How To Formulate Cold Process Soap Recipe

When it comes to the formulation of a cold process soap recipe , consider the 34/33/33 ratio. It’s 34% olive oil, 33% palm oil and 33% coconut oil. These three oils complement each other. Olive oil is used for moisturizing properties and a silky feel. Coconut is used for cleansing and producing big bubbles. Palm oil serves the purpose of lathering agent and hardens the soap.

30/30/30/10 is another standard recipe. Here 30% coconut oil, 30% palm oil, 30% olive oil and the remaining 10% can be sweet almond oil, rice bran oil, mango butter or mango butter. You can use additional butters and oils to create soap recipes with unique feelings.

You can create your own recipe as well. First of all, you need to choose your base oils. You can use each base oil around 20-30%. The choice of other ingredients depends on the feel you want. You might want your soap to be super moisturizing. You might want it to have a nice thick lather. Or, you might want it to be hard and long-lasting.

Following are the other oils you can use in soap making:

General Rules For Formulating Recipes

• Oils liquid at room temperature trace more slowly. A high percentage of these oils is good for intricate designs. It will take time to harden and feel softer.
• Hard oils are solid at room temperature and trace more quickly. Soap will feel firmer and unmold faster.
• You can use just one oil to make any soap. However, 100% coconut oil or olive oil is recommended. In most of the recipes , a combination of soft and hard oils is used.
• If you are using a cold processing soapmaking kit for a cold process recipe, you can substitute oils. You can use rice bran oil or canola oil at the place of olive oil.

There are a number of variables that can affect the formulation of your recipe. So, be ready to expect some unexpected results.

Following are the tried and tested recipes you can try:

Recipe 1

If you are a beginner, you can try this simple and reliable recipe. The castor oil is used for luscious lather.

• Coconut Oil - 32%
• Palm Oil - 32%
• Olive Oil - 32%
• Castor Oil - 4%

Recipe 2

This recipe uses mango butter and sweet almond oil as moisturizing extras.

• Coconut Oil - 25%
• Palm Oil - 25%
• Olive Oil - 30%
• Sweet Almond Oil - 15%
• Mango Butter - 5%

Recipe 3

This is a palm free slow-moving recipe and great for intricate designs.

• Coconut Oil - 15%
• Canola Oil - 30%
• Rice Bran Oil - 25%
• Shea Butter - 15%
• Avocado Oil - 10%
• Chia Seed Oil - 5%

Recipe 4

This recipe is great for beautiful swirls.

• Coconut Oil - 20%
• Palm Oil - 30%
• Canola Oil - 20%
• Castor Oil - 4%
• Sweet Almond Oil - 6%
• Rice Bran Oil - 10%
• Sunflower Oil - 10%