Soap making supplies: oils, butters, bases and equipment

To make soap you need a scale, stick blender, moulds, thermometer, goggles, gloves, lye, and a mix of hard and soft oils, or a ready-made no-lye base. Baraka's shea butter, kombo butter and African black soap are made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.

What supplies do you need to make soap?

A first batch of cold-process soap needs three groups of supplies: equipment, lye and oils. Soap recipes are measured by weight, so equipment comes first.

• Digital scale that weighs in grams. Every oil, butter, liquid and the lye is weighed, never measured by the cup.
• Stick blender, which brings the mixture to a thick, pourable stage in minutes rather than an hour of hand stirring.
• Moulds. A silicone loaf mould is the easiest, or a wooden box lined with parchment paper.
• Thermometer, to check the lye solution and the melted oils before you combine them.
• Goggles and gloves, worn with long sleeves, every time the lye is out.
• Containers and tools: a stainless steel pot for the oils, a stainless steel or heavy-duty plastic jug for the lye, and spatulas. Avoid aluminium.
• Extras: a knife or cutter for slicing the loaf, towels to insulate the mould, and labels.

Keep soap-making tools separate from your kitchen tools once they have been used.

Lye is bought separately

Lye (sodium hydroxide) is what turns oils into soap, and it is not part of any oil or butter order. Buy it from a soap-making supplier, and check the label says 100% sodium hydroxide with nothing added. Run every recipe through a lye calculator and weigh the result to the gram.

Lye safety rules

• Wear goggles, gloves and long sleeves from the moment you open the lye until the soap is in the mould.
• Work in a ventilated space and avoid breathing the fumes when the lye meets the water.
• Always add lye to water, never water to lye.
• Use stainless steel or heavy-duty plastic, never aluminium.
• Keep children and pets out of the room, and label anything that holds lye.
• If lye touches your skin, rinse with plenty of cool running water. If it reaches your eyes, rinse and get emergency medical help.

What oils and butters are used in soap making?

Most soap recipes combine hard oils and butters, which make a firm bar, with soft oils, which add lather. The groups below are organised by the job each one does. Sizes for each are listed on its product page.

Hard oils and butters

Shea butter. Baraka's shea butter is unrefined, strained and filtered only, with no refining, bleaching or deodorising. It is made by hand by women's producer groups at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana. Shea butter is solid at room temperature but melts on contact with skin, and in soap it is typically used for a creamy, soft-feeling bar. It keeps 2+ years when stored properly, away from heat and direct sun. Baraka shea butter is the place to start for the creamy part of a recipe.

Cocoa butter. This is the fat pressed from cocoa beans, unrefined, unbleached and undeodorised, from Ghana. It is hard and brittle at room temperature, harder than shea, and melts at close to body temperature. It is used where a firm, stable product is wanted, and it keeps the chocolate smell of the bean. A pale surface bloom after a change in temperature is a change in crystal structure, not spoilage, and it disappears on melting. Baraka cocoa butter adds firmness to a bar.

Palm kernel oil. Pressed from the kernel inside the stone of the palm fruit, it is white to pale yellow and solid at room temperature, melting near body temperature. It has very little smell and carries no colour into the finished soap. It is used mainly in soap making, where it gives a hard bar with quick lather. It is not red palm oil, which comes from the flesh around the stone. Baraka palm kernel oil gives a hard, quick-lathering bar without adding colour or scent.

Kombo butter. Kombo comes from the seed of the kombo tree, a traditional West African material used far less widely than shea or cocoa. Baraka's kombo butter is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana. It is softer than cocoa butter, firmer than shea, and has a distinctive earthy smell. It is traditionally used as a massage butter in Ghana. In a blend, use it at 20 to 30% with shea butter. Patch test first: apply a little to the inside of your arm and wait 24 hours. Never use kombo butter in anything made for babies. Baraka kombo butter is the one to try when you want a distinctive, less common butter in your recipe.

Soft and lathering oils

Virgin coconut oil. This is pressed from the fresh coconut kernel, grown and pressed in Ghana's coastal coconut belt, with no solvent extraction and no chemical refining. In soap making it contributes hardness and abundant lather. It is solid below about 75°F (24°C) and a clear liquid above it, so it will solidify and liquefy with the temperature of your room. This is normal and does not affect quality. It is highly saturated, which is why it keeps far longer than most oils. Baraka virgin coconut oil is the lather-builder in the recipe.

Red palm oil. Red palm oil is pressed from the orange flesh of the oil palm fruit, not the kernel, and it keeps its natural colour. It is soft and semi-solid at room temperature. The colour transfers strongly, so it will tint anything it goes into and stains cloth and surfaces. Its savoury, earthy smell carries into the finished product. It is a different material from palm kernel oil. Baraka red palm oil is the choice if you want colour in the bar and are happy with the scent.

Shea oil. Shea oil is the liquid fraction of shea, separated from the butter so it stays pourable at room temperature. It is pale yellow to golden with a mild characteristic smell. It is lighter than the whole butter, and colour and smell vary between batches. Baraka's shea oil is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana. Use it when you want shea in liquid form in your recipe.

Where can you buy natural soap making supplies?

You will usually buy from three places: a specialist for the lye, an ordinary shop for the equipment, and a maker you trust for the oils and butters.

For the oils, butters and base, Baraka sells shea butter, cocoa butter, virgin coconut oil, palm kernel oil, red palm oil, kombo butter, a black soap base and a complete kit, all linked in this guide. The shea butter, kombo butter and African black soap are made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana. You can read more about the centre in the Baraka Impact Report.

Equipment such as a scale, thermometer, spatulas, jugs and a stick blender can come from a kitchen shop or hardware store. Buy lye from a soap-making supplier, and check the label before you pay. Whoever you buy from, look at whether the butter is described as unrefined, who makes it, and what sizes are offered. A small first order is enough to test a recipe.

What is the best soap base for beginners?

For a first soap, the easiest base is one that is already made, so you never handle lye. Baraka's Black Soap Base is a no-lye base made from African black soap, so you can start shaping soap straight away.

African black soap is traditional Ghanaian soap, made by saponifying plant oils with potash produced from plantain skins, cocoa pods and shea husks. Baraka's is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana. It is soft, slightly crumbly and dark, from deep brown to near-black, and the colour varies between batches. It is traditionally used for washing skin and hair, and as a base for making liquid soap, shampoo and shower gel.

Things to know before you buy:

• African black soap is alkaline, as all true soap is, and Ghana Standard GS 289:2021 sets a pH of 6 to 10.
• It contains a small amount of raw Ghanaian honey, so it is not vegan.
• It absorbs moisture from the air and will soften if left uncovered, so keep it wrapped or in a closed container.

If you would rather have everything in one order, Ariane's EcoLux DIY Soap Kit is the complete-kit option, with shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil plus Ariane's recipe and video. Lye is bought separately.

Once you are comfortable with a base, cold-process soap from your own oils is the next step. Plan on letting each loaf cure, which in soap making means drying time, for several weeks before use.

Soap-making eBooks to read before your first batch

Baraka also offers soap-making eBooks, each named for the material or bar it is built around: Shea Vol 1 and Vol 2, Kombo Soap, Shea Oil Soap and 20 Black Soap Bar. Choose the one that matches what you already have in your cupboard. If you own shea butter, start with the Shea volumes. If you are working from a black soap base, start with 20 Black Soap Bar.

A simple shopping list

• Beginner, no lye: a black soap base, a mould, a scale and a thermometer.
• Beginner, one box: a complete kit.
• Cold process: a scale, stick blender, moulds, thermometer, goggles, gloves, lye, one hard butter (shea is the usual first choice), virgin coconut oil for lather, and a firming oil such as palm kernel oil or cocoa butter.
• Adding character: kombo butter at 20 to 30% with shea, or red palm oil for colour.

Quick answers

What supplies do you need to make soap?

You need a digital scale, stick blender, moulds, thermometer, goggles and gloves, plus lye and a mix of hard and soft oils. If you would rather not handle lye, a ready-made no-lye base replaces the lye and most of the oils.

What oils and butters are used in soap making?

Hard oils and butters such as shea butter, cocoa butter, palm kernel oil and kombo butter give a firm bar. Soft and lathering oils such as virgin coconut oil, red palm oil and shea oil add lather and feel. Palm kernel oil and red palm oil are different materials, so check which one a recipe calls for.

Where can you buy natural soap making supplies?

Baraka sells shea butter, cocoa butter, virgin coconut oil, palm kernel oil, red palm oil, kombo butter, a black soap base and a complete kit. Equipment comes from kitchen or hardware shops, and lye from a soap-making supplier.

What is the best soap base for beginners?

A ready-made, no-lye base is the easiest start, because you skip handling lye. Baraka's Black Soap Base is made from African black soap, which is made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana.