Shea Butter and Peppermint Oil Soap

Last updated: October 2026

Peppermint shea butter: what it means in this soap recipe

A cold-process bar built on shea butter. In this recipe, peppermint shea butter is a cold-process bar soap for everyday washing: 1 lb (454 g) of Baraka's unrefined shea butter with 1 tbsp (15 ml) of peppermint essential oil. The shea butter gives a creamy, conditioning bar, and the peppermint adds a cooling, refreshing scent. Baraka shea butter is unrefined and made by hand by women's producer groups at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana. More in Why These Ingredients Work Together

Combining peppermint with shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and castor oil, this traditional cold-process soap follows the fundamentals covered in Baraka's guide How to Make Shea Butter Soap, with peppermint added for a cooling, refreshing character. The cooling feel in this bar comes straight from real peppermint essential oil. It rewards a little patience — the batter comes together quickly, but the real transformation happens during the weeks of cure that follow.

If this is your first cold-process batch, start with that guide, which walks through the basic method this recipe builds on. For more shea-based formulations, from balms to body butters, see the Definitive Guide to DIY with Shea Butter.

In This Recipe:

• Peppermint shea butter: what it means in this soap recipe
• Homemade peppermint soap: a cold-process recipe with shea butter
• What This Recipe Is For
• Why Make This Yourself
• Why These Ingredients Work Together
• Ingredient by Ingredient
• How to make shea butter and peppermint oil soap
• Before You Begin: Soap-Making Safety
• Ingredients
• Directions
• Troubleshooting
• Storage and Shelf Life
• Scaling and Substitutions
• Customisation Ideas
• Essential Oils
• Application Tips
• What We Know and How We Know It
• FAQ
• The Impact of Your Purchase
• Shop the Baraka Ingredients in This Recipe
• Try These Next
• About These Ingredients
• Disclaimer
• About the Author

Homemade peppermint soap: a cold-process recipe with shea butter

Four oils, lye and peppermint. A homemade peppermint soap can be made by the cold-process method from shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, lye, distilled water and 1 tbsp (15 ml) of peppermint essential oil. The recipe makes about 4 lb (1,814 g) of soap, which cuts into 8–10 bars. It suits anyone who has made cold-process soap at least once before. More in Ingredients

Baraka's version uses 1 lb (454 g) of unrefined shea butter as its conditioning base, so the shea butter is a third of the oils in the bar. The peppermint is the only scent and the only additive, which keeps the bar simple to make and easy to adjust once you know how it behaves.

At a glance	This recipe
Method	Cold process
Skill level	Intermediate
Prep and make time	About 45 minutes
Time in the mould	24–48 hours
Cure time	4–6 weeks
Yield	About 4 lb (1,814 g), 8–10 bars
Total oils	3 lb (1,362 g)
Superfat	5%
Keeps, once cured	12–18 months

What This Recipe Is For

Five everyday uses. This bar is made for daily washing, with a cool, fresh scent.

• Everyday cleansing with a rich, gentle lather
• A cooling, refreshing scent to start the day
• Replacing synthetic detergent bars with a traditional, hand-made alternative
• An invigorating, mood-lifting addition to a shower routine
• Giving as a hand-made gift once fully cured

Why Make This Yourself

Intermediate, about 4 lb (1,814 g), 8–10 bars. There's something satisfying about watching a liquid oil-and-lye mixture transform into a fresh, peppermint-scented bar over the course of a few weeks. This one uses real peppermint essential oil and keeps its natural glycerin content intact. It's ideal for anyone who enjoys hands-on projects and wants full control over what goes into their soap.

Skill Level: Intermediate — the process is forgiving in terms of mould choice, but precision matters for the lye, water, and essential oil measurements. This recipe yields about 4 lb (1,814 g) of soap by weight, which typically cuts into 8–10 bars. Prep and make time is about 45 minutes, plus 24–48 hours in the mould and 4–6 weeks of cure.

A handmade cold-process bar and a typical commercial peppermint bar differ mainly in composition. Commercial bars are made to a consistent standard, ready to use the day you buy them, and come in many scent strengths. In cold-process soap the glycerin formed during saponification stays in the bar, and you choose every oil and the exact amount of peppermint yourself. If you want a bar today, a commercial soap is the practical choice; if you enjoy the process and want to know exactly what is in your soap, this recipe rewards the wait.

Why These Ingredients Work Together

Two hard oils, two soft oils, one scent. This bar balances conditioning oils with cleansing and lathering ones, finished with a cooling peppermint character.

Shea Butter contributes deep conditioning and a smooth, creamy bar texture. Coconut Oil is the primary 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. Peppermint Essential Oil finishes the bar with a bright, cooling sensation.

What changes if the ratio changes

The two hard ingredients, shea butter and coconut oil, make up two thirds of the oils, which is what lets the bar set firm enough to cut while the olive and castor oils keep it mild and lathering. The ratio is what makes the bar behave the way it does:

• More coconut oil gives a harder bar with bigger bubbles, but a bar that feels more drying. Coconut oil is already a third of the oils here, just above the usual 20–30% range for soap and below the point, about 35%, where a bar turns noticeably drying.
• More shea butter gives a creamier, more conditioning bar with a smaller, denser lather.
• More olive oil gives a milder bar that takes longer to reach trace and longer to harden.
• More castor oil gives more lather but a softer, slightly sticky bar; this recipe already uses a generous share.

Every one of those changes alters the lye, so any new ratio is run through a lye calculator before you make it.

Ingredient by Ingredient

Five ingredients plus lye and water. Here is what each one does in this bar.

• Shea Butter: Deeply conditioning, it helps keep the finished bar from feeling drying even with cleansing oils in the mix. Baraka's Raw Shea Butter is the one to use here, because the whole bar is built on it: it is unrefined, strained and filtered only, with no refining, bleaching or deodorising, and it is traditionally used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair.
• Traditional Coconut Oil: Drives the rich, bubbly lather this soap is known for. It is virgin coconut oil, pressed from the fresh kernel and unrefined, and in soapmaking it contributes hardness and abundant lather. It is solid below about 75°F (24°C) and liquid above it, which is normal and does not affect quality.
• Olive Oil: A gentle, mild oil that supports the bar's overall skin-comfort feel.
• Castor Oil: Stabilizes and enhances lather, helping bubbles last longer in use.
• Peppermint Essential Oil: Gives the bar its refreshing feel: shea butter's rich texture and peppermint's naturally cooling character combine for a refreshing, comforting wash. Menthol is the main component of peppermint oil, at about 30–55% of the oil in published monograph ranges, and menthol acts on TRPM8, the cold-sensing receptor in the skin's nerve endings. That is why peppermint feels cool on the skin without lowering its temperature.

How to make shea butter and peppermint oil soap

Nine steps, then 4–6 weeks of cure. Baraka's shea butter and peppermint oil soap is a cold-process bar built on 1 lb (454 g) of unrefined shea butter.

Wearing gloves and eye protection, add 6.7 oz (191 g) of lye to 13.5 oz (382 g) of distilled water (always lye to water) 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 about 100–120°F (38–49°C). Blend to trace, stir in 1 tbsp (15 ml) of peppermint essential oil, pour into a mould, leave 24–48 hours, then cut and cure the bars for 4–6 weeks. More in Directions

The full ingredient list, the lye calculation and each step in detail follow below.

Before You Begin: Soap-Making Safety

• 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.
• Peppermint essential oil is potent — never exceed the amount specified below, as excess amounts can irritate skin.

Ingredients

Makes about 4 lb (1,814 g), 8–10 bars. Weigh every oil, the lye and the water on a digital scale.

• 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)
• Peppermint essential oil — 1 tbsp (15 ml)

The oils, lye and water together weigh about 4.3 lb (1,935 g) before the peppermint goes in. Some of the water leaves the bars during cure, which is why the finished yield is about 4 lb (1,814 g).

How the lye is calculated

The lye comes from the oils by weight, using each oil's sodium hydroxide value, then about 5% is taken off as superfat so a little oil stays unsaponified in the bar. The water is twice the lye.

Oil	Weight	Lye per unit of oil	Lye needed
Shea butter	1 lb (454 g)	0.128	2.0 oz (58 g)
Traditional 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 before superfat	3 lb (1,362 g)		7.1 oz (201 g)
After 5% superfat			6.7 oz (191 g)
Water (twice the lye)			13.5 oz (382 g)

Note: these lye and water amounts are calculated for this exact oil combination and weights. Check them in a lye calculator before you make the batch. If you change any oil or its amount, always re-run the recipe through a soap calculator before making it — see the calculator links in Customisation Ideas. For each oil's sodium hydroxide value and how superfat works, see Baraka's saponification value chart and soap-making guide.

Directions

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 100–120°F (38–49°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 peppermint 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 24–48 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 4–6 weeks before use.

Stir the peppermint in by hand rather than with the stick blender: essential oils can thicken soap batter quickly, and hand stirring gives you time to pour. Do not use the bars before the 4–6 week cure is complete.

Troubleshooting

Most problems show up in the first 48 hours. Here are the ones that come up most with this bar, with the usual cause and the fix.

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Batter thickens too fast to pour	Soaping at the hot end of the range, or the essential oil speeding up trace	Work nearer 100°F (38°C), blend in short bursts, and stir the peppermint in by hand at light trace
Peppermint scent is faint after cure	Peppermint is a bright, light scent that softens during cure, more so in a warm room	Add the oil at light trace, keep the mould covered, and cure the bars somewhere cool; do not add more than the recipe gives
Bar feels too tingly on the skin	More peppermint than the recipe gives, or the oil not stirred in evenly	Measure the peppermint exactly and stir it through the whole batch before pouring
White powdery film on top	Soda ash, a harmless reaction between fresh soap and air	Cover the mould for the first day; once cured, plane or wash the film off
Bar still soft after 48 hours	A cool room, or the soft olive and castor oils slowing the set	Leave it in the mould another day or two somewhere warm before cutting
Small orange spots during storage	The liquid oils slowly oxidising in warmth and light	Store bars cool, dry and out of the sun; use spotted bars first
Hard white lumps or pockets inside a bar	Lye that did not fully dissolve or mix in	Do not use those bars; next time stir the lye solution until clear and blend to a full, even trace

Storage and Shelf Life

Cure 4–6 weeks, then keep 12–18 months. Keep fully cured bars in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight — a drawer or shelf with airflow works well. Cure time is 4–6 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 12–18 months.

Between uses, store on a well-draining soap dish to extend the life of each bar. Once the bars are cured, a closed box in a cool cupboard helps them keep their peppermint scent longer than an open shelf. Unused shea butter keeps 2+ years when stored properly, away from heat and direct sun.

Scaling and Substitutions

Scale by weight, and recalculate any swap. The lye for each batch size is worked out from that batch's oils with the same values and 5% superfat, not simply halved or doubled by eye.

Ingredient	Half batch	Full batch	Double batch
Shea butter	8 oz (227 g)	1 lb (454 g)	2 lb (907 g)
Traditional 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)
Sodium hydroxide (lye)	3.4 oz (95 g)	6.7 oz (191 g)	13.5 oz (382 g)
Distilled water	6.7 oz (190 g)	13.5 oz (382 g)	26.9 oz (764 g)
Peppermint essential oil	1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml)	1 tbsp (15 ml)	2 tbsp (30 ml)
Yield	About 2 lb (907 g), 4–5 bars	About 4 lb (1,814 g), 8–10 bars	About 8 lb (3,629 g), 16–20 bars

The double batch suits gift-making, but it needs a mould big enough for about 8 lb (3,629 g) of soap, or two loaf moulds. For any other batch size, multiply every oil by the same factor and run the new weights through a soap calculator before you start.

Sunflower oil can replace the olive oil at the same weight: its saponification value (how much lye is needed to turn it into soap) is close enough that the lye stays at 6.7 oz (191 g) and the water at 13.5 oz (382 g) for the full batch. Spearmint essential oil can replace the peppermint at the same amount for a sweeter, softer mint. Swapping any other oil, or changing the shea butter or coconut oil amounts, means recalculating the lye first.

Customisation Ideas

• Adjust the scent by using less peppermint essential oil for a lighter mint, or by blending it with another essential oil, keeping the total at or under 1 tbsp (15 ml) for this batch.
• Add texture with a tablespoon of ground oats alongside the peppermint for extra exfoliation.
• Adjust the mould to individual bar moulds instead of a loaf mould for a different shape.
• Always recalculate lye and water amounts with a soap calculator (see links below) before changing any oil or its weight.
• Add natural colour with a pinch of spirulina or green clay for a fresh, minty tone.

Popular soap calculators (external links, always re-run before adjusting oils): SoapCalc.net, HSCG Lye Calculator, LyeCalc.com.

Essential Oils

1 tbsp (15 ml) in total, and no more. This recipe uses 1 tbsp (15 ml) of peppermint essential oil, about 0.5 oz (14 g) by weight, for 3 lb (1,362 g) of oils. Baraka's recommended limit for soap is no more than 1 tbsp (15 ml) of essential oil in total per 16 oz (454 g) of oils, so this batch sits at a third of that limit.

The recipe stays low on purpose: peppermint is one of the strongest essential oils, and the safety notes above ask you to keep to the amount given. If you blend peppermint with eucalyptus, lavender or spearmint, the 1 tbsp (15 ml) is the total for all of them together. The bar also works unscented, as a plain shea butter soap.

Application Tips

Lather, rinse, let 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; no need to scrub aggressively. The cooling feel is most noticeable on the face, so keep the lather away from the eyes and rinse well. Store the bar dry between uses for the longest life.

What We Know and How We Know It

Three kinds of source. The formulation, the lye calculation, the working temperatures, the cure time, the shelf life of the finished bars, the scaling and the troubleshooting come from common practice in the home soap-making community, with the lye worked out from the sodium hydroxide values in Baraka's recipe standard.

The menthol content of peppermint oil comes from published pharmacopoeia monograph ranges, summarised in a review of peppermint oil in the Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research, and from industry specifications for peppermint oil; its weight per tablespoon uses the monograph relative density of 0.900–0.916. Menthol's action on the TRPM8 cold receptor comes from published research, including a study in Nature Neuroscience (2006) and a study in The Journal of Physiological Sciences (2016). The traditional uses of shea butter come from traditional use, not from clinical research, and the facts about Baraka's shea butter come from Baraka's own product documentation.

FAQ

How do I make shea butter and peppermint 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 peppermint essential oil, pour into a mould, and cure for 4–6 weeks. Plan on about 45 minutes of hands-on work on the day, then 24–48 hours before you can unmould and cut the bars. Beyond the ingredients you need a digital scale, a stick blender, a heat-resistant jug for the lye, a mould, and gloves and eye protection. The exact amounts and every step are in Ingredients and Directions above.

What's a good DIY soap recipe with peppermint?

A shea butter-based cold-process soap with peppermint essential oil works well, adding a bright, cooling sensation to a traditional soap base. The best peppermint soaps balance hard oils that let the bar set, such as shea butter and coconut oil, with softer oils such as olive and castor for mildness and lather. Keep the peppermint to a modest amount, 1 tbsp (15 ml) for this 3 lb (1,362 g) batch of oils, and always calculate the lye from your own oils before you start.

Can I use peppermint essential oil in soap?

Yes — peppermint essential oil is commonly used in cold-process soap for its refreshing scent and natural cooling sensation, though it should always be used within safe limits. Baraka's limit for soap is no more than 1 tbsp (15 ml) of essential oil in total per 16 oz (454 g) of oils, and this recipe uses a third of that. Add it at light trace, as described in Directions, and measure it exactly: the cooling feel comes from menthol, peppermint oil's main component, so a little goes a long way. Spearmint essential oil can be used the same way for a softer mint.

How long does homemade soap need to cure?

Cold-process soap like this typically needs 4–6 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. The reaction between the lye and the oils is largely finished within the first day or two in the mould, but a freshly cut bar is still soft and wears away quickly. Over the following weeks it loses water and firms up; stand the bars on their sides with space between them in a dry, airy room, and turn them once a week.

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 shea butter in this bar is made by hand, read Baraka's guide How is Handcrafted Shea Butter Made?, and for the full figures see Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report.

Meet one of the women behind these ingredients in this short film: Shea Butter Producer Zenabo Imoro.

Shop the Baraka Ingredients in This Recipe

Natural, ethically sourced ingredients, used throughout Baraka's DIY guides and recipes.

Shea Butter — Shop Shea Butter — Unrefined shea butter, strained and filtered only, made by hand by women's producer groups at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana, gives this bar its creamy, conditioning feel and is a versatile base for balms, creams, and body butters.

Traditional Coconut Oil — Shop Traditional Coconut Oil — Absorbs quickly, and in soapmaking contributes hardness and abundant lather, which is why it is the main lathering oil in this bar.

Browse more: Butters, Oils and the DIY Starter collection.

Try These Next

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:

• Shea Butter and Turmeric Soap — another shea-based cold-process bar, where a spice rather than an essential oil gives the bar its character.
• Shea Butter and Goats Milk Soap — a creamier bar for when you want richness rather than a cool, fresh feel.
• Honey and Shea Butter Soap — a warm, mellow bar to make alongside this bright, minty one.
• Creamy Cow Milk and Shea Butter Soap — a smooth, gentle bar if you would rather skip the scent.
• Shea Butter and Aloe Vera Soap — a lighter, fresher shea soap that pairs naturally with peppermint's clean character.
• Shea Butter and Eucalyptus Oil Soap — a fresh, herbal variation for a spa-like everyday routine.
• Lavender Shea Butter Soap — a calming, floral alternative if peppermint's coolness isn't what you're after.
• Coffee and Shea Butter Soap — an energizing, textured soap for a different everyday character.
• Oatmeal and Shea Butter Soap — a gently textured bar for a different comforting character.
• Citrus Shea Butter Soap — a brighter, more energising scent profile for a different invigorating bar.

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 in this article 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. Always patch test a new ingredient, 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.