Shea Butter Cold Process Soap Bar

Today we will be exploring the beautiful world of shea butter soap making... In all honesty I kind of laid it on thick there, but we are actually going to make a shea butter soap.

I probably should add some fluff at this point like how it's great for your skin, it's deeply nourishing and helps with eczema, well I just did so let's dive right in shall we 😂😂😂.

Wait! let me first tell you how this recipe was born, because it's honestly kind of ridiculous.

I have eczema. Like, proper shit skin that flares up if I accidentally LOOK at the wrong things. 

An eczema Flare-Up

Naturally, I decided "hey, I should make my own soap!" Because why buy gentle soap when you can potentially create your own and make millions right? 😂😂😂 So I set out to learn about making soap. I watched a few YouTube videos, thought I was a soap master after 20 minutes of research (the confidence!), and decided that I was ready to create my first bar.

But there was a big problem: I couldn't find a straightforward shea butter soap recipe ANYWHERE. Everything was either super complicated with 7 different oils, or it was those vague "use whatever you want!" recipes that are completely useless when you have no idea what you're doing.

Eventually, I did find a simple olive and coconut oil bar recipe and after a lot of deliberation, my genius brain went: "Well, shea butter is kinda like olive oil, right? They're both... moisturizing?" I can use this recipe. 

The chaos begun with Shea Butter

What I did was basically halving the olive oil amount and replaced it with shea butter while keeping the original lye and water amounts from the original recipe and voila my own shea butter soap recipe was born. Please remember this was my very first time trying to make soap, I was delusional.

But thinking back at it, knowing what I know about saponification values now, I'd probably do it again because shea butter and olive oil have pretty similar SAP values so it technically works. BUT PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE. USE A SOAP CALCULATOR! (If it’s your first time and you do not understand how to use a soap calculator follow the recipe 😬)

The Disaster Unfolds

I did everything gathered my oils, mixed the lye, and obviously combined them, that part went pretty smooth, Well, after mixing and pouring it into the molds (I didn’t have real soap molds then, just these small plastic bowls I used as makeshift molds), I was like "Voila! That wasn't too hard!" *inner happy dance*

After I left it alone and came back a few hours later to check on it, I fully expected firm soap like I'd seen in the YouTube videos. Instead? I got a glopy bar, I genuinely do not know how to describe it.  Panic mode: ACTIVATED. 😂😂😂, cause at this point I was thinking this should be hard enough for me to cut.

I'm standing there like "herh!, me di nkwasiasem" (if you’re Ghanaian you’d understand, but basically I was berating myself). In my panic, I convinced myself the whole batch had completely failed and I needed to just throw it away and start over. It obviously wasn't going to turn into soap, right? (I didn’t know how long it would take to harden tbvh)

So in my infinite wisdom, I grabbed the mold and dumped the soap (it wasn't liquid and it wasn't hard either) into the bowl I'd used earlier for mixing the lye solution.

Then, in a moment of absolutely ZERO brain cell activity, I immediately stuck my bare hand into that bowl to start washing it out. Yeah I did that. Let me say that again for emphasis: I stuck my bare hand into a bowl containing fresh, still saponifying soap that hadn't even traced yet. Honestly I don’t know what I was thinking, I just felt like it didn’t work so what was the big deal I guess.

Wear Your Gloves, Learn From My Pain

A few seconds in my thumb started feeling hot. Then stinging. But did I take my hand out right away? No! I kept washing the bowl for a few more seconds because apparently I needed to learn this lesson the HARD way. By the time my mind finally realized the pain my thumb was experiencing and I pulled my hand out, I had angry red raw skin on my thumb. EI! 😭😭😭 I quickly rinsed my hands off properly with lots of water and just... logged out of life for the rest of the day. After that incident, all my enthusiasm for the soap and soaping in general completely disappeared. I was ready to quit soap making entirely and just accept my fate of buying expensive eczema-friendly soap.

The Plot Twist

But here's the thing: the next day, out of curiosity (and maybe a little bit of stubbornness), I checked on the remaining soap I hadn't dumped. And it had actually hardened! Not rock-solid like cured soap should be, but firm enough to touch and cut. I was shocked. So I cut it up into bars, dumped them on a tray, shoved the whole thing on top of one of the kitchen shelves, and basically forgot it existed. I wasn't touching that stuff again. Fool me once and all that.

Cut, abandoned, and forgotten. Little did I know.

For like 3-6 months. 😂😂😂 Life happened. I moved on. I didn’t make any other bar of soap. I was over it tbvh. The shea butter experiment became a distant, slightly traumatic memory. Then one random day, I was cleaning out the kitchen and remembered that tray of abandoned soap on the shelf. I took the tray to throw it away, and—DAMN was it hard! Like, proper solid soap hard. 

I tested it nervously (with gloves on this time, yes, I actually wore medical gloves and used it to wash my hands, because PTSD), and shockingly? It actually worked. I was still apprehensive so I made my mum test it out by using it to shower first (what are mothers for btw, if not supporting their children's dreams) 😂, and nothing happened. In my mind I had done it I  made soap, and it bubbled and it could wash. I had completely forgotten it had taken FOREVER (literally months) to fully cure, but it lathered beautifully, didn't burn my skin off, and most importantly, my skin did not flare up. After the whole chemical-burn-thumb incident, I considered this a MASSIVE win. 🎉

Perfecting the Recipe

After that first chaotic success, I got properly into soap making. I made myself sign up for training, and  did a lot of variations of that original recipe. Tweaked percentages. Tested different superfat levels. Made batches with different water amounts. Actually used soap calculators like a sensible human being.

I eventually ended up with TWO recipes I use religiously: this shea butter bar you're about to learn, and a colloidal oat bar (which I use A LOT for bad eczema flare-ups because, again, shit skin 😂😂😂).

This recipe you're about to read? This is not the final form. Because I am always tweaking something but I've made this recipe 15+ times, my skin loves it, and I actually know what I'm doing now..

Why Shea Butter?

Shea butter is a very simple ingredient. It's moisturizing without that greasy film that makes you feel like you bathed in vegetable oil.

When you have eczema, you learn REAL fast which ingredients are friends and which are enemies. Shea butter is definitely a friend.

In this recipe, I pair it with two other workhorses:

• Coconut Oil (20%): Produces bubbles and helps the bar harden quickly. Yes, some soap people will freak out about 20% coconut oil. "Too drying!" they'll scream into the void. But here's the thing: with eczema, I NEED a proper cleansing bar that actually removes dirt and oil, and paired with all this shea and olive oil, 20% coconut doesn't dry me out at all. Plus, I like my soap to actually lather. Sue me. 🤷‍♀️
  
• Olive Oil (40%): Adds slip, moisture, and gentleness. This is what keeps the coconut oil from being too harsh and makes the soap gentle enough for my angry, temperamental skin.
  

Together, these three oils create a creamy, conditioning bar that doesn't make my eczema lose its mind. And that, my friends, is the dream.

The Recipe

Oil Percentages:

• 40% Shea Butter
• 20% Coconut Oil (RBD)
• 40% Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)
  

For my rectangular mold:

• 511 g Shea Butter
• 256 g Coconut Oil
• 511 g Olive Oil
• 485 g Distilled Water (approx. 38% of oils)
• 181 g Sodium Hydroxide/Lye (to achieve ~5% superfat)
  

CRITICAL: Run these numbers through a soap calculator before you start. I know I didn't do this my first time (chaos queen over here), but YOU should. Don't be like first-time me. Be like current me who has learned from her mistakes

The Soap Mold I Use

Nowadays I mostly use the same rectangular wooden soap mold. Check out [link to your mold post] for full details if you want to know exactly what I use.

Let's Make Some Shea Butter Soap (Safely This Time!)

Listen. Before you start, measure EVERYTHING out. And I mean everything. It honestly makes the process very easy and fast. 

Everything measured and ready. Preparation is key

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Safety First (I'm Serious, Don't Be Me)

Gloves, goggles, long sleeves. The whole protective getup. Lye is caustic and will absolutely burn you. Trust me, I have the thumb trauma to prove it.

I keep a spray bottle of vinegar nearby to neutralize any lye drips. Also? Work in a well-ventilated area. Lye fumes are spicy and not in a fun way.

2. Prepare the Lye Solution

In a heat-safe container, slowly add the sodium hydroxide into the distilled water. LYE GOES INTO WATER. NEVER WATER INTO LYE. (Write this on a sticky note. Tattoo it somewhere. Memories it like your life depends on it. Seriously, adding water to lye can cause an eruption and that's how people get seriously hurt.) Stir gently until dissolved. It's going to heat up FAST, we're talking near-boiling temperatures. The container will be HOT. Don't panic, this is completely normal. Just don't touch it or stick your face over it (trust me on this). Cover it and let it cool to room temperature. This takes about 30-45 minutes depending on your climate. I usually prep my oils while waiting because standing around waiting for lye to cool is boring .

3. Melt & Combine Oils

Shea butter and coconut oil are solid at room temperature (unless you live somewhere tropical, like me). Melt the butter gently, I use the double boiler method or in the microwave with short bursts. Don't overheat it; you just want it melted, not cooked. Once melted, remove from heat and add the coconut and olive oil. Stir it all together. Now let everything cool to room temperature. Here's what I learned the hard way (well, one of many things): temperature MATTERS. Too hot and your soap can seize, accelerate, or even volcano out of the mold. Too cold and it takes forever to trace. Aim for your lye solution and oils to both be around 35-40°C (95-105°F) and within about 5°C of each other. I use a thermometer now because my first few batches were just me guessing temperatures with my hand and hoping for the best.

4. Combine Lye & Oils

When both your lye solution and oils are at the right temperature, slowly pour the lye solution into the oils. I pour through a small strainer just in case there are any undissolved lye crystals hiding in there.

Grab your stick blender (immersion blender) and blend. Stop blending once the mixture begins to thicken or reach light trace.

5. Pour & Tap

Pour the soap batter into your mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of air bubbles trapped in the batter. Then lightly spritz the top with 70% rubbing alcohol to prevent soda ash.

6. Insulate & Wait

Cover your mold with a lid or piece of cardboard and let it sit somewhere it won't be disturbed for 24-48 hours.

Here's the thing with this recipe: the olive oil makes soap softer initially and it takes a bit longer to firm up compared to recipes with more hard oils. I've noticed my shea butter soap needs closer to 36-48 hours before it's ready to unmold, especially with that 40% olive oil. If you try to unmold too early, it'll be sticky, soft, and you'll regret it. Your soap might stick to the mold, tear when you try to remove it, or just be a general mess. Just be patient. Go watch Netflix. Touch grass. Read a book. Whatever. Just leave the soap alone.

7. Unmold & Slice

When the soap feels firm to the touch (it should feel like cold butter—solid but you can still press into it slightly), it's ready to unmold. If it's still squishy or sticky, give it another 12 hours.

Gently remove the soap from the mold. Cut into bars with a sharp knife or soap cutter. I aim for roughly 100g bars, which gives me about 10 bars per batch. If your soap crumbles when you cut it, one of two things happened: you either waited too long to unmold and it got too hard, OR your shea butter percentage is too high. This is why I stick with 40% max on the shea butter.

8. Cure 

Place your bars on a rack or tray in a cool, dry spot with good airflow. Make sure air can circulate around all sides. Cure for 7-8 weeks minimum, flipping them every week or so. 

What Could Go Wrong?

Soap is still completely liquid after 24 hours: Too much water or not enough lye. Double-check your measurements. Also, make sure you actually reached trace before pouring, if you didn't blend enough, it might separate. And whatever you do, DON'T stick your hand in it to check. Learn from my mistakes.

Soap won't harden after 48 hours: Same as above. Run your recipe through a calculator and make sure your measurements were accurate. Also check that your lye is fresh, old lye loses potency.

Grainy or weird texture: Your lye solution was probably too hot when you mixed it with the oils. This can cause false trace or those annoying stearic spots. Let everything cool to room temperature (around 35-40°C) before combining next time.

Barely any lather: Not enough coconut oil. If you go below 15%, you're in sad bubble territory. Nobody wants sad bubbles.

Soap crumbles when cutting: Either you waited too long to unmold (it got too hard and dried out) or you went too high on the shea butter percentage. Stick with 40% max.

White powder on top (soda ash): That's soda ash. It's totally harmless, just cosmetically annoying. Prevent it by spritzing with rubbing alcohol right after pouring. If it still happens, you can steam it off with a clothing steamer, or just embrace your soap's rustic aesthetic.

Soap is soft and melts quickly in the shower: You didn't cure it long enough. Give it more time. Seriously, patience is key with soap making.

Shelf Life & Storage

Once your soap is properly cured, it basically lasts forever. Well, not literally forever, but a really long time. The high pH kills bacteria, and there's minimal water content left for mold to grow in. If you store your bars in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and humidity, they'll easily last 1-2 years.

Want a Video Walkthrough? 

Check out this tutorial:

Final Notes

For my fellow eczema sufferers: This recipe is formulated at 5% superfat, which I find gentle enough for my reactive skin without making the bar too soft or prone to going rancid. If you want it even MORE conditioning for really dry or damaged skin, you can bump it up to 7-8% superfat. Just adjust the lye amount in a soap calculator.

Fragrance: I keep this recipe completely unscented. My skin is dramatic like that. But if your skin tolerates fragrance, you can add 25-30g of essential oil or fragrance oil when you reach light trace. Just make sure to use skin-safe fragrances.

My other go-to recipe: I also make a colloidal oat bar that I rotate with this shea butter soap. The oat bar is even gentler and more soothing for really bad eczema flare-ups. Maybe I'll post that recipe next if people are interested in it.

My Honest Review After More Than A Year Of Use

This soap doesn't make my eczema angry, which is honestly a HUGE win. 

The lather is creamy without being overly bubbly. It's more of a rich, conditioning lather than a big fluffy cloud of bubbles, which I actually prefer. 

Most importantly? My skin doesn't feel tight and itchy after showering. If you have eczema, you KNOW that horrible tight, itchy, feeling after using the wrong soap. This doesn't do that. 

Enjoy your homemade shea butter soap! If you also have shit skin like me, I genuinely hope this recipe works as well for you as it does for me. And if you mess up your first batch? Welcome to the club. Kinda. We've all been there. The difference is you're using a calculator and wearing gloves, unlike SOME PEOPLE (me, I'm some people). 😂

Happy soaping! 🧼✨

P.S. - If you want the colloidal oat bar recipe for even gentler eczema care, let me know in the comments. That one's my go-to for really bad flare-ups.