Homemade Tallow Soap
Learn how to make luxurious, nourishing tallow soap at home with this step-by-step guide. Discover the benefits of tallow, tips for safe soap-making, and why homemade soap beats store-bought every time!
Yield: 7 bars
Cost: $20
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender
- 1 double boiler or heat proof bowl 2 quart capacity
- 1 small rubber spatula
- 1 small heat proof container 2 cups capacity
- 1 pair of safety glasses
- 1 pair of rubber gloves
- 1 scale
- 2 soap molds 6 cavity
- 1 infrared thermometer
Materials
- 300 g grass fed tallow
- 100 g coconut oil unrefined
- 100 g sweet almond oil
- 190 g cold water
- 69 g lye (sodium hydroxide)
Instructions
Gather Safety Supplies And Tools
- Dig out the safety glasses and some rubber gloves. Make sure to wear a long sleeved shirt and pants. Find a heat proof bowl with at least a 2 quart capacity to mix your oils and a heat proof container for the lye solution with a capacity of at least 1 pint (500 ml). Collect a silicone spatula, a scale, a double boiler, soap molds, an immersion blender, digital thermometer or infrared thermometer.
Make The Lye Solution
- Put on your safety glasses and rubber gloves. Weigh 190g cold water in a heat proof container with at least 500 ml capacity. I use a 2 cup glass pyrex jar. Weigh 69g lye crystals into a separate container. Carefully pour the lye into the water and stir well. Steam, fumes, and heat are byproducts of this chemical reaction and are very normal, but be cautious to not burn yourself.
- Set the lye somewhere safe to cool, in the kitchen sink is a great place - if it spills, it can be quickly and easily diluted.
Prepare The Fats + Oils
- In a heat proof mixing container, add 300g tallow and 100g coconut oil. Melt the solid oils and fats until completely liquified and combined then stir in 100g sweet almond oil.
Make The Soap
- Use your infrared thermometer to check the temperature of both the lye solution and oils. Once the lye solution is between 100 and 120f and the oils are within 10 degrees Fahrenheit, you can start soaping.
- Pour the lye solution into the heated oils and carefully place your immersion blender into the mixture, ensuring the blending head is covered at all times. Alternate between pulsing the blender on and off and stirring the mixture with a spatula. This recipe will take a longer time to come to trace because tallow is a slow moving fat.
- After pulsing and stirring for a while, the mixture will come to trace, which simply means it thickens. We're aiming for the consistency of pudding.
Transfer Soap To Molds
- Place the soap molds onto a tray or baking sheet. Pour the soap batter into the molds. If desired, texture the top of the soap bars. You can use a spoon or a toothpick to add swirls.
- Move the tray somewhere that the soap can set for 48 hours.
Cure The Soap
- After 48 hours, remove the soap from the molds. If the soap does not easily pull away from the edges of the molds, it may need longer to set, but after 48 hours, it should be firm enough to remove. Use a peeler to remove the sharp edges from the sides of the soap bars.Set the soap bars on end in a place with good airflow and allow to cure for at least 4 weeks. The curing time is very important when it comes to cold process soaps, this allows the saponification process to complete, excess moisture to evaporate and improves the longevity and lather of your soaps.