4 Soap Recipes for Dad – Happy Father’s Day

Handmade Soaps make wonderful gifts.  The show you took a lot of effort into the thought behind the gift, and the person who received the gift can think of you every day as it’s being used. For those reasons, I’ve had fun putting together these 4 Soap Recipes for Dad.

After all, Father’s day is five weeks away so you have plenty of tie to make soap now for that 3-5 week curing time that they may need.

The Ingredients

I know that some people just want a good tallow or lard recipe. They are very moisturizing and great for the skin. They also make great bubbles.

There are also many people moving toward a vegan approach to living which I want to respect as well. You can put together a fabulous recipe with wonderful butters and oils.

Two of the recipes below are vegan, while the other two are not. If you are vegan, but you like the scents and coloring ideas of a tallow recipe, then feel free to switch the essential oils and coloring for the other recipe. As long as you are using the amount of essential oil that the recipe calls for, you can definitely switch the kinds used in another recipe for your recipe. This goes for herbal coloring as well.

What you do not want to do is change the bulk oils, butters, or fats in a recipe. If I decided to change coconut oil for shea butter for example in a recipe that calls for a high amount of coconut oil, I would ruin the recipe by ending up with a slimy feeling soap. Not to mention the lye amounts needed to convert the fat into a soap would be off. But feel totally confident in changing up the scents and herbal colors.

The Scents

As always, I only use essential oils. They are pure and potent. If you are new to using essential oils, please understand just how strong they are and check out the safety precautions that I have here: Essential Oil Safety: How Not to Use Essential Oils.

If you are concerned about the damage that the fad of using essential oils has been having on plant growth and over foraging and harvesting, then feel free to leave out the scent. You will still have a clean scented, wonderful soap.

4 Soap Recipes for Dad

Here are four recipes that I have created with guys in mind.

If you don’t have 3-5 weeks left before when you’d like to give these as gifts, then head over to my shop and check out all the presents for dad that are there. Including, soap, after shave, tooth powder, beard oil, cologne and more. You can also find those recipes using the search bar or menu above. let me know if you have questions. I’d love to help.

Lavender Lemongrass Soap

Lavender combined with lemongrass makes a new scent that women and men both love.

Superfat Content: 10%

3 pounds or 12 four ounce bars.

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces tallow
• 8 ounces coconut oil
• 5 ounces olive oil
• 5 ounces grapeseed oil
• 4 ounces sweet almond oil
• 1 ounce bees wax
• 4.4 ounces lye
• 12.5 ounces water
• 0.5 ounce lavender essential oil
• 0.5 ounces lemongrass essential oil

Instructions:

1. Combine the oils and butters in a large pot and melt over low heat. Cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. While oils are melting, go outside and add lye to the water. Stir until well combined and allow to cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When both oils are water are around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, pour lye water into oil and blend with a stick blender until light trace.
4. Add essential oils and blend.
5. Pour soap into a prepared mold (lined if necessary).
6. Insulate, if room temperatures are below 70, for 24 hours before removing from mold and cutting.
7. Let cure for 3-6 weeks.

Goat Milk and Honey Shaving Bar

This is a great moisturizing and cream bar that is wonderful for shaving.

Superfat Content: 15%

3 pounds or 12 four ounce bars.

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces olive oil
• 8 ounces babassu oil
• 6 ounces castor oil
• 3 ounces cocoa butter
• 3 ounces shea butter
• 6 ounces filtered water
• 7 ounces goat milk
• 4.25 ounces lye
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 0.5 ounces cedarwood essential oil
• 0.5 ounces bergamot essential oil

Instructions:

1. Combine milk and water and place in a freezer until slushy or frozen.
2. Combine the oils and butters in a large pot and melt over low heat. Cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. While oils are melting, go outside and add lye to the milk water. Stir until well combined and allow to cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. When both oils are milk water are around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, pour lye water into oil and blend with a stick blender until light trace.
5. Add honey and essential oils and blend.
6. Pour soap into a prepared mold (lined if necessary).
7. Insulate, if room temperatures are below 70, for 24 hours before removing from mold and cutting.
8. Let cure for 3-6 weeks.

Peppermint Orange Soap

This soap bar has a orange swirl in it that is optional.

Superfat Content: 15%

3 pounds or 12 four ounce bars.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces lard
• 9 ounces coconut oil
• 4 ounces olive oil
• 3 ounces sweet almond oil
• 3 ounces castor oil
• 2 ounces cocoa butter
• 4.3 ounces lye
• 12.5 ounces filtered water
• 3 teaspoons red Moroccan clay
• 0.5 ounce peppermint essential oil
• 0.5-1.0 ounce sweet orange essential oil

Instructions:

1. Combine the oils and butters in a large pot and melt over low heat. Cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. While oils are melting, go outside and add lye to the water. Stir until well combined and allow to cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When both oils are water are around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, pour lye water into oil and blend with a stick blender until light trace.
4. Add essential oils and blend.
5. Remove 1/2 cup of soap to a bowl and add Moroccan clay. Whisk until there are no clumps. Add more clay until desired color if needed.
6. Pour main soap batter into a prepared mold (lined if necessary).
7. Drizzle orange soap back and forth over soap. Insert a spatula, knife, or dowel rod straight down to the bottom and pull back and forth in the opposite direction that you drizzled the clay.
8. Insulate, if room temperatures are below 70, for 24 hours before removing from mold and cutting.
9. Let cure for 3-6 weeks.

Charcoal Frankincense Sage Soap

With this soap you can swirl in the charcoal is directed, or you can mix it into the main batch and make the soap a light grey color.

Superfat Content: 10%

3 pounds or 12 four ounce bars.

Ingredients:

• 11 ounces olive oil
• 8 ounces coconut oil
• 5 ounces apricot kernel oil
• 4 ounces cocoa butter
• 3 ounces castor oil
• 4.1 ounces lye
• 11.5 ounces filtered water
• 3 teaspoons activated charcoal powder
• 0.5 ounces frankincense essential oil
• 0.5 ounces clary sage essential oil

Instructions:

1. Combine the oils and butters in a large pot and melt over low heat. Cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. While oils are melting, go outside and add lye to the water. Stir until well combined and allow to cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When both oils are water are around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, pour lye water into oil and blend with a stick blender until light trace.
4. Add essential oils and blend.
5. Remove 1/2 cup of soap to a bowl and add activated charcoal. Whisk until there are no clumps. Add more charcoal until desired color if needed.
6. Pour main soap batter into a prepared mold (lined if necessary).
7. Drizzle charcoal soap back and forth over soap. Insert a spatula, knife, or dowel rod straight down to the bottom and pull back and forth in the opposite direction that you drizzled the charcoal soap.
8. Insulate, if room temperatures are below 70, for 24 hours before removing from mold and cutting.
9. Let cure for 3-6 weeks.

Have fun! Let me know if you have any questions. Check out my shop Simple Life Mom for other natural products or get more soap recipes here: Soap Making Recipes.