Liquids & Lye:
Goat milk – The primary liquid we use to dissolve and prepare the sodium hydroxide crystals before
mixing them with the base oils. Goat milk is high in fats and vitamins that are thought to be
beneficial to the skin and can add a creaminess to the soap.
Sodium hydroxide – aka: lye. You can’t make real bar soap without it! Used to turn the oils
and fats into soap through a process called saponification. Once the soap is fully saponified,
there is no lye left, and it is safe to use. This can take up to 2 weeks in cold processed soap!
Oils:
Almond, sweet – helps create a mild, moisturizing soap with a stable creamy lather. It contains vitamins A & E, linoleic and oleic acids.
Avocado – adds conditioning properties to soap and a stable creamy lather. It’s high in vitamins A, B, D & E, oleic and palmitoleic acids.
Castor – adds moisturizing, conditioning and humectant properties to soap, while also boosting
the bubbles! It’s high in ricinoleic acid.
Coconut – makes a hard, super bubbly and cleansing bar of soap. Can be drying if used as
primary oil unless superfatted. It’s rich in lauric acid.
Grapeseed – provides a creamy, highly conditioning lather in soap. It’s high in vitamins, minerals and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Neem – adds to a stable, creamy lather and hardness in a bar of soap. Neem has a strong, earthy
scent.
Olive – used as the base oil in most of our soaps due to its gentle, conditioning nature.
It’s high in vitamin E, polyphenols and oleic acid.
Palm/Palm Kernel – adds hardness and big, fluffy bubbles to soap. It is the largest natural
source of tocotrienol (vitamin E family). We use only sustainably sourced palm and palm kernel
oil.
Butters/Waxes/Misc:
Beeswax – primarily adds hardness to soap bars, but also does not fully saponify so adds
moisturizing properties.
Cocoa Butter – makes a hard bar with creamy, stable lather. Does not fully saponify and
makes an excellent moisturizer. It is high in vitamin E and other antioxidants.
Lanolin – adds a rich, creaminess to lather. High in lipids, it contributes to skin
moisture.
Shea Butter – gives a soft, silky feel to skin in a conditioning lather. It does not fully saponify and is high in vitamins A & E, fatty acids and minerals.
Natural additives:
Activated Charcoal – used to color soap and is thought to provide cleansing properties.
Clays – used to add color and slip to soap. Thought to help scents hold longer and aid in
cleansing the skin.
Coffee – dried grounds add exfoliation and color to soap.
Fruits – pureed fruit can add color and possibly scent to your soap.
Herbs/spices – dried and crushed or ground can be added to soap to provide color, decoration
and/or exfoliation.
Honey – boosts the lather of soap and adds a great scent.
Oatmeal – ground oats are used for exfoliation and can add skin soothing properties.
Salt – in small amounts adds hardness to soap; in large amounts makes decadent bars that
have a luxurious lather and last a long time.
Scents:
Essential oils – used to naturally scent soap.
Fragrance oils – synthetic oils used to add scent. Some can be made with natural or “bio-
identical” ingredients.
References used:
“The Natural Soapmaking Book for Beginners” by Kelly Cable
“The Complete Guide to Natural Soapmaking” by Amanda Gail Aaron
“Making Salt Bars” by Amanda Aaron
“Fun in the Tub” by Amanda Gail Aaron
