‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin! I LOVE pumpkin time. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes…I’m one of THOSE people! So, it only makes sense that I would love pumpkin soap. This soap combines pumpkin puree and another favorite of the season…pumpkin beer. Both pumpkin puree and beer contain a bit of sugar, which boosts lather. Pumpkin has all sorts of vitamins and minerals.

This is one of my favorite soaps to make and I can’t wait to share it with you.

How to Soap with Beer

Here are some tips when it comes to soaping with beer.

  • Warning: If you add sodium hydroxide to a freshly opened beer, it will foam up out of your container and make a mess! Some people think that this is because of the alcohol, but it is actually because of the carbonation. Your beer must be flat before combing it with lye, or you’ll have a huge (and dangerous) mess on your hands!
  • Open your beer, pour it into a wide bowl and allow it to go flat in the fridge.
  • Boiling your beer: I’m a fan of boiling my beer before I soap with it. It condenses it down so that I can get more yummy beerness into my soap AND it gets rid of the carbonation so it is safe to soap with. I boil it the night before, reducing it to about half. Then set in the fridge overnight. Then I’m ready to soap with it the next day.

How to Soap with Pumpkin Puree

Here are some tips when it comes to soaping with pumpkin puree.

  • You can use fresh pumpkin that you puree yourself, or you can buy canned pumpkin! I personally prefer to buy canned pumpkin.
  • If you purchase canned pumpkin, make sure it is 100% pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling!
  • You can replace up to 100% of your liquid amount with pumpkin puree. Or you can create a lye solution using equal parts lye and water and then add another equal part of pumpkin in with your oils.

Beer + Pumpkin Puree

Since I’m using both beer and pumpkin puree in this recipe, I’m going to create a lye solution using beer and lye and then I’m going to blend pumpkin puree into my oils. If using water, this recipe would call for 252 grams. I need my beer and pumpkin to equal 252 grams.

Pumpkin Puree + Pumpkin Beer Cold Process Soap Recipe

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Base Oils

  • Coconut Oil (76 degree) – 270 grams (30%)
  • Shea Butter – 90 grams (10%)
  • Olive Oil – 342 grams (38%)
  • Avocado Oil – 72 grams (8%)
  • Rice Bran Oil – 126 grams (14%)

Lye Solution

  • Sodium Hydroxide – 126 grams (5% superfat)
  • Flat Pumpkin Beer – 170 grams

Additives/Color

  • Pumpkin Puree – 84 grams (added to melted oils)

Scent

Use your favorite slow-moving fragrance or essential oil blend. I didn’t scent this with anything! The beer gives it a really faint natural/nutty smell. I LOVE it!

Let’s make soap! If you are new to soapmaking, be sure to download our free guide, How to Make Cold Process Soap! Gear up in your gloves and your safety glasses.

Warning! Be sure to use flat beer or your lye solution will bubble up! I highly recommend mixing your lye solution in your sink just in case you have some carbonation left and it bubbles over!

Step 1: Create a lye solution. Weigh the beer and lye into two separate containers. Slowly pour the sodium hydroxide into the beer while stirring. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside to cool. Your solution will start off cloudy and will clear up as it cools. Your lye solution might turn bright orange because of the beer! And beer + lye definitely has a unique smell! I personally love it!

Notice how big my stainless steel mixing container is? I’m giving it a TON of room to bubble up in case I have any carbonation left. Mix your beer lye solution in the sink for extra safety!

Step 2: Prepare the base oils. First, weigh any solid oils and butters into a container and melt. You can melt using the microwave or low heat on a burner. Next, weigh each liquid oil into the melted oils. The liquid oils will cool down the melted oils and leave you with a base oil mixture that is about at the correct temperature to make soap. It might still need to cool down a bit. 

Step 3: Weigh the pumpkin puree and add to your base oils.

Step 4: Weigh your essential oil or fragrance oil into a glass or stainless steel container and add to your base oils.

Step 5: Prepare your mold. If you need to line your mold, line it. I used a PVC pipe for my mold. I didn’t line it. If you need help unmolding from a PVC pipe, check out this video.

Step 6: Check the temperatures. You should now have a container containing liquid base oils and a container containing lye solution. Take the temperatures using an infra-red temperature gun. Be sure to stir each mixture before taking the temp. You want your temperatures to be between 80-110° F.

Step 7: Once you have reached desired temperatures, pour the lye solution into the oil mixture and mix to trace.

Step 8: Pour the soap into your mold.

Step 9: Let your soap harden and saponify for at least 24 hours.

Step 10: Unmold and cut into slices!

Step 11: Cure your soap for 4-6 weeks.

Please share on Pinterest! 🙂 Thank you!