Recipes: Beginner Friendly Cold Process Soap
If you're new to cold process soap making or simply looking for some new recipes to try, look no further! We've put together three beginner-friendly cold process soap recipes that suit every kind of soap lover.
Our first handmade soap recipe includes ground oats and our nourishing trinity cold process soap oil base. It's perfect for sensitive skin types. The second recipe uses our biodegradable eco glitter made from eucalyptus trees and features a multi-layer design. And our third recipe combines charcoal and rose clay for a stunning swirl design.
For more instruction, this video covers the basics of how to make cold process soap.
Let's get making!
soothing suds oatmeal soap recipe
We've included our vanilla santal & shea butter fragrance oil but you can swap in any scent you love. Check out our list of fragrance oils that are great in cold process soap here for more ideas!
Ingredients
- 32oz trinity cold process soap oil base
- 9oz sodium hydroxide lye 50/50 solution
- 4.5oz water
- 1oz vanilla santal & shea butter fragrance oil
- 1oz ground oats
- 0.5oz whole oats
Tools
- 1 pair of flocked line nitrile gloves
- 1 pair of safety goggles
- digital scale
- stick blender
- 2 3000ml pouring pitchers
- 2 1000ml pouring pitchers
- 1 silicone mold (more soap mold styles available here)
- 1 1.7oz borosilicate beaker
- 1 thermometer
- 1 spatula
- microwave
- measuring spoons
Prepare your workspace
- Clean your area of work and sanitize with at least 70% alcohol.
- Put on your safety glasses or goggles, apron and gloves. Safety first!
- Measure 9oz of your sodium hydroxide 50/50 lye solution into a non-reactive container and set aside.
- Measure 4.5oz of water into a container.
- Measure the 1oz of fragrance oil and set aside.
Mixing instructions
- Warm up your trinity blend until the contents are completely liquified. You can do this by placing in the microwave on intervals of 30 seconds.
- Once the contects are fully liquified, transfer to a larger container that is resistant to heat and lye if you need a bigger container than the one used in the microwave, and set aside. This is where the entire batch will be made.
- Warm up your water using 30 second intervals in the microwave.
- Add your water to your trinity blend and stirred using a stick blender.
- Add your 1oz of grounded oats to your mixture and stirred.
- Once the water and ground oats have been added to the oils and blended, add your 50/50 lye solution and blend with your stick blender until you have achieved a very light trace.
- Add your fragrance and continue to blend until a light pudding consistency has been achieved.
- Immediately transfer to your silicone mold and allow for the mixture to further trace. Once it has reached a more pudding like consistency, decor to your liking and add the whole oats on top.
- Allow your soap to cure for 48-72 hours before taking out of the mold. Once this time has passed, cut the soap into bars of any size you desire.
- Voila! You have beautiful oatmeal soap perfect for sensitive skin. Gentle and moisturizing for the skin and ready to be used!
spark & shine exfoliating soap recipe
We chose rose water & hibiscus fragrance but you can swap in any fragrance oil you like.
Ingredients
- 32oz trinity cold process soap oil base
- 9oz sodium hydroxide lye 50/50 solution
- 4.5oz water
- 1oz rose water & hibiscus fragrance oil
- Skin safe plum eco dye
- Skin safe cobalt eco dye
- Lavender buds
- Aventurine eco glitter
Tools
- 1 pair of flocked line nitrile gloves
- 1 pair of safety goggles
- digital scale
- stick blender
- 2 3000ml pouring pitchers
- 2 1000ml pouring pitchers
- 1 silicone mold
- 1 1.7oz borosilicate beaker
- 1 thermometer
- 1 spatula
- microwave
- measuring spoons
Prepare your workspace
- Clean your area of work and sanitize with al least 70% alcohol
- Put on your safety glasses/goggles, apron and gloves. Safety first!
- Measure 9oz of 50/50 lye solution into a non-reactive container and set aside
- Measure 4.5oz of water into a container
- Measure the 1oz of fragrance oil and set aside
Instructions
- Warm up your trinity blend until the contents are completely liquified. You can do this by placing in the microwave on intervals of 30 seconds.
- Once the contects are around 100, transfer to a safe container resistant to heat and lye and set aside
- Warm up your water using 30 second intervals in the microwave.
- Separate 1/2 of your blend into a separate container and add a few drops of skin-safe cobalt eco dye until you reach your desired color and give it a blend with the stick blender.
- Add your 1/2 of the water water and 1/2 fragrance to the first batch of your trinity blend and stir using a stick blender.
- Do the same to the other batch but using the skin safe plum eco dye. Make sure to clean the stick blender in between batches.
- Add half of your 50/50 lye solution to each of your batches and blend using the immerse blender until you achieve a very light trace. Make sure to clean the stick blender in between batches to avoid flase tracing from one batch to the other.
- Immediately transfer one of your mixtures to your silicon mold followed by the other batch, you can create some designs or swirls if desired. Once it has reached a more pudding like consistency, you can create any design you desire.
- If you want, this is perfect timing to add any botanicals or glitter of your choice to give a unique look to your soap
- Allow your soap to cure for 48 hours before taking out of the mold. Once this time has passed, cut the soap into bars of any size you desire.
- Voila! You have beautiful soap ready to be use.
soaper star charcoal & rose clay swirl soap recipe
We used jasmine & neroli fragrance oil in our recipe but you can swap in any fragrance oil you love.
Ingredients
- 32oz trinity cold process soap oil base
- 9oz sodium hydroxide lye 50/50 solution
- 4.5oz water
- 1oz jasmine & neroli fragrance oil
- .25oz rose clay
- .25oz activated charcoal powder
- Metallic star eco glitter
Tools
- 1 pair of flocked line nitrile gloves
- 1 pair of safety goggles
- digital scale
- stick blender
- 2 3000ml pouring pitchers
- 2 1000ml pouring pitchers
- 1 silicone mold
- 1 1.7oz borosilicate beaker
- 1 thermometer
- 1 spatula
- microwave
- measuring spoons
Prepare your workspace
- Clean your work area sanitize with at least 70% alcohol
- Put on your safety glasses/goggles, apron and gloves. Safety first!
- Measure 9oz of 50/50 lye solution into a non-reactive container and set aside
- Measure 4.5oz of water into a container
- Measure the 1oz of fragrance oil and set aside
Instructions
- Warm up your trinity blend until the contents are completely liquified. You can do this by placing in the microwave on intervals of 30 seconds.
- Once the contects are warm and liquified, transfer to a safe container resistant to heat and lye and set aside.
- Warm up your water using 30 second intervals in the microwave.
- Add your water to your trinity blend oil and add your .25oz rose clay. Once added, give it a blend using the immerse blender until no clumps are visible.
- Then add your fragrance oil and give it another blend to combined everything together.
- Separate a little bit of the mixture into a separate container and add your charcoal and stir with your spatula until it is fully combined.
- Add your 50/50 lye solution to your largest batch and blend it using the immerse blender until a light trace is achieved.
- Then, pour about 2 cups of the mixture containing lye into the charcoal mixture and blend until reaching a light trace with everything combined.
- Add the charcoal mixture into your lager pink batch, do not blend or stir, you will notice that your blends slightly combined, this is normal.
- Pour directly into your mold, this will create a swirl effect in your soap. By this time, your soap will be slightly thicker.
- If you want you can create some designs on the top, and add some enhancers if you want.
- Allow your soap to cure for 48 hours before taking out of the mold. Once this time has passed, cut the soap into bars of any size you desire.
- Voila! You have beautiful soap ready to be use.