natural soap recipes

What makes natural soap recipes “natural”?

How natural is natural? This is an interesting debate; natural soap making can seem like a relative term and it is somewhat subjective.

Marketing regulations have not defined what natural can or cannot be and my advice is to read the labels and make up your own mind about what natural means to you.

As you experiment with natural soap making supplies you will increase your awareness about what ingredients you want on your’s and your family’s skin.

Natural does not means chemical free because you cannot make soap without lye.

I know that by using my soap making recipes, these products are more natural than most soaps that I will find in stores.

For these homemade lye recipes, we have tried to offer options that are as natural as possible. As you discover, the art of soap making you will experiment with oils and coloring your soap. Theses natural soap recipes help you color your soaps without any artificial dyes or colorants.

As I experimented with natural soap recipes, the addition of colors became more of a challenge because I wanted to use the least amount of chemicals (including dyes to color soap).

You can color your soap naturally by replacing the water with other liquids, such as the red wine and the green tea soap recipes became a very fun way to find a happy medium for pretty soaps that did not include chemicals.

replacing distilled water with red wine

Red Wine Soap
see pictures: the soap is a nice copper color

recipe for making cold process soap using red wine

INGREDIENTS

Fats, oils andbutters

240 grams olive oil
180 grams coconut oil
120 grams shea butter
60 grams castor oil

Lye – Red wine- Water solution

84 grams lye (sodium hydroxide)
91 distilled water
137 grams red wine syrup (boil down 1/3 bottle of red wine that is simmered by half boiling it down will remove the alcohol. Refrigerate the red wine syrup.

Start by pouring your lye into the water. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes then add your red wine syrup.

*Make sure that you are working in a protected area (sink, outside or in a pan), this liquid does have a tendancy to boil over…be very careful.

Scent can be added at trace

optional: 20 to 36 grams of your favorite essential oils or fragrance oils (you will need a little over 30 milliliters bottle the equivalent of about one fluid ounce). You can try cabernet sauvigon fragrance however essential oils are the best choice if you wish to use the most natural soap making supplies possible. Many people do not add any scent because they feel that the red wine has left a fruity – nutty smell.

Soap making instructions are the same as for the other recipes with the exception noted above about dissolving the lye in water, waiting a few minutes then adding the red wine syrup.

Remember that ingredients (except for additives when indicated in volume) need to be weighted and not measured.Fragrance and essential oils should also be weighed.

Click here for cold process soap making recipe directions.

You can find more natural soap recipes here.

Spirulina and Cocoa Soap

INGREDIENTS

Fats, oils andbutters

180 grams shea butter
180 grams palm oil
150 grams coconut oil
90 grams castor oil

Lye –Green Teasolution

83 grams lye (sodium hydroxide)
228 grams distilled water

Scent can be added at trace

optional: 20 to 36 grams of your favorite essential oils or fragrance oils (you will need a little over 30 milliliters bottle the equivalent of about one fluid ounce). You can use green tea fragrance or a blend of essential oils keeps your soap natural a great blend for this soap recipe can be lemongrass, lavender and eucalyptus.
.5 to 1 teaspoon of spriulina powder and -5 to 1 teaspoon of cacao powder. Separate soap mixture into two different containers and mix the natural color additive to each container. Pour sepateley into mold and mix with chopstick or straw.

Remember that ingredients (except for additives when indicated in volume) need to be weighted and not measured.Fragrance and essential oils should also be weighed.

Click here for cold process soap making recipe directions.

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