Although you can create your own soap recipes with the assistance of a soap calculator. When you are learning the craft it is much easier to use someone else’s recipe. At least until you completely understand the process.
If you use a tried and tested recipe and your batch of soap flops – then you know that it is your technique that is the problem. Combine inexperience with a new recipe and the cause of your flop is anyone’s guess!
Melt and Pour Recipes
Melt-and-pour recipes tend to be more about what you can add to your soap to make it unique. Personally, I prefer to make my soap from scratch. But if you want to experiment with fragrances, textures, and colours soap melt-and-pour recipes might be the way to go. This method allows you to make soap without worrying about whether or not your soap will trace properly.
Solid Opaque Cold Process Recipes
This is the type of soap I make most often.
The beauty of a good basic recipe for opaque soap is that you can change your soap very easily by varying the fragrance and colour. Or by adding additional ingredients after tracing to change the texture of your soap. Check out my basic opaque recipes here.
Castille Recipes
The term ‘Castille Soaps’ is generally used in English-speaking countries. It refers to soaps that are made entirely from vegetable oils rather than animal fats. However, what many soap-makers think of Castille soap as a soap made exclusively or predominately with Olive Oil.
Transparent Recipes
If you prefer transparent soaps you will find my favorite recipes on this page. I most often use recipes for transparent soap when I want to add a feature to the soap. For example, for children, you can add small plastic toys or figurines.
Recipes for Liquid Soap
Are you looking for liquid soap recipes?
Liquid soaps are great in the guest bathroom or by the kitchen sink! The recipes for this type of soap are slightly different from opaque soaps. You use KOH rather than lye to make your liquid soaps.
Recipes for Laundry Soap
Laundry soaps are usually very similar to solid opaque cold process soaps. With one or two extra ingredients to improve the ‘dirt removal’ properties of the soap.
