How to Make Homemade Soap (No Fight Club Required)

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Making homemade soap at home is easier than you think! With simple ingredients like tallow, olive oil, or pine bark, and a few easy-to-follow steps, you can create beautiful, long-lasting bars of soap. Save money, control what goes into your products, and enjoy the satisfaction of DIY soap-making—even if it’s your first try!

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Before we get started, let’s clear something up—this isn’t an actual Fight Club. No secret handshakes, no underground battles. The only thing you’ll be fighting here is hard water, stubborn lye, and maybe a little impatience while your soap cures. Think of it as a “DIY Fight Club” where the challenge is turning simple ingredients into beautiful, long-lasting bars of homemade soap—and the reward is all yours!

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Why Homemade Soap Isn’t as Intimidating as You Think

Making homemade soap might seem intimidating at first, but with a few simple ingredients and easy steps, it’s completely doable—even if it’s your very first attempt. Over the years, I’ve loved seeing how creative and cost-effective soap-making can be, whether using tallow from a homestead, olive oil from your orchard, or other natural ingredients. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know, share tips from experienced DIYers, and help you avoid common mistakes—all while keeping it fun (no actual Fight Club skills required!).

I’ve always loved the idea of making homemade soap, and over the years, I’ve seen just how rewarding it can be. There’s something special about turning simple ingredients—like tallow, olive oil, or even leftover fats from your homestead—into soap that’s practical, long-lasting, and surprisingly fun to make. In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get started, share tips to avoid common mistakes, and show you how to make soap that’s cost-effective and beginner-friendly!

Why Make Homemade Soap?

Save Money and Upcycle Ingredients

Buying “fancy” soap can add up quickly, especially if you’re looking for natural, chemical-free options. Making your own soap lets you control every ingredient and even use things that might otherwise go to waste. Homesteaders often turn tallow from cows, leftover fats from hunting, or even old olive oil into soap, giving new life to these ingredients. You can make a year’s worth of soap for a fraction of the cost of store-bought options. I also love the fact that I no longer buy plastic bottles of soap and keep plastic out of the landfills! I also love adding my own homegrown herbs in my soap bars!

Control Ingredients for Healthier Skin

When you make soap at home, you decide what goes in it. No more mystery chemicals or fragrances. By using simple, natural ingredients like tallow, olive oil, shea butter, or coconut oil, you create a product that’s gentler on skin and customizable to your preferences. You can add natural scents, colorants like pine bark, or exfoliants while avoiding unnecessary additives.

A Rewarding DIY Experience

There’s something special about watching liquid oils and fats transform into a bar of soap. It’s a satisfying process that combines science, craft, and creativity. Plus, homemade soap makes a thoughtful gift or a fun addition to your self-sufficient lifestyle. Even if you’ve never made soap before, following the steps carefully can lead to a professional-looking result you can be proud of.

Choosing Your Fat: Tallow vs. Olive Oil

Tallow Soap for Hardness and Lather

Tallow, the rendered fat from cows or other animals, creates a hard, long-lasting bar that produces a rich lather. Many homesteaders favor tallow because it’s moisturizing and sturdy. Rendering it properly ensures it doesn’t smell, just like lard doesn’t smell like pork. Even deer or venison tallow can be used for soap if you’re into hunting, making it a true zero-waste project.

Olive Oil / Castile Soap for Gentle Cleansing

Olive oil soap, known as Castile soap, is gentle and moisturizing, perfect for sensitive skin. However, it produces a softer bar and takes longer to cure—sometimes several months—so it requires a bit of patience. You can also mix olive oil with a harder fat like coconut or shea butter to improve lather and bar hardness. Beginners love Castile because it’s forgiving and mild.

Mixing Oils for Best Results

Many DIYers find the best soap comes from blending oils. For example, 80% olive oil with 20% coconut or shea butter gives a soap that’s gentle, moisturizing, and firm enough to hold its shape. Using a soap calculator helps determine the right ratios and the exact amount of lye needed for your batch, making the process safe and predictable.

Essential Ingredients and Equipment

Basic Ingredients You’ll Need

For a cold process soap, you’ll need fat or oil (tallow, olive oil, or a mix), lye (sodium hydroxide), water (well water or rainwater works great), and optional additives like pine bark or essential oils. Each ingredient has a purpose—fats create the bar, lye causes saponification, and water helps blend everything together.

Equipment to Keep Things Safe

Safety is key when handling lye. You’ll need gloves, goggles, and good ventilation. Other helpful tools include a crockpot or double boiler for melting fats, a digital scale, an immersion blender, and molds for shaping the soap. While some may think this equipment is expensive, you only need the basics to get started, and they will last you for years.

Helpful Tools for Beginners

Beginner-friendly tools like soap calculators and instructional videos make the process much easier. Soap calculators help you determine the right amount of lye and water for different fats, while online tutorials, like Bramble Berry’s YouTube channel, walk you through techniques, troubleshooting, and tips to get your first batch perfect!

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Mini Guide: Using a Soap Calculator with a Scale

Step 1: Choose Your Oils/Fats

Decide which fats or oils you want to use in your soap. Common options:

Tallow or lard – creates hard, long-lasting bars with creamy lather.
Olive oil – gentle, moisturizing, but softer bars; great for sensitive skin.
Coconut or palm oil – boosts lather and hardness.

Tip: Start with a simple combination, like 80% olive oil + 20% coconut oil, for a beginner-friendly bar.

Step 2: Enter Ingredients in a Soap Calculator

Use an online soap calculator like SoapCalc or Bramble Berry Lye Calculator.

Input your chosen oils and the weight of each.
Adjust the superfat level (usually 5–8% for beginners).
The calculator will generate the exact amounts of lye and water needed for safe saponification.

Tip: Don’t skip this step—using a calculator ensures your soap is safe and properly balanced.

Step 3: Measure with a Digital Scale

Use a digital scale to measure each ingredient accurately in grams.
Measure oils/fats first, then water, and finally lye (if using raw lye).
Always follow the calculator’s numbers—precision is key to avoiding mistakes.

Tip: Keep your scale clean and reset it to zero between each ingredient for accuracy.

Step 4: Make Your Soap Safely

Mix oils and lye carefully, following your recipe.
Wear gloves and goggles, and work in a well-ventilated space.
Pour into molds and allow the soap to cure for several weeks before use.

Tip: Track your recipe and weights in a notebook—this helps you replicate your favorite batches in the future.

💡 Quick Note: Using a calculator + scale makes even complex soap recipes beginner-friendly. It takes the guesswork out, ensures safety, and helps you create consistent, beautiful bars every time.

Step-by-Step Cold Process Soap Method

Melting the Fats

Start by melting your chosen fats slowly in a crockpot or double boiler. If you’re using tallow, make sure it’s properly rendered and strained. If you’re using olive oil, you can combine it with a harder fat like coconut to improve bar firmness. The texture of the fat will affect the final soap’s hardness and lather.

Image illustrates melted fats for homemade soap.

Preparing and Adding Lye

Always add lye to water—not water to lye—and stir carefully in a well-ventilated area. The mixture will heat up due to the chemical reaction. Once cooled slightly, slowly stir the lye solution into your melted fats. This is the point where saponification begins, turning fats and oils into soap.

Reaching Trace and Curing

Blend the mixture until it reaches “trace,” when it thickens like pudding and holds a shape briefly on top. Pour into molds and let it cure for 6 weeks (or longer for olive oil soaps). Proper curing ensures hardness, longevity, and mildness for the skin. After curing, you’ll have beautiful, functional soap ready for use.

Notes and Tips for Homemade Soap Success

Preventing Smells and Rancidity

Properly rendered tallow and strained olive oil are key to odor-free soap. Water left in tallow can cause rancidity, so make sure fats are dry. Even a slight “beefy” smell disappears during saponification, leaving a clean, neutral bar.

Adding Natural Ingredients

You can add pine bark, oats, herbs, or essential oils for color, scent, or exfoliation. Pine bark is often powdered in a coffee grinder and mixed in during blending. These natural additions make each batch unique and visually appealing.

Safety First: Handling Lye and Ingredients

Working with lye might seem intimidating, but with basic precautions, it’s completely safe. Always wear gloves and goggles, work in a well-ventilated area, and keep children and pets away from your soap-making space. One key rule: always add lye to water, never the other way around, to avoid dangerous reactions. Treat it like a fun science experiment, and you’ll quickly gain confidence.

Beginner-Friendly Substitutions

If raw lye feels daunting, there are ways to start simple. Pre-measured lye kits take the guesswork out of calculations, ensuring your soap cures properly. Another easy option is melt-and-pour soap bases, which skip the lye entirely—you just melt, add scents or colors, and pour into molds. These options are perfect for beginners or anyone looking for a quicker, lower-risk start.

Storage & Longevity Tips

Properly storing your soap ensures it lasts and stays beautiful. Keep bars in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, avoiding direct sunlight and humid spots. In humid climates, wrapping bars in parchment or storing extras in air-tight containers prevents softening and sticking. With proper storage, homemade soap can last six months to a year, making your DIY efforts last even longer.

Conclusion

Making homemade soap is a practical, rewarding, and surprisingly fun skill that fits perfectly into a self-sufficient lifestyle. Whether you choose tallow for hard, lathering bars or olive oil for gentle, moisturizing soap, the process is approachable for beginners. By following these steps, using the right tools, and adding your personal touches, you’ll create beautiful soap that’s affordable, functional, and uniquely yours. Soap-making is one of those DIY skills that feels magical and satisfying, and with a little patience, anyone can master it.

If you are into sustainable living, check out my guide: The Ultimate Guide To Eco-Friendly Living At Home

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will homemade tallow soap smell like beef?

No! Properly rendered tallow is odorless. Any remaining water or impurities can cause smells, but the saponification process usually eliminates minor odors. Strain your fat well before starting.

2. Can I substitute olive oil for tallow?

Yes, but pure olive oil soap is softer and takes longer to cure. Beginners often mix olive oil with coconut or shea butter to improve hardness and lather. Use a soap calculator to adjust lye amounts safely.

3. How long does homemade soap need to cure?

Cold process soap should cure for at least 6 weeks. Olive oil-based soaps may take several months for optimal hardness. Proper curing ensures the soap lasts longer and is gentle on skin.

4. Can I use wildlife fats like deer or venison?

Absolutely! Many homesteaders use deer or venison tallow. Even lean deer can provide enough fat for multiple batches. Rendering it properly ensures odor-free, usable soap.