How to make your own soap

The vegetable oil, as pressed with the Piteba oil expeller, can be used for the preparation of hand soap.

Soap making is done by mixing the oil vigorously with a solution of caustic soda. 

Below is a short description of our favourite way:

  • Caustic Soda is very agressive. Do not splash the solution on skin or eyes! Keep your working area tidy.
  • Only use plastic, glass or stainless steel containers, spoons etc. Do not use wood or aluminium.
  • Always use a stick blender, this generates a quick result
  • We prefer making batches of about 275 grams of soap. This prevents too high temperatures when dissolving the Caustic Soda.
  • Start weighing 200 grams of the oil (or a mixture of different oils) in a vessel of about 15 cm high, which fits for the stick blender
  • Weigh 50 grams of water in a glass or stainless steel beaker.
  • Weigh 26 grams of Caustic Soda in a small cup.
  • Pour the Caustic Soda slowly into the water.
  • Stir with a stainless steel spoon or rod till no more solids are visible.
  • Pour the solution of Caustic Soda into the oil while it is still warm.
  • Start stirring with the stick blender intermittently (every 15 sec. for max. 5 sec.)
  • Take care that no air is sucked by the stick blender into the mixture
  • When you see the liquid change into a pasty ointment, then pour it into one or more (plastic/rubber) molds.
  • After one or two days the soap is hard enough to remove the mold.
  • Leave the soap for at least 4 weeks in a half open plastic bag to remove the remaining Caustic Soda.
  • You can store the soap for at least a year when kept in a closed box or bag and in a dark cool place.

The quantities mentioned above are for oils of i.e. Sunflower, Peanut, Walnut, Hazelnut, Canola or Hemp. 
Please use a Lye calculator for exact quantities and for other types of oils or fats. You can find one below. 
Do not become scared off by all the figures about soapqualities on the internet. We have made good soaps of single oils like Sunflower and Peanut, that did not foam as much as most soaps on the market, but they cleaned very well. 

Piteba cannot be held responsible for eventual damage. 

Please look on the internet for more details, i.e.: