Heidi Norton
Making your own fragrance-free soap at home is a fun and rewarding experience. With the right supplies and ingredients, it's easy to create beautiful, homemade soaps, even if you're a beginner. There are many reasons to make your own soap, such as having sensitive skin, wanting to avoid certain ingredients, or simply wanting to try something new. The basic soap recipe is simple: all you need are natural fats or oils (e.g. olive oil, coconut oil), lye (sodium hydroxide), and distilled water or liquid of your choice (e.g. goat's milk, honey water). Once you have your base, you can add essential oils and colours to create a unique bar of soap.
How to Make Fragrance-Free Soap
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To create a natural, fragrance-free soap for sensitive skin |
| Ingredients | Natural fats or oils (e.g. olive oil, coconut oil), lye (sodium hydroxide), distilled water or liquid of choice (e.g. goat's milk, honey water), aloe liquid, colorants (optional) |
| Mould | Plastic-lined box, silicone loaf moulds |
| Recipe | Melt fats/oils on low heat, add lye solution, stir until the mixture reaches "trace" stage, add colorants, stir, pour into moulds |
| Ratios | 75% coconut oil and 25% olive oil for a harder bar with more lather, 75% olive oil and 25% coconut oil for a more moisturising bar, 50% olive oil, 20% coconut oil and 30% lard/tallow/vegetable shortening/palm oil, 1:1:1 coconut, palm and olive oil, 100% olive oil, 100% coconut oil with 20% superfat, 100% lard or tallow |
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What You'll Learn
Basic ingredients: natural fats or oils, lye, and distilled water
Making fragrance-free soap is a fun and rewarding experience. With the right supplies and ingredients, it's easy to create beautiful, homemade soaps. The basic ingredients needed are natural fats or oils, lye, and distilled water.
Natural Fats or Oils
Natural fats or oils are one of the key ingredients in making soap. You can use a variety of oils, such as olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, or shea butter. These oils can be combined and melted together to form the base of your soap. The choice of oils will affect the moisturising and lathering properties of your soap. For example, a combination of 75% coconut oil and 25% olive oil will give you the best lather possible, but it may be a bit drying for the skin. On the other hand, reversing the ratios to 75% olive oil and 25% coconut oil will result in a more moisturising and luxurious bar.
Lye
Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a crucial ingredient in the soap-making process. It is a caustic alkali that can be dangerous if not handled properly. When combined with water and natural fats or oils, lye undergoes a chemical reaction called saponification, creating soap. It is important to always add lye to water and not the other way around. Additionally, distilled water should be used to dissolve the lye as tap water can affect the quality of the soap.
Distilled Water
Distilled water is purified water that has been boiled, evaporated, and condensed, leaving most impurities behind. It is important to use distilled water when dissolving lye to avoid any unwanted reactions with minerals in the water. Distilled water helps ensure the quality and longevity of your final soap product.
In conclusion, by using a combination of natural fats or oils, lye, and distilled water, you can create a basic fragrance-free soap. Experimenting with different ratios and blends of these ingredients will allow you to customise your soap to your desired properties, such as moisturisation and lather.
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Customise with colours and fragrances
Customising your fragrance-free soap with colours and fragrances is an easy and fun way to personalise your body care product. It is important to respect the dosages and methods to avoid any alteration of the soap base.
Adding Colour
There are many ways to add colour to your soap, including pigments, micas, LabColours, and colour blocks. These are skin-safe and can be used in soap and cosmetics. When using pigments, mix 1 teaspoon of pigment with 1 tablespoon of a lightweight oil like sweet almond or avocado. If you’re making a larger batch, you can increase that to 2 teaspoons into 2 tablespoons, or 3 into 3. Add 1 dispersed teaspoon at a time at trace until you get a colour you like. We recommend about 1 dispersed teaspoon per pound of soap. You can also add the pigment straight to the melted soap, but if you see bubbles forming, spritz with alcohol and continue mixing.
If you want to use natural colourants, you can heat the colourant and the oil of your choice in a slow cooker for 1-4 hours, or place them in an airtight container and leave them at room temperature for 4-6 weeks. You can also use avocado pits and skins, tomato paste, or sea buckthorn oil to add colour to your soap.
Adding Fragrance
You can also add fragrance to your soap to personalise it and obtain a unique product. Depending on the base chosen, you will need to adapt the dosage of your fragrance. For solid soaps, Melt and Pour bases, or cold or hot saponification, it is best not to exceed 5% perfume. For liquid soaps, calculate the weight of the perfume based on the weight of the product. For saponification, calculate the weight of the perfume based on the weight of the oils.
You can add fragrance to Melt and Pour bases after the base has melted. Stir the mixture for a few seconds to scent your soap. For cold or hot saponification, you can incorporate the fragrance into the oils and butters before adding the soda, or add it at the trace (when the mixture forms a soap paste). If you add the fragrance at the trace, it is best to do so when it is thin.
To optimise the hold of the perfume, you can use clay, which will play the role of a perfume fixer in your soap and bring additional properties depending on the type of clay chosen. Kaolin clay is a popular choice as it is inexpensive, won't darken or alter the colour of your batch oils, and is well-received by all skin types. To use kaolin clay, make a kaolin clay slurry by adding the clay directly to the fragrance oil and blending it well. Let the mixture sit for at least 24 hours before using it to give the clay time to absorb the fragrance oil.
Other additives that can help anchor fragrances include colloidal oatmeal, soft botanicals, and fine clays.
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Use a lye calculator to get the right amounts
When making fragrance-free soap, it is important to use a lye calculator to ensure you are using the correct amounts of each ingredient. Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is a key ingredient in soap-making as it helps to turn oils into soap. However, it is important to use the correct amount of lye as using too much can lead to a soap that is corrosive and irritating to the skin, while using too little can result in a soft or oily soap that does not last long.
There are several online lye calculators available, such as the ones provided by Bramble Berry Inc. and Nurture Handmade. These calculators can help you determine the right amount of lye to use based on the other ingredients in your soap recipe.
To use a lye calculator, you will need to input the types and amounts of oils or fats you are using in your soap. For example, if you are using a combination of olive oil and coconut oil, you will need to enter the percentages or weights of each oil into the calculator. You can then choose a size for your test batch, such as 500 grams or 16 ounces, and the calculator will provide you with the correct amount of lye to use.
It is important to note that not all lye calculators are created equal, and some may be more accurate than others. It is always a good idea to cross-reference the results from multiple calculators to ensure you are getting the most accurate information. Additionally, it is crucial to follow safety precautions when working with lye, as it can be corrosive and dangerous if not handled properly. Be sure to wear protective gear, such as gloves and eye protection, and work in a well-ventilated area when mixing your ingredients.
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Test different blends of plant oils
When making fragrance-free soap, it's important to test different blends of plant oils to find the perfect combination for your needs. Here are some tips to guide you through the process:
Choose Your Oils
Start by selecting the plant oils you want to work with. Popular choices include olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, lavender essential oil, lemon essential oil, peppermint essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, and tea tree essential oil. You can also use lard or tallow, or vegetable shortening if you prefer. Each oil has its own unique properties and benefits, so consider how they will work together in your blend. For example, olive oil can be moisturising, while coconut oil can provide a good lather.
Understand Notes
Essential oils are often categorised into top notes, middle notes, and base notes. Top notes are usually the first scents you notice in a blend, and they tend to be light and uplifting but don't last long. Middle notes act as a buffer and make up about 50% of the blend, providing warmth and softness. Base notes give the blend staying power and are typically intense fragrances that support the other notes. When creating your blend, aim for a combination of these notes for a well-rounded fragrance.
Experiment with Ratios
Creating the right blend is a delicate balance. Start with a simple 1:1:1 ratio of three oils, such as coconut oil, palm oil, and olive oil. From there, you can experiment by adjusting the ratios to see how the blend changes. For example, you can try 75% coconut oil and 25% olive oil for a harder bar of soap with a better lather, or reverse the ratios for a more moisturising bar. Remember that a little goes a long way with essential oils, so a drop or two is usually enough to create a distinct fragrance.
Test and Compare
Create small batches of soap with different blends to test their performance. Make sample bars without any additional botanicals or colours to focus solely on the oil blends. This way, you can compare how each blend lathers, cleans, and nourishes the skin. Pay attention to the scent, as some oils have stronger fragrances that can be overpowering, while others are more subtle.
Customise for Specific Needs
Consider the therapeutic properties of the oils and how they can benefit different skin types. For example, lavender oil is calming and relaxing, making it suitable for sensitive skin. Citrus oils like lemon essential oil can brighten and refresh the skin. By understanding the properties of the oils, you can customise your blends to create soaps that target specific skin care concerns.
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Use moulds to shape the soap
Once you've prepared your fragrance-free soap mixture, it's time to pour it into a mould to set. There are many different options to choose from, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
If you're looking for something simple and inexpensive, you can use a cardboard box lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper. This is a cheap option, but it can be difficult to remove the soap once it has hardened. Another easy option is to use an ice cube tray or a muffin tin, which are both readily available and come in a variety of fun shapes and sizes. For something even more creative, you could use chocolate moulds, which also come in interesting shapes.
If you want to make multiple soaps at once, you can use a soap loaf container or a glass loaf pan lined with freezer paper. Antique bread loaf pans or cheap cookware from an antique store, lined with butcher or parchment paper, are also inexpensive options for larger batches. Silicone moulds are another popular choice for soap-making, as they are durable, easy to use, and come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. They can be more expensive, but they will last a long time and can be reused.
When choosing a mould, it's important to consider the flexibility and durability of the material. Avoid using flimsy moulds, as the soap batter is heavy and can break free. If you're using a mould with flexible walls, place it in a fitted cardboard box or set heavy objects on either side to prevent the walls from collapsing outward. It's also crucial to ensure that your mould can withstand high temperatures, especially if you're making hot or cold process soap. Do not use aluminium, tin, or any metal except for stainless steel, as the sodium hydroxide in the soap mixture can react with these metals and release dangerous hydrogen gas.
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Frequently asked questions
The ingredients you will need to make fragrance-free soap are natural fats or oils, lye (sodium hydroxide), and distilled water or liquid of choice (e.g. goat's milk, honey water). You can use a combination of olive oil and coconut oil as your base.
First, melt the fats or oils in a slow cooker on low heat. Next, add the lye solution to the melted mixture and stir constantly with an immersion blender for about 10 minutes until your mixture reaches the trace stage. Once the mixture has thickened, you can pour it into moulds.
The best recipe for fragrance-free soap depends on your preferences. A good basic recipe is a 1:1:1 ratio of coconut oil, palm oil, and olive oil. You can also use a combination of 75% coconut oil and 25% olive oil for a harder bar of soap that will last longer. If you want a more moisturising bar of soap, you can reverse the ratios to 75% olive oil and 25% coconut oil.
