Homemade Soap Recipes for Beginners!

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If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at homemade soap making, these recipes are super easy to get started with! I was hesitant to try making soaps because it seems like it would be kind of involved. Then my mom made soaps as gifts for Christmas and said it was really easy! I gave it a try and it was seriously SO EASY now I sell soaps in my shop space. See my cute little display? 🙂

My homemade soaps have fun, sassy labels like “Soap for Fishermen- Smells like someone’s telling a whopper…” (because we live in a fishing community) and “Soap for Teachers- Smells like you’re broke and tired” because teachers are typically tired after dealing with our angels and broke from buying stuff for their classrooms!

Homemade Soap Products I Used:

You can buy all of these products on Amazon, and I was really happy with the way myhomemade soap turned out using these products. They melt nicely and did not get stringy OR clumpy, both of which I had read about happening and being “nightmares” to correct.

Goats Milk Suspension Soap

Coconut Milk Soap Base

Cocoa Butter Soap Base

I also recommend a silicone soap mold to start with because it is very easy to pop the soaps out once they cool. This comes in a set of two, so 12 molds total. My homemade soap cooled quickly- less than 30 minutes per batch- and I found 12 to be plenty. If I recall, I made 44 bars in one day.

Other items you will need:

-Essential oils (You may have some on hand you can use. Since I did not have any, I checked Amazon and was able to order this set of 16. These scents seem perfect for soap making!)

-Soap colorant (I went with this set because it said it was safe for babies, so I felt it would be fine for people with sensitive skin. There are lots of options to choose from, though.)

-You will also need a large, glass bowl you can microwave. This 8 cup Pyrex measuing cup works nicely because it has the little pouring spout so you don’t need a ladle.

-A spatula, for stirring the soap, oils and colorants and for scraping the bowl to pour the soap.

Soap Making Tips, Tricks and Hacks:

1. If you limit your trial batches to one type of base, all goat’s milk or all cocoa butter, for example, it’s not expensive to get started.  You can easily make a variety of soaps using the same base for all of them.
2. Don’t substitute one base or oil for whatever you have on hand in a recipe. The recipe is the recipe. You might get lucky, but odds are you could end up with soap that didn’t work out and now can’t be used.
3. Don’t start with a complex recipe with fancy ingredients that cost more than the basic ones, because you could end up throwing away the first batch or two. You’ll get there, but it doesn’t need to be on Day One! Start small and aim high. Once you get the hang of it you can move on to more complicated soaps.
4. Think outside the box when it comes to molds. You can line just about anything with parchment paper to use as a mold for soaps you will slice into bars. Silicone muffin liners work great, too! PVC pipe with caps, yogurt containers, Pringles containers and rectangular milk/juice containers all work as inexpensive and free molds.
5. Got bubbles? If bubbles form on your homemade soap after pouring it into the molds, use a spray bottle filled with isopropyl alcohol to mist the soap. This will pop the bubbles, making smooth soap.
6. Pick up a plastic cutting board just for soap. (I think Dollar Tree has them in packs of 2 for $1….) This way you won’t risk your food tasting like soap AND you can make lines with a ruler and a Sharpie so you perfectly slice your soap into uniform blocks every time!
7. Prep your molds before making your soap. This way if the soap finishes quicker than you think it will, your molds are ready when it is. (Silicone molds do not need to be prepped when making melt & pour soaps.)
8. And last, but not least, if you have imperfect bars or slices that are too small to gift or sell, homeless shelters and food banks can always use soap. What an awesome treat homemade soap would be for anyone down on his or her luck.

Let’s Get Started!

Are you ready to get started? Here are Five Easy Homemade Soap Recipes for Beginners:

Lavender Oatmeal Soap – this recipe from Beauty Crafter is super easy and makes a really nice soap. With just 4 ingredients you cannot mess this up!

Vanilla Latte Soap– A Princess and A Pumpkin makes this yummy smelling soap from something you surely have plenty of…coffee grounds!

Homemade Citrus Soap– Everything Etsy has a great tutorial on this citrusy, lemony easy peasy soap! I am on a huge citrus kick lately. From soaps and lotions to desserts and beer, if it has citrus I want to try it!

Tropical Coconut Soap– Bulk Apothocary shows us how to make this easy tropical soap in practically no time! This is a summery soap that would be great as an add-on to a teacher’s gift or friend’s birthday gift.  It would also be a fun “going away” gift to someone going on a fun, tropical vacation, too!

Triple Layer Soap – Ebay has tips and recipes! (Who knew?! Possibly everyone but me….) This soap looks difficult, but is actually very easy! This would make a great gift or shower guest favor since the colors can be customized.

See how easy?!

I hope you have a blast making soap! It is so easy, I bet you do! If you need some ideas for pretty or unique ways to package your products, check Pinterest. There are soooo many ideas! I use simple Kraft paper and scrapbook paper because I sell mine and need to keep costs low, but for gifts you can get pretty creative! If you’re still not sure about making soap, this kit has everything you need to make beautiful sage, basil and mint soap.

You may also enjoy these posts:
6 Uses for Ginger and how to Grow It Year Round

12 Herbs to Grow in your Kitchen Garden + How to Make Herb-Infused Olive Oil

Happy soap making,
Allison

 

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