Making your own homemade liquid coconut oil soap is simple, thrifty, and very rewarding. Coconut oil soap provides lots of lather and cleaning power for all-purpose cleaning.
When I first made this soap, I had a great idea. I made a pure liquid Castile soap (made with only olive oil) and this liquid soap made with only coconut oil. My idea was that I would combine them, as needed, for different purposes around the house.
Oils in soapmaking
I had my reasons. Each oil in soap making brings different properties to soap (different from the properties they’d bring to a homemade lotion, for example). In a bar soap, there is a HUGE difference between a pure Castile soap made with only olive oil and soap made with only coconut oil.
Soaps made with olive oil are more conditioning. Olive oil is great for soaps meant for the face and body for that reason. On the other hand, soaps made with only olive oil don’t make much lather and they aren’t as “cleansing” as soaps made with coconut oil. Some people find them “slimy.”
Soaps made with coconut oil are cleansing and they provide a nice bubbly lather, but they can be drying to the skin when used alone.
Most people prefer using a soap with a combination. They want a soap that isn’t too drying, but that has some lather and cleansing ability. That’s why I used a combination of the two oils in my easy beginner soap recipe. I wanted a conditioning soap that provided some lather. If you haven’t tried making soap yet, you may want to begin with that recipe to get your confidence up before moving on to liquid soaps.
Read my post about the best oils in soap making for more information.
Oils in liquid soap making
Now that I’ve made these liquid soaps several times now, I have to admit that I don’t notice as much of a difference between the liquid soap made with olive oil and this liquid soap as I thought I would. In fact, I generally make this soap most often.
The biggest differences are cosmetic. This soap is much lighter in color while the liquid Castile soap is more golden in color. They also have a different scent. (If you add essential oils or fragrance oils when you dilute your liquid soap, though, you probably won’t notice a difference.)
I’ve found that both of these soaps provide a lot of lather. This one makes a slightly more abundant and bubbly lather. Neither one is excessively drying, although the one made with olive oil is slightly more conditioning.
My husband prefers my homemade liquid soaps for use in the shower to gels made with other surfactants because he likes the amount of lather they provide. (Yes, even the one made with only olive oil provides a lot of lather.)
Refined coconut oil, sold for soap making, generally is very inexpensive, so I like using it to make soap. I haven’t noticed a difference when using refined coconut oil vs. virgin coconut oil (which I used to use before I could find the more inexpensive coconut oil locally). (I used to make soap with olive oil more often because here in Spain it was the least expensive oil.)
Those with coconut allergies will be happy to learn that pure Castile liquid soap is also a great multi-purpose soap.
Why Make this soap?
Making your own liquid soap makes a lot of sense financially. It’s a bit intimidating, but once you’ve successfully made it, you’ll see it’s not that difficult. Liquid Castile soap is surprisingly expensive. Not only can you save a lot of money by making it yourself, but you are able to control which ingredients you use. This is especially helpful for people with allergies and skin sensitivities.
It’s also more sustainable. You can keep using the same containers and dispensers over and over again, meaning much less waste! One big batch of soap will keep for a very long time.
Before making this soap, you may want to read my post about how to make a liquid soap with general information about the process. It may also help you choose which soap you’d like to make.
Ingredients
This recipe uses only a few simple ingredients.
Coconut oil
Obviously, you will need coconut oil. You can use refined coconut oil or virgin coconut oil. It doesn’t really matter which you choose. Avoid using fractionated coconut oils or coconut oils that have been modified to melt at a different temperature. (If you want to use them, you’d have to run the recipe through a lye calculator and adjust the amount of lye used. Read more about using a lye calculator here.)
Lye (KOH)
Apart from the coconut oil, you will also need lye. In the case of liquid soap, you will need a different type of lye than the one used in bar soaps. For liquid soap, we will be using KOH, potassium hydroxide. (Bar soaps use NaOH, sodium hydroxide). All true soaps use lye. (For more information about lye and why it is needed in soap, read my post about why soap needs lye.)
Do not use NaOH, sodium hydroxide, to try to make liquid soap!
Glycerin
I use glycerin when making liquid soap for several reasons. Glycerin is normally a by-product of the soap making process. Adding more glycerin makes the process of liquid soap making easier and more fool-proof.
Not only is it said to move the process along more quickly, making the process quicker and easier, it also has other advantages. Soap pastes made with glycerin tend to be easier to dilute in water. They also may be more transparent and conditioning to the skin. (Glycerin is a humectant which can draw moisture into your skin.)
If you don’t want to use glycerin, you can just sub it out for more water. Just know that it may take longer to make and your resulting soap may be slightly different from mine.
Water
We’ll also be using water in our lye solution. I recommend using distilled water to avoid adding impurities and minerals that could result in a cloudy soap.
Procedure
Making liquid soap is very similar to making bar soap. Most people hot process their liquid soap, though. That means that they will cook it in some way or another to help finish the process of saponification. (Someday I will write about my experiments in trying to cold process liquid soap.)
In the past, I have recommended making this soap in a slow cooker. Over the years, though, I’ve had many questions about how to make this if you don’t have one. I made my last batch of this soap in the oven, and it worked quite well and was very easy to do too.
So, if you are using a slow cooker, you can add the weighed out coconut oil to the slow cooker and allow it to melt in there. If not, I’d suggest melting the coconut oil in a large bowl.
Making the lye solution
In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix together the water and glycerin. In a separate smaller bowl, weigh out the potassium hydroxide (KOH).
Pour the KOH into the water and glycerine mixture. Mix them together until the KOH is fully dissolved into the water and glycerine mixture. It will be cloudy at first but will clear up. It will also get very warm.
Making the soap paste
Carefully pour the KOH mixture into the warm coconut oil, and slowly mix them together. This can either be done right in the slow cooker crock or in a large bowl.
Using an immersions blender, blend the ingredients together. The mixture will begin to thicken after a few minutes. A couple of minutes later, the mixture will probably begin to look grainy. Continue to blend. (You can take breaks to give your blender time to rest. This helps prevent burning out the motor.)
Soon after the mixture gets smooth again, it will start to thicken. At that point, you may want to remove the immersion blender as the mixture turns into a paste pretty suddenly. (You don’t want to burn out the motor of the blender or get it stuck in the soap paste.)
Pour the oil into the lye solution. Hand mix at first. Blend with an immersion blender. It will get opaque and creamy. It may go through a grainy phase. Further blending makes it smooth. The thick soap paste.
Cooking the soap paste
Once the paste has formed, it should be cooked to help finish the saponification process and make a translucent soap. (I’ve tried skipping this step and the paste stayed opaque and the finish soap was on the cloudy side. Even cooking for a short time, though, was enough to get the paste to the point where it could finish the process on its own, with time.)
Cooking in the slow cooker is the best option, if you have one. If you’re using a slow cooker, cover the soap and cook it on low for several hours.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, the paste can be spread out on a baking sheet and baked in the oven at around 70ºC/160ºF. (Ideally, cover the soap paste so that it doesn’t dry out too much.)
I tried cooking my last batch in the oven and my soap paste didn’t get as translucent as it does in the slow cooker. Perhaps, it would have had I cooked it longer and covered it. It may have also helped to increase the temperature slightly. In any case, the saponification process did complete and the soap is safe to use, but it was slightly cloudier than the soap I make in the slow cooker. (See my video!) I’ve found that soap pastes that haven’t gone fully translucent generally improve with time.
Every half hour or so, try to mix the soap paste as best you can. You can flip it over to expose different parts of the soap paste to cook the paste evenly. As it cooks, the mixture will become more translucent. The process will take 3-4 hours.
Spread the paste over a baking sheet. In a slow cooker, it may bubble up on the sides. It will get more and more translucent.
Check for doneness
There are several ways to test for “doneness.”
One method is to dissolve a small amount of the paste into distilled water, checking to see if dissolves into a clear soap. If the liquid is cloudy, you can continue to cook the soap in the slow cooker for another half an hour before checking on it again. If it dissolves clear, you are finished making the soap paste.
Another method is to use the zap test.
The zap test
To check for safety of the soap, many soap makers rely on what is called the zap test. To zap test a liquid soap paste, run your wet finger over the surface of the paste and then touch your soap-covered finger to your tongue. If the soap is caustic, it gives a zapping sensation. (This has nothing to do with flavor.)
If the soap doesn’t zap (if you can’t tell, it doesn’t), then it doesn’t have any more active lye, and should be safe to use.
If the paste passes the zap test, but is still cloudy, it’s your call whether or not to continue cooking. Cloudiness is generally only a cosmetic issue and may be caused by a number of factors (including minerals in your water). Often, soap paste that isn’t translucent after cooking for a while will eventually get more translucent on its own.
(I once removed part of a soap paste before it was fully cooked to see what would happen, and after a few weeks, it looked just like the rest of the batch that had been fully cooked.)
Once ready, the soap paste can be stored or dissolved into liquid soap as needed.
Storage
To store liquid soap paste, scoop it into a covered glass or plastic container or in Ziplock type plastic bags. The soap paste can be kept in a cool, dark place for a very long time. (I’ve had soap pastes stored for years without issues.)
Avoid storing in metal containers and avoid contact with metal as certain metals can react with the soap paste and shorten its lifespan. (Don’t ask how I know that. 😏)
Diluting the soap paste
To use the soap paste, it will need to be diluted in water. I suggest using distilled water to ensure a transparent soap. You can add more or less water, depending on the desired concentration. I generally 1 part soap paste to 1-3 parts water.
For fragrance, I also often add a few drops of essential oils to my liquid soap at the time of dilution.
For more information about diluting the soap paste, read my post on diluting soap pastes.
Troubleshooting
Over the years, I’ve had many people writing me with various problems. One of the most common is that the soap isn’t transparent or that the paste doesn’t get clear no matter how long they cook it. There are several reasons that your soap may not be as transparent as you’d like.
Keep in mind that cloudy soap is generally safe to use, it just isn’t as pretty as clear soap. If your soap paste passes the zap test, it should be completely safe to use.
Temperature
Just as coconut oil turns solid and opaque in cold temperatures, so does this liquid soap, to a certain extent.
My partially diluted liquid coconut oil soap turned an opaque white and thickened up in the winter. When the weather warmed up again, the soap cleared up. This is only a cosmetic issue, but you can dilute it more in the winter than you would in the summer if you want it to be clear.
Water used
The other most common issue is having used tap water to make the soap. Tap water has minerals and can have impurities that often make the soap look either cloudy or even opalescent.
For other problems, read my post about troubleshooting liquid soap problems.
Video
Homemade Liquid Coconut Oil Soap
Makes 1-2 Gallons of soap (See notes below.)
Materials
Instructions
Making the soap paste
- Melt the coconut oil. This can be done in a slow cooker or in a large bowl.
- Mix together the water and glycerin in a large bowl. Measure out the potassium hydroxide (KOH) in a separate smaller bowl.
- Pour the KOH into the water and glycerine mixture. (Not the other way around!) Mix well until the KOH fully dissolves into the water/glycerine. It will heat up and be cloudy at first but will clear up.
- Carefully pour the KOH mixture into the warm coconut oil, and slowly mix them together. This can be done in the slow cooker or in a large bowl if you don't have a slow cooker.
- Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients together. The mixture will begin to thicken after a few minutes.
- A couple of minutes later, the mixture will probably begin to look grainy. Continue to blend it until it gets creamy again. (You can take breaks, as needed, to allow the blender to rest. This prevents burning out the motor.)
- Once the mixture thickens into a putty like paste, you can begin to cook it. This can be done in the slow cooker or on a baking sheet in the oven.
Cooking the soap paste
- Cook the soap paste in a covered slow cooker on the low heat setting. If preferred, spread it out on a baking sheet and cook it in the oven at 70ºC/160ºF. As it cooks, the paste will become more translucent. Cook the paste for around 3-4 hours, stirring it as best you can every half hour or so.
- To check for "doneness," take a small amount of the soap paste and dissolve it in distilled water. If the resulting liquid is cloudy, cook the soap for another half an hour before checking on it again. If it dissolves clear, you are finished making the soap paste. It can now be stored or dissolved into liquid soap.
Dissolving the liquid soap paste
- To make liquid soap, dissolve the paste into water. (Preferably use distilled water to get a transparent soap.) The amount of water used depends on how concentrated you want the finished soap to be. I generally use 1 part soap paste to 1-3 parts water. You can allow the soap the dissolve on its own overnight or use heat and stirring to speed up the process.
Notes
This post was originally published on October 21, 2016. It was rewritten in May of 2021, adding clearer instructions, new photos, and video.
janice
how do I make this recipe without the glycerin? I dont have any glycerin on hand and I do not want to use glycerine. would I just add the 8 oz of glycerin back to the water amounts and use 19.55 oz of water instead? I’m new to soap making and have not learned to use the soap calculator yet. I am trying to learn to use the soap calculator but it is so confusing to me lol. I just want to make a liquid soap with coconut oil, water, and potassium hydroxide.
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Janice,
Yes, you can just sub it for more water. Keep in mind that the soap will be a bit different without the glycerin. The process will take longer and may look slightly different. The soap paste without it is also generally a bit harder to dissolve and the soap may not be as conditioning. It should still give a good soap, but I wanted to give you the heads up!
Kelvin
Hi Tracy,
Thanks for sharing this soap recipe.
I just have a question about the purity of KOH. I find that there is a variety of KOH with different purity on the market, some are 92% and some claim that they are 96%, and I believe that there are more. May I know what purity of KOH your recipes use? And if in a case that the exact purity KOH is not available, how should we adjust our lye so the final product will not become too (or less) alkaline? I am having a hard time figuring out the adjustment as most lye calculators do not allow the input of KOH purity and Soap Calc only has one extra option of 90%. Your advices are much appreciated!
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Kelvin,
I think most of the differences are due to how each place calculates the humidity within the KOH. I’ve used from various suppliers and haven’t really noticed a difference in the final soap when I switch. The latest one I bought says it has a “minimum of 89,5%”. Hmmmm
I’ve always used the SBM crafters lye calculator for liquid soaps as theirs was said to account for the humidity in the KOH- although I see your point- that it may vary from place to place. (I’m not sure by how much it really varies, though, as they all look generally the same.)
I wish I could help more. I say give it a shot with what you have and see.
Rashmi Palkhivala
Thanks for your generosity in sharing your learnings, Tracy. I have experimented with solid soapmaking in the past and abandoned the enterprise after a couple of disappointing attempts. The KOH that is available in India does not state the potency – it just says 100%pure. Should I then use it in the same quantity as your recipe mentions, or are there some tweaks that may be needed?
Thanks so much again, for your informative and inspiring website.
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Rashmi,
You’ll just have to give it a try and see. It’s hard for me to know what the differences might be. If it’s pure KOH, though, I suspect it should be OK.
Ashley Boyd
Hi! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I have a big Christmas order I’m filling and was wondering if I could superfat this soap with castor oil to make it a bit more moisturizing for the hands?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Ashley,
The reason these liquid soaps aren’t superfatted is because excess oils will make them cloudy. Some people like to make hand or body “washes” of sorts by mixing in oils with liquid soaps. I’m personally not a fan of doing so because it can reduce the cleaning ability of the soap, makes it cloudy, and I’m not really sure I notice the benefit it’s supposed to have.
All of that said, I wouldn’t add the oil while actually making the soap. It will affect the outcome.
Castor oil can also be sticky.
This soap is really quite mild, in the end. I thought it would be drying because coconut oil bar soaps generally are, but in liquid soaps, I don’t really notice much of a difference between this one and the one made with 100% olive oil. I was really surprised.
I’ve been working on updating all of these posts and want to add more about those findings when I get to this one!
Tatiana
Can I make this without a slow cooker? Using the double boiler method for example? Or just directly in a stainlees steel pot?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Tatiana,
I plan on trying to bake it in the oven the next time I make this. I’ve heard that can work, but haven’t tried it myself so I can’t give tips on the process yet.
ina kokasih
i was soap making with stainless steel pot in stove (using 🔥)
the only tools that I need is thermometer gun, so I can keep it on track on the level heat approx 70C
and this liquid coconut soap recipe, doing fine with that method. thx Tracy for sharing the recipe
Tracy Ariza, DDS
You’re welcome, Ina!
Tisa
I have never made soap before so forgive me if this sounds like a “duh” type question: can you add essential oils for fragrance and f so how much?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Tisa,
Yes, of course!
I usually add some when I dilute the soap paste. (I wrote more about my process here- but do mean to update that post soon.) As long as you don’t go over 2% of the recipe by weight, you’re normally fine. I use much less than that, and just add a tiny bit going by my nose as a guide. 😉
sylvie gaudreau
hello, I would like to know what is the function of glycerin in liquid soap and can we do liquid soap without glycerin?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Sylvie,
Yes, you can make the recipe with water in place of the glycerin, but there are several reasons I add it. First, it makes the process fool proof. It makes it so that the soap making process goes faster and theoretically makes it so that the soap paste is easier to dissolve. Being a humeactant, the glycerin can also help keep the soap from being too drying.
Kirsten
Thank you so much for writing this out! I just tried this recipe and it works SPLENDIDLY ! It was so much easier than making bar soap. I used Grapeseed Oil as my only oil ingredient; it was not good for eating and just about to turn, so I wanted to make soap with it because I had 30 ounces of it. I modified the recipe with a soap calculator for the proper about of lye/water/glycerin to the Grapeseed Oil and, YES ! I HAVE SOAP that dissolves in water!
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear grapeseed oil works too. I’ve never tried it for liquid soap before. 🙂
Larissa
Hi Tracy, thank you very much for sharing your recipes, I’ll start my cosmetics pretty soon. I have two questions on this:
1) I’m wondering whether using fractionated coconut oil would work for this recipe? I want to use the soap for body and as I have eczema, it seems fractioned coconut is better than virgin coconut oil. It would probably be a bit more liquid (like your olive oil soap), but I assume it’s alright?
2) For how long can I store the soap paste? Does it last long?
Thank you very much!!
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Larissa,
If using fractionated coconut oil, the amount of lye would probably have to be adjusted because it has a different saponification value than the other coconut oils.
I personally would stick to using regular coconut oil as it is much cheaper normally, and when it comes to soap, the oils change completely anyway.
In the end, I haven’t found much of a difference in the final liquid soap made with olive oil vs. coconut oil as I thought I would. The bar soaps (Castile soap vs. coconut laundry soap) are completely different, but in the liquid soap, there isn’t much difference at all, other than the color!
I see no benefit to trying to make a liquid soap with fractionated coconut oil.
For your second question, liquid soap pastes can keep for a very long time if stored in a cool dry place. I’ve had pastes keep for over a year without any issues.
I hope that helps!
Larissa
Hi Tracy,
Great! Thank you very much for your quick reply! I love your website, thanks for sharing so many useful tips.
Larissa
James Aripin
Hi Tracy,
Love your blog. I have tried to make the soap but instead using Coconut Oil I am using Palm Kernel Oil. The problem I am having is the soap did get translucent but when I tested for clarity in the water its always cloudy. I have cooked them in the slow cooker for 8 hrs but still cloudy. Any reason why?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
In soap recipes, you can’t just switch oils without running the new recipe through a lye calculator. (More information about using a lye calculator here.)
Also, I have no idea if palm kernel oil would make a transparent liquid soap either. I’ve never tried it. Not all oils will make a transparent soap.