Cold Process Soap Recipes

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Olive Oil Soap

This recipe makes 8 pounds of mild olive oil soap.

Ingredients:

24 oz. olive oil
24 oz. coconut oil
38 oz. vegetable shortening (Crisco)
12 oz. lye
32 oz. distilled water
3-4 oz. any essential or fragrance oil

Equipment:

Scale (for weighing ingredients)
Stainless steel or enamel pot (1 Gallon)
Two 2 or 3 quart plastic pitchers
Hand stick blender (optional)
Plastic measuring cup 2-3 cup size
Two wooden or plastic spoons (one for lye and one for oils. Use these exclusively for soap-making)
Two thermometers (one for the lye and one for the oils)
Rubber gloves
Safety goggles
Clear plastic container with snap-on lid 8" x 11" x 3" deep, or wooden soap mold 
Freezer paper (for lining mold/container)
Cardboard cut to the size of the wooden mold (used as a lid)
Old blankets (to cover finished soap)
Freezer paper or plastic garbage bags

Remember: All ingredients should be weighed (allow for the weight of the container).
STOP! Put on your goggles and rubber gloves!!
Weigh out 12 ounces of lye into one of the plastic containers. 
Weigh out 32 ounces of distilled water into the other container. 
In a well-ventilated area, SLOWLY pour the lye into the water, stirring until dissolved. Let the lye/water mixture sit until the temperature cools to between 90-100 degrees. This may take several hours. If you want to accelerate the cooling, place the container in a cold water bath. 

Prepare the oils.
Weigh 24 oz. of coconut oil and 38 oz. of vegetable shortening and place them into your pot. 
Melt the oils.
Remove the oils from the heat.
Add 24 ozs. of olive oil. 
Stir to blend.
Put one of the thermometers into the pot to check the temperature. The oils will also have to be between 90-100 degrees. Both the lye/water mixture and the oils will have to be at the same temperature before incorporating them.

Prepare your additives.
Start with 3-4 ozs. of essential oil or a combination of essential oils (blend). *Note (some essential oil scents are stronger, so use less, some are lighter and you may add more depending on your preference). Also, m
Measure 1/4 cup of any dried herbs or flowers (optional). 
Add 1-3 tablespoons of pigment (optional) for coloring. 

Grease the clear plastic container that you're using as your mold and place a piece of freezer paper on the bottom of the container for easy release OR line the container with a plastic garbage bag. If you are using a wooden soap mold, line it with freezer paper.

Check the temperature of the lye and oils. When they cool to between 90 and 100 degrees, slowly pour the lye/water mixture into the oils, stirring constantly. (Use the stick blender!) 
Blend in the lye. The mixture will begin to thicken.
When the mixture "traces" (when you can see tracks or "trace" in the soap), add your essential oils and any dried ingredients or colorants by removing 2 cups of the mixture and adding the colorant to it. 
Add the colored/scented mixture (the 2 cups) back into the pot. Continue to stir or blend until you see tracing (10 to 30 minutes or so, depending on the temperature of your mixture).
Quickly add the mixture to the mold and cover it with the lid. If the soap mixture does not fill the mold (if there is space at the top), place a piece of freezer paper on top of the soap and then put the lid or a piece of cardboard on the container to prevent soda ash from forming. 
Wrap your soap in the old blankets and place it in an undisturbed area for 18 hrs. 
Remove the blankets and lid and leave the soap in the mold for another 12 hrs. 

You can remove the soap from the mold and slice it or leave it in the mold for a day or so to make it firmer.
Place bars in an open box or drying rack (not touching each other) for 2 to 3 weeks. The soap should be cured completely after 2 weeks; however, the longer it cures, the milder and harder it will become.

Castile Soap

From Castile, or Castilia, a province in Spain, from which it originally came. A kind of fine, hard, white or mottled soap, made with olive oil and soda. Although this soap is slow to lather, a little work yields an abundance of rich, creamy suds mild enough for the most sensitive skin. Castile soap is so gentle, it's often used as baby's first soap.
Makes 2 lbs. Very Easy.

Follow the basic cold process soap making instructions. Soap temperature 100-120°, a bit hotter should be fine since this is a small batch and will loose heat quickly. Cure for 6 weeks for best results.

1. 8 lbs of Pure 100% Olive Oil
1 oz of beeswax pearls (gives this bar a silky texture)

4 ozs of lye (sodium hydroxide)
10 ozs of distilled water

Melt the beeswax in the olive oil until temperatures reach approximately 120°. Add the lye to the water stirring well (follow basic cold process instructions) and add to the oil/beeswax mixture when it cools to 120°. Stir until trace and pour into mold.

Optional additional additives: Ground dried chamomile 1/4 cup or less and chamomile fragrance oil (2 ozs.) added at trace.