Coconut is a common ingredient in many soaps through either the addition of coconut oil and/or coconut milk. If you want to make your own soap with the use of one of these ingredients, this how to make coconut soap will guide you through the process.

There are two methods that can be used to make coconut soap: either by using coconut oil as part of your oil base or replacing all or part of the water with coconut milk in the lye solution. This page will cover both methods. If you have never made soap before, you might want to check out Mahalo's How to Make Lye Soap, which is a good introductory to making soap.

• Coconut milk is not the juice found inside a coconut. Coconut milk is produced by steeping the flesh, or copra, of a coconut in hot water.Kate's Global Kitchen: Tropical Fruits Month: Coconut Crazy In comparison, coconut oil is also produced by pressing coconut flesh, either fresh or dried, without steeping it first. Coconut oil can also be produced from coconut milk through the use of heat, fermentation and other methods.Filter International: Coconut Oil

• Coconut oil is one of the primary oils used in soap making because it is moisturizing and easily absorbed in the skin.Soap-Making-Essentials.com: Coconut Oil There are three types of coconut oil:
  1. Fractionated coconut oil is oil that has been refined so only part of the oil remains. This process gives it a long shelf life.Filter International: Coconut Oil This oil is better for massage oils and hand lotions then for making soap.Summer Bee Meadow: Properties of Oils Used in Soapmaking
  2. 92 degree coconut oil is hydrogenated, a process which turns it into a solid that has a melting point of 92 degrees F.Filter International: Coconut Oil Soap-Making-Resource.com: Coconut Oil for Soap Making 92 degree coconut oil is believed to make a harder, less lathering bar than 76 degree oil.Summer Bee Meadow: Properties of Oils Used in Soapmaking
  3. 76 degree coconut oil is unrefined and the most common type of oil used in soaps.Filter International: Coconut Oil Soap-Making-Resource.com: Coconut Oil for Soap Making The information in this section refers to 76 degrees F coconut oil and may or may not apply to the other two types of oil.

• Coconut oil commonly used in soaps because:
  1. It is an emollient that is moisturizing to the skin.Summer Bee Meadow: Properties of Oils Used in Soapmaking
  2. It is anti-inflammatory, which makes it good for combating acne, eczema, roscea, psoriasis, itchy skin, and other skin problems.Treelight: Coconut Oil: Miracle Medicine and Diet Pill
  3. It creates a hard, white bar.About.com: Coconut Oil Profile
  4. It lathers well even in hard water and sea water.Cole Farms: Soapmaking Oils Properties

• 1. It will produce a quick trace.Soap-Making-Essentials.com: Coconut Oil
  2. Fatty acid levels include:
     • 39 to 54% lauric acid which creates a hard cleansing bar with lots of fluffy lather.Summer Bee Meadow: Properties of Oils Used in Soapmaking
     • 15 to 23% myristic acid which also creates a hard cleansing bar with lots of fluffy lather.Miller's Homemade Soap Pages: Design Your Own Soap - Choosing Your Oils
     • 4 to 11% oleic acid which helps with conditioning and provides slippery feel and stingy lather.Summer Bee Meadow: Properties of Oils Used in Soapmaking
     • 6 to 11% palmitic acid which makes the bar harder, more cleansing and produces a stable lather.Miller's Homemade Soap Pages: Design Your Own Soap - Choosing Your Oils
     • 1 to 4% stearic acid which makes the bar harder and longer lasting while producing a stable lather.Miller's Homemade Soap Pages: Design Your Own Soap - Choosing Your Oils
     • 1 to 2% linoleic acid which helps with conditioning and provides a silky feel.Summer Bee Meadow: Properties of Oils Used in Soapmaking
  3. It has an iodine index number less than 10, which produces a harder bar of soap.Miller's Homemade Soap Pages: Design Your Own Soap - Choosing Your Oils
  4. It has a SAP value of .183.Soap-Making-Resource.com: Coconut Oil for Soap Making

• Because of its popularity, you will find coconut oil is listed as an ingredient on most soap recipes and you can follow the instructions listed on How to Make Lye Soap. However, it is important to note that:
  1. Using more than 30% coconut oil as your base can be drying.About.com: Qualities of Soap Making Oils, Page 1
  2. If making 100% coconut oil, you will need to superfat the soap at a higher level--about 15 to 20 percent.Soap-Making-Resource.com: Coconut Oil for Soap Making
  3. If combining it with palm kernel oil or palm oil, the combined oils should be no more than 50% of the total oils.Rainbow Meadow Inc.: Coconut Oil

• Below you can find a list of recipes that contain higher amounts of coconut oil.
  • The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Cold Process Soap Base Recipe II
  • Pine Meadows: Soap Recipes
  • Pioneer Thinking: Soaps and Soap Making Instructions
  • Soapnuts: Cold Process Soap Recipes Page One
  • Make Lotion: How to make Palm Coconut Soap (from scratch)
  • Skincare Naturals: 100% Coconut Soap Recipe

• For more soap recipes, check out How to Make Lye Soap and How to Make Your Own Soap Recipe.

• Coconut milk is not as commonly found in soap as goat's milk.Making Soap: How to Make Coconut Milk Soap (April 14, 2008) However, it adds extra moisturizers that you won't find in other soaps.About.com: Coconut Milk Soap Best of all, it is supposed to be the easiest milk soap to make.North Country Mercantile: Tips for Making Coconut Milk Soap Working with coconut milk is much easier than working with any animal milk.

• Most of the equipment you will want to set aside and use specifically for soap making.The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking All containers should be made out of glass, plastic, stainless steel, enamel or heat proof stoneware.Cranberry Lane: Natural Soap Making - Cautions Do not use equipment that is made out of tin, zinc or aluminum, which reacts with lye.Cranberry Lane: Natural Soap Making - Cautions

• Soap mold options:
  • Cardboard box lined with wax paper, freezer paper or a plastic trash bag.
  • Glass baking dishesAbout.com: Make Soap
  • Capped PVC pipesCole Farms: Making Soap From Scratch
  • Candy moldsCole Farms: Making Soap From Scratch
  • 8" x 11" x 3" plastic container with lidThe Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking
  • Wooden soap mold lined with freezer paperThe Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking
• Large piece of cardboard the size of your soap mold (if it does not have a uncover)The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking
• Rubber gloves
• Eye protection or safety goggles
• Kitchen scale (soap ingredients are measured by weight, not volume)Down-to-Earth: How to Make Cold Pressed Soap (July 26, 2007)
• 1/2-gallon glass jar or plastic (heat-resistant) pitcher
• 8-quart ceramic or stainless steel pot
• 2 small mixing bowls
• 2 cooking thermometers (with readings from 90 degrees F to over 200 degrees F)MakeLotion.com: How to Make Cold Process Soap (from Scratch)
• 2 rubber spatulas, stainless steel spoons or wooden spoons
• Hand stick blenderMakeLotion.com: How to Make Cold Process Soap (from Scratch) (optional)
• White vinegarAbout.com: Soap Making Safety Procedures

• There are three parts to any soap:
  1. Distilled or spring water
  2. 100 percent lye
  3. Oils, butters (cocoa, shea, etc) or fats

• However, in this case you will be replacing all or most of the water with coconut milk. It is important that you should not substitute one oil for another. Every oil has a different saponification index.Treehugger: Easy Homemade Soap (December 31, 2005) Saponification is the process of combining a base fat with lye to produce soap and glycerin.Coconut Coast Handmade Soap Company: Glossary for the Modern Soap Maker, S For more information, check out Mahalo's How to Make Your Own Soap Recipe.

• The following are a recipes that replace the water with coconut milk. If, however, you want to make your own recipe, check out Mahalo's How to Make Your Own Soap Recipe.
  • About.com: Coconut Milk Soap
  • Soapnuts: Cold Process Soap Recipes Page Four
  • Soap Making: Procedure In Making Coconut (Soap base) Milk Soap
  • North Country Mercantile: Coconut Milk Soap Recipes
  • Making Soap: How to Make Coconut Milk Soap (April 14, 2008)
  • Soap Center: Recipe Ingredient Search

• You will need to be in a well-ventilated area, although it is not necessary to work outside.

1. Gather all your equipment and make sure it is clean.About.com: Soap Making Safety Procedures
2. Cover your workstation with newspaper, vinyl tablecloths or other protective materials.About.com: Soap Making Safety Procedures
3. Prepare your molds by lining them with waxed paper (if cardboard) or spraying them with nonstick cooking spray.Cole Farms: Making Soap From Scratch
4. Put on your safety goggles and rubber gloves.The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking Wear an old shirt with long sleeves.Teach Soap.com: Easy Cold Process Recipes
5. Assemble all of your ingredients.

• Your biggest challenge when making coconut milk soap is to keep the lye solution cool enough that it does not curdle the milk. If it gets too hot, your lye-milk solution will curdle and your only option is to neutralize the lye with vinegar and toss it down the drain.Google Books: The Everything Soapmaking Book, p. 32

1. Weigh the amount of coconut milk you need and place in a glass jar or plastic pitcher.
2. Freeze all or a portion of the coconut milk. You goal is to make the milk have the consistency of a slush, not solid ice.About.com: Making Soap with Milk
3. Weigh the amount of lye needed in a small dish or mixing bowl.Down-to-Earth: How to Make Cold Pressed Soap (July 26, 2007)
4. Place the lye pitcher into a bowl of ice water.About.com: Goat's Milk Soap, p. 2
5. Add the lye slowly to ensure that the solution never gets above 100 degrees F.About.com: Making Soap with Milk
   • WARNING: Do not pour the milk into the lye--it will become extremely hot, extremely quickly.About.com: Make a Lye-Water Solution for Your Cold Process Soap, Page 4
6. The milk-lye solution may turn brown and smell foul when the lye burns out the sugars in the milk.Making Soap: How to Make Coconut Milk Soap (April 14, 2008) However, the smell will decrease when the reaction is over and will not affect the smell of the final soap.Making Soap: How to Make Coconut Milk Soap (April 14, 2008) About.com: Making Soap with Liquids Other than Water
7. Stir the mixture until the lye is dissolved.The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking Don't worry if your lye mixture looks grainy, this will clear up.Rainbow Meadow Recipes: Mama's Milk and Mango Madness
8. Clean the area immediately.

1. Weigh out the desired portions for your oils.
2. Place the solid oils into the ceramic pot or stainless steel pan.About.com: Make Cold Process Soap, Page 2
3. Place the pot on the stove over medium heat until the oils have melted.About.com: Make Cold Process Soap, Page 3
4. Turn off heat and add liquid oils to bring down the temperature of the oil.About.com: Make Cold Process Soap, Page 3
   • - You will need to reduce the temperature of your oils to around 90 degrees F.About.com: Coconut Milk Soap, page 4
5. Slowly pour the lye mixture into the container with the oils.Teach Soap.com: Easy Cold Process Recipes Stir continuously with a spoon.
6. Stir continuously as the mixture begins to thicken. You can continue to use a spoon or switch to a stick blender.The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking
7. Tracing occurs when you begin to see tracks or ripples on the surface of the soap that don't disappear.
   1. You can also tell a soap is tracing if you drop some of it from a spoon on to the surface that it dents the surface.MakeLotion.com: How to Make Cold Process Soap (from Scratch)
   2. Room temperature, humidity levels and stirring speed will affect the tracing time.Cranberry Lane: Making Natural Soap from Scratch - Soap Moulds
   3. Tracing will happen between 10 to 40 minutes depending on your mixture.The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking
   4. Using a stick blender will cause tracing to occur faster.Down-to-Earth: How to Make Cold Pressed Soap (July 26, 2007)
   5. With the lower temperature and thicker lye solution, it is important that you mix the soap well. Otherwise, you risk getting a "false trace," which can cause your soap to separate or develop pockets of lye.About.com: Goat's Milk Soap, p. 6
8. Once the soap has traced, stir in your additives and mix until the soap is a uniform color.Pioneer Thinking: Make Modern Soap With Herbs, Beeswax And Vegetable Oils

1. Once the soap has begun to trace, it is ready to pour into the mold. Use a rubber spatula to scrape out any remaining soap.About.com: Make Cold Process Soap, Page 9
2. Pick up your mold and tap it gently on the counter to dislodge any trapped air bubbles.About.com: Make Cold Process Soap, Page 9
3. If the soap mixture does not fill the mold, place a piece of freezer paper over the top of the soap before covering it with a lid of piece of cardboard.The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking
4. Cover the mold with blankets or a towel and set it in a warm room of the house.
   • - Milk can cause overheating in soap. Depending on the mold, you may not want to insulate it.Miller's Soap: Soap Recipes Using Animal Fats - Goat Milk Soap
   • - How long you let your soap sit is up to you. Some makers say 18 hours covered followed by 12 hours uncovered, others say 48 hours covered, while others say three to five days covered.The Ponte Vedra Soap Shoppe: Soap Making Instructions for Cold Process Soapmaking Maple Lane: Soap Making Recipes Teach Soap.com: Easy Cold Process Recipes
   • - If the surface of the soap is still soft, allow it to sit uncovered for a day before removing it from the mold.Maple Lane: Soap Making Recipes
5. Remove the soap from the mold and cut it into bars using a sharp knife.
   • - If the soap will not release from the mold, place it in the freezer for two hours, which will make it shrink.Cranberry Lane: Making Natural Soap from Scratch - Soap Moulds
   • - The soap mixture is caustic for at least the first 24 hours.About.com: Soap Making Safety Procedures Wear your eye protection and gloves if you plan to handle the soap during this time.
6. Allow the soap to cure for another three weeks before using.Cole Farms: Making Soap From Scratch

• Now that you've learned how to make soap using coconut oil and coconut milk, you might want to try some of the other soap recipes found on Mahalo such as How to Make Olive Oil Soap and How to Make Goat's Milk Soap. If you are more adventurous, you will want to check out How to Make Your Own Soap Recipe.