Making natural soap with essential oils is easier than you think. If you’re nervous to give it a try, the new Natural Soap Kit for Beginners was designed with you in mind. The kit includes everything you need to try your first batch of soap made with natural ingredients. You can choose from three pure essential oil options: Energizing Orange, Refreshing Lemongrass and Relaxing Lavender. The kit ships for FREE to the lower 48 United States. Watch the video below to see the Relaxing Lavender Essential Oil Soap made from start to finish.
In the video, you can see just how easy it is. First, mix the lye solution and allow to cool. If you’re unfamiliar with working with lye, watch this video to learn how to handle it safely. The soap is colored with Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment for a light purple hue. For this project, the colorant is added directly to soaping oils. Typically, I would disperse the pigment in oil, but since this soap is one solid color you can save a step by mixing it into your base oils. The colorant can also be added to trace with or without dispersing. Because you use the stick blender so much, the chunks get stick blended out. =)
Next, slowly add the lye solution to the soaping oils and begin stick blending to emulsify. Once the lye and oils have emulsified, add Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil to give a calming lavender scent. The essential oil is a blend of many different lavender essential oils to produce a consistent scent year after year (sort of like the concept of a ‘Red Table Wine’ that is the same from year to year in taste). Blend until it’s at thick trace – about the texture of thick pudding. Once in the mold, use a spoon or spatula to create a peak in the center and top the soap with lavender buds. Lavender buds tend to go brown if used inside soap, but remain a lovely purple if placed on top.
After about 2-3 days the soap can be unmolded and cut into bars. Then, the soap cures for 4-6 weeks to allow water to evaporate. This produces a harder, longer lasting bar of soap. It’s now ready to use or give to friends and family! In addition to free shipping, the Natural Soap Kit for Beginners also includes cute labels that you can cut and wrap around each bar for a professional look.
Soap Recipe:
Most of the items below are supplied in the Natural Beginner Soap Kit. See all contents of the kit here.
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
33 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
10 oz. Distilled Water
4.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
2 tsp. Sodium Lactate
2 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
1 tsp. Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment
Lavender Buds
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart and get *free shipping* on this kit!
- 10" Silicone Loaf Mold
- 33 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
- 10 oz. Distilled Water
- 4.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 2 tsp. Sodium Lactate
- 2 oz. Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
- 1 tsp. Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment
- Lavender Buds
- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
- In a durable, heat-safe, non-metal container, measure out 4.7 ounces of sodium hydroxide lye flakes. In a separate durable, heat-safe, non-metal container, measure out 10 ounces of room temperature distilled water. Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Do not add the water to the lye. As you stir, the mixture will emit fumes; do not breathe them in. The lye mixture will heat to about 180-190 ° F. Label the container “DANGER: LYE” and place in a safe space to cool until about 120-130 ° F. This takes about an hour.
- While the lye solution cools, prep the oils. Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix in the microwave or in a double boiler until there are no chunks or cloudiness. If melting the oils in a double boiler, do not let the bag touch the sides or bottom of the pot, or the plastic bag can melt. Once the oils are completely melted, give the bag a good shake. Measure 33 oz. of oils into a large, non-aluminum bowl capable of holding at least 50 ounces. Set aside.
- Measure 2 ounces of the Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.
- The ingredients are now prepped! Check the temperature of your lye solution and oils. To soap, the oils and lye should be 110-130 ° F. If you took off your safety goggles and gloves, place them back on. Once your oils and lye are in that temperature range, carefully add 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate to the lye solution and use a spoon to gently stir in. Wash off spoon immediately. Now, let’s soap!
- Add 1 teaspoon Ultramarine Violet Oxide Pigment directly into the measured bowl of oils. Place the stick blender into the oils, and “burp” it by tapping the head of the blender on the bottom of the bowl. This will release bubbles trapped inside the blender. Pulse the stick blender for about 30 seconds to disperse the colorant and get rid of large chunks.
- Slowly and carefully add the lye solution to the oils. Pulse the stick blender on and off to begin emulsifying the oils and lye together. Continue to pulse the stick blender for 15-20 seconds and then use it to stir the mixture.
- Once you start blending, the mixture will begin to look creamy. After about 1 minute of blending and stirring, the oils and lye will be combined and the soap will be the texture of thin pudding. This is thin trace!
- Add the Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil into the soap. Use the stick blender to completely blend in the essential oil.
- At this point, the soap batter will have thickened slightly. As you continue to stick blend, it will become thicker. Continue to stick blend the soap batter until it is the texture of thick pudding and is able to form peaks.
- Once the soap has thickened, pour the batter into the 10” Silicone Loaf Mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to release bubbles. Use a spoon to mound the soap in the center of the mold, forming a peak in the center. If the soap is not holding its shape, allow the soap to sit in the mold for 2-3 minutes, then continue mounding in the center. There is no right or wrong way to create texture on the top of soap, have fun with it!
- Once you’re happy with the top of the soap, sprinkle lavender buds on the top of the soap. Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol.
- The soap needs to sit and harden in the mold for 2-3 days. It can be hard to wait, but it’s worth it! After two days, pull the sides of the mold away from the soap. If it releases easily, pull the other two sides away from the soap and gently press from the bottom to release the airlock. Gently and carefully, remove the soap and place on a cutting board. If the sides of the mold do not easily release, give the soap another day to harden in the mold.
- Using a sharp, non-serrated knife, cut the soap into bars. To prevent the lavender buds from creating drag marks, lay the soap on its side and cut the bars. Once the loaf is cut into bars, they need to cure for 4-6 weeks. During this time water evaporates from the bar, which creates a firmer and longer lasting bar of soap. Enjoy!
Hello stweet heart,
I just love your recipes, but most of them are impossible to me to make, as I live in Brazil, some ingredients such as 10x orange oil thing and the mix of oils are very expensive to me to get from the Brumble Berry Shop.
So I have to thank you so much for sharing the oils mix, as I saw on other comment, and would like to know if you know something that could substitute the 10x orange oil…
Btw, is there any soap calc. App that you recommend?
Thank you very much!
You can use any skin-safe fragrance or essential oil you like for this recipe. You may see if someone on teachsoap.com/forum knows of a supplier in your area.
Find out how much to add with our Fragrance Calculator: http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
You can also use our Lye Calculator to find out how much lye and liquid to use in your recipe: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx
I would like to make a salt scrub with lavender. Using the oils listed in the lots of lather, can I use lavender and Epson salt to make this? Will it change the amounts of oil required?
You can definitely use the Lots of Lather Mix for scrubs. It has a skin-loving blend of coconut, canola, and olive oil. It does also have palm oil, so the scrub may be a bit stiff at room temperature. I would recommend starting out with just .5 oz. of Quick Mix and adding more from there until you get the consistency you like.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Sunday Night Spotlight: Quick Mixes: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/sunday-night-spotlight-quick-mixes/
Do you cover the soap with plastic wrap and a towel or do you leave it in the mold at room temperature ? Or do you place it in the freezer for 2-3 days ?
Alexandrea
Covering the soap does tend to heat it up and force gel phase. If the soap gets pretty hot, the texture on top can fall. We recommend leaving it uncovered at room temperature. 🙂
Read more about gel phase here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/gel-phase/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi,
I am not sure where to post this but I will try here as I need help!
If I am trying to make my own recipe with goats milk do I have to figure that into the recipe calculation? For example if I do the math on my oils and sap numbers does goats milk have a sap number and need additional lye for it or is considered the water in the soap? I am not having luck with the soap/lye calculator.
I want to do it using these items. I’m pretty new can you let me know what you think. Cold processed
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Shea butter
Beeswax
Honey
Goats milk
Sodium Lactate
They will be in the brambleberry smaller smaller silicone loaf molds (2) in a wooden surround that I made.
I could not find a premade recipe and have used other premade recipes but want to try this basic ones with my friend visiting as these are the only ingredients she will have access to later in her country and we want to try this very soon. Thanks for any help!!!
Hi Kris!
You don’t need to include the SAP value of the goat milk! It is the “liquid” portion on our Lye Calculator. For that liquid amount, you can use water, milk, or a combination of both. So, once you plug in your oils and hit Calculate, it will tell you the amount of milk you need under “Liquid.” Nice and easy! 🙂
Learn more about working with milk in cold process soap here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-add-lye-to-milk-for-cold-process-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I received my kit yesterday and was SO excited to make my very first batch of soap! I got up early this morning, reviewed all the instructions one more time (I’ve been planning for weeks!) and set up my work area according to your very helpful “soapy session setup guide”. I think I got over ambitious though as I planned to add a creamy yellow colored swirl to my soap. In my excitement I added all the purple to my oils without keeping some aside to color yellow. Oh no!! But I refused to give up on my swirl so I quickly scooped out a cup of purple soap and added my yellow to it. It turned a sick yellowish orangey gray color. Blah. In my frustration I just pushed forward with my in the pot swirl, trying to ignore the weird color combo…and forgot to add my essential oil!! Ugh! I had saved a little extra soap to put on top to swirl so I just dumped a little EO in there popped it on top and swirled it anyway. I’m so mad at myself!!
I still really love this kit and it was fun despite the mess up! And who knows, it might still be ok…weird but maybe ok? Haha! I immediately ordered a refill kit. I’m not giving up!
This kit is great, very informative and easy to follow. The problems were all my fault! 😊
Oh darn! I can definitely tell you we have all been there when we were first starting out. I once forgot my coconut oil (which was 30% of my recipe) and made some very lye heavy soap! The great thing is you learn for next time so each batch gets easier. Also, the soap will still feel amazing on the skin. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Actually I was pleasantly surprised when I cut the soap! I got up the next morning and decided to “save” my mold from the ugly soap figuring I’d probably have to throw it out or melt it down and start over. But nope! It was actually a very pretty swirl, still a strange color combo of orange and purple but not too bad for my first attempt! I have used a small bit that I but off the end and it does feel great and smells great too! 🙂
I had already ordered a refill kit to try again but I was so excited about how this one turned out that I immediately made up a new recipe with some oils I had on hand and made another batch with the blueberry jam fragrance sample I got and that was even better…so pretty!! I just love this new hobby I’ve found!
Thanks! 🙂
That is so great to hear! It’s amazing how quickly the soapmaking addiction happens. 😉
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Blueberry Jam Sample: https://www.brambleberry.com/Sample-Idea-Sheet-for-November-2016.aspx
Yes it does become addicting! I’ve already got plans “brewing” for a coffee scented soap or maybe a chocolate mint one! 🙂
Hooray! If you have any questions or need recipe suggestions let us know. We’re happy to help. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Espresso Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Espresso-Fragrance-Oil-P5889.aspx
Butter Mints Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Butter-Mints-Fragrance-Oil-P6335.aspx
what would the recipe be if I don’t have the bag of premixed oils? And if there is palm what could I substitute more of another oil with?
We have percentages for our Quick Mixes here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/sunday-night-spotlight-quick-mixes/
The Lots of Lather Quick Mix Recipe is:
33% Coconut Oil
33% Palm Oil
16% Canola Oil
14.9% Olive Oil
3% Castor Oil
0.1 % Vitamin E Oil
You can make that with oils you have at home! Find out how much of each oil to use with our Lye Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx
Palm oil adds some great firmness to your soap, and there is no direct replacement for it. You can add certain oils and butters to help firm your soap up though! For instance, adding a hard butter, like cocoa butter up to 15%, can harden the bars. 🙂
Read more about common oils and what properties they add to soap here:
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-common-soapmaking-oils/
This post on substituting oils has some great information too: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-substitute-oil-in-cold-process-recipes/
Sodium lactate is helpful as well. It helps the bars unmold more quickly. You can add 1 tsp. of sodium lactate per pound of oils to your cooled lye water. Read more in the Sunday Night Spotlight: Sodium Lactate: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-sodium-lactate/
Here are some links to palm-free recipes you may like:
Palm Free Vertical Twist: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/palm-free-vertical-twist-tutorial/
Palm Free In The Pot Swirl: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/a-palm-free-in-the-pot-swirl/
Formulating Cold Process Recipes: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/formulating-cold-process-recipes/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello,
I made my first CP soap with your beginner pack and recipe. Can I use the measurements in that recipe for this lavender soap?
Thank you,
Maria
Which beginner kit did you use? Was it this one: https://www.brambleberry.com/Beginners-Cold-Process-Soap-Kit-P5202.aspx
These are marvelous! How did you get the color to brighten? Ours lost its color. We used a thin blanket during gel phase. Would a thicker one help?
A nice hot gel phase will definitely help the colors pop. If your house is pretty cold, I would recommend popping the soap on a heating pad set to medium. Then, cover it with a cutting board or piece of cardboard, followed by a blanket or towel. After 20 minutes, shut the heating pad off but keep the soap on all night. Make sure to check the soap after that 20 minutes. If it looks like it’s getting too hot (it will have a weird texture or may start to crack), you can remove the blanket. 🙂
Read more about gel phase here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/gel-phase/
And more about insulating the soap here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/when-to-insulate-handmade-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Made this soap back in July 2016, when my shipment arrived I quickly opened the box and realized that some of my bottle labels were blank.
but through sniff and packing label, I was able to make a beautiful wonderful smelling batch of soap.
so all was well. Thanks again for your products.
Oh I am so sorry about that Rochelle! If you’d like, we can mail you some new labels with the correct information. Let me know! Also, so glad the soap turned out well. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
This is my first time for cold process soap making. I was waiting for this kit for a long time. Finally it arrived! I have noticed that there were no distilled water. I have no idea where to get it. E-mailed for an advice Bramble Berry but did not got anything back.It was included in the printed paper/tutorial but did not specified that it is not included. Because I have never heard about it I have googled it then bought it in CVS. I am a beginner how would I know. Also, a sample of free fragrance oil was included in the package which smelled wonderful. Watched the video numerous time and found it a bit confusing, perhaps having one person explaining and the other person doing would be much better! I have followed all instructions during my process of soap making but my glasses keep fogging which was extremely annoying. Now, need to wait 2 days to see how my soap came out.
I am sorry about any confusion Tatiana. You can find distilled water at the grocery store in the bottled water section. It usually comes in larger jugs and costs about $1. Is there anything I can help clear up for you? I’m happy to answer any questions you may have!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I thought the soap had to be kept warm for it to go through gel phase.
Warmth is key for gel phase! Whether or not you cover the soap depends on your environment. For instance, if you live in a very hot climate, you may not need to cover the soap with a towel. The hot temperatures may make it gel anyway. If your house is cooler, you may need a towel and even a heating pad to ensure gel phase. This post has more information on when to insulate soap to ensure gel phase: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/when-to-insulate-handmade-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I used this kit and made my first batch of CP soap the other day. I unmolded and cut my soap today. It smells absolutely divine and looks great. I’ve been making M&P soap for a while now and thought I ought to give this a try. I really like it. On to my next project now!
Yay, that’s so awesome Lynne! I’m glad the soap turned out well. Have fun making more cold process batches. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Has the ultramarine violet mica changed? I used some that I bought about a year ago from Brambleberry and it quickly morphed to grey.
Hi Michelle!
We have found with the Ultramarine Violet that adding a bit more colorant helps make the soap a lovely purple hue rather than a grayish one! We tested this recipe quite a bit and found the suggested color amount works really nicely. It can also help to gel the soap! That helps the color appear a bit brighter. 🙂
Read more about gel phase here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/gel-phase/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
the recipe says lot of lather mix and video says quick mix??? does it matter.
Hi Sabrina!
The Lots of Lather is a Quick Mix! The full name is the Lots of Lather Quick Mix. Sorry for any confusion! So, you’ll want to use the Lots of Lather Quick Mix provided in the kit for this recipe. 🙂
Read more about the Quick Mixes here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/sunday-night-spotlight-quick-mixes/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
So pretty, and I can almost smell it through the screen!
Thank you so much Cheryl! The lab smelled really great while we were filming this recipe. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry