Soapmaking 101

Lesson 4: Soap Recipes

Recipe Wrap Up & Preparing to Make Your First Batch of Soap

Not only is there an amazing selection of soapmaking books available now (see the Reources section for complete details) the Internet is an excellent source for cold process soap recipes. Please see my internet links in the resources section specifically titled soap making recipes for my top five links to recipes on the web. Bfeore you use any recipe, check out the oil and lye combinations with a lye calculator first.

It is now time to select your first recipe and obtain all of the ingredients you will need - our next two lessons are complete step by step soapmaking instructions. Enough reading! It is time to make soap. My basic Castille soap recipe only requires a trip to the grocery store for the olive opils and a trip to the hardware store for the lye, making it an excellent first recipe. In addition, after you invest in some more expensive oils, essential oils and additives, you can always turn some of your initial Castille soap into handmilled soap which I cover in Lesson Eight: Advanced Techniques. Soaps with a variety of oils and additives are not more difficult to make, just more expensive. It is up to you.

I often get asked whether it is OK to double or halve recipes. It is OK, but please doublecheck everything through a lye calculator first and be absolutely sure of your math.

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