DIY Bergamot and Earl Grey Soap

Sodium Hydroxide Micro Pearls

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye, is an essential ingredient in soap making. When sodium hydroxide granules or flakes are mixed with a liquid, a lye solution is formed, which, when mixed with fats and oils, causes a chemical reaction called saponification. The result of saponification is beautiful handmade soap. Making soap is a wonderfully fun and addictive profession.

Coconut Oil Butter - Organic

Shea butter - unrefined (organic)

Olive oil Extra Virgin

Olive oil is one of the most popular soap ingredients. It gives cold process soap a soft, mild foam and can be used up to 100% of your recipe. Olive oil can also be used in a variety of products, including soaps, scrubs, lotions, and more.

Castor Oil

Bergamot Essential Oil

Rectangle Block Soap Mold Silicone

9.95 incl. VAT each

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Bergamot is a citrusy and uplifting essential oil that’s used to flavor Earl Grey tea. We used both the oil and the tea to make this DIY Bergamot and Earl Grey soap. It’s a palm-free recipe with a scent that will please both men and women. The tiny flecks of tea that dot the bars will over time bleed into the soap around them.

Bergamot and Earl Grey Soap Recipe

Makes approx. 8 bars (120g)

Ingredients

  • 113g Sodium Hydroxide
  • 200g /200ml Water
  • 256g Coconut oil
  • 42g Shea Butter
  • 304g Olive Oil
  • 120g Sunflower oil
  • 80g Castor oil
  • 4 tsp /20ml Bergamot Essential oil
  • 1/8 tsp dry Earl Grey tea
  • Digital Thermometer
  • Digital Kitchen Scale
  • Stick (Immersion) Blender
  • 6 Cavity silicone soap mould

Natural Soap Making for Beginners

For this recipe, make sure that your main oils, water, and lye are pre-measured. Wear an apron, gloves, eye protection and work in an orderly space free from distractions. Any tools, pans, or bowls that come into contact with the lye should be soap-dedicated. It’s best to not use the same items that you’d prepare food with. Make sure that the jugs that you measure the lye and water into are heat resistant.

Step 1: Mix the lye-water

Make sure you’re wearing rubber gloves and eye protection. In a well-ventilated area, preferably outdoors if you can manage it, pour the dry Sodium hydroxide (lye) crystals into the water. Hold it well away from your face and mix until the lye is dissolved. There’s steam and heat in this step so be prepared. When mixed, set the jug of steaming lye water in a basin of cold tap water. This will help it to cool down.

Step 2: Melting the oils

On very low heat, begin melting the coconut oil and shea butter. Move the oils around in the pan to increase its surface area and melt it quicker. Don’t leave the oils unattended — they melt quicker than you think. As soon as there’s just a tiny amount of unmelted oil in the pan, take it off the heat and continue stirring. When it is fully melted, pour in the liquid-soaping oils and stir it all together.

Step 3: Balancing temperatures

Take the oil’s temperature — you’re aiming to get it to between 100-110°F (38-43°C). Once you have a reading, take the lye water’s temperature too. You’re going to try to bring the oil down (or up) to the right range and make sure that the lye water is between 5-10 degrees of the oil. Getting the right temperature ensures that you won’t run into any issues that may include unwanted colour changes, cracking, or issues with the next step.

Step 4: Mixing the oils & lye-water

When the temperatures are where they need to be, pour the lye water into the oils through a sieve (fine mesh strainer). This helps to catch any particles of undissolved lye that might still be in your solution.

Next comes the magic of saponification! You’ll need a stick blender (immersion blender) and a few minutes to transform your ingredients into soap. Without a stick blender, this next step would take well over an hour of manual stirring like it did in the past.

Step 5: Blending

Dip the stick blender into your pan at an angle — this reduces the amount of air in the head and thus in your soap. Do this each time you take the stick blender out and put it back into the batter.

With it turned off, gently stir the mixture together. Now bring the stick blender to the centre of the pan and while stationary, turn it on for a couple of seconds. With it off, use the stick blender to stir the batter together. Having the blender on whilst stirring can kick up splatters of soap on you and at this point, it’s not safe to have on your skin. Safety first when making soap.

Step 6: ‘Trace’

Repeat the stationary blending and then stir until the soap thickens up. It will have the consistency of warm custard and will leave a trail on the surface if drizzled from the stick blender. When you’re able to see this, pour in the essential oil and dried tea and stir it in well with a spatula.

Working quickly, pour the soap batter into your mould(s). Pop it into the fridge to keep the bars light-coloured, inside and out. Leave it there for 12 hours or overnight before moving the mould back onto the counter.

Step 7: Curing your Earl Grey Soap

Leave the soap in its mould for a total of 48 hours. After this point, saponification is finished and it’s safe to handle. That’s how long it takes for all the Sodium hydroxide (lye) to bond with the oils completely.

Next, you have to cure the soap before it can be used. This is all about evaporating the excess water from your bars and allowing them to harden. For four weeks you need to leave your bars of soap in an airy place that’s not too hot or cold and out of direct sunlight. Space them out on a sheet of grease-proof (or baking) paper and let them scent the room for you while they’re finishing up.

After those four weeks are up you can use your bars or gift them. Once made, your soap can have a shelf-life of up to two years. Look at the backs of all the ingredients you use to make your batch and the best-by date that’s closest is the one you need to use your handmade soap by.

Additional information

Collection

Sodium Hydroxide Micro Pearls

Weight 1 kg
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Coconut Oil Butter - Organic

Weight N/A
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Shea butter - unrefined (organic)

Weight N/A
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Olive oil Extra Virgin

Weight 1 kg
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Castor Oil

Weight 1 kg
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Bergamot Essential Oil

Weight N/A
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Rectangle Block Soap Mold Silicone

Weight 0.1 kg

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