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I love how the glycerin soap bar leaves the skin clean, refreshed, and moisturized. This glycerin soap recipe smells wonderful, contains no chemicals, and rinses easily.
What is Glycerin?
Vegetable glycerin, often referred to simply as glycerine, or glycerol is a clear, gel-like liquid made from palm oil, soybean oil, or coconut oil. Specifically, it is the variant made from these oils.
Interesting fact, glycerin is the starting material used in making dynamite. But, don’t worry; it is entirely safe as it is, it’s even safe to eat and is used to sweeten many foods.
Glycerin is odorless and is commonly used in cosmetics, hair care, and soaps. It is also used in food and pharmaceuticals.
How to Make Glycerin Soap
Making soap can be easy, especially if you use a melt and pour soap base. However, I prefer to make soap from scratch, so I can customize it exactly how I want to, and so I know exactly what is in it.
Making glycerin soap or clear soap requires a few extra steps than making a traditional soap bar.
These steps are not hard, but a bit time-consuming as you will have to wait a couple of hours in between each step to make sure the process is done correctly.
Be sure that you plan to make glycerin soap on a day you are going to be home so you can tend to it as needed.
Glycerin Soap Recipe
It is important to use a digital scale accurate to at least the nearest tenth when making soap. You can follow my recipe below, or if you decide to change it up at all, you can use a soap calculator like this one from brambleberry to calculate the measurements.
What Do I Need to Make Homemade Glycerin Soap?
To make glycerin soap or clear soap, you will need a few extra ingredients. All soap bars require fat, lye, and water. To make clear soap like this one, you will also need alcohol, glycerin, and sugar.
With all soap bars, you have the option of adding in essential oils to change the scent, coloring or adding dried flowers.
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Homemade Glycerin Soap Ingredients
Fats and Oils
- 8 ounces coconut oil
- 4 ounces castor oil
- 2 ounces shea butter
- 2 ounces jojoba oil
Lye and Water
- 2.1 ounces lye
- 4 ounces water
Other Ingredients
- 6 ounces alcohol (like vodka or other high proof alcohol)
- 3 ounces glycerin
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 30-50 drops essential oils (optional)
What tools will I need to make homemade soap?
To make soap, you will need a few special tools:
- Immersion or stick blender
- Digital kitchen scale
- Safety goggles and gloves
- Heat resistant jar
- Crockpot
Step By Step Soap Making Instructions (With Pictures)
Once you have all of your ingredients and supplies on hand, we are now ready to make soap!
Step 1: Mixing water and lye
Using your digital scale, measure out the appropriate amounts of water and lye in separate containers.
Slowly add the lye to the water in a heat-resistant container. Warning; it will heat up rapidly. Gently stir until it is well dissolved.
If possible, it would be best to do this step outside or at least in a well-ventilated area. Wear safety goggles, rubber gloves and long sleeves when working with lye.
Set aside to allow it to cool slightly.
Step 2: Melt your oils
Melt the oils and fats in a crockpot or saucepan on low heat until completely dissolved.
Remove from heat to allow the ingredients to cool down to 100°F before continuing. An instant meat thermometer works just fine for this step.
Step 3: Mix oils and lye water
As soon as the oils cool, pour the lye water mixture into the oils and mix together with an immersion blender until it comes to trace. Test the trace by holding the blender above the mixture, letting it drip off the blender; if it pools up on top, its at the correct trace.
Step 4: Heat
At this point, you can transfer your soap to a crockpot if you were using a saucepan.
I choose to mix my lye and oils in a deeper dish than my crockpot to avoid splashing; if you are making a small batch of soap or have a deep crockpot, then this can all be done in the crockpot.
Cover your crockpot with plastic wrap and turn it on warm for about 2 hours. My crockpot gets too hot on the low setting, so I found it best to use the warm setting.
Step 5: Add alcohol and glycerin
Using the digital scale again, measure out the alcohol and glycerin. Pour them into the crockpot and stir using the immersion blender until smooth.
Be sure to use high-proof alcohol such as vodka. I used sky vodka’s 80 proof and it worked well. Do not use rubbing alcohol since it is a much higher proof and will leave your soap smelling like alcohol.
It is important to note alcohol has an extremely low flashpoint. So using a crockpot is generally pretty safe, but do be careful on this step.
Step 6: Sit and heat
Allow the soap to sit in the crockpot on warm for another 2 hours. For this part, leave the crockpot uncovered.
Step 7: Adding the sugar water
While the soap is warming in the crockpot, prepare the sugar and water by dissolving 1/4 cup of sugar in 1/2 cup of water.
After the 2 hours have elapsed, shut off the crockpot, and stir in the sugar water mixture.
Step 8: Essential oils (optional)
If using essential oils, add them in now. This is also the time to add in any coloring if desired.
My favorite essential oils to use in soap are floral, woodsy, and citrus essential oils. You can use a single oil or make a blend by using several different oils.
Step 9: Pour into molds
Pour the soap into desired soap molds. Use a metal soap scraper to flatten or add texture if desired.
If using dried flowers, sprinkle them onto of the soap now.
Step 10: Cure
Allow the soap to set and harden in the molds before popping them out. This can take 2-3 days, depending on the size mold you use.
Once the soap bars are popped out, they will need to cure in a cool dark place for several weeks before using them.
How to Cure Soap
When soap is curing, you want to make sure that the soap bars are not touching each other and that they are stored in a cool dark place.
If you don’t have a curing rack, you can place your soap, in a standing position, in a 9 by 13 pan.
Curing soap is essential for a long-lasting, hard soap bar. Basically, the longer it cures, the harder it becomes.
Is Glycerin Soap Good for Your Skin?
Glycerin soap has amazing benefits for the skin and is very gentle. It is one of the best soaps to use for skin imperfections, rashes, and dry skin.
Glycerin is very hydrating and moisturizing for the skin and can really help with dry skin in the winter.
Similar to aloe vera, glycerin gel can be helpful for sunburnt skin, minor burns and damaged skin because of its ability to trap moisture and leave the skin soft and smooth.
Is Glycerin Soap Good for Your Face?
Glycerin soap is one of the best soaps to use on your face because it is very gentle.
In addition, glycerin soap locks the natural moisture in the skin, which helps prevent dry skin and has even been known to reduce acne over time.
How Long Does Glycerin Soap Last?
After the glycerin soap is fully cured, it can last up to one year. Once the soap bar is wet in the shower, it will last for about 6-8 weeks.
I store the unused soap in a wicker basket in my bathroom closet. Keeping it out of direct sunlight will help extend the shelf life.
I hope you enjoyed this simple recipe. If you made it, be sure to leave a comment below letting me know how it turned out.
If you looking for more great recipes, check out some of these favorite soap bars below.
- Hot process aloe soap bar
- Shaving soap bar
- Honey oatmeal bars
- Exfoliating loofah bars.
- Long-lasting beeswax soap bars
- Skin-loving turmeric soap
Natural Glycerin Soap Bar Recipe
Laura Ascher
A natural glycerin soap bar recipe for moisturizing skin.
4.50 from 4 votes
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Project Type Soap Bars
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Active Time 4 hours hrs
Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Equipment
Immersion or stick blender
Digital kitchen scale
Safety goggles and gloves
Heat resistant jar
Crockpot
Ingredients
Part I (steps 1-6)
- 8 ounces coconut oil
- 4 ounces castor oil
- 2 ounces shea butter
- 2 ounces jojoba oil
- 2.1 ounces lye
- 4 ounces water
part II (steps 7-8)
- 6 ounces alcohol
- 3 ounces glycerin
Part III (steps 9-14)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 30-50 drops essential oils optional
Instructions
Use the digital scale to measure out correct amounts. Add water to the heat-resistant glass. Slowly add the lye to the water (Note: never add water to lye), stir until dissolved, set aside.
Melt fats and oils on low heat in either a crockpot or saucepan.
Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool to 100°F.
Once the oils have cooled to the correct temp, pour the lye water in with the oils. Mix with an immersion blender until it comes to a trace. Check trace by letting the mixture drip off the blender; it is ready if it pools up on the top.
At this point, if you were using a saucepan, transfer everything to a crockpot.
Cover the crockpot with plastic wrap and set it to "warm" for approximately 2 hours. My crockpot gets too hot on the low setting, so I found it best to use the warm setting.
After the 2 hours have elapsed, add the alcohol and glycerin to the crockpot stirring in with the immersion blender until smooth.
Allow the soap to sit in the crockpot on warm for an additional 2 hours uncovered.
After the final 2 hours, dissolve the sugar in the water.
Remove the pot from the base, stir in the dissolved sugar water.
If using essential oils, add them in now. If using any coloring, jojoba beads, or dried flowers, they can be added in now.
Pour the soap into soap molds.
Allow the soap to set and harden in the molds before popping them out. This can take 2-3 days, depending on the size of the bars.
Once the soap bars are popped out, they will need to cure in a cool dark place for 4 weeks before using them.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This recipe is for your own viewing pleasure and is not meant for healing purposes. Readers must perform their own research and tests before making any recipe.
