A Coconut Oil Soap Recipe for the Best Quality, Richest Lathering Soap
Looking for a coconut oil soap recipe? Then you must be after quality because the best soaps are made with coconut oil as the main ingredient.
Any type of oil can be used to make soap. But coconut oil can make rich lathering soaps even when used in hard water, even seawater. Other soaps can’t do this. It also has natural antibacterial properties lacking in other oils.
It’s easy to make homemade hand soap. The only difficulty is when you’re dealing with lye, which will burn your skin if you’re not careful.
To stay safe, wear rubber gloves and protective eyewear, and make sure the room you’re working in is well ventilated.
You will need the following ingredients and materials
- Coconut oil: 16 ounces
- Water: 6 ounces
- Lye: 2.6 ounces
- Mason jar: 1 quart
- Kitchen scale
- Stainless steel saucepan
- Stainless steel or wooden spoon
- Candy thermometer
- Soap mold
Here are the steps to follow in our coconut oil soap recipe:
Put the water in the mason jar first before pouring in 2.6 ounces of lye. Always put lye into water, not the other way around. After pouring the lye, the water will become very hot. DO NOT breathe the fumes or splash any of the solution on your skin. Let the hot lye solution cool in a safe place.
Put the coconut oil into a stainless steel saucepan and heat to between 38 and 54 degrees Celsius (100-130 degrees Fahrenheit).
When the lye solution has cooled down to between room temperature and 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) – warm but not hot – slowly pour the lye solution into the oil, stirring constantly.
At first the soap solution will be clear. As it cools it will slowly thicken and turn white in color. Wait two hours or until it becomes as thick as a milkshake. You don’t have to stir the whole time waiting. Just keep the solution in a warm place, stirring every now and then to prevent it from developing lumps.
Scoop a spoonful of the soap solution and drizzle it back on top of the rest of the solution. If it heaps together on the surface without sinking, it’s ready to be poured into the mold.
At this point, the soap should be hard but not too hard that it can’t be cut fairly easily. Remove it from the mold by cutting it into bars or whatever shape you prefer. Give the soap at least two weeks to cure before using.
You will know the soap is done curing by washing your hands with it. If your hands become slimy and the soap will not come off, then it’s not done curing. Wait another week or two and test again until you’re satisfied.
This coconut oil soap recipe makes a scentless hand soap. To give it a fragrance, you can mix in a little essential oil just before pouring the soap into the mold.
Note: Adding too much essential oil may alter the chemical reaction, affecting the quality of your soap.
Limit your essential oil usage to about 40 drops per batch. Essential oils that are good to use and have no effect on the soap making process are lavender, rose, sandalwood, eucalyptus, etc.