I Made Luxurious Soap Using Only 3 Ingredients from the Supermarket
The Crisco and Coconut Oil Miracle
I wanted to make my own soap but was intimidated by the long lists of fancy oils. I learned that you can make amazing, high-quality soap using ingredients from any grocery store. I used a simple recipe of Crisco (vegetable shortening), coconut oil, and lye. The Crisco creates a hard, stable bar, and the coconut oil provides a beautiful, bubbly lather. The final soap was gentle, luxurious, and cost a tiny fraction of what a similar handmade bar would sell for.
The Cold Process Soap “Secret” That Lets You Skip the Gel Phase
The Freezer is Your Friend
Many soap makers strive for their soap to go through a hot “gel phase.” But this can cause discoloration and accelerate the scent. I learned you can skip it entirely. The moment I pour my soap batter into the mold, I put the entire mold straight into the freezer for 24 hours. The cold temperature completely prevents the gel phase from ever starting. The result is a creamier-looking, pastel-colored bar of soap that often has a stronger, truer scent.
How to Create Intricate Swirls in Your Soap Loaf
The Hanger in the Batter
I was mesmerized by the intricate, feathery swirls inside handmade soap bars. I assumed it required some incredibly complex pouring technique. The secret is surprisingly low-tech. After pouring different colors of soap batter into the loaf mold in layers, I take a simple metal coat hanger that I have bent into a zig-zag shape. I just plunge the hanger into the soap and pull it straight up a few times. This simple motion is what creates those beautiful, delicate, and complex internal swirls.
I Recreated a “Lush” Bath Bomb at Home for 50 Cents
The Citric Acid and Baking Soda Formula
My bath bomb habit was getting expensive. I looked at the ingredients on my favorite one from a high-end store: baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, and some oil and fragrance. I realized I could buy all of these ingredients in bulk for very cheap. I mixed them together, added a little bit of coconut oil and some essential oils, and packed the mixture tightly into a Christmas ornament mold. The resulting bath bomb was fizzy, fragrant, and moisturizing, and it cost me less than 50 cents to make.
The One Mistake That’s Causing “Dreaded Orange Spots” on Your Soap
The Danger of Old Oil
I made a beautiful batch of soap, but after a few months, it developed ugly “Dreaded Orange Spots” (DOS) and smelled like old crayons. I learned that this is “rancidity,” and the cause is using oils that are already old or close to their expiration date. Now, I only use fresh, high-quality oils for my soap making. It’s a simple change, but it ensures that my handmade soap will have a shelf life of years, not months.
Stop Using a Stick Blender Until You Watch This
The Pulse and Stir Method
When I started making soap, I would run my stick blender continuously, and my soap batter would often seize up into a solid block before I could even pour it. I learned the secret is to use the stick blender sparingly. I now use a “pulse and stir” method. I pulse the blender for a few seconds, then I turn it off and use the blender’s head (while it’s off) to stir the batter for 30 seconds. This gentler method gives me complete control over the thickness of my batter and prevents it from ever seizing.
How I Made Soap Using Beer Instead of Water
The Brewer’s Bar
I wanted to make a unique, masculine-scented soap. I learned that you can substitute beer for the water in any soap recipe. I took a flat beer (it’s important to get rid of the carbonation) and froze it into ice cubes before mixing the lye. The sugars in the beer give the final bar of soap an incredible, creamy, and stable lather. The result was a beautiful, rustic bar with a warm, malty scent that was a huge hit.
The “Hot Process” Method for Soap You Can Use the Next Day
A Bar in a Crock-Pot
Cold process soap making requires a cure time of 4-6 weeks, which requires a lot of patience. I discovered the “hot process” method. I mix my oils and lye just like normal, but then I cook the mixture in a slow cooker. The heat forces the saponification process to complete in about an hour. The finished soap looks more rustic, but the huge advantage is that it is safe to use the very next day. It’s the perfect method for impatient soap makers.
The Easiest Way to Calculate Your Lye (So You Don’t Have To Do Math)
The SoapCalc Revelation
The most intimidating part of soap making for me was the math—calculating the exact amount of lye needed for my specific oils. A mistake could result in a harsh, skin-burning bar. Then I discovered online “lye calculators” like SoapCalc. I just plug in the weight of the oils I’m using, and the calculator instantly tells me the precise amount of lye and water I need. It takes all the guesswork and fear out of the process and ensures a safe, perfect bar every time.
I Made Soap with Goat Milk and It Didn’t Scorch
The Frozen Milk Trick
I wanted to make a luxurious goat milk soap, but I knew that when you add lye to milk, the sugars can scorch, turning the milk a burnt orange color and making it smell terrible. The secret is temperature. I froze my goat milk into ice cubes before I started. Then, I added the lye very, very slowly to the frozen milk cubes over an ice bath. By keeping the temperature incredibly low throughout the process, the sugars never had a chance to scorch, and I was left with a beautiful, creamy white, nourishing soap.