Easy, Beginner DIY Liquid Castile Soap Recipe
Made with only olive oil, this pure liquid Castile soap is easy to make and mild. It’s perfect for face and body, and for cleaning around the house.
A couple of years ago, I showed you how easy it was to make a basic beginner soap, even if you’ve never done it before.
Making solid soaps can be a lot of fun, but not everybody likes using bar soap. Many people prefer using something in a dispenser like a shower gel or a liquid soap.
I made many different types of bar soaps before attempting to make a true liquid soap. There aren’t as many resources about making liquid soaps, so I had to do a lot of trial and error before posting this first liquid Castile soap recipe.
Once you find a good recipe, it’s pretty simple to make. While it does take a little more time and effort than whipping up some bars of cold process soap, I think you’ll find that it’s well worth it, especially when you take a look at the price of a store-bought liquid castile soap.
How does liquid soap differ from bar soap?
The main difference between bar soaps and liquid soaps is the type of lye used to make them. Liquid soaps are made with KOH, or potassium hydroxide, rather than NaOH, or sodium hydroxide.
You can read more about the different types of lye in my post about lye and why it is needed in soap.
While some people like to make a “liquid soap” of sorts by diluting bar soaps in water, you can’t really get a true, transparent liquid soap that way. Some people are happy with the result, but every time I’ve tried it, I’ve ended up with a gloopy mess. It doesn’t have the same cleaning power as either a bar soap or a true liquid soap, and the texture and appearance aren’t the same either.
What is pure Castile soap?
Technically, by definition, Castile soap is a type of soap made with only olive oil. The name “Castile” soap originates here in Spain. (You can read more about the origin of Castile soap and other soaps in my post with a recipe for pure Castile bar soap.)
Over the years, the definition of Castile soap has broadened to include other types of vegetable oils such as coconut oil. Dr. Bronner’s liquid Soap, which may be the most famous commercial liquid Castile soap, actually has a greater percentage of coconut oil than olive oil. (I made a Dr. Bronners liquid Castile soap copycat recipe for those who are interested!)
When it came to making a homemade liquid Castile soap, though, I was a bit of a purist and made the real deal: a soap made with only olive oil.
Olive oil in soap
Soaps made with different oils have different properties.
Soaps made with olive oil are more conditioning for your skin than soaps made with coconut oil. On the other hand, they don’t lather up as much as a coconut oil soap, nor do they leave you feeling squeaky clean in the same way (partly because they are more conditioning).
Some people find pure Castile bar soap to be “slimy” and not cleansing enough. On the other hand, pure coconut oil bar soap can be drying.
- Pure coconut oil soaps are great for general cleaning and for laundry. That’s why I made my homemade laundry soap only with coconut oil.
- Pure olive oil soaps tend to be gentle on the skin and great for gentle body cleansing.
Read my post about the properties of different oils in soaps.
Ideally, you’d combine different oils to get the qualities you want for your soap. That’s exactly what they did when they formulated Dr. Bronner’s soap, and what I did when I showed you how to make a basic beginner soap which uses a combination of olive oil and coconut oil.
Combining liquid soaps
When you make a bar of soap, you have to decide what combination of oils you want to use from the very beginning and your entire batch will have that very same combination.
With liquid soaps, though, you have the advantage of being able to combine your various soaps after the fact, making it easier to experiment with smaller combinations until you find the perfect soap for your need.
That’s why I made a pure liquid castile soap, using only olive oil, and then later made a pure liquid coconut oil soap. Once you’ve made both of them, you can combine them, as needed to get the type of soap you want.
Coconut oil liquid soap vs. liquid Castile soap
When I first started making liquid soap, I assumed that liquid soaps would be just like bar soaps. The difference between a pure Castile bar soap and a coconut oil-based bar soap is HUGE!
I was very surprised to find, though, that liquid soap made with coconut oil was actually quite similar to that made with olive oil. Sure, the olive oil-based liquid soap was darker in color than the coconut oil-based liquid soap. For me, that was probably the most notable difference.
Yes, the coconut oil soap does make a bubblier lather than this one and may be slightly more drying. It does give more of a “squeaky clean” feeling.
In the end, though, the difference isn’t as pronounced as I expected. In fact, I normally just make the coconut oil liquid soap recipe these days. I can buy refined coconut oil cheaper than olive oil, but also love the look of a lighter-colored soap. I also love the fresh, subtle scent of the coconut oil soap when left unscented.
Both soaps give a decent lather. They are also both relatively mild for skin. If you have sensitive skin, though, this soap is probably the better choice.
Those who have very sensitive skin may find that they have issues with the higher pH of any soap. In those cases, it may be best to use something like my DIY Baby Wash and Shampoo. (I made it pH balanced for a baby’s delicate skin.)
Ingredients
This soap uses 4 main ingredients: olive oil, potassium hydroxide, water, and glycerin.
You can use extra virgin olive oil or a lighter olive oil. What is important, though, is that you are using pure olive oil. (If it’s not pure olive oil, it may need a different amount of lye.)
For the water, it’s best to use distilled water. Tap water has minerals and may have other impurities that can affect the clarity of your soap.
Why use glycerin when making liquid soap?
One of the methods of making liquid soaps is called the glycerin method. It replaces part of the water with glycerin.
Adding glycerin moves the soap-making process along more quickly. Because I wanted to share a beginner liquid soap recipe, I chose the glycerin method to have this soap be as quick and fool-proof as possible.
Using glycerin may have some other benefits:
- The resulting soap paste dissolves very easily in water. I don’t need to heat the water nor do I need to leave it for days at a time. I can cover my soap paste with distilled water and usually, in a couple of hours, I have a beautiful, clear liquid soap effortlessly.
- Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it draws moisture into the skin. I find that even my liquid coconut oil soap doesn’t feel drying, despite the fact that it hasn’t been superfatted at all. I think the extra glycerin helps to make a really great, hydrating soap that is clear and doesn’t need extra oils. (I think my homemade glycerin bar soap has the same benefits.)
Materials
To make liquid Castile soap, you only need a few basic tools. An immersion blender helps mix the oils and lye solution quickly so the soap reaches trace faster. A slow cooker works beautifully for keeping the soap at a steady, gentle heat while it cooks. A kitchen scale is also important here, since soap making relies on accuracy. Measuring by weight instead of volume helps ensure that your recipe turns out perfectly every time.
Procedure
Making a liquid Castile soap isn’t difficult and it can save you a lot of money.
To get the clearest soap we can, we’ll use a hot-process method. That means that we will be cooking the soap. During the cooking process, the saponification process will complete and our soap will be ready to use immediately afterwards. (Liquid soap doesn’t need a curing time in the same way as bar soap does.)
The easiest way to make this and have it come out perfectly is to use a slow cooker. If you don’t have access to a slow cooker, though, you can also try baking it in the oven. (I showed how I used this method in the post and video for the coconut oil liquid soap.)
Making the lye solution
Weigh out the glycerine, water, and potassium hydroxide (KOH).
Add the glycerin to the water and then carefully add the KOH to the water and glycerin mixture. (Not the other way around!) Make the lye solution in a well-ventilated area.
Stir the KOH into the water until it dissolves. It will be cloudy at first, but then it will clear up.
Making the soap paste
Measure out the olive oil and heat it over low heat directly in the slow cooker.
Slowly add in the the KOH mixture to the warm olive oil, and gently stir them together over low heat.
Once combined, use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients together in the slow cooker. In a few minutes the mixture will begin to thicken and look like mayonnaise. Soon after, it will look like a creamy pudding. (If you aren’t doing this over heat, it will take a bit longer.)
A few minutes later, the mixture will begin to look grainy and look like mashed potatoes or applesauce. Continue to blend.
If, at any point, the mixture becomes too thick to blend with the immersion blender, switch to mixing with a spatula or wooden spoon. It’s also a good idea to take breaks during the blending process so as not to burn out the blender.
As you continue to blend, it will start to get creamy again. It is now time to cover it and cook it for a while.
Cooking the soap paste
Cooking the soap paste will allow the soap to finish the saponification process and will also help achieve a perfectly clear liquid soap immediately. The process will take 3-4 hours, and you will want to check on it and stir it up every half an hour or so.
As you cook the mixture, it will begin to thicken up and become more translucent.
To check for “doneness,” we will look to see if our paste is dissolving into a completely clear liquid soap. To do this, take a small amount of the soap paste and dissolve it in water, and look to see if the water is clear once the soap paste is dissolved.
If the liquid is cloudy, you should continue to cook the soap in the slow cooker. Let it cook another half an hour before checking on it again. If it dissolves clear like the soap in my picture, you are finished making the soap paste.
Note: If you aren’t using distilled water, the soap paste may stay cloudy no matter how long you cook it! (For more reasons your soap paste may be cloudy, read my post about troubleshooting liquid soap problems.
How to dilute the soap paste
Once you have made your soap paste, you’ll need to dilute it to obtain a liquid Castile soap.
To dilute a soap paste you can:
- Let it dissolve by itself into water over the course of several hours (or overnight).
- Speed up the process by warming the water and soap paste over the stove or other heat source (like the slow cooker).
For clear soap, use distilled water. That will also help ensure the water is free of contaminants and the soap will keep as long as possible. By choosing distilled water, not only are you keeping the possibility of microbial contamination to a minimum, but you are also ensuring that minerals and other substances in your tap water won’t cloud your soap.
If you are making small batches that are going to be used relatively quickly (and aren’t concerned about clearness), you can probably get away with tap water without any issues. I still recommend using distilled water when possible.
Read more about how to dilute a soap paste here.
Customizing your liquid soap
How else can you personalize your soap?
Adding fragrances
Unlike with bar soap, you can add in additives like essential oils after the fact. So, you don’t have to divide your batch at trace and work quickly to make soaps with a variety of fragrances. Instead, you can make a large batch of concentrated liquid soap paste base. The soap paste can be stored away and keeps well for a very long time. (I’ve successfully stored soap pastes for several years without issues.)
You can then add in the essential oils or fragrance oils as you dilute the soap paste. This gives you the freedom, even months after making the soap, to play with fun combinations.
At the time of dilution, I mix the soap paste with distilled water and then I add essential oils to give my soap a personalized fragrance.
Does it need a preservative?
Whether or not liquid soap needs a preservative is a controversial subject. Personally, I don’t use one as the pH of soap is high enough that it’s not a favorable environment for the growth of most of the microbes that we’re trying to avoid.
If I were going to sell a liquid soap, though, I’d do proper microbial testing of the liquid soap to see if a preservative was needed or not. Most natural preservatives on the market aren’t effective at the high pH of soap anyway. (Euxyl® K 900 is an exception and would be a great preservative to consider for using in soap.)
For more liquid soap FAQ’s, read my post How to Make a Liquid Soap: Start Here.
Video
Easy liquid castile soap (made from scratch with olive oil)
Materials
Instructions
- Measure out the olive oil and add it to the slow cooker on low heat.
Make the lye solution
- Weigh out the glycerine, water, and potassium hydroxide (KOH).
- Mix the water and glycerin.
- Carefully add the KOH to the water and glycerin mixture. (Not the other way around!) Do this step in a well ventilated area.
- Stir the KOH into the water until it dissolves. It will be cloudy at first, but then it will clear up.
Make the soap paste
- Slowly add in the the KOH mixture to the warm olive oil, and gently stir them together in the slow cooker.
- Once they are mixed together well, use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients together. In a few minutes the mixture will begin to thicken and look like mayonnaise. It will later look like a creamy pudding.
- The mixture will go through stages, from creamy to grainy and back to smooth.
- As you continue to blend, it will start to get creamy again. Once you reach this point, you can stop blending with the hand held blender and can leave the soap paste cooking covered in the slow cooker.
Cook the soap paste
- As you cook the soap, it will continue to thicken and will become more translucent. To achieve a clear liquid soap we'll need to cook the soap paste for 3-4 hours. During that time, check on it and stir it up every half an hour or so.
Check for doneness
- To check for "doneness," we will look to see if the soap paste dissolves clear. To do this, take a small amount of the soap paste and dissolve it in distilled water. If the resulting soap is clear, the soap is finished cooking. If it's cloudy, continue to cook the soap paste for another half an hour before checking on it again.
Dilute the soap
- To make a liquid Castile soap, dissolve some of the paste in distilled water. I ususally use a ratio of one part soap paste to 2-3 parts distilled water. Let it sit until dissolved, or gently heat to speed it up.
Notes
- A slow cooker is perfect for this because it gently heats without burning and keeps everything at a steady temperature. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can bake the paste in the oven or cook it in a double boiler.
- Take breaks while blending so you don’t burn out the motor of your immersion blender. If your blender gets too hot, you can pause and let it cook before continuing.
- If the mixture becomes too thick to blend at any point, switch to mixing with a wooden spoon.
- If you’ve cooked it for more than 3–4 hours and it still isn’t clear, there may be other issues. Tap water can cause cloudiness. For other possibilities, see my post on troubleshooting liquid soaps.
- This recipe makes about 4.5–5 pounds of soap paste, which can be diluted to 10–20 pounds of liquid soap or more, depending on how concentrated you want it. That’s roughly 1–2 gallons or more.
- Keep in mind that liquid soap is not as thick as commercial gels or surfactants. It has a thinner consistency and doesn’t need to be thick to be concentrated and work well.
- Undiluted soap paste can be stored in glass or plastic containers in a cool, dry place for more than a year. I’ve had some last for several years without any problems. It may eventually develop a slightly rancid smell, but can still be used for general cleaning.
DIY liquid body soap recipe:
If you would like to combine this soap with a liquid coconut oil soap to obtain a bit more lather and a squeaky clean feeling, try using this ratio:
60-70% liquid Castile soap (made with only olive oil)
30-40% liquid coconut oil soap (for bubbly lather, link goes to the recipe post)
Essential oils of choice.
Mix all of the ingredients together, and keep a bottle in the shower to use instead of shower gel.
Add essential oils for fragrance. Lavender essential oil gives a lovely herbal scent. I also like citrus blends using lemon and bergamot.
What are your favorites?
This post was originally published on June 29, 2016. It was rewritten and republished in June of 2021, adding new information, more photos, and video.
In making your body wash, could a use part honey and part liquid coconut oil?
Hi Mary,
Honestly, I normally avoid adding honey to any homemade cosmetics (other than things that are going to be used immediately, like a facial mask).
While honey is self-preserving on its own, once it is added to other products, it can make them much more difficult to preserve and can contribute to microbial growth.
Soap on its own is also self-preserving because of its high pH. I personally don’t think you should add too many things to soap, unless you are going to mix a tiny amount for immediate use.
You can superfat with a bit of oil, but know that it will most likely make your soap cloudy and will cut down on its cleansing abilities slightly.
If you find liquid soap to be too harsh, you could try making a body wash with mild surfactants instead.
(I can put a recipe up on the blog soon, but it follows the ideas in the micellar water and the shampoo recipes.)
Hi Tracy!
Thank you for the recipe, I’ve been thinking about making liquid soap for a while and will definitely try this one.
I just wanted to know if I could use pomace instead of pure olive oil or if the end result might be impacted.
Thanks!
Sandrine
Hi Sandrine,
While you can use just about any olive oil, pomace is actually listed differently on the lye calculators and uses a different amount of lye.
I’ve personally never tried using it, so I’m not sure how it works. You’d have to adjust the recipe to use it, though.
I have used all different grades of olive oil, though- from “light” to “extra virgin.”
Living in Spain, I have access to inexpensive, high-quality olive oil. I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen pomace here. 😉
Hi Tracy,
Just wanted to let you and your readers know that I tried with pomace and it works just fine! You just have to run the calculation through SoapCalc to be sure about the weight.
So for people unfortunate enough to leave in a country where olive oil isn’t really cheap, this can be a solution.
Best,
Sandrine
Great to know!
Thanks, Sandrine.
Did you have to change the weight a lot?
I usually use SBM crafters advanced lye calculator when formulating liquid soap recipes because it’s said to be the most accurate. (Just a tip!)
I do use soapcalc a lot for bar soaps. 😉
Hi Tracy,
I am an absolute beginner at making soap and I have been struggling to make the liquid soap for three days now. The first day I cooked it for 4 hours and it turned very hard and impossible to mix. The second day I added a bit of water and it became more manageable. After four more hours of cooking it got yellow and translucent like amber, but when I dissolved a bit in water it was cloudy. Today I cooked it for four more hours but it still isn`t transparent when I dissolve it in water.
Is it essential for it to be clear and transparent? I have to say that I used about 700ml olive oil, but then added 100gr soy oil and 100gr pumpkin oil because they were getting old and I didn`t want to throw them away.
Best regards,
Beba
Hi Beba,
No, it’s not essential for a liquid soap to be clear and transparent. It’s more of an aesthetic issue.
That said, your problem is probably because of the added oils.
Soap recipes are very precise. I calculated the exact amount of lye for the exact amount of oil I chose. If you add more oils, you are superfatting the recipe and making for a cloudy soap that will be less cleansing, but likely more “conditioning”. If you switch out oils, sometimes it will be OK, sometimes not. Each oil has a different lye requirement. That’s why lye calculators are available online to help calculate how much lye to use for the oils you choose.
On top of that, I’ve found that adding oils other than coconut oil and/or olive oil to a liquid soap, even if used in the correct quantities, can make for a cloudier soap. I found that when I made the first version of my Dr. Bronner’s copycat recipe. I have decided that the addition of other oils isn’t really worth it. It doesn’t appear to improve the quality of the soap and only makes it cloudier.
Hi Tracy,
I am an absolute beginner at making soap and I have been struggling to make the liquid soap for three days now. The first day I cooked it for 4 hours and it turned very hard and impossible to mix. The second day I added a bit of water and it became more manageable. After four more hours of cooking it got yellow and translucent like amber, but when I dissolved a bit in water it was cloudy. Today I cooked it for four more hours but it still isn`t transparent when I dissolve it in water.
Is it essential for it to be clear and transparent? I have to say that I used about 700ml olive oil, but then added 100gr soy oil and 100gr pumpkin oil because they were getting old and I didn`t want to throw them away.
Best regards,
Beba
Hi Beba,
Soap recipes are very precise. The liquid soap recipes I’ve posted are even more precise because I have calculated them to be exact. Many online liquid soaps are made to have a lye excess (too much lye) to make sure that the soap comes out completely transparent. You then have to “neutralize” those soaps. To avoid the hassle, I have calculated my soap to be exact. While there isn’t a superfatting (extra oils) in my liquid soaps, I have tested them all to work out as written. They are gentle and transparent when made as written.
The second you change the recipe, it’s very unexpected what will happen. I have posted many types of liquid soap by now. I found that even when calculated correctly, adding oils like argan and jojoba oil made for soaps that separated with a cloudy layer. While the soaps still work, they aren’t as pretty.
I’ve never worked with soy oil nor pumpkin oil in liquid soap, so I don’t know what type of soap they make.
Another thing to keep in mind, is that you can’t just switch out the oils used in a soap recipe like you can with a food recipe. Each type of fat has a different saponification value. That means that you will need more or less lye to convert the same amount of different fats. Any time you make a change in fat/oil to a soap recipe, you’ll need to run the changes through a lye calculator to make sure you are using the right amount of lye.
Hi Tracy!
Thanks for sharing such great info and recipes! I am looking for a liquid soap recipe to use as an ingredient in making shampoo. Do you think the coconut oil soap would be best for that? Or do you think either will work? I’m a soap maker so I definitely understand the difference it makes in cold process soap, but it sounds like it doesn’t make as much difference in liquid soap. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! And I’m super excited to try your liquid soap recipe for at home use. It sounds so nice!
Hi Tara,
I’m kind of the wrong person to ask about that as I don’t feel like the pH of any soap is really adequate for haircare.
I have tried it, in many different ways, and it ends up eventually damaging my hair and making it feel like straw.
I have since developed surfactant-based shampoos on the blog- if you read those articles, you will also find my thoughts on why not to soap. 😉
Here’s my clarifying shampoo and my shampoo bar.
Hi,
Firstly thanks for the recipe. I think I may have over cooked mine as it too a long time to change to translucent and then I forgot about it…….
The paste I have is dissolving, however the resulting liquid is cloudy…
Do you have any thoughts or ideas?
Kind regards
Pippi
Hi Pippi,
Normally problems with cloudiness tend to resolve themselves with time. (Even when they don’t, it shouldn’t affect the use of the soap.)
If you dissolve the paste, try to let it settle for a couple of days. Normally it will clear up.
Hello tracy,
Can u plz tell me is that ok that the ph of my soap after diluting is 7.is it ok to use???
Thankx
Hi Aureen,
That’s very unusual, and I’m not sure what to say. Soap should never have a pH that low. Not only should it theoretically break down at that pH, but it also leaves it open to microbial growth without a preservative.
Is your soap cloudy? Is it behaving like soap? Maybe there is a problem with your pH strips, meter, etc.?
Hello Tracy
Am very happy to be at your blog.
God bless you for sharing. Thanks be to God with your recipes I will make my own soap.
Thanks so much, Edith! 🙂
Hi Tracy,
I love your website! This is my first attempt at making home-made soap, and it doesn’t seem to be turning out right. The mixture wasn’t thickening very fast and took longer than I expected to finally thicken up. But then it suddenly turned into a solid brick. I used a fork and potato smasher to try to keep mixing and stirring, and now I’m just letting it sit in the crock-pot on warm, trying to mix it up every half hour. I did use KOH. But after reading some other comments, I think I’ve added too much glycerin. Novice mistake, but I didn’t realize fl. oz isn’t the same thing as weight oz. I bought two 4 fl. oz. bottles of glycerin. I was measuring the weight when I added it to the water, but I got distracted and the digital scale turned off. So, I just poured all 8 fl. oz. in assuming it was the right amount anyway. So, now I’m not sure what this means…what does too much glycerin do to the final outcome? I have no idea how much extra glycerin I’ve added, probably a couple ounces. Any suggestions? Thank you!!!
Hi Jana,
I don’t think the amount of glycerin should be a problem. I use glycerin as part of the water because it helps move the process along more quickly and (theoretically) makes the process more fool proof. 😉 It also makes for a soap paste that more easily is diluted in water. I suspect it makes it more conditioning and less harsh too. The glycerine amount doesn’t have to be super precise, though.
It’s also not unusual for the soap to very quickly go from almost liquid to very hard almost immediately. That part doesn’t sound off.
Is there anything else that makes you think that there is a problem with your soap paste? I’d just continue and go with what you have!
Yep, you’re right! Ultimately it turned out fine. I think I caused myself extra work, but after a few hours of heating and stirring/smashing the chunks it eventually turned back into a thick, fairly smooth paste. Thanks so much for your expertise!
Hi! Thanks for sharing! Why do you use hemp, coconut and jojoba oils while teaching in the video, but the recipe contains only olive oil? Thanks!! <3
Hi Mariana,
I have several recipes for liquid soap up on the blog. When I published this post, I didn’t make video. I wasn’t making videos very often back then, and I’m now slowly but surely going through old posts adding videos and new information to help people out.
Anyway, in this case, I did make video for my newer liquid soap recipe, so I decided to show the general process of making liquid soap here by showing how I made my Dr. Bronner’s copycat liquid Soap.
Until I make a video for this particular soap, I figure seeing the general process is still better than nothing for those who want that sort of a visual guide.
I have to admit that these days I almost always make the coconut oil-based liquid soap. It’s the cheapest to make and probably my favorite.
Greetings, thank you so much for this recipe as well as all of your helpful replies to the comments (over 300, wow!)
I looked to see if my question was posted and answered and could not find it. I apologize if I am repeating it.
Question: how do I fix a soap that is cloudy when used? My liquid soap is clear, and diluted, and neutralized. It seems fine until I use it. Once I use it the soap it becomes cloudy while rinsing under the tap. I have used it for my laundry, dishes, and my body and it cleans well, does not leave any residue, and rinses off well. Yet the optics of it has me wondering if there is a way to remove this cloudiness?
Thank you in advance,
Christine
Hi Christine,
Sorry I missed your comment the first time through. (Yes, I get a lot of them and sometimes some of them slip through with the spam!)
I’m not really sure about that. Isn’t the cloudiness you’re describing just part of the lather? I guess I’d have to see it to understand it better.
Hi!
I tried this for the first time today and have a solid chunky mixture that I can barely stir. I definitely used KOH and am wondering if I just leave it in the crock pot for 3-4 hours and hope it softens or if I just start over. As I read through other posts I couldn’t see an exact solution to my problem or why it would go like that.
Hi Jane,
I’d try to continue cooking and just try to stir it as best as you can with a wooden spoon or something solid enough to try to move it.
I have that happen with the coconut oil liquid soap. It doesn’t normally happen with my olive oil based one, but who knows why it behaves differently for some people. Perhaps it’s differences in the oil, climate, slow cooker, etc., etc.
In the end, it ends up working out by itself for most people who are worried about it.
If you’re still having issues in a few hours, feel free to send pics to [email protected].
I’m about to go to bed here in Spain, but I can try to help tomorrow if need be.
Don’t throw it out!
In most cases it will work itself out!
Hi! I love this receipe. I’ve started to make all my household cleaners and have been using Dr. Bronner’s, bit it’s so expensive! So I’m greatfull! Maybe I missed it in the reading… I struggle sometimes. But the printed receipe only is for with olive oil. To do coconut oil is it a 1 to 1 substitution?
Hi Sarah,
Thank you!
No! You’ll need to check out the other recipes and make one depending on which one you prefer. The lye amounts can vary from oil to oil. 😉
Since writing this years ago, I find myself now almost always making the coconut oil liquid soap.
If you want one that is mixed with coconut oil and olive oil, I also have this option for a Dr. Bronner’s Copycat.
In the end, though, the cheapest to make is the coconut oil one and it’s the one I like the best. They are all very similar, though. I don’t notice much of a difference in the liquid soaps, which really surprised me because bar soaps using olive oil ore nothing like those that use coconut oil!