This slow cooker recipe will have you making your favorite homemade soap bars in no time.
I’ve been wanting to make my own soap for a while now. I peruse the farmer’s markets and see all sorts of gorgeous and smelly bars of soaps that people make. Instead of buying a bar, I decided to make my own.
Soap is relatively easy to make. It really doesn’t take that much time, but you will need a few supplies and to take a few precautions along the way. First you need a slow cooker only for soap making. I grabbed one at the thrift store for $10 and it works great! A separate slow cooker is important because the lye can eat away at the ceramic coating and you don’t want things that have come in contact with lye to come in contact with your food. It’s odd, I know, because eventually your rub the lye soap all over your body, but by that time, your lye has all been “cooked out” and no longer harmful.
Gather all your materials in one place and prepare to spend an hour or so making soap! The recipe I am showing you will easily fit into a smaller, 2 quart slow cooker, so if you’re using a big slow cooker like me, you may want to double or triple your ingredients.
Begin by measuring your oils and placing them into the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker on low and put the lid on top.
With glove covered hands, and on a protected surface, or outside, add lye to a glass jar. Slowly pour in the water, making sure to stay away from the lye and avoid splashing the solution on you. Stir well with a craft stick, wood spoon or metal spoon until clear. Let set for 5 minutes and it will become completely clear. And hot. Yes, the lye creates heat, so be careful picking up the jar. Use hot pads.
Pour your lye solution into the slow cooker with the oil. Stir well and use an immersion/stick blender to blend the soap. The minute you do this, the soap will turn cloudy and that’s okay. Continue with the blender until the mixture resembles pudding. Remove the blender, put the top on the slow cooker and heat on low for about 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes.
After the first 10 minutes, the soap will bubble and begin to fold in on itself. Stir to mix. Return cover and stir again 10 minutes later. Your mixture will be somewhat thicker and you’ll know when it’s done when it’s almost like thick, shiny, Vaseline. Another way to check is to put a little in your fingers. If it is no longer sticky and molds well, it’s time to make soap!
Now you are ready to turn off the heat and place the soap into your molds. I scooped mine in, tapped it a bit on the counter and filled the molds completely. I leveled the molds with the edge of the popsicle stick. Let set 24 hours. When ready, pop the soap from the molds and remove excess. You can break away the excess soap or use a carrot peeler to remove any rough edges and smooth areas.
This is a nice mild soap. It creates a generous amount of suds and is quite moisturizing due to the coconut, olive and almond oil. You’ll be pleased with this homemade soap bar recipe.
Homemade Soap Bars using All Natural Ingredients
This slow cooker recipe will have you making your favorite soap in no time.
Ingredients –
- 2/3 cup coconut oil, liquid
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup almond oil
- 1/4 cup powdered lye
- 3/4 cup cold purified water
- Essential Oils (optional)
- Soap Mold
Directions –
- Add oils together in a slow cooker and heat on low.
- On a protected space and with rubber gloves, pour lye into a glass jar. Slowly add cold water and stir well. Continue to stir until solution becomes clear. Let set for 5 minutes.
- Slowly pour lye solution into slow cooker with oils. Stir well.
- Use an immersion blender to whip the mixture until it’s similar to pudding. This could take some time.
- Remove the blender and place the lid on the slow cooker. Check every 10 minutes, stirring every time.
- When mixture is shiny and soft like Vaseline, it’s ready. Add your essential oils. You’ll need 30-40 drops for this soap recipe.
- Spoon into molds and let set 24 hours.
- Remove from molds.
- Break away excess with your fingers or use a carrot peeler to remove rough edges.
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