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This vanilla and cinnamon hot process soap is easy to make, and smells JUST like a fresh batch of warm sugar cookies at Christmastime!
Everyone is getting homemade gifts for Christmas this year, and I'm LOVING it. This is a simple, low-budget holiday season for us, and I'm finding that there's a real joy to that.
Simple and homemade is my motto this year.
I've been doing a lot of sewing, spinning, knitting, and crafting - but right now what I'm enjoying most, is SOAP MAKING.
Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, on my list is getting homemade soap. I use the hot process method of soap making, which means it's ok that I'm making a batch here and a batch there, and there's less than 4 weeks til Christmas and I'm not done yet--AND THAT'S OK.
Since hot process soap doesn't need to cure for 4-6 weeks, like with cold process soap, I can keep up this soap making spree right until Christmas Eve. It will still all be ready to give and use on Christmas day.
Hot process soap making really is perfect for those of us who are prone to procrastination!
I've created several new holiday soap recipes that I'm absolutely LOVING, and I'm going to try to share them all over the next week or so. This one that I'm sharing today makes the whole house smell like you've been baking sugar cookies! It's an absolutely delicious scent, and it's wonderfully warming at the same time.
I think "Warm Sugar Cookie" is a perfect name for it, and that's what I put on my gift labels when I packaged it up. But technically, this is a vanilla and cinnamon soap, with a little clove essential oil in there to brighten the scent. It's a lovely combination, and one that almost everybody can enjoy.
If you've ever made soap before, this is going to be easy peasy! It's a super straightforward recipe to follow, and makes a good hard soap bar that lathers well.
Never made soap before? It's so easy, you'd probably be fine, but I'd still recommend going over to my friend Heidi's excellent tutorial on hot process soap making, just to get comfortable with the steps involved with soap making.
Once you've got an understanding of how to make soap, this is a REALLY easy beginner recipe to follow!
Some frequently asked questions
Can I substitute other oils for the ones in this recipe?
No. Different oils have different properties, and soap recipes need to be calculated exactly. The amount of lye in this recipe is exactly calculated based on the specific oils listed in the recipe, and substituting could result in an improperly saponified mixture, which could be caustic.
Is this a strongly scented soap recipe?
I tend to make my homemade soaps on the well-scented side. I'd call this one "medium" when it comes to scent level. That said, if you're used to working with fragrance oils rather than essential oils, the scent of this recipe may seem mild. On the other hand, if you're very sensitive to scents, even natural ones, you may want to cut the essential oils in half for a very mildly scented bar.
Can I use this recipe to make cold process soap?
Yes. Most soap recipes can be made using either process. Just don't forget to let it cure fully, for 4-6 weeks.
Do you have any other questions about making this hot process soap recipe? Ask away in the comments below!
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Vanilla and Cinnamon Hot Process Soap Recipe
This vanilla and cinnamon hot process soap is easy to make, and smells JUST like a fresh batch of warm sugar cookies at Christmastime!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Cooling time: 8 hours hours
Total Time: 8 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
Servings: 10 soap bars
Author: Anna Chesley
Equipment
Crock Pot
Soap mold
kitchen scale
Immersion blender
safety glasses
long latex gloves
non-reactive stirring spoon
non-reactive measuring containers
Ingredients
- 12 ounces coconut oil
- 12 ounces olive oil
- 4 ounces shea butter
- 4 ounces castor oil
- 12.16 ounces water
- 4.61 ounces lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 1 ounce vanilla essential oil
- .5 ounce clove essential oil
- .25 ounce cinnamon essential oil
- 1 T ground cinnamon
Instructions
Prepare your workspace
As with all soapmaking sessions, prepare by clearing your workspace and ensuring that you have more than adequate clear counter space. Don't allow pets or children to wander through your work area.
Making this hot process soap recipe
Start by putting all of the oils/butter into the crockpot. Set it to LOW, and allow it to warm until all of the oils are melted. The shea butter will take longest to melt, and you can give it an occassional stir to help it along.
Weigh your water into a heat-safe, non-reactive contatiner, with plently of additional room to mix in the lye.
In another non-reactive container, weigh out the correct amount of lye.
Slowly pour THE LYE INTO THE WATER (never the other way around), stirring slowly until all of the lye is fully disolved into the water. The lye mixture will immediately begin to warm up.
(Unlike with cold process soap, you don't have to wait for the lye mixture to cool to a certain temperature. As long as all of the oils are fully melted, you can actually pour the lye into the oils as soon as it's mixed.)
Carefully pour the lye mixture into the melted oils.
As soon as the lye is poured into the melted oils, use an immersion blender to bring the lye and oil mixture to trace.
When the mixture reaches trace, you'll know, because it will look like vanilla or butterscotch pudding. When you lift the immersion blender, it will leave a gentle peak in the mixture, and any drops will linger on the surface as little blobs. It REALLY looks like pudding.
Put on the lid of the crock pot, and let the mixture cook. You'll see the mixture start to get translucent around the edges and start to "crawl" up the side of the crock pot. Definitely give it a stir if it threatens to flow over the edges, and it doesn't hurt to give it the occassional stir even if it doesn't.
The soap needs to cook until until it's no longer caustic, which takes about 40-50 minutes. It will go through several phases - translucent around the edges, then lumpy and cloudy looking (I've hear this called the "mashed potato stage" and it's really what it looks like!) Then the soap will start to get translucent again. It's a good idea to give the whole thing a stir about once every 10 minutes, to keep it all cooking evenly.
When the soap starts to get evenly translucent again, you can go ahead and test it. I use the "zap test", recommended by Heidi at Healing Harvest Homestead.
Take a little bit of soap between your fingers, and rub it around. Does it feel waxy? If it's feeling waxy, go ahead and touch your tonge to it. If it "zaps" and tingles your tounge, it's not quite done yet, and needs to cook a little longer. If it just tastes like soap. You're ready.
Once the soap is done, go ahead and turn off the crock pot and remove the lid. Let the soap cool for 5 minutes. You want a little of the heat to escape before adding those wonderful essential oils.
Now add the ground cinnamon, and the essential oils. Still well until the mixture is evenly blended.
Now you can scoop the soap into your mold. This 2lb recipe fits perfectly into a 2lb loaf mold. (This is the one I use and love)
Glob all of the soap right down into the mold, scraping the sides of the crock pot to get all of it.
Then lift the soap mold and firmly tap it on the counter several times to release any bubbles, and make sure the soap is well tamped down into every corner of the mold. (I honestly THUMP it pretty hard on my countertops - it's not very graceful, but does an effective job at getting good solid bars of soap!)
Now, let the soap just sit and cool for at least 8 hours, before unmolding it. If you really need to rush it, you can put it in the fridge, and get away with unmolding after about 4 hours.
While the soap is technically read to use right away, I like to let it sit and harden for a day or two after it's unmolded, before slicing the soap loaf.
Then, once it's sliced, I usually let the bars of soap sit for another day or two to harden up a little more, before I package them.
That said - there's no rush to cut your loaf of soap, and it's actually a great way to store the soap if you're not using right away. You can just leave it as it is, and slice of bars of soap as you need them.
To make your bar soap last well, be sure to use a well-draining soap dish that lets your bar dry in between washings. Sitting in a puddle of water drastically reduces the life of your soap.
Enjoy!
Anna Chesley
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Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
