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–+ servings
a bottle of clear liquid soap made with coconut oil
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Homemade liquid coconut oil soap

This homemade liquid coconut oil soap is simple to make, very inexpensive, and incredibly versatile. It produces a rich, bubbly lather and works well for everything from handwashing to general cleaning.
Course DIY products, Soaps
Keyword coconut oil liquid soap, coconut oil soap, liquid soaps
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 5 lbs. soap paste
Author Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

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Instructions

Making the soap paste

  • Melt the coconut oil. You can do this in a slow cooker or in a large bowl.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the water and glycerin. In a separate, smaller bowl, weigh out the potassium hydroxide (KOH).
  • Carefully pour the KOH into the water and glycerin mixture (not the other way around). Stir until fully dissolved. It will heat up and go from cloudy to clear.
  • Pour the lye solution into the warm coconut oil and begin mixing.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture. It will begin to thicken and may go through a grainy stage. Keep blending until it becomes smooth again and then thickens into a paste.
  • Once the mixture reaches a thick, putty-like consistency, stop blending.

Cooking the soap paste

  • Cook the soap paste to help finish saponification. If using a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for several hours. If using an oven, spread it on a baking sheet and bake at about 70ºC/160ºF
  • Stir or flip the paste every 30 minutes or so to help it cook evenly.
  • The paste is ready when a small amount dissolves into clear soap in distilled water.

Dissolving the liquid soap paste

  • To make liquid soap, dissolve the paste in water. Start with about 1 part soap paste to 1–3 parts water and adjust as needed.
  • Let it sit to dissolve, or use gentle heat and stirring to speed up the process.

Video

Notes

Yield: Makes about 5 lbs of soap paste (enough for approximately 1–2 gallons of liquid soap, depending on how much you dilute it)
Liquid soap is naturally thinner than commercial gels. It doesn’t need to be thick to be concentrated or effective.
For the clearest results, use distilled or purified water.
You can store the soap as a paste and dilute small amounts as needed. The paste keeps for a very long time.
Cloudiness is usually cosmetic and doesn’t affect how well the soap works.
For more troubleshooting help check my post about troubleshooting liquid soap.