Cold Process Soap is amazing and produces a better bar of soap than most store-bought soaps. It does require research before diving in. If you are not familiar with sodium hydroxide or CP soapmaking, please read this post on lye and how to use lye properly and buy either the Learn to Make Cold Process Soap DVD here or 'The Everything Soapmaker's Book' here prior to attempting these recipes if you are not an experienced Cold Process Soapmaker.
These are my favorite 3 Cold Process soap recipes that I tend to stick to when making soap for classes, family and friends.
Lots of Lather (my most favorite, tried and true, teach this in every class, really, really hard soap bar)
16 oz. Coconut
16 oz. Palm
16 oz. Olive Oil
2 oz. Castor Oil
13 - 19 oz. water
7.4 oz. lye
Recomend 3% superfat for best bubbles
Moisturizing
4 oz. Avocado Oil
8 oz. Coconut Oil
1 oz. Jojoba Oil
16 oz. Olive Oil
8 oz. Palm Oil
4 oz. Shea Butter
11 - 15 oz. water
5.6 oz. lye
Nourishing
2 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
2 oz. Avocado Oil
8 oz. Coconut Oil
2 oz. Hempseed Oil
16 oz. Olive Oil
8 oz. Palm Oil
4 oz. Shea Butter
2 oz. Wheatgerm
2 oz. Vitamin E
12-16 oz. water
6.0 oz. lye
Typical Disclaimer: Please be sure to follow all safety guidelines when handling Lye. If you haven't studied a comprehensive guide on Cold Process soap making I highly recommend the Everything Soap Book. If you are new to cold process soapmaking, please purchase a book and read about the serious safety issues associated with lye or better yet, buy the DVD on making CP soap. Another good book to start with is Susan Miller Cavitch's "The SoapMakers Companion." When working with lye, please always use gloves and goggles and do not breathe in the fumes. I also wear long sleeves during my soapmaking process and keep my goggles on the entire (entire, entire, entire!) time. Even I burn myself; if you missed the post last year where I dumped fresh soap on an open cut, click here to learn from my (idiotic) mistake.
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23 comments:
These look great, thanks for posting these.
Always good to know someone else's tried-and-true recipes (whether it be food or soaps, LOL!). Thanks!
Oh thank you so much. I'm a novice CP soapmaker and I've been wanting to try new recipes but nervous to just make something up. Can't wait to try these!
Thank you for this post! I've been reading your blog for quite a while now and I really appreciate the helpful info you share with us.
How would the variation in water amounts affect the finished bar?
The less water you use in the recipe, the more temperamental the soap is when working with it. So, if you're using a fragrance that accelerates trace, you don't want to short the water.
Also, the less water you use, the harder the bar of soap will be more quickly.
On your first recipe do we need to add additional oils to get the 3% superfat for the best bubbles? Thanks so much.
Hi Mama,
I've got the 2-3% superfat in there with the lye amount listed. You can always check the lye amounts on any recipe at the Bramble Berry calculator here:
http://www.brambleberry.com/Liquid-Silk-P4097.aspx
Hello,
I know that I am commenting on an older post, but I have made your soap recipe (CP Lots of Lather) multiple times and love it. But, could you give me a suggestion as to what to use besides the palm oil? I have access to canola, but am afraid to use it because this makes such an awesome bar. I live in a rural area and have to have everything shipped, practically. Thanks, Elizabeth
Canola would not be a good substitute for Palm. You could sub Canola for Olive but it would not react the same way in soap as Palm Does. You could do Tallow if you're not opposed to animal fat. Have you ever considered that? There are instructions for rendering tallow here: http://teachsoap.com/tallow.html
Hi, how much does the 'Lots Of Lather' recipe make? I'm thinking about 3lbs but I am new at this. I'm going to try my first batch of cold process soap using this recipe. Thanks for posting them.
Lots of Lather makes around 19 bars - 76 total ounces of product (you need to add the lye and the water) to start with. And then it evaporates out 15-20% of its weight during cure time. =)
I am brand new to soap making...I have never made a single batch before! Do you have any instructions available on how to go through the whole process to make your lots of lather? I am wanting to make Christmas gifts and figure I better start now just in case I never figure this out! haha :0)
I am brand new to soap making...I have never made a single batch before! Do you have any instructions available on how to go through the whole process to make your lots of lather? I am wanting to make Christmas gifts and figure I better start now just in case I never figure this out! haha :0)
Hi Jennifer -
Watching the process is the easiest way:
http://www.brambleberry.com/Learn-To-Make-Cold-Process-Soap-Dvd-1-DVD-P3591.aspx
Or you can make do with the written word (I did when I started making soap almost 17 years ago). This is a great book to start with:
http://www.brambleberry.com/The-Everything-Soapmaking-2nd-Edition-1-Book-P4400.aspx
Tutorials can be found on this blog (search for Christmas soap or look up last November) and at www.teachsoap.com I think you'll really appreciate having a book or a DVD. =)
Welcome to the hobby!
Here are those two posts:
http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2008/11/cold-process-christmas-soap-part-one.html
http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2008/11/cold-process-christmas-soap-part-two.h
=)
Oh wonderful! Very helpful :0)
I was up late last night reading through your posts. I hadn't come to these yet so thank you!
Anne Marie, I made my first batch of cold process soap using your recipe 'Lots of Lather'. It turned out beautifully. What a great recipe! Now just waiting for it to cure. I think I'm addicted already as I'm ready to start making my next batch. I'm a little low on coconut oil can I use virgin coconut oil to make up the differnce as I can buy it at wal-mart?.
Hi Anon - Sorry I took so long to get back to you. Shame on me =)
VCO is different (typically) than regular Coconut Oil. VCO tends to be fractionated (liquid) coconut oil and has a different SAP value than 76 degree melt point Coconut Oil. So don't mix and match them without re-doing your recipe =)
Hi, just wanted to know if any one of these soap recipes make good shampoo bars if not do you have a shampoo bar soap recipe to share or someone who does? I have always wanted to make them.
You could try the 'Lots of Lather' or re-do it in the Bramble Berry Lye Calculator with decreasing 4% of the Palm Oil and subbing it with Sweet Almond Oil so you'd have Coconut, Palm, Olive, Sweet Almond and Castor then. =)
Use a nourishing essential oils like Lavender or Egyptian Geranium and it'll be a great bar!
It is extremely interesting for me to read this blog. Thanx for it. I like such topics and anything that is connected to them. I definitely want to read a bit more on that blog soon.
Hi, I have a question on the Nouishing soap recipe. If I wanted to substitute the 2 ounces of Vitamin E oil which oil should be use?
Vitamin E oil doesn't saponify like the rest of the vegetable oils so I would recommend no more than than 1 oz. per pound of soap as a superfatting ingredient rather than replacing any of the oils with it.
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