Make your own concentrated, low-waste dish soap bars, gentle on hands, effective on grease, and natural. These bars are firm, long-lasting, and lather beautifully thanks to a little help from stearic acid, citric acid, and sodium lactate.
Click here to download the Step-by-Step PDF Guide!
Lye Safety First
Cold process soap making involves sodium hydroxide (lye), which is caustic and must be handled carefully.
Always:
- Wear long sleeves, Safety goggles, Gloves, Apron
- Tie back long hair
- Work in a well-ventilated area
- Keep pets and children away
Never add water to lye. Always add lye to water. Avoid breathing fumes. If lye contacts skin, rinse immediately with cool running water.
Recommended Ingredients:
Total: ~ 326g
Oils & Butters
- Coconut Oil 76 RBD 202g (95%)
- Castor Oil USP 3g (1.4%)
- Tallow RBD 3g (1.4%)
- Stearic Acid - Triple Pressed Vegetable 3g (1.4%)
- Citric Acid 2g (0.9% of oils)
- Sodium Lactate 60 2g (0.9% of oils)
Lye Solution
- Distilled Water 70g (33% of oils)
- Lye - Sodium Hydroxide 36g (calculate with lye calculator)
Fragrance
Recommended Tools:
- 2x heat-safe cups (~400g capacity)
- 5x 100% Hand Made Silicone Soap Mold - Single Cavity
- 1 small whisk
- Stick blender
- 2 Professional Digital Read Thermometers
- Isopropyl Alcohol 99% (in spray bottle)
- Parchment paper
- Cardboard box
- Thick towel
-
Heated blanket or heat pad (to force gel)
What the Special Ingredients Do:
Stearic Acid
Helps create a harder, longer-lasting soap bar that doesn’t soften quickly when used at the sink.
Citric Acid
Helps reduce soap scum and improves cleaning performance in hard water, making the soap better at cutting grease.
Sodium Lactate
A natural salt derived from fermentation that helps harden the bar and improve unmolding.
Directions:
Step 1: Gather your tools and ingredients. Put on long sleeves, gloves, and eye protection.
In a heat-safe measuring cup, weigh the water. Add citric acid, sodium lactate, and (optional) a small pinch of sugar if you’d like extra lather. Stir until fully dissolved.
Step 2: Sprinkle in the lye slowly (never pour water into lye) and stir carefully away from your body. Set aside to cool.
Tip: Citric acid boosts cleaning power in hard water, and sodium lactate helps the bars stay firm and unmold easily.
Step 3: In a separate microwave-safe or heatproof bowl, weigh and combine:
Coconut oil, Castor oil, Tallow and the Stearic acid. Melt completely. You can microwave in short bursts (10 - 20 seconds at a time) or use a double boiler. Allow the oils and lye solution to cool to roughly 40 - 45°C (104 - 113°F).
Tip: Stearic acid helps harden the bar and adds stability so it lasts longer at the sink.
Step 4: When both the oils and lye solution are similar in temperature (~40 - 45°C), slowly pour the lye solution into the oils.
Use a whisk to stir briefly, then a stick blender in short bursts until you reach light trace, the mixture will thicken slightly, like thin pudding, and leave faint trails when drizzled. Do not over-blend; you want fluidity to pour.
Step 5: Add the essential oil and gently mix. For this batch: lemon EO, approximately 5 g (about 55 drops).
Step 6: Pour the soap batter into your mold. You can use a silicone mold, a loaf mold, or even a small container. Spritz the top lightly with isopropyl alcohol to reduce surface soda ash. Cover loosely with parchment paper, then a cardboard box and towel. Let it rest about 24 hours.
Tip: Gel phase is optional here; it’s the natural warming of the soap that makes it slightly translucent. Whether it gels or not won’t affect cleaning, just the appearance.
Step 7: Once firm, gently remove from the mold.
Step 8: Allow the bars to cure in a well-ventilated area for 3 - 4 weeks. During curing, water evaporates, the bar hardens, and lather improves.
Usage:
To use your solid dish soap: Wet a sponge, brush, or cloth. Rub the soap bar directly onto it to produce a rich lather. Wash dishes as usual and rinse.
For Best Results:
- Store your bar on a draining soap dish to let it dry between uses.
- Bars will last longer if kept dry when not in use.
- A small bar is enough to create lots of lather, so a single bar lasts for dozens of dishwashing sessions.
Note:
All recipes are provided for the use of the customers of Voyageur Soap & Candle Company Ltd. Their electronic or print reproduction is strictly forbidden. All formulas and recipes have been formulated by Voyageur but we accept no liability as to their effectiveness or the success of the formulas when being made. It is essential that good manufacturing practices are followed in their use, and it is the responsibility of the user to meet the appropriate regulatory requirements of their jurisdiction in all matters. All formulas remain the property of Voyageur, and their reproduction or redistribution is strictly forbidden without our written consent.
If you have any questions regarding this recipe, please email us at sales@voyageursoapandcandle.com or call us at 1-800-758-7773.