Your first recipe: basic three-oil soap step by step

TL;DR: Basic three-oil soap (coconut 30%, olive 40%, sunflower 30%) is the ideal first recipe. Yield ~870 g (8–10 bars), ingredient cost ~300 CZK, preparation time 1.5–2 hours. Curing 4–6 weeks.

This is the recipe most home soap makers start with. Three accessible oils, no colorant, no fragrance — just pure soap. The goal of the first attempt is not perfect soap, but learning the process: what trace looks like, how soap behaves in the mold, what happens during curing. Read first Lye safety — and then get started.

Recipe overview

What will you need?

What ingredients are needed?

For this recipe you will need three basic oils and sodium hydroxide. All are available at supermarkets or drugstores — nothing exotic.

Super fat: 5% (some oils remain unsaponified and condition the skin)

NaOH calculation for verification:

• Coconut oil (SAP 0.178): 210 × 0.178 = 37.4 g
• Olive oil (SAP 0.134): 280 × 0.134 = 37.5 g
• Sunflower (SAP 0.134): 210 × 0.134 = 28.1 g
• Total for 0% SF: 103.0 g × 0.95 (5% SF) = 97.9 g NaOH

(Slight differences in the last decimal place are normal — SAP values vary slightly by source.)

What equipment will you need?

You probably already have the basic equipment for this recipe at home or can get it for a few dollars.

Which type of mold to choose?

For the first recipe, the following will suffice:

• Milk carton (1 l) — line inside with baking paper, or leave directly (soap comes out easier if you moisten the paper)
• Baking pan lined with silicone or paper (20 × 10 cm or similar) — classic choice
• Silicone mold loaf type — most convenient, available at online shops and the easiest long-term

Step-by-step procedure

Preparation (20 minutes before making)

Prepare your workspace: all equipment on the table, nothing unnecessary in the way. Put on safety goggles and gloves before opening NaOH — not when you start pouring. Visual check: scale works and is zeroed, thermometer is available, mold is ready.

Step 1: Preparing the lye solution (15 minutes + waiting)

This is the most important and riskiest part — proceed carefully, but not nervously.

1. Place the lye container (stainless steel or PP) on the scale. Zero the scale. Weigh out 260 g water.
2. In a dry container weigh out 97.9 g NaOH.
3. Turn toward ventilation (window open or range hood on) — you need to breathe clean air.
4. Slowly pour NaOH into water while stirring continuously. Never the other way around — this is the key rule.
5. The solution will heat to 70–90 °C, may appear cloudy. Normal. Stir until dissolved.
6. Place in a safe location and let cool to 35–40 °C. This takes 30–45 minutes.

Tip: Lye solution cooling can be sped up — place the lye container in a larger bowl filled with ice water.

Step 2: Preparing oils (10 minutes)

While the lye cools, prepare the oils — this is safe and simple.

1. Weigh out 210 g coconut oil into a large bowl. If solid (winter), melt in a water bath or microwave in 30-second intervals.
2. Add 280 g olive oil a 210 g sunflower oil.
3. Mix and let temper to 35–40 °C.

Oils and lye solution should be at a similar temperature when mixing — a difference of up to 10 °C is fine. If they differ significantly, wait — correct temperature is key.

Step 3: Mixing and trace (10–20 minutes)

This is the moment when oils and lye meet — and your first soap begins to form.

1. Check temperatures of both components. If both are around 35–40 °C, proceed.
2. The lye solution pour into the oils (not the other way around) while slowly stirring with a spoon.
3. Turn on the stick blender. Mix in short pulses (5–10 seconds on, then pause). Alternate with hand stirring.
4. Watch the consistency. You are looking for light trace — the mixture has the consistency of thin pudding, when you draw a spoon across the surface, the mark holds for 2–3 seconds.

With this recipe, trace occurs in 5–15 minutes with a stick blender — this will be your first success in soap making.

Step 4: Pouring into the mold

Now transfer your creation to the mold.

1. At light trace, pour the mixture into the mold. Tap the mold on the table to release air bubbles.
2. Cover the surface with plastic wrap placed directly on the soap (minimizes soda ash, that white powder).
3. Wrap the mold in towels or a blanket — helps gel phase and temperature.
4. Set aside in a quiet place for 24–48 hours. Do not open, do not touch — let the soap work.

Step 5: Unmolding and cutting (24–48 hours after pouring)

After waiting, it is time for the first look at your soap.

1. After 24 hours, carefully uncover the mold and test the surface hardness with your finger. If it still sticks, wait another 24 hours.
2. Remove the soap from the mold. Still wear gloves — the soap may not yet be fully saponified.
3. Cut into bars (approx. 2.5–3 cm thick). A sharp kitchen knife or soap cutter (if available).
4. Stand the bars on their side on a rack or board with good ventilation — the soap will cure here.

Step 6: Curing (4–6 weeks)

The final phase — and the most important for quality. The soap sits in a well-ventilated place out of direct sun. Turn it once every 2 weeks.

What to watch during curing:

• White powder on the surface (soda ash): Normal, shave it off with a scraper before use — the soap remains functional
• Hardening: The soap should be noticeably harder after 4 weeks than right after cutting — this is a sign that water is evaporating
• Color: Cream or white — normal. Olive oil may give a slight yellowish tint — this is not a defect

pH test before use: Touch the tip of your tongue to the cured soap. If you feel nothing — the soap is done and safe. If it zings like a battery — wait another 1–2 weeks. This is the most reliable test of homemade soap maturity.

What can go wrong (and how to fix it)

Soap is still too soft after 48 hours

Normal for recipes with a higher proportion of olive oil. Wait 72 hours. If still soft, place the mold in the freezer for 1 hour — it helps the soap solidify.

There is white powder on the surface

Soda ash — sodium carbonate from surface oxidation. The soap is fine. Shave off the powder with a scraper. Next time cover with plastic wrap right after pouring — the simplest solution.

Soap in the mold looks like separated layers or has an oily surface

Seizing or partial seizing — can occur if temperatures were too different or if lye was poured too quickly. If oils and lye have separated, try placing the mold in an oven preheated to 80 °C for 1 hour (hot process rescue). This step saves most batches.

Soap is cracking on the surface

Overheating during gel phase. The soap is usually fine — just less attractive. Next time don't wrap the mold too aggressively or lower the oil temperature to 30 °C.

Soap tastes "like a battery“ even after 6 weeks

Free hydroxide — the soap is not yet safe. Keep waiting. If the problem persists after 8 weeks, check the NaOH calculation — there may have been more NaOH than specified in the recipe.

What to do with your first soap?

Use it yourself — for hands, shower, bath. Don't be ashamed of aesthetic imperfections from your first attempt. Soda ash is normal — shave it off. Rustic surface is normal — the soap lathers just as well. Gifts to friends from your first recipe? Why not — everyone appreciates homemade soap.

More important is what you learned: what trace looks like, how quickly soap sets, how it behaves during curing. With this experience, the second batch is much easier — and the third even simpler.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to follow temperatures precisely? A difference of up to 10 °C is not a problem — soap will still form. If lye is 50 °C and oils 30 °C, trace will be slower, but it will come. If lye is 20 °C and oils 60 °C, false trace may occur. Try to be in the 35–45 °C range — it's not exact science, but it helps.

What if I reach trace earlier or later? Trace in 3 minutes: the essential oil likely accelerated it. Trace in 30 minutes: the opposite, slow — everything is fine, just keep mixing. Neither time will be drastically affected.

Can I add colors to this recipe? Yes — at light trace add oxides or natural pigments (approx. 1–2 teaspoons dissolved in a small amount of water). This recipe without colors will be cream or white — lovely on its own.

How do I know the soap is truly safe to use? The tip-of-the-tongue test — the only reliable home test. pH strips work too — soap should have pH 9–10. Or simply wait 6 weeks, then you can be sure.

Where to buy all ingredients and equipment? Oils at supermarkets (Kaufland, Tesco, Lidl), NaOH at drugstores (DM, Rossmann) or online at soap making e-shops. Equipment at online retailers or hardware stores — see Soap making equipment in the Czech Republic.

See also

• What is cold process soap and how does it work — process theory
• Lye safety — read before making
• Soap making equipment in the Czech Republic — what to buy and where
• Soap calculator — how to adapt the recipe to your mold
• Most common problems — when something goes wrong

⚠️ Recipe disclaimer

This recipe was created or revised with the help of artificial intelligence tools and has undergone NaOH gram recalculation. Nevertheless, we recommend verifying lye amounts in an independent calculator (e.g. SoapCalc or Brambleberry). Working with sodium hydroxide requires protective equipment — see Lye safety. Information is for educational purposes; the manufacturer is not liable for damages resulting from their use.