Coconut Soap

As tribute to the fact that I had planned a coconut scented soap, I wanted to use coconut oil. However I had one of the biggest tragedies a soaper can ever run across. I was out of coconut oil! I could not believe it! I have never had that happen before. I was so distraught that I had considered holding off on making this soap but I decided that in light of this tragedy, I definitely needed to bring some sunshine fun to me.

Instead of using Coconut Oil, I decided to use Palm Oil. While it doesn’t create the big, bubbly lather that Coconut Oil does, it does assist with a nice dense, almost creamy lather. I love that really thick lather that just covers your hands.

I also used Hydrogenated Soybean Oil. It contributes hardness to the bar and again dense, creamy lather. It also makes a smooth, hard white bar. I know that our Coconut Fragrance Oil discolors to a tan to light brown color so I wanted to keep it as smooth and as light as possible.

Another oil I used in this formulation was Olive Oil. I really enjoy using Olive Oil. Sometimes a pure Olive Oil soap can feel slimy to me but match it with other oils and I find it dreamy! It creates a dense lather and a conditioning sensation to the skin.

I wanted to use a luxury oil in this recipe. I decided on Shea Butter. Shea Butter is one of my favorite luxury oils for soap. I personally think it adds a creaminess and conditioning that is perfect for this get-away-in-a-bar of Coconut soap. Are you ready to make soap now? Let’s go!

Recipe:

Weigh all of the oils into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Add the Sodium Hydroxide to the water to form a lye solution. Allow the oils and the lye to cool to a lower temperature. We do not want to have the soap overheat and volcano. Mix the oils and lye solution and blend until trace is achieved. Pour into a mold and allow to sit for 24 hours. Cut the soap. Allow the soap to cure. Longer curing time will result in a harder bar. Enjoy!

Notes: This finished soap had a much denser lather than what I am used to. It was definitely a lot of fun though. This is a perfect soap for felting wool around. If you are curious, check out my post on Wool Wrapped Soap here! They are such fun projects to do!