Blog, Homemade Soap

100% Olive Oil Soap

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Intro

This is the Olive Oil Soap part of my blog series of giving you more exact soap recipes because y’all asked for them! This recipe is for any olive oil, I like to use the cheapest kind I can find from the grocery store because I am not ingesting it.

I want to be clear that I’m not here to be a soap expert. I’m here to show you that you can take steps towards soap-making and other healthy changes in your home WITHOUT being an expert. I’ve been making all of my family’s soap for 4 years with the same simple recipe and I have personally not adjusted it for different fats or oils. I’ve just been okay that my soap comes out with slightly different textures each time lol.

However, many of you wanted my help formulating your recipes for more consistent bars of soap. Here are the calculations for a bar soap made with 100% olive oil.

Olive Oil Soap

Olive oil reacts with lye to make a nice, mild, conditioning bar of soap. It’s unlikely to be overly cleansing or drying, so a typical 5-10% superfat is a good range for 100% olive oil soap. Olive oil soap can take longer to reach trace and may need several weeks to months to fully harden and develop its best lather. But it will indeed solidify eventually. In my personal experience, my olive oil soap was still slightly soft at 4 weeks so I sprinkled some salt on top and it hardened up enough to be used within a few days.

Recipe for 100% Olive Oil Soap

Materials

  • Vinegar
  • Eye protection
  • Stainless steel pot or bowl
  • Immersion blender
  • Kitchen scale
  • Soap mold

Ingredients**

  • 8oz filtered water
  • 22oz olive oil
  • 2.8oz lye

Instructions

  1. Measure out your olive oil
    1. You do not need to heat it beforehand if it is already liquid
  2. Set your olive oil aside
  3. Pour 8oz water into pot
    1. Tap water is fine as long as it’s not “hard” water
  4. Pour 2.8oz lye into water and stir to combine
    1. Go slowly, *don’t put your face directly over pot, fumes can be strong*
  5. Pour 22oz olive oil into pot and begin immersion blending
  6. Keep stirring/blending until you get trace (pudding consistency) 
  7. Pour soap mix it into soap mold
  8. Let cure for 1-2 weeks to solidify before cutting
  9. Then cure cut soap for 2-3 more weeks before using (do zap test)

If you want more expert opinions on soap making, I think https://www.ellyseveryday.com/ has a wealth of useful information.

To calculate your own soap recipe with varying ratios: https://soapcalc.net/calculator

Types of Olive Oil in SoapCalc.net

If you use a soap calculator, you will see two kinds of olive oil options: “Olive Oil” and “Pomace Olive oil”. I have never used Pomace Olive Oil personally, so I cannot speak into it, but I have read that it is a lower-grade cooking oil extracted from the leftover pulp and pits of olives after the first mechanical pressing and it does not work as well for soap. However, it is cheap. So that’s a plus.

Otherwise, if you are simply using a bottle that is labeled “Olive Oil”, it will work fine for this recipe.

Links for Tools and Supplies

For your convenience, here are the links to all of the tools/supplies I personally use! If you do not want to purchase on Amazon, another option would be to check Facebook Marketplace. Often, people are getting rid of their hobby items right when you are starting, so you can buy a whole bundle of supplies for much cheaper! Worth a check.

Happy soap making and remember, all glory to the One who created it all!

❤️ Rachel
Print Recipe

100% Olive Oil Soap

This recipe makes a soap that is 5% superfat
Prep Time10 minutes
Servings: 10 bars

Equipment

  • Vinegar
  • Eye protection
  • Stainless steel pot or bowl
  • Immersion Blender
  • Kitchen scale
  • Soap mold

Ingredients

  • 8 oz filtered water
  • 22 oz olive oil
  • 2.8 oz lye

Instructions

  • Measure out your olive oil
    You do not need to heat it beforehand if it is already liquid
  • Pour 8oz water into pot
    Tap water is fine as long as it’s not “hard” water
  • Pour 2.8oz lye into water and stir to combine
    Go slowly, *don’t put your face directly over pot, fumes can be strong*
  • Pour 22oz olive oil into pot and begin immersion blending
  • Keep stirring/blending until you get trace (pudding consistency)
  • Pour soap mix it into soap mold
  • **This batch had oatmeal added, simply sprinkle dried oatmeal or dried flower petals on top of soap mix at this point after pouring into mold
  • Let cure for 1-2 weeks to solidify before cutting
  • Then cure cut soap for 2-3 more weeks before using – do zap test
    (I will add salt to the top to help it harden if it's still soft and passes the zap test)

Notes

  • If adding flower petals or peels into soap, please ensure that they are FULLY DRY, otherwise they will mold. 
  • It is normal for flower petals or peels to bleed color inside the soap. This is a normal chemical reaction. 
  • If you want to add flower petals but don’t want them to bleed, simply sprinkle them on top of the mold after pouring in the soap. 

Precations:

  • Wear gloves and safety goggles.
  • Work in a well-ventilated area.
  • Keep children and pets away from lye and lye water.
  • Always add lye to water, never water to lye.
  • Avoid breathing lye fumes; don’t lean over the mixture.
  • Use stainless steel, silicone, or heat-safe plastic.
  • Never use aluminum.
  • Avoid skin and eye contact with lye or fresh soap batter.
  • Keep vinegar or other acids out of the lye-mixing process.
  • Clearly label and safely store lye out of reach of children.
  • If lye contacts skin, flush immediately with vinegar and then plenty of cool running water.
Posted In: Blog, Homemade Soap