The Soap Makers Hub®

Tallow Soap Base Recipe

Batch size: 1500 g oils
Superfat: 10%
Lye concentration: 33%
Water : Lye ratio: 2.03 : 1

Oils & Butters

• Olive Oil — 630 g (42%)
• Beef Tallow — 450 g (30%)
• Coconut Oil (76°) — 225 g (15%)
• Castor Oil — 150 g (10%)
• Beeswax — 45 g (3%)

Lye Solution

• Distilled Water — 389 g
• Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) — 191.7 g

Essential Oil Blend (45g total)

A romantic floral-wood blend with grounding warmth and soft floral notes.

• Cedarwood — 15 g
• Lavender — 15 g
• Ylang Ylang — 10 g
• Jasmine — 5 g

Warm, calming, and beautifully balanced for a Valentine’s design.

Colourants

Pink Portion

• Rose Pink Clay — 5 g

Creates a soft natural pink tone perfect for romantic designs.

Green Portion

• Alfalfa Powder — 2.5 g
• French Green Clay — 2.5 g

Produces a muted botanical green with a natural, earthy feel.

Colour Mixing Tips

✔ Disperse clays in a small amount of water or light oil before adding to prevent clumping.
✔ Add colourants at emulsion/light trace.
✔ Keep batter fluid for clean swirl definition.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.

Method

1️⃣ Prepare Safely

✔ Wear gloves & eye protection
✔ Work in a ventilated area
✔ Line mould and prepare colourants & tools

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2️⃣ Make the Lye Solution

1. Slowly add NaOH to distilled water (never the reverse).
2. Stir until fully dissolved.
3. Set aside to cool to ≈ 35–45°C.

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3️⃣ Melt & Combine Oils

1. Melt tallow, coconut oil, and beeswax gently.
2. Add olive oil and castor oil.
3. Allow oils to cool to ≈ 35–45°C.

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4️⃣ Bring to Emulsion

1. Pour lye solution into oils.
2. Stick blend to light trace / emulsion.

👉 For swirl designs, keep the batter fluid.

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5️⃣ Add Fragrance

Stir in essential oils and mix thoroughly.

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6️⃣ Colour & Swirl (for your Valentine design)

✔ Keep base batter white.
✔ Separate portions for pink & green.
✔ Pour centre swirl. Then cover with the remaining white batter
✔ Texture and create heart swirls on top.

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7️⃣ Pour & Finish

• Pour into mould.
• Add top decoration while soap is still fluid.
• Add Botanicals if desired.
• Insulate lightly if gel phase is desired. This will achieve brighter colours in final bar.

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8️⃣ Unmould & Cure

• Unmould after 24–48 hours.
• Cure for 4–6 weeks for a hard, long-lasting bar.

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Soap Qualities (from formulation)

✔ Hardness: 39
✔ Conditioning: 59
✔ Creamy lather: high
✔ Gentle & nourishing profile

This formula produces a hard, long-lasting bar with creamy, stable lather and excellent skin feel.

For full tutorial please watch the making of our Valentines Soap on our YouTube channel