These are simple lye soap recipes using only one oil. When I started experimenting with making soap, I wanted simple recipes and instructions. These recipes use only one oil each!
You will need lye, also called sodium hydroxide, for making soap.
You are looking for 99% to 100% pure sodium hydroxide. You can find it in most hardware stores. I found lye at my local Home Hardware (Canada). Lye comes in flakes, pellets, micro-beads and powder form. You can also order from soapmaking suppliers.
Making soap requires distilled or rain water.
You can find the other ingredients for these recipes in most communities. You may want to stake out where you can buy some quality essential oils / fragrance oils at a good price.
Some soapmakers use extract (vanilla, almond or lemon) with some success but you may need to add a lot to get a nice stable scent.
I also have some basic soap recipes and lard soap recipes.
100% Crisco Soap
INGREDIENTS
Fats, oils and butters
- 600 grams Crisco shortening
Lye ― Water Solution
- 78 grams lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 228 grams distilled water
*Note this recipe will make a soap with very little bubbles.
Additive and scent at light trace
- 30 to 50 grams of your favourite essential oils or fragrance oils (you will need a bottle of 30 to 60 millilitres the equivalent of 1 to 2 fluid ounces).
This recipe makes about 2 pounds of soap which will produce about 6-7 bars of natural soap.
Natural colour and additives can be added.
Remember that ingredients (except for additives when indicated in volume) need to be weighed and not measured. Fragrance and essential oils should also be weighed.
100% Olive Oil Soap (also know as Castile Soap)
INGREDIENTS
Fats, oils and butters
- 600 grams olive oil
Lye ― Water Solution
- 77 grams lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 228 grams distilled water
*Please note this recipe will make a soap with very little bubbles.
Additive and scent at light trace
- 30 to 50 grams of your favourite essential oils or fragrance oils (you will need a bottle of 30 to 60 millilitres the equivalent of 1 to 2 fluid ounces).
This recipe makes about 2 pounds of soap which will produce about 6-7 bars of natural soap.
Natural colour and additives can be added.
Remember that ingredients (except for additives when indicated in volume) need to be weighed and not measured. Fragrance and essential oils should also be weighed.
100 % Coconut Oil Soap
INGREDIENTS
Fats, oils and butters
- 1000 grams coconut oil
Lye ― Water Solution
- 146 grams lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 380 grams distilled water
Additive and scent at light trace
- 30 to 50 grams of your favourite essential oils or fragrance oils (you will need a bottle of 30 to 60 millilitres the equivalent of 1 to 2 fluid ounces).
This recipe has been superfatted at 20%.
This recipe makes about 2 pounds of soap which will produce about 7-8 bars of natural soap.
Remember that ingredients (except for additives when indicated in volume) need to be weighed and not measured. Fragrance and essential oils should also be weighed.