Creamy Coconut Soap



I made this coconut soap recipe to add to the Christmas hampers I prepared for the festive season.  It was the first time I had attempted to make soap and I’m pleased to say it worked out rather well for a first attempt.   Here is what I did -

Items needed
680g Coconut Oil
227g Cocoa Butter
454g Spring Water
163g Caustic Soda/Lye otherwise known as Sodium Hydroxide
10g Essential Oil I used Rosewood*
Large Bucket or Enamel Pot
Stainless steel pan to melt the oil
Moulds
Whisk or Spoon
Rubber Gloves
Protective Eye Equipment
Kitchen Thermometer or 2

* Please note I naively didn't understand the ethical implication of using Rosewood Oil and have since found out that this is now an endangered tree, so I would advise to use another oil such as howood or holeaf.

Step 1
Grease the mould/moulds you have chosen to use

Step 2
Put the Coconut Oil and Cocoa Butter into the stainless steel pot and melt over a low heat until melted then remove from the heat.

Step 3
Pour the water into the bucket or enamel pot and wearing the gloves and eye protection add the caustic soda and stir until dissolved.  This will create heat and steam so it’s a good idea to either do this outside or in a well ventilated area as it can be really toxic and can easily catch the back of your throat which doesn’t make you feel good.

Step 4
Now you need to wait until the temperature in both pots/pans become equal and range between 120f and 140f.   I found this the most difficult step as the oil takes a while to drop in heat but the caustic soda reaches a high temperature quickly but decreases quickly so I ended up remaking the water/caustic soda mix to balance the temperatures well.  I only had one thermometer too which meant using it in both pots.  If you want to fork out on two it will make life easier but with patience you can make do with one.

Step 5
Once both pots have an equal temperature you need to add the oil to caustic soda mix and stir occasionally until the mixture reaches trace, which should happen at about 30 minutes. 

Trace is a stage in the soap making process where the mixture suddenly thickens and is ready to place within the moulds.   This is the point where a drizzle of mixture leaves a line on the surface.

Step 6
Once the mixture has reached trace, before you pour it into the moulds you now need to add the essential oil you have chosen.

Step 7
It is now time to pour it into the mould whilst leaving a half an inch gap at the top off the mould to allow for movement.  I used a rubber mould as it was much easier to carefully pull this back when the soap had solidified.

Step 8
Cover with a blanket and leave to solidify for 24 hours before turning out the soap onto a hard surface and cutting into bars.  Remember that the soap is still not ready for use yet so you should use gloves at this stage too.

Step 9
Leave the soap for 4 weeks to cure before use by covering with a blanket again.  

Step 10
If you are selling or giving your soap as gifts you can now wrap and decorate them.  I used brown paper and cream ribbon as I felt it kept within the homemade soap theme.  I also made these small tags on the computer and printed them out on photo paper.   There is so much you could do when decorating, I really enjoyed this part.

I would love to know if anyone makes this recipe, how it turns out, please comment on the post so we could share tips.

Steph x