©christine dalziel, 2018 page 1 - diy herbal fellowship · 30 ml essential oils per batch (2 %...

©Christine Dalziel, 2018


Copyright © 2018 by Christine J. Dalziel.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any

form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods,

without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in

critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission

requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

Christine J. Dalziel / Joybilee® Farm Media

Box 667

Greenwood, BC, V0H 1J0

JoybileeFarm.com

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and

others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the address above.

Natural Soap Making: The Workbook / Christine J. Dalziel. —1st ed.


Soap Making for Beginners ........................................................................................................................... 5

Essential equipment and supplies ................................................................................................................ 6

Liquids used in soap making ..................................................................................................................... 7

Fatty Acids: the constituents of oils .......................................................................................................... 8

Cautions: ................................................................................................................................................. 10

Exact measurements ............................................................................................................................... 10

Important terms to know: .......................................................................................................................... 11

Specialty Soap Recipes ................................................................................................................................ 15

Laundry Stain Remover Bar..................................................................................................................... 15

Skin Care Soaps ........................................................................................................................................... 17

Rose Soap ................................................................................................................................................ 17

Green Tea Soap ....................................................................................................................................... 18

Calendula Soap ........................................................................................................................................ 19

Anti-itch Oats and Honey Soap ............................................................................................................... 20

Coffee Soap ............................................................................................................................................. 22

Pumpkin Spice Soap ................................................................................................................................ 23

Peppermint Patty Soap ........................................................................................................................... 24

Shampoo Bars ............................................................................................................................................. 27

Chamomile Shampoo Bars for Fair Hair .................................................................................................. 27

Rosemary Shampoo Bars for Dark Hair................................................................................................... 28

Soap Making Worksheet ............................................................................................................................. 30

How to Create Your Own Soap Recipes ...................................................................................................... 31

How to use a lye calculator ..................................................................................................................... 31

Here are a few lye calculators to try out: ............................................................................................... 32

Final Thoughts ............................................................................................................................................. 32

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ............................................................................................................................... 33


Soap Making 101, learn the basics of natural herbal soap making while making bar soaps, laundry

boosters, and shampoo bars for personal use and for gifts.

Soap Making for Beginners

What you need to know:

All recipes in this class make 3 pounds of soap or approximately 9 – 5 ounce bars (140 grams per bar)

You can use the soap recipes for bar soap, shampoo bars, shower soaps, soap-on-a-rope, gifts, door

prizes, party favors.

Since soap has to cure for at least 3 weeks before using, if you plan to give soap as a gift this December,

plan to make your soap in November at the latest. Homemade soap has a shelf life of a year or more.

There are beautiful bars of soap that have been aged for 5, 10, 15, and even 20 years. Like fine wine

traditionally made cold processed soaps get better with age.

Time Frame: Allow 40 minutes hands on time per batch of soap, including clean up.


Essential equipment and supplies

Equipment:

A 3 pound soap mold (50 ounces or 1500 grams) Like this one:

https://www.brambleberry.com/10-silicone-loaf-mold--p5199.aspx or a 6 quart plastic shoe

box like this: https://amzn.to/2PD1izX

A scale that measures accurately in grams from 10 grams to 5 kilograms

2 heat proof glass measuring cups – 8 cup and 4 cup sizes

A stick blender that is dishwasher safe at the business end

A silicone spatula

Safety equipment (see below)

Ingredients:

Lye crystals (sodium hydroxide)

Olive oil

Coconut oil

Castor Oil

Tallow (beef, sheep, or goat) (optional)

Other oils: sunflower oil, jojoba oil, avocado butter, cocoa butter, and shea butter in 200 gram

amounts

30 ml essential oils per batch (2 % dilution): Choose from lavender essential oil, anise essential

oil, lemon essential oil, sweet orange essential oil, peppermint essential oil, pine or spruce

essential oil, bergamot, rose geranium, sandalwood, or the essential oils of your choice

Herbs:

2 ounces per batch (choose from):

Chamomile

Coffee

Lavender

Rose

Rosemary

Sunflower Petals

Green Tea

Herbal infused olive oils:

2 cups per batch in place of olive oil

Chamomile infused oil

Calendula infused oil

Sunflower petal infused oil

Rosemary infused oil

https://www.brambleberry.com/10-silicone-loaf-mold--p5199.aspx

https://amzn.to/2PD1izX


Liquids used in soap making All liquids should be at room temperature or colder before adding lye crystals. Adding lye crystals to

hot liquids can cause injury, chemical burns, and damage to furniture, flooring, or worse. Always wear

safety equipment (gloves, googles, long sleeves, apron or lab coat from the time you open the bottle of

lye until the batch of soap is safely in the mold.)

Water

Herbal tea

Coffee

Goat’s Milk

Cow’s Milk

Milk alternatives


Fatty Acids: the constituents of oils All liquid and solid oils are made up of several fatty acids in different proportions. You’ve probably

heard of Omega 3 fatty acid (linolenic) and Omega 6 fatty acid. These are the building blocks of many of

the oils that we use in soap making, and in DIY skin care products and first aid products. Understanding

the major fatty acids that common vegetable oils and animal fats are made up of can give us wisdom in

which oils to choose for soap making.

Here’s a list of the main fatty acids and what they contribute to soap making

Lauric Acid offers hardness to bar soap. It gives a fluffy lather and cleans well. It can be drying if it is

used in a very high percentage in your soap. Found in coconut oil, palm oil, and babassu oil.

Linoleic Acid adds conditioning and moisturizing properties to soap. It adds moisturizing and skin

healing properties to the soap. It has a short shelf life so soaps with a high percentage of linoleic acid

can go rancid. Found in flax seed oil, hempseed oil, and several nut and seed oils.

Linolenic Acid adds conditioning and moisturizing properties to your soap creating a very mild finished

product.

Myristic Acid provides hardness to bar soap. It gives good cleansing properties and a fluffy lather. Too

much myristic acid can be drying. It is found in coconut oil.

Oleic Acid also adds conditioning and moisturizing properties to your soap. It lathers well and offers

slip to the feel of the lather. It is the main fatty acid in olive oil.

Palmitic Acid adds hardness to bar soap and gives a creamy/stable lather. Too much can be drying.

Ricinoleic Acid found in castor oil, adds conditioning properties, and gives a rich, creamy, fluffy lather

that is beneficial in shamoo bars and shaving bars. Use it only in small amounts.

Stearic Acid provides hardness to soap. It also gives a stable, rich lather. It is found in tallow, cocoa

butter, and shea butter.


The following table is a brief overview of different soap oils and their properties. This is not an

exhaustive list.

Oil Hardness Lather Moisturizing Nourishment Vitamins Fatty Acids

Percent of recipe

Best Use Shelf Life

Argan Soft X Vitamin A,E 10 Skin/Hair 2 yr

Avocado Butter

Soft A,B,D,E Oleic, palmitic, linoleic

12 Skin 3 yr

Castor Soft Good X Rincinoleic 10 Shampoo 2 yr

Cocoa Butter

Hard X Palmitic, Stearic, Oleic

15 Skin 2 yr

Coconut Hard Excellent Drying Lauric, Myristic

33 - 66 All soap 1 ½ yr

Jojoba Soft Oleic 10 All soap

Hempseed Soft Creamy X Linoleic, Linolenic

10 Skin

Olive Soft Creamy X Oleic, linoleic,

Up to 100

All soap 2 yr

Shea butter

Hard Creamy X Stearic, oleic 10 skin 2 yr

Sunflower Soft Excellent X Linoleic, oleic 20 Skin ½ yr

Tallow Hard Creamy, Stable

Stearic, oleic Up to 66 Laundry, tough cleaning

3 yr


Cautions: Soap making involves working with chemicals that can be dangerous if misused or mishandled.

Do not make soap if you are tired, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or have multiple

distractions. Do not text and make soap at the same time.

Do not make soap with pets or children under foot.

Do not make soap with young children. Soap making is not the same as making cookies with

young children. Green soap can burn young, tender skin. The fumes from soap making can burn

young lungs. Always be sure young children are safely out of the way of any soap making

activity.

Young people that are capable of understanding the dangers and precautions necessary for safe

handling of chemicals can be taught to make soap safely. (Parental discretion advised)

Keep white vinegar close by when working with lye. Flush any splashed lye on skin immediately

with vinegar to neutralize the caustic. If lye is splashed on wooden furniture or clothing

neutralize it immediately with vinegar. If lye is splashed in the eyes rinse immediately and get

medical help.

Keep the soap making area well ventilated and use fans to aim the lye fumes away from people

and out a window. If possible make soap out of doors.

Important safety equipment:

Safety glasses

Rubber gloves

Long sleeved shirt

Well ventilated room or chemical respirator

1 jug of white vinegar for first aid

Exact measurements Soap making is a chemical process that involves precise measurements of water, oil, and lye to create a

different substance all together – soap. In soap there is no longer any water, oil, or lye but an entirely

different product. The process that converts oil, water, and lye molecules to soap molecules is called

saponification.

In order for saponification to be successful it’s important that all ingredients in the soap making process

are measured exactly by weight. I’ve used grams instead of ounces in this course because grams are

usually used in scientific processes. Your scale should be able to measure in both grams and ounces,

and allow you to toggle between them.

Herbs are measured in volume measures. The weight of the herbs in not essential in the saponification

process.


Important terms to know:

Castile/Castille Soap

Castile soap (also: Castille soap) is a mild soap made using primarily olive oil. Because olive oil alone

makes a very soft bar, some people use the term generically as a marketing term to describe a vegetable

based soap.

Cure

The process of allowing new soap to complete saponification and for excess moisture to evaporate out.

This creates a harder soap that's easier to use, produces better lather, and is milder.

Fatty Acids

The constituents of saturated fats and polyunsaturated fats which give them specific characteristics,

which they contribute to the final soap. By understanding fatty acids you can choose the characteristics

of your final bar soap with confidence, simply by choosing which oils to add to the soap recipe.

Lye Discount

A reduction in the amount of lye used in the soap to make it milder and moisturizing. A discount of lye

allows the lye to be used up completely in the saponification process, increasing the amount of free oils

and fat left to moisturize the skin. Discounts are often shown as a percentage. The soaps made in this

masterclass have a 3 to 7% lye discount.

Gel

Gel, or "gel phase", is a phase that occurs during saponification. During the gel phase, the soap will begin

to look more translucent and shiny, like Vaseline, and give off heat. In cold-process soap-making, this

often occurs within a few minutes to a few hours after you pour the soap into molds.

Hand Milling

Hand milling (see: REBATCHING) is a way to produce soap from already existing soap. This allows you to

make soap - adding the colors and scents that you prefer - without actually going through the chemical

process of making soap from scratch. Existing soap is grated, melted down, then reformed after colors,

fragrances, and any other "extras" have been added.

Lye (Sodium Hydroxide, NaOH, Caustic Soda)

Lye is the base, or alkali, used in making hard soaps (as opposed to liquid soaps, which use potassium

hydroxide.) Lye is extremely caustic and should be handled with care. It’s important to use safety

equipment, like gloves and protective goggles, when handling lye and to avoid breathing in the fumes.

Potash (Potassium Hydroxide, KOH, Caustic Potash)

Potassium Hydroxide is the base, or alkali, used in making liquid soaps. It replaces the lye used in hard

soaps. The different chemical structure of potassium hydroxide, compared to lye, allows liquid soaps to


stay liquid after they are made. (Liquid soap making is an advanced soap making technique and not

covered in this manual.)

Rancid

Soap, like other organic material, may spoil or go bad. A good quality, basic soap can usually be stored

for at least a year. The best traditional soaps are aged for years, getting better as they age. However,

soaps that include fruits or vegetables (for fragrance, color, or texture) can go bad much faster, as these

items may begin to rot or mold. Some delicate oils can also shorten the shelf-life of soap.

Rebatching

The process of melting down existing soap to create new soap. The term "rebatching" is often used

when a soap-maker creates a soap that doesn't quite work. Rather than throw the soap away, it can be

melted down and "fixed" (for example, if the soap has lye remaining in it - it is not usable. But, by

melting the soap down, you can add additional oils to correct the lye imbalance, and salvage the soap.)

Saponification

The chemical process by which an alkaline base (lye, potassium hydroxide) reacts with fatty acids to

produce soap.

Saponification Value (Saponification Number, SAP Number, SAP Value)

The number of milligrams of lye or potassium hydroxide required to completely saponify one gram of a

specific fat. If you are creating your own soap recipe, you need to know the saponification values for

each oil that you are using in your soap, to properly balance the oils and lye. NOTE: this number is

DIFFERENT for lye (solid soap) and potassium hyroxide (liquid soap). You should always be clear, when

looking up a saponification value online, which hydroxide is referred to. In this course we will use an

soap calculator to calculate the lye needed for each soap recipe, rather than relying on algebra.

Saponification Calculator or soap calculator

An application online or spreadsheet that calculates the amount of lye required to react with the oils in

a soap recipe. I use this one and this one.

Seize

Seizing is a sign that something has gone wrong while making soap. When soap seizes, it goes from a

smooth, liquid consistency to an incredibly thick, nearly solid (like cookie-dough) state almost instantly.

It can be caused by fragrance oils that were added, issues with the temperatures of the soap or

ingredients, or other problems with the batch of soap.

Superfatting – (also called a lye discount)

Adding additional oils to soap, beyond what is needed to use up all of the lye. This serves two purposes:

it gives you a margin of error in your lye measurements so you know for sure that all of the lye in your

soap will be saponified, thus eliminating the risk of free lye remaining in the finished soap, which would

be caustic. It also creates a moisture-rich bar of soap. The extra oils serve as moisturizes for your skin.

https://www.thesage.com/calcs/LyeCalc.html

https://www.brambleberry.com/pages/lye-calculator.aspx


When making laundry soap or soap for household cleaning use no more than a 3% lye discount. Excess

oils can leave a greasy film on clothing and furnishings.

Tallow

Processed (rendered) fat from cows, goats, or sheep. Historically, tallow was the fatty acid used in soap

making. It makes a hard bar of soap with a creamy lather. Today, it is used much less frequently.

Tare (Zero Out)

A function on scales that allows you to temporarily reset the weight to zero. This is useful if you are

adding multiple ingredients to one bowl. You place the empty bowl on the scale and the weight of the

bowl is shown. When you "tare" the scale at this point, the scale will display zero, although the bowl is

still there. You can now add the first ingredient and see its weight alone, without the bowl's weight. You

can then tare your scale again, and add a second ingredient. If you do not have a tare function, you will

need to manually track the weight of each ingredient.

Trace

The state, when mixing lye and oils, where saponification begins. At this point, the chemical reaction has

started, and the ingredients cannot be separated from each other. Trace can be identified by dripping a

little bit of the liquid soap on top of the mixture, and noticing how it tends to hold its shape for a few

seconds before melting back into the mixture.

Your first batch of cold process soap

Yield: 9 – 5 ounce bars of soap

Prepare your work area

Gather your safety equipment:

Goggles

Gloves

White vinegar bottle

Soap making equipment:

3 pound or 6 quart mold

Silicone mold release spray

8 cup glass measuring cup

4 cup glass measuring cup

Wooden spoon

Spatula

Mixing spoon

Hand blender

Digital scale (grams)

Paper plate


Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml cold water

150 grams sodium hydroxide (lye)

Oil portion:

500 grams coconut oil

500 grams olive oil

Essential oils (2%)

2 teaspoons (10 ml or 200 drops) essential oils of your choice

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to water in glass

measuring cup. Fold the plate over on itself to create a spout and pour the lye slowly into the water.

The lye will heat up the water and release caustic fumes. Do not breathe in the fumes.

Stir the lye in the cup of water with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve all lye crystals. Allow the lye

solution to reduce in temperature to 100°F to 105°F.

Meanwhile, measure the oils in an 8 cup glass measuring cup. Place the glass measuring cup in a warm

place or in the microwave to fully melt the oils. Remove the oils from the heat when some of the oils

remain solid and are floating on the top of the oil. Stir the oils to melt the remaining oils using residual

heat. Allow the oils to cool to 100°F to 105°F.

When both the oil and the lye are cooled to 100°F to 105°F, pour the lye solution into the liquid oils.

Use a stick blender to blend the lye solution and the oils together. Continue stirring until the mixture

reaches thin trace.

At this point, stir in the essential oils that you are using. Continue blending with a stick blender until the

soap is well blended and a trail of soap dripped on the surface of the soap, remains on the surface. Just

a few more minutes after trace.

Pour the soap recipe into a prepared mold. Scrape the sides of the bowl to get as much of the soap as

possible into the mold. Cover the soap with plastic wrap or a lid, and allow to set completely.

Keep the soap warm by wrapping the mold in a towel.

The soap will go through a gel phase indicative of saponification.

Leave the soap overnight to complete saponification. In the morning remove the soap from the molds.

Wait till the soap is completely cool. Cut into bars. Stack the bars on a flat surface to cure for 3 to 6

weeks before packaging it.


Specialty Soap Recipes

Laundry Stain Remover Bar This is the kind of soap our grandmother’s used to remove stains and grease from clothes, sheets, and

tablecloths. The soap is pure tallow soap with essential oils added for fragrance. A small amount of

coconut oil is added to this recipe to increase the lather. These are usually scented with lavender

essential oil or lemon essential oil.

Yield: 9 – 5 ounce bars

Ingredients:

Lye Portion:

150 grams of lye (sodium hydroxide)

300 ml of water

Oil portion:


700 grams of tallow

Essential oils:

2 teaspoons lemon essential oil

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber

gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to

water in glass measuring cup. The lye will

heat up the water and release caustic fumes. Do not breathe in the fumes.









reaches thin trace.










Cut into bars. Stack the bars on a flat surface to cure for 3 to 6 weeks before packaging it.

To use:

Dampen the fabric that needs stain removal. Rub the dry bar of laundry stain remover on the stain,

covering the entire stain. Leave on for one hour. Wash as usual.

Before drying check if the stain is removed. Drying stained clothing in the dryer will set the stain, making

it more difficult to remove. If the stain is not completely removed in one treatment, repeat the

treatment without drying the cloth in between.

Do not iron the stain.


Skin Care Soaps

Rose Soap A lovely rose scented soap. You can use rose petal infused olive oil in this soap recipe or regular olive oil

if you don’t have any rose infused oil on hand.


Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml rose bud tea (use ¼ cup rose

buds and 2 cups of water)


Oil portion:


300 grams rose infused olive oil

200 grams jojoba oil

Essential oils (2%)

1 teaspoon rose geranium essential oil

½ teaspoon frankincense essential oil

½ teaspoon grapefruit essential oil

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to cooled tea in glass

measuring cup. The lye will heat up the tea and release caustic fumes. Do not breathe in the fumes.

Stir the lye in the cup of tea with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve all lye crystals. Allow the lye








reaches thin trace.











Green Tea Soap Green tea is rich in antioxidants and is a known for restoring skin cells and preventing free radical

damage.


Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml green tea(use 2 tablespoons green tea leaves and 2 cups of water)


Oil portion:


300 grams rose infused olive oil

200 grams avocado butter

Essential oils (2%)

1 teaspoon bergamot essential oil


½ teaspoon sandalwood essential oil

Directions:












reaches thin trace.










Calendula Soap A healing complexion bar of soap for sensitive skin.


Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml calendula flower tea (use ¼ cup

calendula blossoms and 2 cups of water)


Oil portion:


300 grams sunflower petal infused olive oil

200 grams sunflower oil

Essential oils (2%)

1 teaspoon tea tree essential oil


½ teaspoon lavender essential oil


Directions:











reaches thin trace.










Anti-itch Oats and Honey Soap Another healing complexion bar of soap for

sensitive skin, rashes, and skin problems.


Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml water


Oil portion:



300 grams olive oil

200 grams shea butter

Additions:

1 cup of oatmeal, finely powdered

Essential oils (2%)

2 teaspoons of lavender essential oil

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to water in glass

measuring cup. The lye will heat up the water and release caustic fumes. Do not breathe in the fumes.









reaches thin trace. Add the powdered oatmeal and stir well to combine.











Coffee Soap A hand cleaning soap that removes goo and odors, leaving them soft, clean, and odor free.


Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml strong coffee or espresso,

cooled


Oil portion:


300 grams olive oil

200 grams cocoa butter

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to coffee in glass

measuring cup. The lye will heat up the coffee and release caustic fumes. Do not breathe in the fumes.

Stir the lye in the cup of coffee with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve all lye crystals. Allow the

lye solution to reduce in temperature to 100°F to 105°F.







reaches thin trace. Add ground coffee.

Continue blending with a stick blender until the soap is well blended and a trail of soap dripped on the

surface of the soap, remains on the surface. Just a few more minutes after trace.








Pumpkin Spice Soap A fun soap to celebrate harvest season.

Yield: 9 x 5 ounce bars

Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml water


Oil portion:


500 grams calendula infused olive oil


100 grams pumpkin seed oil

Herbs

¼ cup pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons cinnamon spice

Essential oils (1%)

20 drops cinnamon essential oil

10 drops frankincense essential oil

10 drops clove bud essential oil

10 drops ginger essential oil

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to cold water in glass

measuring cup. The lye will heat up the water and release caustic fumes. Do not breathe in the fumes.

Stir the lye in the water with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve all lye crystals. Allow the lye









reaches thin trace.

At this point, stir in the essential oils that you are using, along with the pumpkin puree and the

cinnamon spice. Continue blending with a stick blender until the soap is well blended and a trail of soap

dripped on the surface of the soap, remains on the surface. Just a few more minutes after trace.


possible into the mold. Cover the soap with plastic wrap or a lid, and allow it to set completely.




This soap may be softer than some of the other soap in this book. Wait until it is completely cool before

cutting.

Cut into bars. Stack the bars on a flat surface to cure for 3 to 6 weeks before packaging it. Due to the

pumpkin puree in this bar, it should be allowed to dry fully before packaging.

Peppermint Patty Soap This soap was a best seller at our Christmas craft markets. I couldn’t keep it in stock.

Yield: 9 x 5 ounce bars

Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml strong peppermint tea


Oil portion:


500 grams olive oil


Herbs

¼ cup cocoa powder

Essential oils (2%)

2 teaspoons peppermint essential oil


Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to cold peppermint

tea in glass measuring cup. The lye will heat up the water and release caustic fumes. Do not breathe in

the fumes.

Stir the lye in the tea with a wooden spoon to completely dissolve all lye crystals. Allow the lye solution

to reduce in temperature to 100°F to 105°F.







reaches thin trace.

At this point, stir in the cocoa powder and peppermint essential oil. Continue blending with a stick

blender until the soap is well blended and a trail of soap dripped on the surface of the soap, remains on

the surface. Just a few more minutes after trace.


possible into the mold. Cover the soap with plastic wrap or a lid, and allow it to set completely.




Wait until it is completely cool before cutting.



Shampoo Bars Solid shampoo bars are more gentle on the hair than commercial shampoos. They will not strip color

treated hair and are kind and gentle greying hair. Those who have thinning hair may find that switching

to natural shampoo bars halts the thinning process.

When you shampoo with a natural herbal shampoo bar always follow the rinse with a rinse with infused

vinegar ( use 2 tablespoons of infused cider vinegar with 1 cup of water to rinse.) Use a final rinse of

plain water to leave your hair soft and shiny.

Chamomile Shampoo Bars for Fair Hair A shampoo bar especially formulated for fair hair to bring out blonde highlights.


Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml strong chamomile tea (use ¼ cup

chamomile flowers and 2 cups of water)


Oil portion:


300 grams olive oil

200 grams castor oil

Essential oils (2%)

2 teaspoons lemon essential oil

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to tea in glass











reaches thin trace.










To use:

Wet hair as usual. Rub the shampoo bar on damp hair to create a light lather. Shampoo as usual. Rinse

hair in warm water. Rub the bar a second time over damp hair. Lather. Rinse.

Use chamomile infused vinegar as a final rinse to restore the pH of the hair, reduce tangling, and

improve the texture and shine of the hair after using a shampoo bar. Rinse with tepid water after the

vinegar treatment.

Rosemary Shampoo Bars for Dark Hair A shampoo bar especially formulated for dark hair, with essential oils that encourage hair growth.

Yield: 9 – 5 ounce bars (140 grams)

Ingredients:

Water/Lye Portion

300 ml strong rosemary tea (use ¼

cup rosemary leaves and 2 cups of

water)


Oil portion:


300 grams olive oil

200 grams castor oil


Essential oils (2%)

1 teaspoon rosemary essential oil

½ teaspoon sweet marjoram

½ teaspoon lavender

Directions:

While wearing safety goggles and rubber gloves, weigh lye on paper plate. Add lye to tea in glass










reaches thin trace.










To use:

Wet hair as usual. Rub the shampoo bar on damp hair to create a light lather. Shampoo as usual. Rinse

hair in warm water. Rub the bar a second time over damp hair. Lather. Rinse.

Use rosemary and thyme infused vinegar as a final rinse to restore the pH of the hair, reduce tangling,

and improve the texture and shine of the hair after using a shampoo bar. Rinse with tepid water after

the vinegar treatment.


Use this worksheet to create your own soap recipes based on the oils and herbs that you have on hand.

Use a lye calculator to calculate the amount of lye that you need for each recipe based on the oils and

fats that you are using for the soap.

Soap Making Worksheet Soap name: ______________________

Yield: _______________

Lye solution

Liquid ________________________ml.

Lye amount ___________________gms.

Superfat lye reduction __________%

Oils

__________________________grams ___%

__________________________grams ___%

__________________________grams ___%

__________________________grams ___%

__________________________grams ___%

_________________________ml/drops essential oil




Directions: Follow usual soap procedures. You can print the directions with most lye calculators.

Observe ALL safety precautions for cold processed soap.


How to Create Your Own Soap Recipes

How much total oils and liquid do you need?

25% of the soap is water/tea

75% of the soap is a mixture of oils (For hardness and lather - coconut oil – 30 to 50% of the oils; For

gentleness olive oil 30% of the oils; Moisturizing -- A rich oil or butter 20% of the oils) Total 1 kg (1000

grams) of oils, fats, and butters.

2% essential oils (2 teaspoons or 200 drops for a 3 pound batch of soap)

How to use a lye calculator When creative folks like you, follow a recipe in the kitchen, there’s always the temptation to substitute

ingredients. Maybe use a little hazelnut oil to replace olive oil in a salad dressing recipe or fry the

mushrooms up in butter instead of the coconut oil that the recipe calls for.

Don’t do that in soap making, without putting the entire recipe through a lye calculator with the

substitute oils. Successful soap making requires that all the lye is 100% used up in the saponification

process. That requires exact measurement of both the lye and the oil. Different oils have different

saponification values (SAP numbers).

The SAP number is the number of milligrams of lye or potassium hydroxide required to completely

saponify one gram of a specific fat. When I first started soap making in 1982, a person had to use

algebra to figure out the exact weight of lye to use with each kind of oil. With the internet a lye

calculator is already programmed with the SAP values for each oil. All you need to do is put in the

weight of oils in grams and then the lye calculator will return the range of lye in grams that you need.


Most lye calculators also give you different lye discounts so you can choose whether you want a smaller

lye discount for a cleaning bar or a larger lye discount for a moisturizing bar.

Every lye calculator is a little different, so expect a short learning curve when you first access it. But

once you get one that you like book mark it so you can come back to it.

All lye calculators will give you the amount of lye for a fixed amount of oil. Some will also let you know

whether the resulting soap is moisturizing or cleansing, hard or soft, with a lather that is bubbly or

creamy.

Here are a few lye calculators to try out: SoapCalc http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

Brambleberry https://www.brambleberry.com/pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx

Magestic Mountain Sage -- https://www.thesage.com/calcs/LyeCalc.html

Final Thoughts This is just the beginning of soap making. There is a whole world of natural herbal soap making to

explore. Once you are confident in working with lye you will be ready to experiment with your own

recipes using a lye calculator to create your own special formulas.

I’m excited that you are mastering the basics and I know that an amazing journey of herbal soap making

awaits you.

http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

https://www.brambleberry.com/pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx

https://www.thesage.com/calcs/LyeCalc.html


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris is a teacher, author, gardener, and herbalist with 35+ years’ of growing herbs and formulating herbal remedies,

skin care products, soaps, and candles. She teaches workshops and writes extensively about gardening, herbal

crafts, scratch cooking, and medicinal herbs on her blog at JoybileeFarm.com . Chris is the founder of the DIY

Herbal Fellowship and an instructor at the Joybilee Academy. Chris believes in giving her readers a quick win

because each quick win builds confidence and empowers intuition for further self-reliance and joy.

Chris is the author of the The Beginner’s Book of Essential Oils, Learning to Use Your First 10 Essential Oils

with Confidence (2015) and Homegrown Healing, from Seed to Apothecary (2016), and “The Beeswax Workshop,

How to Make Your Own Natural Candles, Cosmetics, Cleaners, Soaps, Healing Balms and More” (2017)

Chris empowers women to reclaim their intuition and inner strength in nourishing and healing their

families, deeply rooted in their homes, with joyful, intentional, self-reliance.

http://joybileefarm.com/

https://thediyherbal.com/join-us/

https://thediyherbal.com/join-us/

https://joybilee-academy.thinkific.com/

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