Olive oil is renowned for its incredible health benefits, which do not just end in cooking. Even in ancient times, olive oil has been used to create soap. It is a clean and all-natural product that moisturizes the skin, removes makeup without irritating the skin, and even helps relieve eczema and other skin conditions.
Packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, olive oil soap is perfect for all skin types including those with the most sensitive skin.
There is a heap of soaps being sold in the market today that contain chemicals and unwanted ingredients. Going for an all-natural solution is the best decision you can make for your skin and your overall health.
Above all, it is sustainable, cruelty-free and ethically made as there are no synthetic detergents and fragrances. Plus, you can produce as much as you want at a fraction of the usual cost of soaps.
If you’ve been thinking about buying some natural soap bars to add to your skincare regimen, we’d like you to consider creating your own olive oil soap. Of course, it would take a lot of research and trial-and-error along the way, but to help you get ahead, we have listed down the different ways of making one.
Cold Process Method
Cold process soap made with olive oil also known as “Castile” soap. It originated in the Castile region of Spain as early as 1567 and also in the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Middle East, where olive oil has been used as a staple ingredient for centuries, and is also considered a miracle beauty product.
Creating olive oil soap or Castile soap usually requires up to six-eight weeks curing/drying time before it can be used.
For cold process olive oil soap, you need a mold (design of your choice), measuring cups, kitchen scale, a stick blender, and safety gear such as eye protection and gloves, or long sleeves as added protection from lye, and finally your choice of ingredients: plant oils and essential oils. The process involves heating the oils in low temperature, just enough for them to melt. Then mixing the melted olive oils with lye (Sodium Hydroxide) in distilled water. After mixing, the saponification process begins and it takes 24-48 hrs in the mold before the soaps can be removed from the mold, and are cut, stamped and let dry for up to 6-8 weeks.
Our Essential Cool Soaps are made using the cold process olive oil method. The soaps produced are absolutely premium: they are very good at cleaning as well as moisturizing the skin since the oils have not been cooked, which means they have retained all their beneficial properties. You can find them here.
Hot Process Method
If you want to shorten the soap hardening time frame and be able to use your soap in a day or two, then the hot process method is ideal for you.
Not only will it speed up the saponification process and the curing time, it will also give you the chance to customize every single oil in it. You can use a Crock-pot or a double broiler. Considered to be a more “natural” bar of soap by many, this process is also less prone to colorant morphing, which usually happens in the cold process method. Plus, it is easier to clean the pot used… since there is soap in it. Cleaning up after this process is a piece of cake!
What do you need for making soaps with this process?
You need a Crack-pot, glass or pyrex measuring cups or bowls, a digital kitchen scale, a stick blender, soap mold, and safety gear such as eye protection, gloves, or long sleeves as added protection from lye.
The process differs from the cold process in that the oils and the lye are heated so that the saponification process is complete in a couple of hours instead of 48 hours, and the drying time is no more than 24-48 hours.
The soaps produced with this method are great cleaners and moisturizers. Our Elements Series and our Mood of the day Series are made using this process.You can find them here and here
Melt & Pour Method
This method is great for beginners. It is quick, easy, inexpensive, and fail-proof. You can even do it with the whole family, the kids, and your friends. Extra virgin olive oil is also ideal for this project.
You just have to melt the pre-made soap base, customize it to your liking, add a natural scent and/ or colour, and pour it into a mold. Easy as 1-2-3!
Unlike the cold process where you have to do the saponification process, the melt and pour process has already gone through that and all you need to focus on is the design such as layers and swirls and the scent that you’d like to add.
In this method, the soap base made of glycerin is specifically designed for melting and reshaping. You can make one from scratch using olive oil but there are also readily available olive oil melt-and-pour soaps out there for easier customization.