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Formulating Cold Process Soap Recipes

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Formulating Cold Process Soap Recipes

There are a few factors to consider before formulating cold process soap recipes. From the Common Soapmaking Oils post to the Back to Basics Series, we’ve got plenty of resources to help you get started.

You can never go wrong with a 34/33/33 ratio. That’s 34% olive oil, 33% coconut oil, and 33% palm oil. They’re commonly used because they complement each other well. Palm oil acts as a secondary lathering agent and hardens the soap, coconut oil is cleansing and produces big bubbles, and olive oil is moisturizing and gives bars a silky feeling. If you don’t want to use palm oil, learn more about alternatives here.

Another standard recipe is the 30/30/30/10. That’s 30% olive oil, 30% coconut oil, 30% palm oil, and 10% of something special – rice bran oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, or mango butter are all good options. The additional oils and butters each add a unique feeling to the recipe. 

To create your own recipe, start by choosing your base oils. You can use each one around 20-30%. For the remaining portion, consider what you’d like the bar to feel like. Do you want it to be super moisturizing, have a nice thick lather, or to be hard and long lasting? Then, check out Common Soapmaking Oils. It lists the properties and usage rates of the oils so you can choose the right one for your recipe.


There are a few general rules that make formulating recipes easier.

  • Oils that are liquid at room temperature tend to trace more slowly. A high percentage in your recipe is great for intricate designs. The soap will take longer to harden in the mold and it will feel softer than a recipe with a high percentage of hard oils.
  • Hard oils – the ones that are solid at room temperature – trace more quickly. The soap will unmold faster and the bars will feel firmer than a recipe with a lot of liquid oil.
  • Any soap can be made with just one oil, but the only ones we recommend using up to 100% are olive oil or coconut oil. The others can feel too sticky, too hard, etc. Learn more in the Single Oil Cold Process Soap Lather Tests. Most recipes are a combination of hard and soft oils.
  • If you want to create hard bars without palm oil, check out Palm Oil Alternatives in Cold Process Soap.
  • You can substitute oils in your cold process recipe. For instance, canola or rice bran can be used in place of olive oil. Learn more in the Substituting Oils post.

While we do our best to formulate a recipe so we can predict exactly how it will behave, there are an unlimited number of variables that can lead to unexpected results. The best way to find out what works for you is to experiment. Start with these rules and then adjust based on your personal preferences.

Here are a few tried-and-true recipes we love. They’re superfatted at 5%.

Old Faithful
This one is simple and reliable, so it’s great for beginners. The castor oil gives it a luscious lather. The recipe is similar to our Lots of Lather Quick Mix.

10″ Silicone Loaf Mold (50 oz.) 9 Bar Birchwood Mold (48 oz.) 18 Bar Birchwood Mold (96 oz.) 5 lb. Wood Log Mold (80 oz.)
Coconut Oil 10.9 oz. 10.4 oz 20.9 oz. 17.4 oz.
Palm Oil 10.9 oz. 10.4 oz. 20.9 oz. 17.4 oz.
Olive Oil 10.9 oz. 10.4 oz. 20.9 oz. 17.4 oz.
Castor Oil 1.4 oz. 1.3 oz. 2.6 oz. 2.2 oz.
Lye 4.9 oz. 4.7 oz. 9.4 oz. 7.8 oz.
Liquid 11.3 oz. 10.8 oz. 21.6 oz. 18 oz.

Old Faithful with a Twist
This is a fairly standard recipe with a few moisturizing extras like sweet almond oil and mango butter. Shea butter in place of mango feels lovely as well.

25% Coconut Oil
25% Palm Oil
30% Olive Oil
15% Sweet Almond Oil
5% Mango Butter

10″ Silicone Loaf Mold (50 oz.) 9 Bar Birchwood Mold (48 oz.) 18 Bar Birchwood Mold (96 oz.) 5 lb. Wood Log Mold (80 oz.)
Coconut Oil 8.5 oz. 8.2 oz. 16.3 oz. 13.6 oz.
Palm Oil 8.5 oz. 8.2 oz. 16.3 oz. 13.6 oz.
Olive Oil 10.2 oz. 9.8 oz. 19.6 oz. 16.3 oz
Sweet Almond Oil 5.1 oz. 4.9 oz. 9.8 oz. 8.2 oz.
Mango Butter 1.7 oz. 1.6 oz. 3.3 oz. 2.7 oz.
Lye 4.8 oz. 4.6 oz. 9.2 oz. 7.7 oz.
Liquid 11.3 oz. 10.8 oz. 21.6 oz. 18 oz.

Perfectly Palm Free
This is a wonderfully slow-moving recipe that’s great for intricate designs.

15% Coconut Oil
30% Canola Oil
25% Rice Bran Oil
15% Shea Butter
10% Avocado Oil
5% Chia Seed Oil

10″ Silicone Loaf Mold (50 oz.) 9 Bar Birchwood Mold (48 oz.) 18 Bar Birchwood Mold (96 oz.) 5 lb. Wood Log Mold (80 oz.)
Coconut Oil 5.1 oz. 4.9 oz. 9.9 oz. 8.2 oz.
Canola Oil 10.3 oz. 9.9 oz. 19.7 oz. 16.4 oz.
Rice Bran Oil 8.6 oz. 8.2 oz. 16.4 oz. 13.7 oz.
Shea Butter 5.1 oz. 4.9 oz. 9.9 oz. 8.2 oz.
Avocado Oil 3.4 oz. 3.3 oz. 6.6 oz. 5.5 oz.
Chia Seed Oil 1.7 oz. 1.7 oz. 3.3 oz. 2.7 oz.
Lye 4.5 oz. 4.4 oz. 8.7 oz. 7.3 oz.
Liquid 11.3 oz. 10.8 oz. 21.6 oz. 18 oz.

Beautiful Swirls
This option is great for more than just swirls – you can use it for other intricate designs like layers and embeds. It’s similar to the Swirl Quick Mix.

20% Coconut Oil
30% Palm Oil
20% Canola Oil
4% Castor Oil
6% Hazelnut Oil
10% Rice Bran Oil
10% Sunflower Oil

10″ Silicone Loaf Mold (50 oz.) 9 Bar Birchwood Mold (48 oz.) 18 Bar Birchwood Mold (96 oz.) 5 lb. Wood Log Mold (80 oz.)
Coconut Oil 6.8 oz. 6.5 oz. 13.1 oz. 10.9 oz.
Palm Oil 10.2 oz. 9.8 oz. 19.7 oz. 16.4 oz.
Canola Oil 6.8 oz. 6.5 oz. 13.1 oz. 10.9 oz.
Castor Oil 1.4 oz. 1.3 oz. 2.6 oz. 2.2 oz.
Hazelnut Oil 2 oz. 2 oz. 3.9 oz. 3.3 oz.
Rice Bran Oil 3.4 oz. 3.3 oz. 6.6 oz. 5.5 oz.
Sunflower Oil 3.4 oz. 3.3 oz. 6.6 oz. 5.5 oz.
Lye 4.7 oz. 4.5 oz. 9 oz. 7.5 oz.
Liquid 11.3 oz. 10.8 oz. 21.6 oz. 18 oz.

This post was updated in November 2018.

Free Beginner’s Guide to Soapmaking: Common Soapmaking Oils

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

 

Beginners Guide to Soapmaking Oils

One of the best parts of soapmaking is being able to customize your recipe down to the very last ingredient. There are an infinite number of oil, fragrance, color, and technique combinations.

One of the most important aspects of any recipe is the oils and butters you choose. They affect moisturizing properties, how well the bars lather, and the designs you’re able to create. To help, we’ve assembled our most comprehensive resource on fixed oils to date. It includes information on usage rates and shelf lives. It also has an FAQ section and a quick guide at the bottom.

This post was updated in September 2018. Some of the shelf lives/usage rates changed based on more up-to-date information from our vendors.

SoapmakingOils2_700px

Apricot Kernel Oil – 1 year
Apricot kernel oil is lightweight and high in linoleic and oleic acids. It’s conditioning and easily absorbed into the skin. It produces small bubbles. We recommend using at 15% or less in your recipe. That way the bars aren’t too soft and they last longer in the shower.
Recipes: Agate Spin Swirl Soap, Creamy Goat Milk Soap, Berry Rhubarb Crumble Soap

Argan Oil – 2 years
You’ll love argan oil in DIY skin and hair care products. It feels silky and moisturizing, and it’s packed with vitamins E and A. It can be used in cold process up to 10%.

Avocado Oil – 1 year
Avocado oil makes a soft bar of soap and is generally used at 20% or less in cold process recipes. It’s rich in vitamins A, B, D, and E. The high levels of fatty acids make it great for lotion, body butter, and conditioner as well.
Recipes: Avocado Soap, Avocado + Spearmint Soap, Cucumber and Aloe Circling Taiwan Swirl Soap

Avocado Butter – 3 years
Avocado butter is solid at room temperature. It’s derived from the fruit of the avocado tree and hydrogenated. It has a creamy consistency that makes skin feel smooth and moisturized. You can use this butter up to 12% in your cold process recipes. It also works well in lotion and body butter.
Recipes: Avocado Soap, Avocado + Spearmint Soap

Babassu Oil – 2 years
Babassu, which comes from a native Brazilian palm tree, can be used in place of coconut or palm in cold process soap. It adds the same firming and cleansing properties, and it can be added up to 33%. However, babassu does have a lighter feeling on the skin and it absorbs quickly. We recommend giving all three oils a try in small test batches to see what you think.
Recipes: Safflower and Ginger Soap, Beet Soap

Beeswax (White & Yellow) – 3 years
Yellow beeswax is refined and not bleached, while white beeswax is refined and bleached naturally by exposing it in thin layers to air, sunlight, and moisture. It can be used up to 8% in cold process recipes to harden the bars. Your lye and oils need to be at 150°F or higher so the beeswax stays melted. It will speed up trace.
Recipes: Busy Beeswax Soap, Valentine Soap  

Borage Oil – 3 years
This oil is one of the richest sources of essential fatty acids. One of those fatty acids is gamma-linolenic acid, which helps nourish and hydrate the skin. It works well especially for those with sensitive or mature skin. Try it in cold process up to 33%.
Recipes: French Green Clay and Milk Soap, Jade Soap

Canola Oil – 1 year
Canola oil is an affordable option for soap. It produces a balanced bar with creamy lather. It’s also a great substitute for olive oil. You can use canola at 15-40% in cold process.
Recipes: Baby’s Breath Soap, Blue Rimmed Soap, Clover and Aloe Spin Swirl Soap

Carrot Seed Oil – 2 years
This oil has a silky texture that’s hard to beat. It’s lightweight and absorbs quickly, and it’s especially suited for those with sensitive skin. It can be used in cold process soap at 5-15%.
Recipes: Carrot Soap, Tomato Garden Soap

Castor Oil – 2 years
This thick liquid is extracted from the castor bean plant. It draws moisture to the skin and creates amazing lather in soap. We recommend using it at 2-5%. You can use it up to 25%, although more than 10% can make the bars soft and sticky.
Recipes: Siren Soap, Carrot Soap, Blueberry Thyme Soap

Chia Seed Oil – 1 year
Chia seed oil is the perfect addition to handmade soap, body butter, conditioner, and cuticle oil. You’ll love how lightweight and moisturizing it feels. The oil is also packed with fatty acids, protein, and vitamins. It can be used in cold process around 10%.
Recipes: Annatto-Yarrow Soap, Dragon’s Breath Soap, Infinity Swirl Soap

Cocoa Butter Pastilles, Organic Cocoa Butter Wafers, Deodorized Cocoa Butter – 2 years
This butter is solid and hard at room temperature. It adds a luxurious and moisturizing feeling to cold process soap. We recommend tempering it for the best results, learn how here. Use cocoa butter at 15% or less in cold process soaps – any higher can cause cracking in your final bars.
Recipes: Tomato Garden Soap, Pink Salt and Gold Soap, Lavender and Charcoal Soap

Coconut Oil – 18 months
This is one of the most common raw materials used in the soap and cosmetic industry. It comes in several versions, including 76 and 92°F melting point oils – ours is 76°F.  Both have the same SAP value. Coconut oil is super cleansing and produces large bubbles in cold process. It’s so cleansing that it can be drying. It can be used up to 33%, but we recommend using it around 15% if you have sensitive or dry skin.
Recipes: Jade Soap, Safflower and Ginger Soap, Wild Rose Soap

Coffee Butter – 2 years
This luscious and rich butter is perfect for lotion, body butter, and soap. It’s a blend of hydrogenated vegetable oil and coffee seed oil, and it contains around 1% natural caffeine. It has a natural coffee scent and a creamy feeling. The butter can be used up to 6% in cold process.
Recipes: Simple Coffee Soap, Espresso Shot Soap

Coffee Seed Oil – 2 years
This thick and luxurious oil is extracted from freshly-roasted coffee beans. Try it in handmade soap, lotion, balm, and bath bombs. It can be used in cold process up to 10%.
Recipes: Simple Coffee Soap

Cucumber Seed Oil – 2 years
Those with dry or mature skin will love this oil. It has excellent moisturizing properties, and when it’s applied it feels lightweight and absorbs quickly. Try it in cold process up to 15%.
Recipes: Circling Taiwan Swirl Soap, Sea Sponge Soap

Emu Oil – 1 year
This is a medium-weight oil that helps keep the skin hydrated. Use it in cold process soap up to 13%.

Evening Primrose Oil – 1 year
This oil has a lightweight and moisturizing consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin. It can be used up to 15% in cold process.

Flaxseed Oil – 6 months
Flaxseed oil is lightweight and a rich source of fatty acids. We love it in balm, body butter, and lotion. You can also use it in cold process up to 5%.

Fractionated Coconut Oil – 3 years
Fractionated coconut oil contains only the medium triglycerides, which means it stays liquid. Compared to coconut oil, it has a more lightweight feeling and it makes softer bars. It doesn’t have the same cleansing or lathering properties. We love it in scrub, lotion, and body butter. You can use it up to 30% in cold process.

Grapeseed Oil – 1 year
This oil leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. It has a lightweight and thin texture, and it’s high in lineoleic acid and antioxidants. Try it in DIY lotion, massage oil, and body butter. It can be used up to 15% in cold process.

Green Tea Seed Oil – 2 years
Pick up green tea seed oil today and try it in DIY soap, lotion, and conditioner. You’ll love the lightweight and moisturizing consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin. It’s also rich in nutrients like vitamins A and B. Add it to cold process up to 6%.
Recipes: Exfoliating Green Tea Bars, Rose Quartz Soap, Emerald Soap

Hazelnut Fixed Oil – 3 months
This oil is low in fatty acids, so it slows down trace. That makes it great for intricate cold process designs. It has a lightweight texture and it creates conditioning and small lather. Hazelnut oil is used at 20% or less.
Recipes: Busy Beeswax Soap, Leopard Print Soap

Hemp Seed Oil – 1 year
Hemp seed oil is an amazing source of fatty acids. They help keep the skin hydrated all day long. It also creates excellent lather. Use up to 15% in cold process.
Recipes: Hawaiian Shirt Soap

Jojoba Oil – 2 years
This product is actually a liquid wax that will contribute to a very stable and long-lasting bar of soap. We recommend it at 10% or less in cold process. More than that can weigh down the lather.
Recipes: Loofah Soap, Moisturizing Soap

Kokum Butter – 2 years
Pick up kokum butter today and add it to handmade soap and body butter. It has a lightweight and moisturizing consistency that absorbs quickly. We recommend tempering it using the same method as cocoa butter, learn how here. It can be used in cold process at 10% or less.
Recipes: Kokum Butter Soap

Kukui Nut Oil – 2 years
This luxurious oil is a must-have for your collection. Kukui (koo-koo-ee) comes from Hawaii. It has a lightweight and silky consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin. Try it in cold process up to 20%.

Lingonberry Seed Oil – 2 years
You’ll love the way this oil feels on the skin – it has a silky and lightweight texture. It’s also packed with essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Try lingonberry seed oil in cold process at 5-15%.

Mango Butter – 2 years
This butter is extracted from the fruit kernels of the mango tree. It’s solid at room temperature but melts on contact with the skin. We recommend tempering it for best results, learn how here. It can be used up to 15% in cold process.
Recipes: Watermelon Soap, Sea Sponge Soap, Crescent Moon Soap

Meadowfoam Oil – 1 year
This oil has a moisturizing and conditioning feel that’s similar to jojoba oil. It contributes to a creamy and silky lather in soap. Originally developed as an alternative to sperm whale oil, this earth-friendly product is generally used at 20% or less in cold process. We like using it around 10%.
Recipes: Siren Soap, Pink Salt and Gold Soap, Cedar and Amber Soap

Moringa Seed Oil – 2 years
Pick up moringa seed oil today and add it to cold process up to 15%. You’ll love how moisturizing it feels on the skin. It has a lightweight and non-greasy consistency.
Recipes: Lemongrass Mojito Soap

Neem Oil – 2 years
If you’ve ever worked with neem oil, there’s a good chance you remember the scent. Its distinct odor is often described as musky or garlicky. Don’t let that scare you away though – there’s a reason neem has been used on the skin for centuries. People love it because it’s incredibly moisturizing and full of antioxidants. It can be used at 3-6% in cold process.

Oat Oil – 1 year
This oil absorbs quickly and leaves your skin feeling hydrated all day long. It’s rich in fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E. You’ll love oat oil’s lightweight and non-greasy texture in cold process soap. It can be used at 5-15%.

Olive Oil (Pomace & Pure) – 2 years
This is a staple in cold process recipes. It’s a thick oil that moisturizes the skin and creates creamy lather. Compared to pomace, pure olive oil creates softer bars and takes longer to trace. It can be used up to 100% in cold process.
Recipes: Simple Castile Soap, French Green Clay and Milk Soap, Eggnog Soap

Palm Oil – 1 year
Palm oil adds a unique feeling to cold process soap. It helps harden the bars and it creates lather when paired with coconut oil. In cold process soap, the oil can be used up to 33%. Don’t forget to fully melt and mix the palm oil before use, that way the fatty acids will distribute evenly. Our supplier is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil – learn more about the organization here.
Recipes: Daisy Soap, Creamy Goat Milk Soap, Rose Quartz Soap

Palm Kernel Flakes – 1 year
This is a mixture of partially-hydrogenated palm kernel oil and soy lecithin, and it comes in flake form. We only recommend it up to 15% in cold process soap – a higher percentage can make the bars too hard. It will speed up trace, so be prepared to work fast. These flakes are also from an RSPO supplier.
Recipes: Christmas Tree Swirl Soap, Smoky Bay Soap

Peach Kernel Oil – 1 year
This skin-loving pale yellow oil adds moisturizing properties and creates a stable lather in cold process soap. We recommend it up to 25%. It’s a great substitute for sweet almond or grapeseed oil.

Peanut Oil – 1 year
This pale yellow oil is typically used as a substitute for olive or canola oil in cold process recipes. It can be used up to 25%.

Raspberry Seed Oil – 2 years
Keep your skin feeling smooth with this oil. It’s packed with essential fatty acids. When applied, it feels lightweight and absorbs quickly. Use it in cold process soap at 5-15%.
Recipes: Blueberry Thyme Soap

Red Palm Oil – 2 years
Add this oil to your cold process soap to create firm bars. It also adds a beautiful orange color. This palm oil comes from a supplier that’s part of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. It can be used up to 33%, but we recommend it around 15% because it can stain molds and the skin.
Recipes: Tomato Garden Soap

Rice Bran Oil – 2 years
You’ll love the way this oil feels in handmade soap. It’s rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, and it has a thick and moisturizing consistency that’s similar to olive oil. It can be used up to 100% in cold process soap, but the bar will be soft and have small lather. We recommend using rice bran oil around 20%.
Recipes: Sushi Soap, Pink Salt and Gold Soap, Pumpkin Pie Soap

Rosehip Seed Oil – 2 years
Those with dry or mature skin will love rosehip seed oil. It’s rich in vitamins A and C, and it feels hydrating on the skin. It has a lightweight and non-greasy consistency. Try it in cold process around 10%.

Safflower Oil – 1 year
This mild and skin-loving oil is similar to canola or sunflower oil. It can be used up to 20% in cold process soap.

Sesame Oil – 1 year
This light golden oil is high in antioxidants and fatty acids, which add moisturizing properties to soap. It’s not the same as toasted sesame oil that’s typically used in Asian cuisine. It can be used up to 10% in cold process recipes.

Shea Butter – 2 years
Shea butter feels luxurious and moisturizing on the skin. It helps harden cold process soap and it can be used up to 15%. We recommend tempering it for the best results, learn how here.
Recipes: Oatmeal Baby Soap, Honeycrisp Apple Soap, Safflower and Ginger Soap

Soybean Oil – 3 months if refrigerated
Soybean oil has a creamy, stable, and conditioning lather. It produces a hard bar of soap when paired with palm or coconut oil. It’s typically used at 50% or less in cold process recipes. We recommend a usage rate of up to 15%.

Sunflower Oil – 6 months
Sunflower oil is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E, making it it one of the more cost-effective oils. It produces a lather that is incredibly conditioning on the skin. It does have a slower absorption rate, so it can feel slightly oily on the skin in leave-on recipes like balms and lotions. To help increase the shelf life of this oil, be sure to keep it refrigerated. It can be used in cold process recipes up to 100%, but we recommend 20% or less.
Recipes: Wild Rose Soap

Sweet Almond Oil – 1 year
You need sweet almond oil in your collection. It’s full of fatty acids and it has a lightweight and moisturizing consistency. You’ll love the way it feels in DIY soap, lotion, and scrub. It can be used up to 20% in cold process.
Recipes: Wild Rose Soap, Siren Soap, Baby’s Breath Soap

Tamanu Oil – 2 years
Tamanu oil has a lightweight and moisturizing consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin. It’s also packed with essential fatty acids. It can be used up to 5% in cold process.
Recipes: Charcoal Facial Soap

Walnut Oil – 3 months
This antioxidant-rich oil conditions and moisturizes the skin. It can be used up to 15% in cold process soap.

Wheat Germ Oil – 1 year
When it comes to skincare, wheat germ oil has a lot to offer. It’s jam-packed with nutrients like vitamins A, B, D, and E. Even though the oil is fairly heavy, it has a light and almost powdery feeling on the skin. It can be used in cold process up to 10%.
Recipes: Nourishing Soap

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to heat up my entire container of palm oil before I use it in my cold process recipe?
A:  Yes, otherwise the fatty acids won’t distribute properly. That creates white bits or inconsistent results in soap. Fully melt and mix well before each use.

Q: Do I need to heat up my entire container of coconut oil before I use it in my cold process recipe?
A:  No, you can scoop it right into a container at room temperature.

Q: I’m out of palm oil – can I use palm kernel flakes instead?
A: No, palm oil and palm kernel flakes have different SAP values and they feel different in soap. Palm oil hardens soap and creates lather with coconut oil. It can be used up to 33%. Palm kernel oil creates a hard bar and is recommend up to 15%.

Q: How can I tell if my oil or butter is rancid?
A: There is a noticeable change in either the color, consistency, or odor of the oils and your butters may start to develop mold or dark spots. We recommend writing down the date you receive the oil, that way you know when it’s expired.

Q: What happens if I used rancid oil or butter in soap?
A: It can develop dreaded orange spots. They cause discoloration and the bars may develop an unpleasant scent.

Q: What happens if I used a large amount of olive oil in my recipe?
A: A 100% olive oil soap, also known as Castile soap, creates gentle and luxurious bars, but it requires some patience. It will take longer to harden than other recipes – up to 6 months. Some makers developed a taste for “Bastile bars,” which are made with a high percentage of olive oil and harder oils to help speed up the hardening process. You can also add sodium lactate or use a water discount.

Q: Help! I’m out of sweet almond oil, can I just put in avocado oil?
A: Yes, but you’ll need to run your recipe through the Lye Calculator again. Learn more in the How to Substitute Oils in Cold Process Soap post.

Q: What is a SAP Value?
A: A saponfication (SAP) value is the amount of lye needed to completely saponify 1 gram of an oil or butter (see the Beginner’s Guide to Cold Process Soapmaking for an explanation of saponification). For example, the SAP value of canola oil is .132, which means it takes .132 grams of lye to turn 1 gram of canola oil into soap. The Lye Calculator automatically calculates the SAP value for you.

Oil Shelf Life SAP Value Usage Rate in Cold Process
Apricot Kernel Oil 1 year .135 up to 15%
Argan Oil 2 years .136 up to 10%
Avocado Oil  1 year .133 up to 20%
Avocado Butter 3 years .133 up to 12%
Babassu Oil 2 years .175 up to 33%
Beeswax (White & Yellow) 3 years .069 up to 8%
Borage Oil 3 years .135 up to 33%
Canola Oil 1 year .132 up to 40%
Carrot Seed Oil 2 years .137 up to 15%
Castor Oil 2 years .135 up to 25%, recommend 2-5%
Chia Seed Oil 1 year .158 up to 10%
Cocoa Butter 2 years .137 up to 15%
Coconut Oil 18 months .178 up to 33%
Coffee Butter 2 years .133  up to 6%
Coffee Seed Oil 2 years .139 up to 10%
Emu Oil 1 year .192 up to 13%
Evening Primrose Oil 1 year .133 up to 15%
Flaxseed Oil 6 months .19 up to 5%
Fractionated Coconut Oil 3 years .232 up to 30%
Grapeseed Oil 1 year .133 up to 15%
Green Tea Seed Oil 2 years .136 up to 6%
Hazelnut Oil 3 months .136 up to 20%
Hemp Seed Oil 1 year .135 up to 15%
Jojoba Oil 2 years .069 up to 10%
Kokum Butter 2 years .135 up to 10%
Kukui Nut Oil 2 years .135 up to 20%
Lingonberry Seed Oil 2 years .135 up to 15%
Mango Butter 2 years .137  up to 15%
Meadowfoam Oil 1 year .12 up to 20%
Moringa Seed Oil 2 years .139 up to 15%
Neem Oil 2 years .136 up to 6%
Oat Oil 1 year .138 up to 15%
Olive Oil 2 years .134 up to 100%
Palm Oil 1 year .144 up to 33%
Palm Kernel Flakes 1 year .178 up to 15%
Peach Kernel Oil 1 year .178 up to 25%
Peanut Oil 1 year .19 up to 25%
Raspberry Seed Oil 2 years .135 up to 15%
Red Palm Oil 2 years .144 up to 33%, recommend around 15%
Rice Bran Oil 2 years .129 up to 100%, recommend around 20%
Rosehip Seed Oil 2 years .135 up to 10%
Safflower Oil 1 year .19 up to 20%
Sesame Oil 1 year .19 up to 10%
Shea Butter 2 years .133 up to 15%
Soybean oil 3 months .135 up to 50%, recommend around 15%
Sunflower Oil 6 months .134 up to 100%, recommend around 20%
Sweet Almond Oil 1 year .136 up to 20%
Tamanu Oil 2 years .148 up to 5%
Walnut Oil 3 months .192 up to 15%
Wheat Germ Oil 1 year .131 up to 10%

Free Beginner’s Guide to Soapmaking: Melt and Pour

Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Free Beginner's Guide to Soapmaking - Melt and Pour

Melt and pour soap is a great option for beginners. All you have to do is melt the premade base, customize it with your favorite colors and scents, and pour into a mold. Once you get the hang of the process, you can experiment with advanced techniques like layers and swirls.

Cold process soap is made by combining oils and sodium hydroxide lye. That causes a chemical reaction called saponification – learn more here. Melt and pour soap has already gone through that process. That means you don’t have to handle lye, you can focus on the design, and you don’t have to cure the soap – it’s ready to use as soon as it’s cool and hard. It’s great for kids as well.

Below you’ll find melt and pour terms, tips, and tutorials.


Soap base: There are several options to choose from when selecting a base. Clear and White Melt and Pour is a good place to start. They’re simple, cleansing, and ready to customize. The clear base will have more bright colors, while the white will have more pastel colors. You can also try bases with additives like shea butter, goat milk, or aloe vera. Find all the bases here, and learn more about them in this blog post.

Melt and Pour Bases

Fragrance: You can scent your soap with fragrance oils or essential oils. A general usage rate is about 0.3 oz. of scent per pound of soap. Find light, medium, and strong recommendations with the Fragrance Calculator. It’s important to use skin-safe scents like the ones from Bramble Berry. Potpourri, craft, or candle fragrances may not be skin safe or tested in soap. Be sure to check with the manufacturer before use.

Glycerin: Glycerin is a natural byproduct of the saponification process. It’s one of the reasons handmade soap feels so amazing – it draws moisture to the skin and keeps it hydrated. Additional glycerin is added during the melt and pour manufacturing process to make it easy to work with. It can also cause the soap to sweat in humid climates, so make sure to wrap your bars and keep them in a cool, dry place. Learn more in the Explaining and Preventing Glycerin Dew post.

Molds: You need to use a mold that can withstand higher temperatures so it doesn’t melt when you pour in hot soap. You also want it to be flexible so it’s easy to unmold the bars. We love silicone and plastic molds for melt and pour, you can find those here. 

Colorants: There are plenty of options for coloring melt and pour soap. Micas and color blocks are easy to use and they look great in the finished bars. Learn more about how to work with our skin-safe soap colorants in this post. We don’t recommend options like food coloring or crayons because they haven’t been tested or approved for use in soap. They tend to morph, fade, or bleed.


Safety: Soap bases start to melt around 120F. Use heat-safe tools and handle with care – melted soap can hurt if dripped or splashed on skin. When crafting with children, they should be old enough to hold their own containers and an adult should be present at all times.

Beginner recipes:
Sea Sponge Soap
Garden Loofah Soap
Goat Milk and Alfalfa Soap
Rosehip Soap

Intermediate recipes:
Lily and Rain Soap
Blueberry Tart Soap
Honey Bee Soap
Fish-in-a-Bag Soap

Advanced recipes:
Neon Geometric Soap
Animal Soap
Seascape Soap
Caramel Apple Soap


This post was updated in August 2018. Find the layered soap recipe here.

Beginning Soaper Resource Roundup

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

If you’re a new soaper, the amount of resources, guides and tutorials to sift through can seem overwhelming. To make things seem a little less daunting, we’re collecting the best resources from around the Bramble Berry network. We’re always excited to welcome new soapers in our community, and hopefully this post will serve as a hub of information to get you on the right track.

Some of you may remember the “choose your own adventure” books that were popular 90s. Well, think of this post in the same way! If you want to start soaping, you’ll need to figure out whether you want to tackle melt and pour or cold process soapmaking. Both methods of soapmaking have their own set of techniques, challenges and new things to explore, and there is certainly no reason you can’t master both. We just recommend starting with one so you can focus your learning. Get ready to dive in, immerse yourself in information and choose your own soapmaking adventure!

[Read more…]

Soap Guild Ticket Giveaway

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

The annual Handmade Soap & Cosmetics Guild Conference is completely sold out. With talks by the always-fabulous Lela Barker, Kenna Cote and keynote speaker Professor Dr. Vijai K. S. Shukla, this year is shaping up to be a great conference.

Though I was originally scheduled to talk, I have an unavoidable family conflict and will be unable to attend or speak this year. This saddens me because there are many friends I was looking forward to reconnecting with and many new things to be learned from the awesome speaker line-up.

Great news though – this means that there is one extra ticket for the Conference (clapping and cheering all around). And, that ticket can be yours.

If you would like to go to the Conference this year, just comment below for why you would like to go (in 150 words or less!) and I will pick one lucky attendee from the group of comments by next Friday, April 4. Please note that you need to provide your own airline and travel accommodations, but the Guild will pick up most of your meals while at the conference. For our guest blogger coverage of past Soap Guilds, check out the archives.

As a place to learn new techniques or perfect skills, the Soap Guild is unparalleled. These beautifully frosted cupcakes are from a session guest blogger Jean Horn attended at last year’s guild.

If you can’t go to the Soap & Cosmetics Guild Conference this year, there are a few regional gatherings that you may wish to attend. The Tennessee Soaper’s Gathering is coming up May 3 & 4. Michigan is May 10 (for information on that, email the organizer at [email protected]). Alabama is June 6 & 7 and Texas is June 13 & 14.

Have a question about this blog post? Come join us at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and we can help you out with any of your soapy questions!

Bramble Business Series: Navigating Pinterest

Filed Under: Business Musings

Within the past few years, photo-sharing website Pinterest has emerged as a haven for DIY-enthusiasts. With so many beautiful images and fun tutorials, it’s easy to spend an entire afternoon browsing. It’s no wonder then that is has also emerged as a full-blown way to successfully market and sell homemade bath & body products. We’re continuing our Bramble Business Series today with an overview of Pinterest and how to use it to your advantage.

[Read more…]

Jolly Jubilee Embeds Soap Tutorial

Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

If you plan on giving soapy presents for the holidays, we highly recommend ordering all your supplies now to ensure you get everything on time! To help you brainstorm fun holiday crafts, we gave our Valentine’s Day Embedded Hearts tutorial a jolly little twist. The technique is similar, but for this project we’re giving you a free PDF template so you can create your own tree and snowflake embeds from scratch. Not only that, this project uses two fantastic fragrances — Woodland Elves and Sleigh Ride – for a quintessential holiday scent.

This Jolly Jubilee Embed Soap is the perfect gift and project for the holiday season! [Read more…]

Festive Holiday Potpourri + Free Label

Filed Under: Home Crafts

Heading to a holiday party and need a quick gift? This adorable holiday potpourri jar can be assembled in 10 minutes or less! This project incorporates plenty of holiday hallmarks, including cinnamon sticks, cloves and of course, the sweet and spicy fragrance of freshly baked pumpkin pie. Downloadable (free)! labels make this a complete gift giving tour de force.

Learn how to make this adorable Holiday Potpourri, complete with free gift tags! [Read more…]

Give the Gift of Givember

Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

The season of gift-giving, present wrapping and stocking stuffing has arrived. This season, we’re taking the frantic trips to the mall, weaving through department store crowds and standing in never ending lines out of the holiday gift-giving equation. Instead why not give gifts that are not only fun to give, but fun to make too?

This is just a taste of the kinds of projects we’ll show you how to create for Givember 2013. From left to right: Surprise Embed Melt and Pour, Sugar Plum Nail Polish, Jelly Roll Melt and Pour, Copper Sparkle Eye Shadow, Loofah Massage Melt and Pour, Candied Gingerbread Man Melt and Pour, Santa’s Sugar Cubes and Sweet Winter Clementine Lip Balm

From November 4 through 15, we’ll show you 25 fantastically festive projects that make great gifts and stocking stuffers as part of Givember 2013. We’ll show you several tutorials per day through our various social media outlets, so check in often for the latest tutorial.

We’ve included a wide range of goodies, from how to make mineral make-up to lip balms and of course, lots of fun soaps! Along with the tutorials, look out for special Mid-Week Mayhem coupons with exclusive offers and deals. These coupons are good for just 24 hours, so keep a close eye on our Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Tumblr, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts, the Bramble Berry homepage, and of course, the Soap Queen Blog.

Our newsletter subscribers will receive bonus tutorials and be the first to know about all the deals and coupons, so if you aren’t signed up already, head over to Bramble Berry and enter your email address on the right hand side. Don’t forget to click through the confirmation email to activate your subscription, and be sure to check your spam filter for emails from info(at)brambleberry(dot)com.

We’ve also chosen two very special fragrances that will be used throughout all 25 projects. The first is Santa’s Spruce Fragrance Oil, which is an intriguing twist on the traditional pine tree scent. It has complex sweet notes which softens this otherwise earthy scent, and it performs wonderfully in cold process soap and other bath & body products. The second fragrance, Cranberry Chutney Fragrance Oil, is sweet and fruity with base notes of warm vanilla spice. It performs well in bath and body products, and discolors to a light golden yellow in cold process.

  All this fun starts on November 4. Are you ready to give the gift of Givember?

A Guide to Weight vs. Volume

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Weight vs. Volume is a recurring question that many soapers, lotion makers and general crafters have grappled with in the pursuit to make the perfect product. In all my years of soaping, the weight versus volume question has been the one that I (and our customer service team) have gotten the most. Ounces, as a unit of measurement, are used to quantify both weight and volume. The difference is slight but very important!

Keep in mind that unless otherwise noted in Soap Queen tutorials (and almost all soap and toiletry recipe books), ingredients are measured by weight and not volume. For example, you’ll rarely see a tutorial call for a “cup of oil,” because oils have different densities. Some oils are heavier than others, and so to get the most accurate measurement possible, weight measurements are used. That’s why you’re much more likely to see a recipe call for “2 oz. of oil”. Below is a general guide to the difference between weight and volume, and what it means when you are purchasing and working with Bramble Berry’s products.

Weight: Weight is determined by the heaviness, or mass, of the particular item, and is measured with the use of a scale. We sell most products at Bramble Berry by weight so that you are getting the same amount every single time that you order. It’s also helpful in determining the amount of product to buy for your favorite recipes. Products sold by weight at Bramble Berry include popular items like butters, fixed oils and fragrance or essential oils.

Volume: Volume is the amount of space that an item you are measuring takes up. It’s a common measurement in food recipes and recipes where ratios are more important than precision. For example, if you’d like to make a baby oil recipe that does not require a chemical reaction (like emulsion or saponification) and the goal is to utilize the space of your packaging/containers while maintaining a specific ratio of ingredients, volume measurements are the way to go. When you’re looking for packaging, note that containers, jars, bottles, etc. are labeled by their volume measurements, or the amount of space that a product will take up within them. An 8 oz Bail Jar will hold 8 oz of product by volume, not necessarily by weight, so keep that in mind if you’re working with a hand cream recipe whose yield is measured by weight.

Here are some visuals to help you out. Let’s say you’ve ordered 6 different Bramble Berry Fragrance Oils, all in a 4 oz size. Your order might look something like this:

And you’re thinking, huh, did some of my bottles leak? Why is the Ginger Ale filled to the brim but Vanilla Select is only about 3/4?

The (literally hundreds of) components that make up individual fragrance oils can vary based on what the final scent goal is. Typically you’ll discover that sugary-sweet fragrance oils are more dense, heavy and viscous, while a citrus-based fragrance oil might be relatively light and thin in density. Hence, when your Bramble Berry fragrance order is hand-poured and weighed to order, you are getting accurate weight measurements while visually, it appears that your fragrance oils aren’t quite matching up.

Check out the difference between Green Chrome Oxide (on the left) and Titanium Dioxide (on the right). Both are weighed out to one ounce, but clearly the Green Oxide is the more dense and heavy of the two colorants. Think about the old joke “Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?” The joke being that they weigh the same, but will visually appear to have very different measurements.

Even the same exact product can vary in its volume vs. weight measurements! Below are some common fragrance and fixed oils measured by both volume and weight. The glasses on the left show 4 oz. of oil by volume while the glasses on the right show 4 oz. of oil by weight. You’ll notice that throughout the photos, the level of liquid on the left stays consistent while the level of liquid on the right fluctuates. A volume measurement will remain visually static regardless of the weight or viscosity of the article being measured. A weight measurement will vary to the eye, but not to the scale.

Wasabi Fragrance Oil by Volume/Wasabi Fragrance Oil by Weight

Pink Grapefruit Fragrance Oil by Volume/Pink Grapefruit Fragrance Oil by Weight

Sunflower Oil by Volume/Sunflower Oil by Weight

Castor Oil by Volume/Castor Oil by Weight

And finally, here’s an herb that really illustrates what we mean! On the left is Calendula measured by 3 ounces of volume, and on the right there is 3 ounces by weight. Because this herb is so light and fluffy, it takes significantly more to achieve 3 ounces of it by weight. For more examples of weight vs. volume, check out this previous blog post. 

Have any more questions about Weight vs. Volume? Let us know in the comments below!

My Favorite Cold Process Recipes

Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Cold Process Soap is amazing and produces a better bar of soap than most store-bought soaps. It does require research before diving in. If you are not familiar with sodium hydroxide or CP soapmaking, please watch the Soap Queen TV Video on lye and how to use lye properly, or read the lye safety section in the Soap Crafting book. These are my favorite 3 Cold Process soap recipes that I tend to stick to when making soap for classes, family and friends.

The Avocado Moisturizing Bars from the Soap Crafting Book.

Lots of Lather
(my most favorite, tried and true, teach this in every class, really, really hard soap bar)
16 oz. Coconut Oil
16 oz. Palm Oil
16 oz. Olive Oil
2 oz. Castor Oil
16.5 oz. water
7.3 oz. lye
Recommend 3% superfat for best bubbles

Moisturizing
4 oz. Avocado Oil
8 oz. Coconut Oil
1 oz. Jojoba Oil
16 oz. Olive Oil
8 oz. Palm Oil
4 oz. Shea Butter
13.5 oz. water
5.6 oz. lye

Nourishing
2 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
2 oz. Avocado Oil
8 oz. Coconut Oil
2 oz. Hempseed Oil
16 oz. Olive Oil
8 oz. Palm Oil
4 oz. Shea Butter
2 oz. Wheatgerm Oil
2 oz. Vitamin E
14.5 oz. water
6 oz. lye


If you’ve never made Cold Process soap before, stop here! I highly recommend checking out our FREE four part SoapQueen.tv series on Cold Process Soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. And if you’d rather do some reading, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including my newest book, Soap Crafting. You can also checkout the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.

For more on Cold Process soaping, check out the following resources:

Have a question about this blog post? Come join us at Bramble Berry’s Facebook page and we can help you out with any of your soapy questions!