Honey & Beeswax Soap (Cold Process)
Recipe Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients together and arrange them on the table in the order in which appear in the recipe.
- Always make the lye solution first, as it requires cooling time. Measure the lye into a disposable paper bowl and set aside.
- Measure out 5 oz of distilled water (or milk) and pour into the lye-safe container. Place the container on heat resistant surface and add the dry lye crystals to the water. Stir until all the lye is completely dissolved. Set the lye mixture aside to cool.
- In a microwave-safe container, add the honey to the remaining 4 oz of water and stir to incorporate. Microwave for a couple of seconds at a time until the honey is completely dissolved. Set aside.
- Prepare the mold, lining with freezer paper with the shiny side face up.
- Heat all of the solid oils and beeswax in a microwave-safe container in the microwave. Once melted, pour the melted solid oils into the mixing container and add the liquid oils, stirring well to ensure it is all mixed.
- Check the temperature of both the lye and the oils. To keep the beeswax from hardening, the ideal temperature of the oils will need to be around 120F. The goal is to have the lye right around that temperature as well.
- Add the reserved honey water to the lye water. It will probably turn colors; mine usually turns some sort of pinkish hue. That's normal.
- Pour the lye water into the oils and mix with the immersion blender. Once it is emulsified, but not yet at trace, add the fragrance if desired. Keep mixing until it gets to "trace". For this soap, I recommend mixing until it is a light to medium trace. Once trace is achieved, work quickly to get the soap into the mold, as it may solidify quickly.
- Pour the soap batter into the prepared mold, taking care to scrape all of the soap residue out of the pot. Tap the soap mold on the counter a couple of times to remove any air pockets. Smooth out the top and cover the mold with a piece of cardboard to hold in some of the heat.
- After about twenty-four hours, the soap should be cool, relatively hard, and ready to unmold and slice. If it still seems a bit soft, leave it in the mold and check it again after another day or so. Once the soap seems hard enough, cut it into individual bars. Place the cut bars on freezer paper with space between them and set aside for about a month to dry and cure, rotating them occasionally so that all sides dry evenly.
Note: When using honey, beeswax, or any kind of milk, these ingredients can cause the soap to get hotter than normal and it may not be necessary to cover the mold.
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Soap Properties
Highlighted gray ranges represent recommended ranges for each property.
100
80
60
40
20
0
INS: 156.76 (ideal)
iodine: 55.94 (ideal)
Calculated Values for Oils and Preferences
| Superfat % | 5% |
| Saturated | 12.35 Ounce(s) |
| Mono-Unsaturated | 15.15 Ounce(s) |
| Poly-Unsaturated | 3.03 Ounce(s) |
| Saturated:Unsaturated Ratio | 59.56:40.44 |
| Lye concentration | 100% |
| Weight Unit | Ounce(s) |
| Soap type | solid |
Fatty Acid Profile
| Oleic | 44.11% |
| Linoleic | 8.64% |
| Linolenic | 0.97% |
| Ricinoleic | 3.91% |
| Lauric | 14.61% |
| Myristic | 5.94% |
| Palmitic | 15.51% |
| Stearic | 3.08% |
Recommended Additive Amounts
Swipe on table to see all values
For Advanced Soapmakers
| Sodium Lactate (60%)
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| Recommended Essential/Fragrance Oil | 1.38 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Ascorbic Acid
| 0.32 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Extra Lye to Neutralize Ascorbic Acid for A.A. | NaOH: 0.06 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Lactic Acid
| 0.24 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Extra Lye to Neutralize Lactic Acid for L.A. | NaOH: 0.14 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Tetrasodium EDTA
| 0.24 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Sodium Citrate
| 0.41 - 1.23 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Potassium Citrate
| 0.50 - 1.51 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Rosemary Oleoresin (ROE)
| 0.13 - 0.16 Ounce(s) | ||||||
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Citric Acid Powder (anhydrous) |
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Extra Lye to Neutralize Citric Acid Powder for C.A. |
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