There’s something deeply satisfying about making your own soap from scratch. It’s a little bit science, a little bit art, and a whole lot of old-school homesteading magic. When you whip up a batch of soap bars with natural oils, herbs, and clays, you’re not just making a beauty product. You’re creating something useful, beautiful, and nourishing for your skin that doesn’t rely on questionable chemicals or store-bought fillers.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make real soap the old-fashioned way, this post will walk you through the basics, give you a couple of tried-and-true recipes, and show you how to customize your own blends. All the recipes here are made with natural ingredients and cold process methods. No melt-and-pour shortcuts. Just pure, clean, handmade soap.
Why Make Your Own Soap?
Let’s be honest. Store-bought soaps are often loaded with harsh detergents, synthetic fragrances, and preservatives. Most of them are technically not even real soap. They’re classified as “beauty bars” or “cleansing bars” because they’ve been stripped of glycerin and packed with chemicals.
When you make soap at home, you keep all the good stuff. That includes:
- Natural glycerin, which hydrates your skin
- Custom oils tailored to your skin’s needs
- Zero fillers or synthetic scents
- Full control over scent, texture, and shape
It’s cheaper in the long run, more sustainable, and just feels better to use something you crafted with your own two hands.
Cold Process Soap: What You Need to Know
Cold process soap is made by mixing oils with lye (sodium hydroxide), which triggers a chemical reaction called saponification. This process turns fats into soap and glycerin. It might sound intimidating at first, but once you understand the safety steps, it becomes second nature.
Basic Supplies:
- Digital kitchen scale
- Immersion blender
- Glass or stainless steel mixing bowls
- Silicone spatula
- Thermometer
- Soap mold (silicone or lined wooden box)
- Safety gear: gloves, goggles, long sleeves
- White vinegar (in case of lye spills)
Base Ingredients for All Natural Soap
Every good soap recipe starts with a combination of oils. Different oils bring different properties to the table.
Common Natural Soapmaking Oils:
- Olive oil: gentle, moisturizing, great for sensitive skin
- Coconut oil: cleansing, makes hard bars with good lather
- Shea butter: rich and conditioning
- Castor oil: boosts lather and adds silkiness
- Avocado oil: moisturizing and high in vitamins
- Sunflower oil: light and conditioning
Natural Add-Ins:
- Clays (like kaolin or bentonite)
- Ground oats or herbs
- Dried flowers (like lavender, calendula, rose petals)
- Essential oils
- Goat milk, coconut milk, or herbal teas as liquid base
- Activated charcoal
- Natural colorants (spirulina, turmeric, beetroot powder)
Basic Natural Soap Recipe (Beginner Friendly)
This is a simple, nourishing bar with a creamy lather. Great for all skin types.
Ingredients (For a 1.5 lb batch):
- 10 oz olive oil
- 8 oz coconut oil
- 4 oz shea butter
- 2 oz castor oil
- 4.6 oz lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 10 oz distilled water
- 1 tbsp kaolin clay (optional, for smoothness)
- 30 drops essential oil (lavender or tea tree are great starters)
Instructions:
- Gear up. Put on gloves, goggles, and long sleeves. Make sure kids and pets are out of the room.
- Mix your lye water. Slowly add lye to water (never the other way around). Stir until dissolved and set aside to cool to about 100°F.
- Melt your oils. In a stainless steel pot or double boiler, melt all oils and butters until fully combined. Let them cool to 100–110°F.
- Blend. When both lye and oils are around the same temperature, slowly pour lye water into oils. Use an immersion blender to mix until it reaches “trace” — a pudding-like consistency.
- Add extras. Stir in clay, essential oils, or herbs.
- Pour into mold. Tap gently to release air bubbles.
- Cure. Cover and insulate for 24–48 hours. Unmold and slice. Let bars cure for 4–6 weeks in a well-ventilated area. Turn them weekly.
That’s it. You just made real soap.
Herbal Garden Soap Bar (Calming and Detoxifying)
This recipe uses dried calendula, lavender, and green clay to create a gentle, floral soap with mild detox properties.
Ingredients:
- 10 oz olive oil
- 6 oz coconut oil
- 3 oz avocado oil
- 3 oz shea butter
- 2 oz castor oil
- 4.5 oz lye
- 10 oz chilled chamomile tea (instead of water)
- 1 tbsp French green clay
- 1 tbsp dried calendula petals
- 1 tbsp dried lavender buds
- 20 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops rosemary essential oil
Instructions:
Follow the same steps as the basic recipe, but infuse your water with chamomile first, then cool it down before adding lye. Add the dried herbs at trace and swirl gently.
Honey and Oat Soap Bar (Soothing and Moisturizing)
This one’s perfect for sensitive or dry skin. The oats soothe irritation, and the honey adds natural humectant properties.
Ingredients:
- 12 oz olive oil
- 8 oz coconut oil
- 4 oz castor oil
- 4.7 oz lye
- 10 oz distilled water
- 2 tbsp ground oats
- 1 tbsp raw honey
- 1 tsp vitamin E oil
- 15 drops chamomile essential oil
- 10 drops cedarwood essential oil
Special Notes:
Add the honey after the soap reaches trace, and blend gently. Too much heat can cause the honey to scorch, so keep temperatures low during the mix and cure process.
Tips for Customizing Your Bars
- For harder bars: Use more coconut oil or add a bit of beeswax
- For extra lather: Add castor oil, but no more than 10 percent of the total oils
- For exfoliation: Mix in poppy seeds, coffee grounds, or ground almonds
- For coloring: Use clays, herbal powders, or activated charcoal
- For scent: Stick with skin-safe essential oils. Start small and build up
Storage and Shelf Life
Once fully cured, your soap bars can last a year or more if stored correctly. Keep them in a dry, cool spot out of direct sunlight. If you’re making a large batch, wrap them in wax paper or tuck them into breathable paper boxes. Avoid plastic wrap, which can trap moisture and cause softness or sweating.
Final Thoughts
Making soap is a practical skill with a touch of everyday luxury. You get to control what touches your skin, use up ingredients from your pantry or garden, and create something that looks and smells beautiful. And once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself experimenting with wildflower infusions, goat milk swirls, and herbaceous scent blends faster than you thought possible.
Homemade soap isn’t just a hobby. It’s a return to something simple and satisfying. If you’ve been wanting to add one more skill to your homestead or farmhouse repertoire, let it be this one.
Want a printable version of these recipes or label templates for gift giving? I can send those over too. Let me know what blend you’re trying next.
