Did you know that our Heavy Duty (HD) and ELF molds are great for cold process? They’re made of durable FDA approved food grade plastic, which means you can use them for food projects like this adorable holiday tutorial demonstrates (just remember to keep molds for food separate from molds for soap!). It also means that your cold process soap may typically need 1-2 weeks before it’s ready to unmold from these molds. The range of designs in this mold line is totally worth the wait, but a bit of Sodium Lactate (1 tsp per pound of oils) added to cooled lye water can help facilitate the hardening process and allow for a shorter wait time.
Recipe:
0.55 oz Cocoa Butter
3.3 oz Coconut Oil
2.75 oz Olive Oil (pure)
3.3 oz Palm Oil
1.1 oz Sunflower Seed Oil
1.6 oz Sodium Hydroxide (lye)
3.6 oz Distilled Water
1 teaspoon Sodium Lactate
0.8 oz Honey Beeswax fragrance
(Note: This mold has been discontinued.
It has been substituted with the 6 Cavity Honeycomb Silicone Mold.)
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
This is a great recipe for beginner soap makers but if you’ve never made cold process soap before, stop right now and watch Cold Process Episodes 1-4 on Soap Queen TV (for free!), especially the episode on lye safety. Bramble Berry also offers a number of books on soapmaking, including this downloadable e-book. Knowledge is power!
SAFETY: Make sure goggles, gloves, and long sleeves are in place. Kids, pets, and other tripping/distraction hazards should be out of the house or not able to access your soaping space for at least an hour. Always soap in a well ventilated area.
ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water, and stir until clear. Set aside to cool. Add the Sodium Lactate to the cooled lye water and gently stir.
TWO: Melt and combine the Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, and Palm Oil. Add the Olive Oil and Sunflower Seed Oil and stir until combined.
THREE: Once the lye water and oils are at or below 120 degrees (and ideally within 10 degrees of each other), slowly and carefully pour the lye water into the oils. I like to pour down a spatula or the shaft of my stick blender to eliminate air bubbles. Give the mixture a couple swirls with the stick blender off, then turn the stick blender on and bring the soap to light trace.
FOUR: Add the Honey Beeswax Fragrance Oil and continue to blend with the stick blender until the fragrance oil is fully mixed in and the soap reaches medium trace.
FIVE: Pour the soap into each cavity of the mold. Tamp the mold on the table to eliminate air bubbles.
(Note: The Milk and Honey Mold has been discontinued. It has been substituted with the 6 Cavity Honeycomb Silicone Mold.)
Optional: Spray the back of the soap with 91% Isopropyl (Rubbing) Alcohol and cover and insulate for 24 hours. Allow the soap to sit in the mold for at least 5 days before attempting to unmold.
Why do you spray with rubbing alcohol and can I add more of oneof the oils instead of sunflower oil?
Hi Jill!
Spraying the soaps with isopropyl alcohol helps prevent soda ash. I’ll include an article that talks about what soda ash is and how to prevent it. 🙂
Also, you can definitely leave the sunflower oil out. I would recommend increasing your olive oil. Just make sure to run that recipe through the Lye Calculator again so you can get the correct lye amount.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Explaining and Preventing Soda Ash: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/explaining-and-preventing-soda-ash/
Lye Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx
Formulating Cold Process Recipes: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/formulating-cold-process-recipes/
I’m trying this as my 1st attempt at CP and just want to confirm the 120 degrees is Fahrenheit.
Hi Chaeysa!
Yes, that is correct! It should be at or below 120 degrees F.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello,
I would like to use goat milk instead of distilled water in this recipe. Can you tell me if I am able to substitute the goat milk for the water?
Thanks,
Diane
Hi Diane!
You can replace the water with goat milk! I’d love to see how it turns out for you on our Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
I was surprised there was no actual honey or beeswax in this….honey is a great humectant, would it be something good to add to this soap?
Hi Ann!
We did not add honey because it can super heat a cold process soap recipe, but you can add beeswax at .5-5% (I typically keep it under 1% but you can go higher) to add hardness and sheen. We use honey beeswax because it smells great and does great things for the soap, including the natural discoloration!
To learn more about natural discoloration, here is a blog post with lots of info! 🙂
Why Did My Soap Turn Brown: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/why-did-my-soap-turn-brown/
Happy Soaping! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
I did this recipe a little over a week ago. It was strange to watch the color darken deeper and deeper everyday. I have used vanilla and almond FOs in other batches of loaf soap and never have I had any go this dark, that fast. Mine even has a hint of green. Similar to a bronze statue.
It’s not off putting to me, just different. But, I like different. Can’t wait to use this FO in something else to see if it does the same thing..
Hi Laurelle!
We are so glad that you got a chance to make this recipe and can’t wait to hear more about your other products you will be using the Honey Beeswax Fragrance Oil in. If you have any pictures of your soap, we’d love to see how it turned out! =)
Happy Soaping!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Hi, could you milk in place of water and will it turn just as dark?
Hi Dorine!
Because of the discoloring fragrance oil (Honey Beeswax), you soap still will discolor to this dark brown color, even if you use milk in place of the distilled water. If you didn’t want your soap to discolor as bad, I would suggest using a different fragrance oil. One of my favorites that still has the honey scent to it would be the Oatmeal Milk & Honey. I hope this helps! =)
Oatmeal Milk And Honey Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Oatmeal-Milk-And-Honey-Fragrance-Oil-P3931.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
could I use your stuff that stops discoloring in this soap? Ive used it in MP, and bath bombs before…works great…
Hi Laur!
You could try using the Vanilla Color Stabilizer in this cold process recipe, but it only works marginally well for CP soaps. Keep us updated if you do use it and let us know how it turned out for you. =)
Honey Beeswax Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Honey-Beeswax-Fragrance-Oil-P5237.aspx
Vanilla Color Stabilizer: https://www.brambleberry.com/Vanilla-Color-Stabilizer-P4156.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
I was disapointed that there wasn’t any bees wax in the soap mix. Sounds Yummy though.
You can add it at trace, at .5%, melted already with the temps at 150 for your main batch or above =) Definitely try it if you’ve never played with beeswax before in soap.
I’m guessing it’s the vanilla in the FO as well.
Awesome mold- Brambleberry has the cutest soap molds!
Hi Blaire!
It’s a combination of a vanilla and almond scent that makes this FO turn soap such a dark brown color. And we are so happy to hear you like this mold so much, we just adore it! =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
is the reason for such a dark soap due to the FO? or did i miss yer explanation of why its so dark up there…? (sometimes skimming makes me ask dumb questions)
Good morning, Chelle!
The Honey Beeswax has several scents in it that discolor, and that is why it gets such a dark brown. This one in particular has Almond in it, which can discolor as well as a bit of Vanilla. I hope this answers your question. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry