Flower on Top Applewood CP Soap Making | Cold Process Soap Recipe

Sophia Jihye Yun

Published in

Sophia Yun Candle and Soap

6 min readMar 20, 2022

Little flower decor makes soap a nice touch!

I made this for last Christmas. The applewood scents make such a special feel to it.

This is the soap recipe.
40% lye concentration 5% Superfat
433.5 g Distilled Water ~ https://amzn.to/3jE44WA
289 g Sodium Hydroxide ~ https://amzn.to/3mVRPXO
940 g Olive Oil (47%) ~ https://amzn.to/3Iq7tSU
600 g Coconut Oil (30%) ~ https://amzn.to/3tcPnNM
400 g Canola Oil (20%) ~ https://amzn.to/3CmRrpw
60 g Castor Oil (3%) ~ https://amzn.to/3zqGlxM
4 g Himalayan Pink Salt ~ https://amzn.to/3Cta5fv
20 g Sugar ~ https://amzn.to/3IjaOCm
20 g Citric Acid ~ https://amzn.to/3wdywNZ
20 g Cornstarch ~ https://amzn.to/3zEYW9H
120 g Applewood Fragrance Oil ~ https://amzn.to/35dsi5H
2 g Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE) ~ https://amzn.to/3gV0Mwp
Mica ~ https://amzn.to/2YOZw8y

If you can prepare the lye water with additives, it’s always better.

433.5 g Distilled Water ~ https://amzn.to/3jE44WA
289 g Sodium Hydroxide ~ https://amzn.to/3mVRPXO

4 g Himalayan Pink Salt ~ https://amzn.to/3Cta5fv
20 g Sugar ~ https://amzn.to/3IjaOCm
20 g Citric Acid ~ https://amzn.to/3wdywNZ

These five ingredients will bring temperature high, that’s why I usually make the solution a night before.

And for coconut oil, you can warm it up using double boiler method, then keep it cool down.

600 g Coconut Oil (30%) ~ https://amzn.to/3tcPnNM

940 g Olive Oil (47%) ~ https://amzn.to/3Iq7tSU
400 g Canola Oil (20%) ~ https://amzn.to/3CmRrpw
60 g Castor Oil (3%) ~ https://amzn.to/3zqGlxM

And while coconut oil cools down, or you can warm it up a night before, you can measure out liquid oils such as olive oils and canola oils.

2 g Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (ROE) ~ https://amzn.to/3gV0Mwp

As we use vitamin E for lotions and creams, I recommend using ROE or vitamin E. They work as antioxidant, they prevent oxidation in fats.

Most of the hand-made soaps and natural soaps are thought as very skin friendly and soft soaps, due to its huge chunk of fats remained in soaps.

But those fats, can be ruined due to oxidation. The color changes to yellow, and you may not use for skin anymore. And ROE and vitamin E help prevent oxidation in fats.

If you don’t use these, soaps can turn yellow within three months, if not, within a year.

Mica ~ https://amzn.to/2YOZw8y

Some micas lose their colors due to lye, some not. Make sure your mica can be still bright in CP soap making, some are really good and work for bathbomb and creams, but not just for CP soaps.

Be sure to check with the manufacturer or reviews, so it would work for your CP soaps.

Mica works better with some oils or glycerin in it, and stir it before using it.

Now mix the coconut oil and liquid oils.

It’s better to keep the liquids cool so you will be plenty of time to work on your soap batter.

Now start the emulsion, with lye solution into fats.

You can mix with half in, or all in, just use hand mixer.

You can see the color of mixture changed into dull color. Then you might want to stop and divide them into the other container.

You will now color it with mica.

And now add your fragrance oils.

Some fragrance oils accelerate the soap batter, it will thicken the soap very soon. Just add right before you pour it.

Add liquid mica in oils or glycerin, mix it again.

Sometimes the powder can stay as powder form, a little bit of clumping. And it’s okay to see some particles, since oxides in mica powder don’t dissolve into liquid.