Shea Butter and Eucalyptus Soap

Last updated: October 2026

Eucalyptus soap recipe: a shea butter cold-process bar

This eucalyptus soap is a cold-process bar made with 1 lb (454 g) shea butter, 1 lb (454 g) coconut oil, 8 oz (227 g) olive oil, 8 oz (227 g) castor oil, 6.7 oz (191 g) lye, 13.5 oz (382 g) distilled water and 1 tbsp (15 ml) eucalyptus essential oil. The shea butter is Baraka's, made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana. It makes about 4 pounds (1,814 g) of soap, which cuts into 8 to 10 bars. If you change any oil or its weight, re-run the lye and water amounts through a soap calculator first. More in Ingredients

This traditional cold-process soap follows the fundamentals in our guide How to Make Shea Butter Soap, with real eucalyptus essential oil added for a fresh, invigorating character and a clean, light scent. It rewards a little patience: the batter comes together quickly, but the real transformation happens during the weeks of cure that follow. This project suits anyone who has made cold-process soap at least once before. For more projects built on the same butter, see the Definitive Guide to DIY with Shea Butter.

In This Recipe:

• What This Recipe Is For
• Why Make This Yourself
• Why These Ingredients Work Together
• Ingredient by Ingredient
• Shea butter and eucalyptus soap recipe
• Before You Begin: Soap-Making Safety
• Ingredients
• How to make shea butter and eucalyptus soap
• Directions
• Troubleshooting
• Storage and Shelf Life
• Scaling and Substitutions
• Customisation Ideas
• Essential Oils
• Application Tips
• What We Know and How We Know It
• FAQ
• Try These Next
• Disclaimer

What This Recipe Is For

An everyday bar with a fresh scent. This recipe makes a firm, generously lathering cold-process soap for hands and body, scented lightly with eucalyptus. It suits these uses:

• Everyday cleansing with a rich, gentle lather
• A fresh, invigorating scent for a spa-like shower routine
• A traditional, hand-made bar for people who like to know every ingredient in their soap
• A rejuvenating addition to a morning or post-workout wash
• Giving as a hand-made gift once fully cured

Why Make This Yourself

Intermediate skill, about 4 pounds (1,814 g) of soap. One batch gives 8 to 10 bars, and you choose every oil and the strength of the scent. There's something satisfying about watching a liquid oil-and-lye mixture turn into a fresh, eucalyptus-scented bar over a few weeks.

Commercial eucalyptus soaps are convenient, consistent and easy to find, and many are well made. A homemade bar differs in composition: this one uses real eucalyptus essential oil and keeps the glycerin that forms naturally as the oils turn into soap. If you want a bar ready to use today, a good commercial soap is the practical choice; if you enjoy hands-on projects and want full control over what goes into your soap, this recipe is for you.

Skill level is intermediate. The process is forgiving about mould choice, but precision matters for the lye, water and essential oil measurements. Allow about 45 minutes of hands-on time, plus 24 to 48 hours in the mould and 4 to 6 weeks of curing.

Why These Ingredients Work Together

Two conditioning oils, two lathering oils. This bar balances conditioning oils with cleansing and lathering ones, finished with a fresh eucalyptus character.

Shea butter contributes conditioning and a smooth, creamy bar texture. Coconut oil is the main cleansing and lathering oil, producing big, bubbly suds. Olive oil softens the bar's feel and supports mildness, while castor oil boosts and stabilizes the lather that coconut oil starts.

The split is deliberate: shea butter and coconut oil each make up a third of the oils by weight, and olive and castor oil a sixth each, which gives a hard bar that lathers well without feeling stripping.

Ingredient by Ingredient

• Shea butter, 1 lb (454 g): the conditioning base and the reason the bar feels creamy rather than drying. Shea butter naturally contains vitamins A and E, and it is solid at room temperature, so it also adds firmness.
• Traditional coconut oil, 1 lb (454 g): drives the rich, bubbly lather this soap is known for and adds hardness to the bar.
• Olive oil, 8 oz (227 g): a gentle, mild oil that supports the bar's overall skin-comfort feel.
• Castor oil, 8 oz (227 g): stabilizes and enhances the lather, helping the bubbles last longer in use.
• Sodium hydroxide (lye), 6.7 oz (191 g): reacts with the oils to make soap. None of it remains as lye once the soap has fully saponified and cured.
• Distilled water, 13.5 oz (382 g): dissolves the lye. Distilled water has no minerals to cloud the bar or react with the lye.
• Eucalyptus essential oil, 1 tbsp (15 ml): adds a bright, refreshing scent, popular for a spa-like everyday routine.

The shea butter in this recipe is Baraka's Raw Shea Butter: unrefined, strained and filtered only, and made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana. It is the butter the whole bar is built on, so it is the one ingredient worth choosing carefully. Baraka's Traditional Coconut Oil is a virgin coconut oil that keeps its fresh coconut aroma, and in soap it gives hardness and abundant lather.

Shea butter and eucalyptus soap recipe: amounts by weight

For shea butter and eucalyptus soap, use 1 lb (454 g) shea butter, 1 lb (454 g) coconut oil, 8 oz (227 g) olive oil, 8 oz (227 g) castor oil, 6.7 oz (191 g) sodium hydroxide (lye), 13.5 oz (382 g) distilled water and 1 tbsp (15 ml) eucalyptus essential oil. Baraka supplies the shea butter and the traditional coconut oil in this list. Don't use more than 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the essential oil, as higher amounts can irritate skin. The lye and water are calculated for these exact oils and weights, so recalculate if you change anything. More in Ingredients

Before You Begin: Soap-Making Safety

Gloves, goggles and good air. Lye is caustic until it has reacted with the oils, so treat every step before unmoulding as hazardous.

• Wear protective gloves and eye protection whenever you handle lye.
• Work in a well-ventilated area: open a window or work near an extractor fan.
• Always add lye to water, never water to lye.
• Keep lye, raw soap batter and curing soap well out of reach of children and pets.
• This is an adults-only project from start to finish.
• Eucalyptus essential oil is potent: never exceed the amount specified below, as excess amounts can irritate skin.

Ingredients

Seven ingredients, every one weighed. Weigh the oils, lye and water on a digital scale; only the essential oil is measured by spoon.

• Shea butter: 1 lb (454 g)
• Traditional coconut oil: 1 lb (454 g)
• Olive oil: 8 oz (227 g)
• Castor oil: 8 oz (227 g)
• Sodium hydroxide (lye): 6.7 oz (191 g)
• Distilled water: 13.5 oz (382 g)
• Eucalyptus essential oil: 1 tbsp (15 ml), about 0.5 oz (14 g)

Yield: the batter weighs about 4.3 lb (1,949 g) going into the mould and loses some water as it cures, leaving about 4 pounds (1,814 g) of finished soap, which cuts into 8 to 10 bars.

How the lye is calculated

Each oil is multiplied by its saponification value (how much lye is needed to turn that oil into soap). The values below are the standard published soapmaking values for sodium hydroxide.

Oil	Weight	Saponification value	Lye needed
Shea butter	1 lb (454 g)	0.128	2.0 oz (58 g)
Coconut oil	1 lb (454 g)	0.183	2.9 oz (83 g)
Olive oil	8 oz (227 g)	0.135	1.1 oz (31 g)
Castor oil	8 oz (227 g)	0.128	1.0 oz (29 g)
Total	3 lb (1,362 g)		7.1 oz (201 g)

Taking about 5% off for superfat (7.1 oz, or 201 g, × 0.95) gives 6.7 oz (191 g) of lye. The water is twice the lye: 13.5 oz (382 g). The 5% superfat leaves a little oil unreacted in the finished bar, which keeps it from feeling harsh. Before you make it, check these figures in a lye calculator, and see our saponification value chart and soap-making guide for the values of other oils.

Note: these lye and water amounts are calculated for this exact oil combination and weights. If you change any oil or its amount, always re-run the recipe through a lye calculator before making it. Do not increase the eucalyptus essential oil beyond the amount listed; higher concentrations can irritate skin.

How to make shea butter and eucalyptus soap

Wearing gloves and eye protection, add the lye to the distilled water (never the reverse) and let it cool. Melt the shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil and castor oil, then pour the lye solution into the oils when both are around 100 to 120°F (38 to 49°C). This method is written for Baraka's unrefined shea butter, made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana. Blend to trace, stir in the eucalyptus essential oil, pour into a mould, leave 24 to 48 hours, then cut and cure the bars for 4 to 6 weeks before use. More in Directions

Directions

Nine steps, then four to six weeks of waiting. You will need a digital scale, a heat-resistant jug for the lye, a stainless steel or heat-resistant pot, a stick blender, a thermometer, a silicone spatula and a loaf mould that holds about 4.3 lb (1,949 g).

1. Put on gloves and eye protection before handling lye.
2. In a heat-resistant container, slowly add the sodium hydroxide to the distilled water (never the reverse), stirring until fully dissolved. The mixture will heat up: set it aside in a ventilated area to cool.
3. Melt the shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil and castor oil together gently until fully liquid.
4. Once the lye solution and the oils are both around 100 to 120°F (38 to 49°C), slowly pour the lye solution into the oils, stirring continuously.
5. Use a stick blender in short bursts, alternating with hand stirring, until the mixture reaches trace: it will thicken and leave a visible trail when you drizzle it across the surface.
6. Add the eucalyptus essential oil and stir until evenly combined.
7. Pour the mixture into a soap mould, tap gently to release air bubbles, and cover.
8. Let the soap set in the mould for 24 to 48 hours before unmoulding.
9. Cut into bars once firm enough to handle, then set the bars on their sides in a well-ventilated space to cure for 4 to 6 weeks before use.

Troubleshooting

Most problems trace back to temperature or measuring. These are the faults that come up most often with a bar like this one, and how to put them right.

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
The batter will not reach trace	Oils and lye solution too cool, or too little blending	Keep both at 100 to 120°F (38 to 49°C) and blend in short bursts for longer; trace can take several minutes with olive and castor oil in the mix.
The batter thickens too fast to pour	Mixing too hot, or over-blending once trace starts	Mix toward the lower end of the range, stop blending at light trace and add the essential oil by hand stirring.
A white, powdery layer forms on top	Soda ash, a harmless reaction between lye and air	Cover the mould after pouring; trim the layer off or steam it lightly once the bars are cut.
The soap is still soft after 48 hours	A weighing error, too much water, or a cool room	Leave it in the mould another day or two; if it stays soft or greasy, re-check every weight against the lye calculation before the next batch.
Oily pockets or a greasy layer	Batter not fully mixed before pouring	Do not use these bars. Next time blend to a clear trace with no streaks before pouring.
Cracks across the top	The batter overheated in the mould	Mix cooler and keep the mould somewhere cooler for the first day.
The eucalyptus scent fades	The essential oil evaporates during curing	Add it at trace rather than earlier, cure in an airy but not hot room, and wrap bars once cured.

Storage and Shelf Life

4 to 6 weeks to cure, then 12 to 18 months. Cure time is 4 to 6 weeks; do not use the soap before curing is complete, as it needs this time to fully harden and mellow. Once cured, bars typically keep well for 12 to 18 months.

Store cured bars in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight: a drawer or shelf with airflow works well. Heat and light fade the eucalyptus scent faster and can bring on orange spots as the oils age. Between uses, keep the bar on a well-draining soap dish to extend the life of each bar.

The shea butter itself keeps 2+ years when stored properly, away from heat and direct sun, so it is worth keeping a jar on hand for the next batch.

Scaling and Substitutions

Halve or double by weight, then recalculate the lye. The amounts below are worked from the ounce weights and the lye is calculated for each batch, not simply halved or doubled.

Ingredient	Half batch	Full batch	Double batch
Shea butter	8 oz (227 g)	1 lb (454 g)	2 lb (907 g)
Coconut oil	8 oz (227 g)	1 lb (454 g)	2 lb (907 g)
Olive oil	4 oz (113 g)	8 oz (227 g)	1 lb (454 g)
Castor oil	4 oz (113 g)	8 oz (227 g)	1 lb (454 g)
Lye	3.4 oz (95 g)	6.7 oz (191 g)	13.4 oz (381 g)
Distilled water	6.7 oz (190 g)	13.5 oz (382 g)	26.9 oz (762 g)
Eucalyptus essential oil	1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml)	1 tbsp (15 ml)	2 tbsp (30 ml)
Bars	4 to 5	8 to 10	16 to 20

Substitutions

Substitutions change the lye, so every swap goes back through the calculation. Two worked examples:

• Sweet almond oil for olive oil: use the same 8 oz (227 g). Its saponification value is 0.136, so the total before superfat is 7.1 oz (201 g) and the lye stays at 6.7 oz (191 g), with 13.5 oz (382 g) of water.
• Palm kernel oil for coconut oil: use the same 1 lb (454 g). Its saponification value is 0.156, so the total before superfat falls to 6.7 oz (189 g), the lye becomes 6.3 oz (179 g) and the water 12.6 oz (358 g). Palm kernel oil is pressed from the kernel inside the palm fruit's stone and is not the same as red palm oil, which comes from the fruit flesh and would tint the bar orange.

Castor oil has no close stand-in. You can leave it out and add its weight to the olive oil, but the lather will be thinner; recalculate the lye before you do.

Customisation Ideas

Change the look and feel, not the oils. These ideas leave the formulation as it is, apart from the last one.

• Soften the scent with a little less eucalyptus essential oil; 1 tbsp (15 ml) in this recipe is the most to use.
• Add texture with a tablespoon of ground oats alongside the eucalyptus for extra gentle exfoliation.
• Adjust the mould to individual bar moulds instead of a loaf mould for a different shape.
• Add natural colour with a pinch of spirulina or green clay for a fresh, herbal tone.
• Always recalculate the lye and water with a lye calculator before changing any oil or its weight.

Popular lye calculators include SoapCalc, the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild lye calculator and LyeCalc. Always re-run the recipe in one before adjusting the oils.

Essential Oils

One tablespoon for the whole batch. This recipe uses 1 tbsp (15 ml), about 0.5 oz (14 g), of eucalyptus essential oil for 3 lb (1,362 g) of oils, which gives a light, clean scent.

Baraka's recommended limit for soap is no more than 1 tablespoon of essential oil in total per 16 oz (454 g) of oils. This recipe stays well inside that, and we recommend keeping to the amount listed rather than adding more. Add the essential oil at trace, stir by hand, and pour straight away.

If you want a blended scent, split the same 1 tbsp (15 ml) between eucalyptus and a second oil such as lavender or peppermint, keeping the total the same. For a bar meant for babies or young children, leave the essential oil out altogether.

Application Tips

Lather lightly, rinse well, keep it dry. Use like any bar soap for hands, face or body: lather with warm water and rinse well. A soap dish with drainage will help the bar last longer between uses.

Because this soap is rich in conditioning oils, a light lather goes a long way, so there is no need to scrub aggressively. Keep it away from the eyes, as with any soap.

What We Know and How We Know It

The lye and water figures are calculated from standard published saponification values with about 5% superfat, and the essential oil amount follows Baraka's recommended limits for soap. The method, cure time, troubleshooting and scaling come from common practice in the home soapmaking community. The details about Baraka's shea butter and coconut oil come from Baraka's own product documentation.

FAQ

How do I make shea butter and eucalyptus soap at home?

Melt shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil and castor oil, combine with a dissolved lye-water solution, blend to trace, stir in eucalyptus essential oil, pour into a mould, and cure for 4 to 6 weeks. The hands-on work takes about 45 minutes once everything is weighed out. You need a digital scale, gloves and eye protection, a stick blender, a thermometer and a loaf mould. The full step-by-step method is in Directions.

What's a good DIY soap recipe with eucalyptus?

A shea butter-based cold-process soap with eucalyptus essential oil works well, adding a fresh, invigorating scent to a traditional soap base. The recipe on this page uses equal weights of shea butter and coconut oil for a hard, well-lathering bar, with olive oil for mildness and castor oil to hold the lather. It makes 8 to 10 bars, and the lye is calculated and shown so you can check every figure before you start.

Can I use eucalyptus essential oil in soap?

Yes, eucalyptus essential oil is commonly used in cold-process soap for its fresh, spa-like scent, though it should always be used within safe limits. Baraka's recommended limit for soap is no more than 1 tablespoon of essential oil in total per 16 oz (454 g) of oils. This recipe uses 1 tbsp (15 ml) for the whole batch, well inside that limit, and is best kept at that amount. Add it at trace and stir it in by hand.

How long does homemade soap need to cure?

Cold-process soap like this typically needs 4 to 6 weeks to cure fully. Curing lets excess water evaporate and allows the bar to harden, so don't use it before this time is up; in soap making, curing simply means this drying time. Stand the bars on their sides with space between them in a dry, airy room, and turn them once a week so every face dries evenly. A fully cured bar is harder and lasts longer in the shower.

The Impact of Your Purchase

When you make skincare with Baraka ingredients, you are buying from women's cooperatives that earn fair wages and keep traditional processing methods alive. Baraka's 2025 Social and Environmental Impact Report records income opportunities for more than 3,000 women in northern Ghana, over $100,000 invested in women's enterprise infrastructure, and equipment and fuel recovery that have cut the carbon impact of shea processing by up to 90%. At the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region, Baraka's shea butter is made by hand, and the waste left over from making it is dried into fuel blocks that fire the next batch. Baraka also offsets 100% of the carbon cost of shipping to customers. You get full transparency about what touches your skin and your family's skin, and about where it came from.

To see how the women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre make Baraka's shea butter by hand, read How Handmade Shea Butter is Made, or meet one of the women behind these ingredients in this short film: Shea Butter Producer: Zenabo Imoro.

Shop the Baraka Ingredients in This Recipe

Shea Butter: Shop Shea Butter. The unrefined, hand-made butter that gives this bar its conditioning feel and creamy texture.

Traditional Coconut Oil: Shop Traditional Coconut Oil. The virgin coconut oil that gives this bar its hardness and big, bubbly lather.

Browse more for your next batch: Butters and Oils.

Try These Next

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:

• Shea Butter and Turmeric Soap: a golden-toned, earthy variation for a different everyday bar.
• Shea Butter and Goats Milk Soap: another shea butter cold-process bar, this time made with goats milk.
• Honey and Shea Butter Soap: a shea butter soap made with honey, for a warmer, sweeter bar.
• Creamy Cow Milk and Shea Butter Soap: a creamy shea butter soap made with cow milk.
• Shea Butter and Aloe Vera Soap: a shea butter soap made with aloe vera, a natural partner for eucalyptus in a gift set.
• Shea Butter and Vanilla Bean Soap: a warm, sweet-scented alternative if eucalyptus's freshness isn't what you're after.
• Shea Butter and Cinnamon Oil Soap: a warm, spiced variation for a different cozy scent profile.
• Shea Butter and Orange Oil Soap: a bright, citrusy variation for a different energizing bar.
• Honey and Shea Butter Soap: a warm, comforting scent for a different everyday character.

About These Ingredients

This recipe is expanded from our comprehensive Definitive Guide to DIY with Shea Butter, which explores additional formulations, ingredient options, and variations. Visit the full guide for more approaches to shea-based DIY skincare.

Disclaimer

The information on this page is for general education. It reflects traditional use, reported experience and, where noted, published research. It has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. Baraka products are cosmetics and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition. Keep products away from the eyes and out of reach of children, and speak to a qualified healthcare provider about any skin or health condition. If you add essential oils, use no more than the amount given, and leave them out for young children, during pregnancy and on sensitive skin. Individual results vary.

About the Author

Wayne Dunn is the founder of Baraka Impact and a former Professor of Practice in Sustainability at McGill University. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from Stanford and has spent over 15 years working directly with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region to source traditionally made shea butter and natural oils. He shares DIY skincare recipes and ingredient guides designed to be made at home with real ingredients — and sourced with full transparency about where they come from.