It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to choosing a cold process soap recipe!

I like to tell people this. Pick a recipe from an industry educator (that’s me!) and then learn all about formulating your own recipes! You have to start somewhere. And I can help.

Below are my favorite beginner recipes. Once you get a handle on those, learn to modify a formula or even create your own!

A note on fragrance: I use about 30 grams of fragrance in a 900 gram oil batch. I mention that as a guideline. Please follow your manufacturer’s guidelines and usage rates for their fragrances. And if you’re using essential oils, be sure to use the essential oil calc, eocal.com to determine safe usage amounts in your soap batch.

Each batch is superfated at about 5%. You can simply enter the recipe into a lye calc to change the superfat amount. (Check out my Let’s Talk About Lye Calcs video here!)

Basic Body Bar

This soap recipe is a great recipe for beginners. It has a wonderful mix of oils that create a bar that is hard, bubbly and emollient. This is pretty much my go-to recipe when making soap for family, friends and myself. It is also the recipe I use in most of my soapmaking classes.

Base Oils & Scent

  • Coconut Oil – 306 grams (34%)
  • Olive Oil – 306 grams (34%)
  • Avocado Oil – 72 grams (8%)
  • Rice Bran Oil – 126 grams (14%)
  • Shea Butter – 90 grams (10%)
  • Fragrance – 30 grams

Lye Solution

  • Lye – 127 grams
  • Water – 254 grams

Basic Body Bar – More Bubbles

This bar contains a higher amount of coconut oil, which will produce more bubbles than the basic body bar.

Base Oils & Scent

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

Lye Solution

  • Lye – 129 grams
  • Water – 258 grams

Basic Body Bar – More Moisture

This bar contains a higher amount of olive oil, which makes the bar less stripping of your skin’s natural oils. It will not have as much lather as the previous two bars but will be gentler.

Base Oils & Scent

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

Lye Solution

  • Lye – 126 grams
  • Water – 252 grams

Basic Body Bar – Trifecta

This is a classic formula for creating a wonderful bar of soap. I’ll provide it for both lard/tallow and palm oil.

Lard or Tallow Trifecta
Base Oils & Scent

  • Coconut Oil – 297 grams (33%)
  • Olive Oil – 306 grams (34%)
  • Lard or Tallow – 297 grams (33%)
  • Fragrance – 30 grams

Lye Solution

  • Lye – 130 grams
  • Water – 260 grams

Palm Oil Trifecta
Base Oils & Scent

  • Coconut Oil – 297 grams (33%)
  • Olive Oil – 306 grams (34%)
  • Palm Oil – 297 grams (33%)
  • Fragrance – 30 grams

Lye Solution

  • Lye – 131 grams
  • Water – 262 grams

If you are new to soapmaking and want to get your hands on a detailed guide, check out our basic soapmaking eBook for FREE!

Happy Soaping!

Amanda