How to Make Soap

When it comes to making your own soap, it’s often best to start off simple. That’s why we’ve compiled a recipe below using a simple glycerin base. But as you get more experienced in the process of soap making, it’s easier to take liberties with your recipe with changes in oils, scents, or other additives.

Combining different oils will lend your final product different characteristics. Some oils will help make your bars harder or will provide a better lather. On the other hand, oils like olive and coconut will create the chemical reaction that actually turn all these liquids into soap. Other materials like shea butter will offer moisturising qualities.

With that preface, let’s take a deeper look into how to actually make your first bars of soap.

Gather Your Ingredients

Grab all the materials you’ll need to cook up your first batch. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Glycerin base: Grab a bulk amount from us here
• Stir sticks: You can acquire these from almost any grocery store or from LiveMoor here.
• Essential oils: Again, these are available from us here.
• Rubbing alcohol: Any pharmacy or DIY store will have bottles of this readily available.
• Microwave-safe containers: If you don't have one already, any kitchen supplier will have these available.
• Moulds: You can be creative here as there are all sorts of options - choose a simple square mould or go for something a little more exciting!

Once you’ve gathered your materials, next you need to cut and melt down your glycerin base. Cut small chunks of glycerin, place them in your microwave-safe container, and microwave for 30 seconds.

Stir and Combine

Use one of the stir sticks to stir the melting glycerin base and continue to microwave for short spurts until the base is fully melted throughout. Then stir in several drops of your chosen essential oil and combine.

While those ingredients are combining, use a spray bottle to spritz rubbing alcohol on your moulds to prevent any bubbles from forming in your bars of soap.

Pour and Let Set

Once the ingredients are combined and the moulds are ready, pour the contents into the moulds and allow to cool and set. When the bars have hardened, pop them out of the moulds and your bars are complete. From here, simply lather, rinse, and repeat.

Additional Recipes

Want some ideas on ways to tweak this recipe to make it your own? Here are some options for different essential oils you can switch out to achieve a different scent and feel for your soap bars.