I rarely change up my cold process soap recipe. In fact, I’ve got my go-to recipe memorized.
For me, it just makes sense. I know I always have the basic soap oils on hand, and I’m usually in a hurry so I can whip up a batch super quick.
But every now and again, you get the hankering to try something new. I was wanting something luscious and a little bit special. That’s how this triple butter soap recipe came to be.
This triple butter soap recipe uses moisturizing cocoa, shea, and mango butters to give a rock hard bar that’s highly moisturizing.
Scented with litsea cubeba essential oil, this soap bar has an exquisite scent and feel—the perfect premium bar.
It also as a lovely rich superfat of 8%, which boosts its moisturizing quality even more. Bubbly, creamy, with a citrusy-green scent, what more could you want in a soap?
This is one bar I keep all to myself.
If you’ve never made cold process soap before, make sure you read up on the process first. I have an aweseome step-by-step printable guide for you, to help you successfully jump in to soap making.
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Triple Butter Soap Recipe
This recipe makes 2 lbs. finished soap at an 8% superfat and slight water discount. You’ll get about 8 average-sized (4 oz.) bars.
Ingredients:
8 oz. coconut oil
8 oz. olive oil
5 oz. shea butter
5 oz. mango butter
4.5 oz. cocoa butter
1.5 oz. castor oil
4.3 oz. lye
13 oz. water
1 oz. litsea cubeba essential oil
PREP STEP:
Prepare your workstation by covering with paper. Gather your supplies and ingredients. Put on your gloves and safety glasses.
STEP 1:
Weigh out all oils and place into a stainless steel pot. Warm on low heat until just barely melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
STEP 2:
Weigh out water into a heat-safe pitcher. Place this pitcher down into the sink.
STEP 3:
Weigh out lye. In a slow, steady motion, pour lye into the pitcher of water and stir until dissolved. Please take care as this solution will get HOT very quickly.
STEP 4:
Let the lye solution and oils cool for at least 25 minutes or so, until they get to around 110 degrees F.
While you’re waiting, weigh out essential oil into a small glass jar or bowl. Set aside.
Also, use this time to prepare your mold, if needed.
STEP 5:
Once the lye solution and oils have sufficiently cooled, pour the lye water into the pot of oils. With an immersion blender (AKA stick blender) blend until the batter comes to light trace (i.e. is even in color and the consistency of pancake batter).
STEP 6:
Add the essential oil and stir until well incorporated.
STEP 7:
Ladle or pour the soap batter into prepared mold. I like to use a chopstick or small spatula to give the surface of the soap a pretty textured swirl pattern, similar to frosting a cake.
STEP 8:
Cover your mold with a lid or a piece of cardboard. (Don’t let the lid come in contact with the surface of the soap; if it will, it’s OK to leave the soap uncovered.) Let set in the mold for at least 48 hours.
STEP 9:
After 48 hours have passed, unmold the soap and cut into bars. Let cure for 30 days. Your soap is now ready to use!
Enjoy your Triple Butter Cold Process Soap!
Dear
Plz cp process soap u can mentioned in Indian quantity used materials .i m not getting oz?
Hi Amita! Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it. I will be updating the post to show both ounces and grams. Until then, here are the measurements for this recipe in grams:
I hope this helps you out. Happy soaping and let me know how you like this recipe!
Angela
Angela:
This recipe sound wonderful. Going to make it as soon as I get Olive oil. There seems to be a problem with getting it now. Some type of blight affecting the Olive tree.
Thanks again.
JoAnn
Ugh! I haven’t heard of that. 2020 strikes again!
U.S. based online soap making suppliers are still in stock, for anyone looking for olive oil now. I just checked Wholesale Supplies Plus and as of right now (11-16-2020) they are in stock.
Thanks so much for the olive oil update, JoAnn!
Hi
Is there any substitute for mango butter?
Hi Sanviti! Thanks for your question.
You can safely substitute the mango butter with more cocoa butter. Because mango butter and cocoa butter have the same SAP value, you do not have to recalculate the lye.
Another option, if you’d like to keep it a “triple” butter soap (and not a double butter 😉) is to swap the mango butter for kokum butter. It’s SAP value is similar enough to mango butter that it can be swapped without recalculating the lye. This recipe uses a 6% superfat so you have a bit of wiggle room with the lye amount.
I hope this helps! Let me know how your soap turns out.
Angela
Can i use any kind of essential oil?
In general, yes, you can use any type of essential oil. So if you don’t have litsea cubeba (or if you don’t care for the scent) you can substitute something else.
Just be aware that certain essential oils can accelerate trace (AKA make your soap batter thicken super quickly). I’ve had geranium, clove, and ylang ylang do this. So be ready to get the soap batter into the mold fast. 🙂
Also, before using an essential oil, make sure you check the IFRA guidelines for safe usage rates. Some essential oils (like cinnamon, cassia, clove, etc.) must be used at a much lower usage rate than the EO used in this recipe, in order to be safe on the skin.
If you aren’t sure of the usage rate for the particular essential oil you’re wanting to use, post it here and I’ll let you know how much to add in your soap.
Thanks so much for your question, Amanda! Happy soap making!
— Angela