How to make your own solid soap?

If you have time on your hands and enjoy making homemade products, it's time to try solid soaps! Good things come to those who wait, and solid soaps actually need a month to dry... So if you want to give them as a gift, plan ahead!

We help you make your own solid soap recipes.

Solid soap recipes are 100% achievable by everyone in minimal time.

The basic ingredients

• vegetable oil (olive, coconut, etc.) or vegetable butter (shea, etc.)
• caustic soda (be careful! very corrosive, wear gloves)
• water
• essential oils (optional, add for scent)
• natural exfoliants (coffee grounds, dried plant)

Basic utensils

• An immersion blender
• A baking thermometer
• Glass container
• Soap molds

An easy and effective recipe for solid soap

• 100g olive oil
• 60g of shea butter
• 80g of coconut oil
• 35g of pure caustic soda
• 85ml of water
• 8 ml of sweet almond oil

Cold saponification

The first step in the cold saponification recipe is to pour the caustic soda into a glass container and dilute it. Next, melt the coconut oil, shea butter, and olive oil in a bain-marie.

Once the temperature of your two mixtures drops below 40°, pour the water and lye mixture into the oils. Add the sweet almond oil to it. Take out your immersion blender; it's time to mix everything together. Wash it well afterward! There shouldn't be any traces of lye on it if you use it daily in cooking.

You can check the acidity of your soap using a pH tester. Your bar soaps should have an acidity between 9 and 10. If it exceeds 10, it will be too corrosive and cannot be used. If your soap is too basic, it will be ineffective.

Then pour your mixture into your soap mold. You can easily find wooden soap molds in stores. Otherwise, make your own! YouTube is your friend. Let it rest for 2 days before unmolding your soaps, don't forget your gloves, soap is always corrosive! Now it's time to show us how patient you are, you have to wait 4 weeks before cutting them and using them!

Discover a homemade superfatted soap recipe:

A superfatted soap for dry skin

• 210g olive vegetable oil
• 180g vegetable shea butter
• 120g coconut vegetable oil
• 90g avocado vegetable oil
• 257.6g washing soda (no more!!)
• 5ml vitamin E
• 20g honey (optional)

Melt the shea butter and coconut oil in a double boiler over low heat. Once melted, pour the mixture into a glass container containing the olive and avocado oil. Put on your gloves and safety glasses!! It's time to get chemistry-y and handle the lye. Carefully pour the lye into the container.

Get out the blender and whisk it all together! Now you can add the vitamin E and honey, if you like. Mix well to create a smooth paste, then pour into the molds. Now, cover with a cloth and let dry for 2 days before removing from the molds, wearing gloves. Patience! Now wait 4 to 5 weeks before using!

A solid soap with floral scents

• 64g of caustic soda
• 128g of demineralized water
• 145g coconut oil
• 49g of shea butter
• 120g olive oil
• 120g sunflower oil
• 20g castor oil
• ¼ teaspoon of colored clay mixed with 1 tablespoon of demineralized water (coloring)
• 14g of essential flower oil (lavender, chamomile, rose, etc.)

Melt the solid oil(s) in a bain-marie, in this case coconut oil. Once melted, add the olive and castor oils to the same container. Your mixture should be between 37 and 46°C. In another container, add the water. Then carefully pour the soda into it, don't forget your protective equipment. Mix well, once the water becomes translucent again, wait for the mixture to drop back down to between 37 and 46°C.

Your two mixtures, oils and water + soda, should not have more than 10° of difference. Then pour the aqueous mixture into the oils, and mix! Once you see "the trace", you will know that your soap is starting to take shape and it is time to pour it into the molds!

But before that, it's time to add your homemade food coloring and essential oils! Just like the previous recipes, wait 2 days before cutting and unmolding using your gloves. And the hardest part: wait 4 to 5 weeks before using!

A solid soap for sensitive skin

• 85g of sweet almond oil
• 85g of cocoa butter
• 85g coconut oil
• 125g olive oil
• 400g rice bran oil
• 75g of shea butter
• 113g of caustic soda
• 285g of demineralized water

The method is the same as the previous recipe! Be just as careful when handling the soda .

A natural soap made from goat's milk

• 340g coconut oil
• 425g olive oil
• 369g of goat's milk
• 170g of caustic soda
• 28g of lavender essential oil

Caution! Goat milk must be frozen one day before use!

Place the crushed frozen milk in a bowl, which you then place in a container filled with water and ice cubes to keep it cool. Slowly add the soda and stir. If the ice cubes melt, replace them; the concoction should remain fresh. Check that your milk does not turn brown. As before, pour the oils into your milk and soda container and stir until there is a "trace." The same applies to the waiting time as in the other recipes.

What are the benefits of solid shampoo?

Compared to liquid shampoo, it is as effective, if not more. It adapts better to different hair types. You can make it so that it adapts perfectly to your hair. Solid shampoo is also pacifist; being natural, it will not attack your hair and scalp. A little bonus: it is easily transportable. You will no longer have to worry about your suitcase when washing. Finally, it has a long shelf life. After use, simply let it dry on a soap dish.

What is caustic soda soap?

Caustic soda, or sodium hydroxide, is a key ingredient in cold-process soap making. This lye is both a naturally powerful base and a chemical component designed to dissolve fatty substances, transforming them into soap and creating your soap recipe.

Caustic soda soap can be purchased either in a DIY store or in a hypermarket.

How to make solid soap?

Before you get started, be aware that making your own solid soap requires patience and technique, but it can be done by anyone.

The cold process soap making recipe for solid soap is simple: you need to mix caustic soda and vegetable oils, or even, depending on your tastes, natural fragrances or additives. All while respecting the temperatures and steps of the recipe explained above.

Can you use vegetable soda in your soap?

It is possible to use vegetable lye in making your own soap. However, today, vegetable lye would be too expensive given limited resources.

And for the record, plant soda was mainly used during Antiquity. It comes from the ashes of so-called halophyte plants such as samphire.

Caliquo is a French brand that produces eco-responsible everyday items.

Our rechargeable toothbrushes , our children's toothbrushes , our razor and our shaving brush .