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Getting
Started in
Soap Making
Without
Spending a
Ton of
Money
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Getting Started in
Soap Making Without
Spending a Ton of
Money

I get this questions a lot! How can I get

started in soapmaking with spending the
least amount of money? And I want to do
it tomorrow! Yeah…I’m one of those
people too! I get it in my head to try
something and I want to do it tomorrow.

Here is the minimum that you will need.

A digital scale that measure ounces and

grams – You simply can’t get away with
measuring by volume (cups,
tablespoons…etc.). You’ll need a digital
scale. Check out Ebay, Craigslist or ask
your friends. Post on Facebook!
Somebody is bound to have one! Here is
the scale I use in classes.
http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-
Multifunction-Kitchen-
Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_18?
ie=UTF8&qid=1349729615&sr=8-
18&keywords=digital+scale

Something to stir with. To save time we

now use stick blenders, but you can do it
“old school” and use a stainless steel
spoon or a silicone spatula. You can =nd
good silicone spatulas at the dollar store.
You can =nd a decent stick blender from
Walmart for about $25 bucks.

Containers for mixing lye solution (get

two). 1 quart paint mixing containers
work well. I like using these from Home
Depot (most home improvement/paint
stores have them).
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-
25ecodZ5yc1v/R-
202264024/h_d2/ProductDisplay?
catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=bucket&

Containers for mixing soap. Since you’ll be

doing 2 pound batches starting out (that’s
what I recommend) get a couple of the 2.5
quart containers (same as above…just
bigger).
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-
25ecodZ5yc1v/R-
202264029/h_d2/ProductDisplay?
catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=bucket&

A mold. You probably already have

something on hand to use. The easiest
beginner mold to use is a plastic food
storage container. Or maybe even easier
than that is an empty milk carton (the
square cardboard kind).

Goggles and gloves for safety! You can

=nd these at hardware stores. Do not
make soap without the proper safety
gear.

You’ll need lye. Locally we can still get lye

at Ace Hardware. But depending on
where you live…it might be hard to =nd
locally. Chemical suppliers sell it but you
might have to buy and 50 lb bag and I
don’t recommend messing with a 50 lb
bag when just starting out. If you can’t
=nd it locally…you’ll simply have to order
it from a supplier such as
www.brambleberry.com,
www.essentialdepot.com,
www.thelyeguy.com…or anywhere else
that sells soapmaking supplies.

Then you’ll need some oils to soap. I

would start with a very bare bones basic
recipe using oils that you can =nd at the
grocery store. If you are not opposed to
using lard you can =nd lard, coconut oil
(Lou Ana) and olive oil (regular Bertoli is
what I use) at Walmart. Or you can get
soapmaking oils from a supplier…but
again this tutorial is for those that want to
get started over the weekend. You will
de=nitely save money buying oils in bulk
from a supplier but there’s nothing wrong
with buying oils from Walmart to knock a
batch out and make sure this is
something that you want to delve into.

Oh and last but not least…its best to use

distilled water.  That’s easy to =nd.

For your very =rst batch of soap…I

recommend not using fragrance or color.
You want to get the very basics down and
not have to worry about anything else.
And believe me…fragrances can be tricky
if you don’t know what you are using.

So here are a couple of recipes that you

can try using oils from Walmart or locally.

Extra Bubbles
Coconut oil – 8 oz
Lard – 16 oz
Olive oil – 8 oz
Lye – 4.5 oz
Water – 9 oz

Extra Gentle
Coconut oil – 8 oz
Lard – 8 oz
Olive oil – 16 oz
Lye – 4.46 oz
Water – 9 oz

No Lard
Coconut oil – 18 oz
Olive oil – 18 oz
Lye – 5.4 oz
Water – 9 oz

So how much is it gonna cost to get

started?

Scale – $16.00
Mixing utensils (2) – $2.00
Lye containers (2) – $2.40
Soap containers (2) – $3.96
Gloves & Goggles – $4.00
Lye (32 oz) – $4.00
Coconut oil (Lou Ana) (31.5 oz) – $5.98
Bertoli Regular Olive oil (51 oz) – $13.98
Lard (64 oz) – $5.88

So you are looking at about $58.20 to get

started. $75.00 if you add a stick blender
to that.

There are some fantastic beginner

soapmaking videos and tutorials out
there. Don’t get hung up on the fancy
molds, the fragrances, the nice colors…
adding oatmeal, goat’s milk or poppy
seeds. Remember…for your =rst batch…
you are just learning the basic process.

Get started!  Here is my basic process.

Happy Soaping!

-Amanda

By Amanda Aaron | October 8, 2012 | Soapmaking

Tips, Soapmaking Tools and Equipment,
Soapmaking Troubleshooting | 45 Comments

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About the Author: Amanda Aaron

I am a soapmaker, author
and blogger! I started
blogging in 2008, sharing
soap recipes, design tutorials and
publishing articles on various topics of
soapmaking.

Related Posts

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45 Comments
Cindy B March 12, 2020 at 7:03 pm - Reply

I too am a =rst timer . I have

spent the last 3 weeks
researching and watching videos
. Excited to get started but there
seems to be no lye in Myrtle
Brach, SC so I am waiting in my
order from Bramble. I enjoy all
the great advice ! Thanks !

Lydia October 13, 2019 at 11:33 pm -

Reply

Thank you for your

encouragement! I really want to
try making my own soap but it is
so intimidating.

Buford August 19, 2019 at 12:26 am -

Reply

Marvelous, what a weblog it is!

This web site gives helpful
information to us, keep it up.

Joseph March 23, 2018 at 2:41 pm - Reply

Thank you so much!

Rebecca November 21, 2017 at 1:43 pm -

Reply

I would like to know how to add

persimmon to soap.

Alex September 18, 2017 at 10:22 am -

Reply

Thank you!!! for sharing all this

information;I’m knew in this; is
the =rst time I will do it! I can’t
wait to do it! So all your advices
are really helpful !!! Thanks a lot
again ?

Oly September 11, 2017 at 12:01 am -

Reply

Can anyone give a decent very

cheap recipe to make soap for
the homeless , as I will be doing
this a lot , I can’t aLord fancy oils
and colours but I want to make
the best possible soap I can

Toyette Handy November 3, 2017

at 10:49 am - Reply

I am also making soap for

homeless this year. I follow
KimberlyMcnutt.com she
does Hot Process soap and
has many recipes you can
work from.

Kay Mitchell April 24, 2017 at 1:10 pm -

Reply

GREAT info!…I do have one

comment though…I can’t =nd
any brand of olive oil for $13….a
9 oz runs $15-18 in all our
grocery stores here….and 51 oz
is over $23 crazy!

andrea May 19, 2016 at 10:33 pm - Reply

thank you for sharing all this

knowledge!!!
I was wondering, how can I
replace the coconut oil for use
only olive oil in your basic
recipe?

Andi January 18, 2016 at 10:33 am - Reply

What kind of stick blender do

you use? I bought a procter one
and it blew up in 10 minutes!!!
Very upsetting.

riens handmade soap December 27, 2014

at 6:04 pm - Reply

Very nice post for soap making

beginners. I’d use shea butter in
every batch. It creates a nice
hard bar and is very moisturizing
to the skin. It seems to add a
creamy texture to my soaps as
well. Soaps with oatmeal
combined with coconut milk or
goat milk with unre=ned shea
butter are superb for dry skin.
They make extremely creamy
bars that are highly bubbly too.

Ruth Baker December 17, 2014 at 3:25

pm - Reply

How do my grandmother make

soap? I know she didn’t have a
digital scale. Did they use ]uid
measurements back then? I have
seen pictures of her stirring it in
a big black cauldron over an
open =re outside. (She looked
like a witch to me when I was
little)

Just trying to decide if the art is

more a science now…

Donna September 21, 2016 at 5:57

am - Reply

They made lye out of wood

ash and they tested the
strength of the solution by
how an egg ]oated in the
solution. In a pot over the
=re, they were probably
cooking the oils with the lye
water therefore making hot
process soap so the lye
would cok out. Also, testing
soap by touching it to the
tongue. If it stung (like
touching a 9 volt battery to
your tongue) it still had
unsoponi=ed lye and
wasn’t ready to use.

Judy Hopkins November 8, 2014 at 7:00

am - Reply

I have only done 5 batches of

soap and they came out pretty
good. I would like to know more
about how to color the soap.
Your blog is very good has good
information.

lucsan October 9, 2014 at 3:57 pm - Reply

Hi Guys,

While these are all great soap

ideas, and ‘a ton of money’
depends, on well the depth of
your pockets, I have a few tips
for really shaving the credits oL
the cost.

For practice’ don’t bother with

expensive shop bought oils, use
used oil, chip and bacon fat, and
cheep frying oil.

You don’t need much

equipment, rubber gloves and
eye protectors are a must when
handling the lye, everything else
is in the kitchen.

Find a (non-aluminum)
container, and a cup. Put 3 cups
of water in the container. Slowly
add one cup of lye (it can make
the water boil if added too fast).
Add eight cups of oil to the mix
container. Sture gently (with a
plastic or wooden spoon) for =ve
min, add some food ]avoring if
you must. Keep sturing till it
goes too thick to sture. Leave to
cure for 12-48 hours.

Vola – You now have a nice slab

of soap in your container. Knock
it out and cut it into slabs. Cost?
just the lye, gloves and mask
(you can get the latter in the
pound shop aka 99 cent shop).

Christinia Peake May 9, 2014 at 4:52 pm -

Reply

This is very well put and to the

point. Cant wait to get started

Crystal March 27, 2014 at 2:41 pm - Reply

Hi Amanda,

Thank you for writing this really

helpful post!

I have a question about the

container for mixing lye solution
and for mixing the soap. I’ve
read that when mixing the lye
into the water, the temperature
goes up pretty high. I was
wondering if you’ve had any
trouble using the containers
from Home Depot that you’ve
linked to in the post. I’m worried
that the containers wouldn’t be
heat-proof and might melt.
Some of the soap-making
forums I’ve read mentioned that
I shouldn’t use certain types of
plastic containers so I’ve been
stuck trying to =nd the right
container to mix the lye in for a
while.

Thank you!
-Crystal

Amanda April 1, 2014 at 9:20 am -

Reply

Hi Crystal! I haven’t had any

heat issues with these
containers. I use them all
the time.

Tina Deniz March 20, 2014 at 6:34 am -

Reply

Dear Amanda,
Your blog has really inspired for
a new soapmaker like me, i just
need to know i have many big
yoghurt plastic containers in my
house size 2 kgs, can i use these
for blending the soap mixture
before pouring in the molds,
Thanks,
Tina

Jennifer January 12, 2014 at 12:59 pm -

Reply

Does one have to have separate

production facility to create
soaps (and other body products)
for sale?

Kristin November 2, 2013 at 8:18 pm -

Reply

HI Amanda!

I LOVE your website, I made my

=rst batch tonight, I made the
extra bubbles recipe (olive oil,
lard, and coconut oil). I never
met trace and I used a hand
mixer and probably mixed for
about 30 minutes and gave up
and poured it into a mold. I
wanted to know if there was
anyway to save this batch or if I
just need to try again. It seems
pretty watery, rather than a