pot back in the boiler. Cook the soap for another ten minutes and check for separation one final time. Cook the soap for three hours, and stir every 20 to 30 minutes.
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9
Test the soap. Remove the soap pot from the double boiler and dissolve 1 oz. of the soap into 2 oz. of boiling distilled water. Let the sample cool and check it for clarity. If the sample is really milky and opaque, then return the soap pot to the boiler for another 30 minutes and test it again. Continue to cook and test the soap until it tests clear or slightly cloudy.
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10
Boil 3 quarts of distilled water in the 1-gallon pot. Stir the soap paste to the boiling water, a little bit at a time, until all the paste dissolves.
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11
Boil 6 oz. of distilled water in a small pot and add 3 oz. of boric acid to the boiling water. Take 4 1/2 oz. of the boric acid solution and mix it into the diluted soap.
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12
Let the soap cool and pour it into clean Mason jars. Seal the jars and let the soap cure for two weeks. When the soap finishes curing, it will be ready for use.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can find jojoba oil at online retailers like Essential Wholesale and Brambleberry.
Always used either distilled or soft water for soap making. The minerals in hard water may make the soap cloudy. Be sure that the utensils and tools you use are dedicated to soap making and aren't used for any other purpose.
