DIY Handmade Olive Oil Soap At Home

This is Oliviada handmade soap from olive oil

Olive oil rich in vitamins and antioxidants can make a good  as Lye

1. 10 oz (= 300 ml) – Distilled Waterhard bar that is delicate, nourishing, and doesn’t over-dry your skin. Homemade olive oil soap feels gentle and works on all skin types including rough and dry or sensitive skin.

The great benefit of olive oil soap made at home is that you can control what goes into your soap. As a result you can get natural eco soap while keeping nasty chemicals out of the environment and away from your skin. 

Even so the homemade olive oil soap takes few weeks to harden up, it worth to wait because you will be awarded with the most skin-loving soap you’ll ever use.

Ready to make your first olive oil soap at home? Follow step-by-step instructions below. 

Ingredients You Need

1. 31.8 oz (= 900 g) – Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I recommend to use Kalamata olive oil)
2. 4 oz (= 115 g) – Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), as well known

Instructions

– Prepare Lye Mixture

1. Recommended to put gloves and goggles on for your own safety! Because mixing sodium hydroxide with a water causes an exothermic chemical reaction. It makes the room temperature water to heat up to approx. 160°F (= 70°C). Though if you add extra of lye, the water can reach above 200°F (= 93°C).
2. Measure the water into a heat-safe plastic container. 
3. Measure the lye crystals into a separate small container. 
4. Slowly add the lye crystals to the water, stirring with whisk and spatula as you do so. Always add the lye crystals to the water. Never add water to your lye crystals! Adding water to the lye will cause a volcanic reaction and you’ll get burned if not being careful. This is a major no-go in soap making!

1. Do not inhale above this container—there will be fumes which can take your breath away!
2. This mixture will heat up quickly. 
3. Insert a thermometer into the mixture, monitor the temperature and continue stirring.

– Prepare Olive Oil

1. Measure the olive oil and pour into your container. 
2. Place the container in a larger pot and pour in enough hot tap water that the container begins to drift. 
3. Set the pot on the stove and turn the heat to warm. 
4. Insert a thermometer into the oil. 

– Mix Lye Mixture and Olive Oil Together

1. Monitor the temperatures of the two containers. Your goal is to heat up the oil while the lye cools down. 
2. You want both to reach 110°F (= 43°C). So you can refresh the hot water bath or turn the stove burner higher to raise the olive oil temperature. Or continue to stir the lye to bring the temperature down.
3. When both the oil and the lye mixture are at 110°F (= 43°C) plus minus few degrees, pour the lye mixture into the plastic container with the oil. The most important both materials to have the same temperature! 
4. Blend until the mixture becomes like thick gravy and drizzled trails will stay on the top. You can use blender to help you with mixing process (it is energy consuming process if done manually).

– Pour Blended Mixture into Mold

Pour the mixture into your wooden mold (it can be made from wood, silicone or plastic). 

Remove the excess of mixture with a hard carton sheet.

Let sit at room temperature and rest.

Unmold 48 hours after pouring into the mold (you can cut into smaller size bars and place in your curing area). Normally we make around 30 3.3oz (= 90 g) bars

– Patiently Wait

Bars will need at least 4 to 6 weeks to cure in order to make sure all the lye has reacted, and that you have a sturdy finished bar of soap.

Tips:

You can add fragrance such as lavender or coconut oil to this soap if you wish for a unique tasty smell.

Better to reserve a few tools for soap making, such as blender, and any containers you use for lye and mixing your soap. If you don’t, wash used tools very well as not to contaminate food with lye or fragrance oils.

About Author

Vangelis Kleftogiannis, a founder of Oliviada and Kalamata olive oil producer in Greece. He is passionate about high-quality lifestyle, premium products, and wellness. As well, he makes his own olive oil soaps and seeks to educate people worldwide about the importance of natural and high-grade products for their health and beauty.