Organic Soap Making Supplies and Materials

In any soap making activity like organic soap making, the first thing you need to know before you start making your soap is what supplies or ingredients you need to have on hand. The supplies you will need to prepare will depend on the type of soap you are going to make. For making organic soap, you will need to prepare the following supplies: 

Soap Base. A soap base makes soap making fast and easy. It is very handy and is usually used in the melt and pour process of soap making.   Just like raw soap, a soap base contains essential oils, oil fragrances and colorants. Soap bases come in different varieties such as glycerine, castile, goat milk, shea butter, cocoa butter and specialty bases like olive oil, honey and oatmeal. Soap bases also come in two forms: soap base bars and shredded soap base. 

Lye. Lye is also known as Caustic Soda. It is used in cold process soap making where water and lard or fats are added to it. Lye comes in solid dry form such as flakes, pellets, powder, beads and in solution form and dissolved in water. Lye is a corrosive chemical and can cause burns and injury to the skin and blindness if it reaches the eyes.

Carrier Oil. Carrier oil is also known as vegetable oil or base oil. It is used to dilute the essential oils and help these oils to get into the skin. Most carrier oils come from pressed vegetables, fruit seeds or nuts such as olive oil, grape seed oil, sunflower seed, avocado, canola (rapeseed), sesame, jojoba, sweet almond, pecan, walnut and macadamia.

Essential Oils or Fragrance. Essential oils are also known as volatile or ethereal oils. They are extracted from plants and are extracted for their aroma or fragrance. They are used in combination with carrier oils to add fragrance to your organic soaps. Essential oils are extracted from various parts of plants: 

·         Seeds - almond, anise, cumin, nutmeg

·         Flowers  - lavender, rose, ylang-ylang, chamomile, sage, geranium

·         Leaves - basil, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemon grass, peppermint

·         Peel - orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit

·         Wood - cedar, sandalwood, camphor 

Natural Ingredients. Natural ingredients are extracts or ingredients added to a soap base mixture to give the soap a unique and distinctive characteristic. There are several varieties of natural ingredients that can be used in soaps for different purposes as: 

Exfoliants - oatmeal, poppy seeds, sugar, salt, corn meal
Cleansing - grapefruit seed extract, milk
Relaxant - honey, lavender, rosemary
Moisturizer - shea butter, wheat germ, aloe vera, cocoa butter 


Molds. Molds are the containers wherein the soap mixture is poured on and left to harden and take shape. Soap molds come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. There are also novelty soaps for special occasions and you can have molds customized for specific needs.

Colorants.  Colorants are used to give color to your soap. Food coloring can be used as colorant.  Pigments and micas come in different colors. There are also earth tone metallic micas and glitters that can make add intensity to your soap and make it visually attractive.

Equipments. Equipments such as stainless steel pots or pans, double boiler pans, mixing bowls, miller or blender, and a stove or microwave are some of the equipments you will need in making your organic soap.

Utensils and safety equipments. You will also need goggles and rubber gloves for safely handling the hazardous substances such as lye. A weighing scale to measure your ingredients, plastic or stainless steel spoons for mixing, thermometer, pitcher, aprons and pot holders. 

The above enumerated supplies are also basic requirements for making natural, herbal soaps and other kinds of soap.

Do you want to learn more about organic soap making and the supplies and materials you need for this project? For more organic soap making tips and recipes, click on the links here.