DIY Basic 4-Oil Soap Recipe

Whether you're new to experienced in cold-process soap-making, you can't go wrong with this basic soap recipe that uses just four types oils. Before you begin making soap, read through the recipe and review the safety cautions about working with lye.

Materials

  • 6 1/2 ounces palm oil
  • 6 1/2 ounces coconut oil
  • 7 1/2 ounces olive oil
  • 1 1/3 ounces castor oil
  • 8 ounces water
  • 3 ounces lye
  • 1 ounce fragrance oil or essential oil blend

  1. Weigh the Water and Lye

    Put a container on the kitchen scale and zero out the weight. Put on rubber gloves and safety goggles, and keep them on throughout the process.

    Weigh 8 ounces of water and transfer it to a glass or plastic pitcher. Open the container of lye and gently shake the lye into an empty container on the scale until you weigh out 3.1 ounces of the chemical. Close the lye container and put it away in a safe place.

    Warning

    Work in a well-ventilated area without any children or pets around. Lye is a dangerous chemical that can cause severe burns. Observe all cautions and safety measures when working with lye.

  2. Add Lye to Water

    Slowly add the lye to the pitcher of water (not the water to the lye), being careful not to splash. Don't breathe in the fumes. Use a fan or open a window during the process. Stir the mixture gently until the lye is totally dissolved. The mixture may bubble or steam, but that is expected.

  3. Cool the Lye Mixture

    Immediately rinse the spoon you used to stir the solution with water. Cover the container containing the lye solution and put it in a safe place to cool. It is ready when it cools to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

  4. Weigh and Melt the Oils

    Weigh and heat the solid oils until they are completely melted using glass containers and the kitchen scale. Put the melted oil into a large soap pot over low heat. Weigh and add the liquid oils to the melted solid oils in the soap pot.

  5. Add Lye to Oils

    When both the lye and the oils are at about 100 F, slowly pour the lye solution into the oils. Stir the mixture with a stick blender, alternating short blasts of the blender and stirring. Mix the soap until it reaches a light trace, which refers to the point at which the soap is about as thick as thin cake batter and there are no streaks of oil left in the mix.

  6. Add Fragrance Oil

    Remove the mixture from the heat and add the fragrance oil. Mix it into the soap thoroughly.

  7. Mold the Soap

    Pour the raw soap into the mold and let it sit for 12 to 24 hours until it cools completely and is hard enough to cut. Remove the soap from the mold and slice it into bars. Let it cure an additional two to four weeks before using the soap.