This cold-process chamomile soap recipe is great for soothing sensitive skin. Made with moisturizing coconut oil, palm oil, and chamomile essential oil, it is the perfect soap bar for dry skin.
I have put off the idea of making cold-process soap for over a year. In that time, I have made several melt and pour soap bars, and though it has been fun, the urge to make “real soap” kept coming back.
After finally giving it a try, and much to my surprise, it is actually much easier than I thought it would be. This cold-process chamomile soap recipe is truly for beginners.
Chamomile soap has many benefits, smells amazing, and is perfect for all skin types, even kids and people with sensitive skin.
HOW TO MAKE A SOAP BAR
To make a soap bar, you have to have oil and lye. Basically, you mix lye with water, melt oils, and mix them all together.
However, it isn’t quite that easy. You have to be very precise with your measurements in order for the oils and lye to make soap.
Mixing the two causes a chemical reaction called saponification. Because of that reaction, the oil (or fat) mixed with the lye creates soap.
IS LYE DANGEROUS?
Lye is the very ingredient that kept me from making cold-process soap for over a year. Caution should be taken when making a soap bar with lye.
Wear gloves, a mask, long sleeves, goggles, and keep everything out of reach of children.
In order to make soap, you have to have lye. Even if you make melt and pour soaps, lye was used to make the soap base.
Because of the long list of safety measures to take when using lye, many people think lye is not natural or good for you. This is false. If you make the soap properly, there will be no lye left in the soap bar when you are finished.
THE BEST SOAP-MAKING TOOLS
The soap measurements will need to be exact—a digital scale reading to at least one-tenth oz, an immersion blender, and a kitchen thermometer are all required.
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EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE COLD-PROCESS SOAP
BEST FATS TO MAKE COLD-PROCESS SOAP
Mixing lye and fat is the basics of making soap. The type of fats you use is completely up to you and is the best way to customize your soap.
In my recipe, I am using palm oil, coconut oil, and olive oil. You can also use any of the fats listed below; however, you will want to use the brambleberry calculator to recalculate the measurements.
The best soap recipes contain 5% superfat, which means 5% of the oil is not turned into soap.
- Sweet almond oil
- Castor oil
- Avocado oil
- Tallow
- Mango butter
COLD-PROCESS SOAP RECIPE
For this recipe, we are going to use lye, oils, and chamomile essential oil. Adding essential oils to your soap bar will add a beautiful scent along with many benefits for your skin.
If you prefer to make your soap without essential oils, you can omit them from the recipe.
INGREDIENTS FOR CHAMOMILE SOAP BAR
Use the Bramble Berry Calculator to get your exact measurements.
- 8 ounces coconut oil
- 14 ounces avocado oil
- 12 ounces palm oil
- 4.76 ounces lye
- 10.65 ounces water
- 1 teaspoon of chamomile essential oil (more or less depending on preference)
STEP BY STEP PROCESS FOR COLD-PROCESS SOAP
Be sure to make soap without the kids or pets around. Put on safety goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. It is best to work in an open area that has proper ventilation.
- Using a digital scale, measure out your water and pour it into a heat-resistant glass.
- Measure out the lye and add it to the water. Stir the lye until it dissolves. Note, the chemical reaction will cause it to heat up quickly.
- Measure out the oils and add them to a saucepan. Melt over medium heat.
- Once the ingredients are melted, allow them to cool back down to 120 degrees. This may take several hours.
- Once the oils reach 120 degrees, it is time to mix the lye water with the oils. Slowly add the lye and water to the oils and mix with an immersion blender. This will take a couple of minutes. You will know it is the right consistency when the soap from the blender drips and stays on top of the soap in the saucepan. Do not let any of the ingredients to splash onto your skin.
- If using essential oils or color, add those in now. Stir well.
- Pour the soap into the soap molds. If using silicone soap molds, you don’t have to do anything to them before pouring them in. Other molds may require parchment paper.
- Allow the soap to harden and sit in the molds for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
- Remove the soap from the molds and allow it to cure for 3 weeks before using.
Important Tip: Always add lye to water. Never add water to lye.
CHAMOMILE SOAP BENEFITS
Chamomile essential oil is very gentle, making it a great oil for skincare products. I use chamomile in my homemade baby wash and baby bedtime lotion.
Chamomile has soothing benefits for the skin and it can promote calm feelings. Using chamomile soap before bed can help you relax and drift off to sleep faster.
ADDING COLOR TO COLD-PROCESS SOAP
The natural colors of the oils and butters used to make soap make a pretty color, but if you would like to add more colors, you can do that too.
You can use different colored mica powders to color your soap or pigments. Food coloring does not work on coloring the soap as it doesn’t mix well with the oils.
If adding color, do it at the same time as the essential oils. Mix well before pouring the soap into the prepared soap molds.
And that’s it! Cold-process soap recipes are quite easy when you get the hang of them.
If you are interested in more soap recipes, both melt and pour, as well as cold process, check out some of my favorites below.
And for more body cleansing DIYs, try one of these homemade deodorants with baking soda or without baking soda.
INTERESTED IN MORE SOAP RECIPES?
- Tallow Soap (cold-process)
- Simple Shea Butter Soap
- Dish Soap Bars
- Hair Conditioner Bars
- Shampoo Bars
- Exfoliating Loofah Soap
Yield: 12 bars
Chamomile Cold-Pressed Soap
This cold-pressed chamomile soap recipe is great for soothing sensitive skin. Made with moisturizing coconut oil, palm oil, and chamomile essential oil, it is the perfect soap bar for dry skin.
Prep Time5 minutes
Active Time3 hours
Additional Time1 day
Total Time1 day 3 hours 5 minutes
Difficultyintermediate
Materials
- 8 ounces coconut oil
- 14 ounces avocado oil
- 12 ounces palm oil
- 4.76 ounces lye
- 10.65 ounces water
- 1 teaspoon chamomile essential oil (more or less depending on preference)
Tools
- Digital Scale
- Immersion blender
- Kitchen thermometer
- Soap molds
Instructions
- Using a digital scale, measure out the water and pour it into a heat resistant glass.
- Measure out your lye and add it to the water. Stir until lye dissolves. Note, the lye and water will heat up quickly from the chemical reaction.
- Measure out the oils and add to a saucepan. Melt over medium heat.
- Once ingredients are melted, allow to cool back down to 120 degrees. This may take several hours. (check with kitchen thermometer).
- Once the oils cool to 120 degrees, it is time to mix the lye water with the oils. Pour the lye into the oils and mix with an immersion blender. This will take a couple of minutes. You will know it is the right consistency when the soap from the blender drips and stays on top of the soap in the saucepan.
- If using essential oils or color, you can add that in now. Stir well.
- Pour the soap into the soap molds. If using silicone soap molds, you don't have to do anything to prep them. Other molds may require parchment paper.
- Allow the soap to harden and sit in the molds for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
- Remove the soap from the molds and allow it to cure for 3 weeks before using.
Notes
Important Tip: Always add lye to water. Never add water to lye.
Work in a well-ventilated area away from children.
Avoid breathing in the toxic fumes from the lye and wear skin and eye protection.
