Hemp Soap Recipe

Hemp oil is great in soaps, it adds a wonderful conditioning effect. We've tested this hemp soap recipe five times, tweaking it each time to make it better. 

We found that, to create a great bar of soap, you need to combine hemp oil with some others to add hardness and cleansing power.

We've selected coconut oil, cocoa butter, olive oil and castor oil to help craft our hemp soap recipe. 

We're using peppermint, may chang and lemon essential oils for a fresh, zesty and minty scent.

Read on for the full recipe!

Equipment

• Gloves
• Goggles
• Weighing scales
• Digital thermometer
• Soap mould or DIY alternative
• Heatproof bowl
• Measuring jugs: 1x 2L, 1x 1L
• Stick blender
• Silicone spatula

Ingredients:

• Coconut oil 280g
• Unrefined cocoa butter 160g
• Hemp oil 160g | 173ml
• Olive oil pomace 160g | 174ml
• Castor oil 40g | 42ml
• Water 264g
• Sodium hydroxide 116g
• Peppermint essential oil 8g | 9ml
• May chang essential oil 6g | 8ml 
• Lemon essential oil 10g | 12ml

Safety Note: When working with sodium hydroxide you must wear gloves and goggles at all times. It is a caustic product and will burn. In the event of getting it on your skin, rinse well with plenty of plain water. If it is splashed in the eyes, wash with water and seek urgent medical attention. Keep away from pets and children at all times.

Makes 9-10 bars of soap

Takes 1 hour making time and 4-6 weeks curing time 

This recipe uses a 5% superfat for extra moisture.

Method

1. Mix the sodium hydroxide solution

• Put your gloves and goggles on
• Open the window, the fumes are unpleasant
• Weigh the water
• In a separate jug, weigh the sodium hydroxide
• Add the sodium hydroxide to the water
• Mix thoroughly until dissolved
• It will heat up - leave it to cool.

2. Mix the oils

• Weigh your coconut oil, cocoa butter, hemp oil, olive oil and castor oil into a heatproof bowl.
• Heat until fully melted above a pan of boiling water, or in a microwave using short bursts.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Leave to cool
• Weigh and combine your essential oils in a separate jug.

3. Test the temperatures

• Test the temperature of the sodium hydroxide, it should be between 25 and 40C. 
• If it is below 25C, heat your oils more to compensate. If it is above 40C, let it cool further.
• Test the oil temperature, it should be 35 to 40C.
• Reheat if below 35C, or allow to cool if above 40C
• Once the temperatures are correct, add your sodium hydroxide solution to your oils.

4. Blend until trace

• Mix with your hand blender, then blend in short bursts.
• Test for trace by dripping batter across the surface of the mixture.
• If the drips sit on the surface before disappearing, your mixture has reached trace.
• If your mixture hasn't reached trace, blend a little more.
• Once your mixture has reached trace, add your essential oils.
• Mix to combine

5. Pour into moulds

• Pour your mixture into moulds. Explore our range of silicone soap moulds here!
• Tap the mould on the surface to get rid of any air bubbles
• Wrap in greaseproof paper
• Leave on a flat surface, insulated with towels
• Allow to harden for at least 48 hours before unmoulding and cutting.

6. Cut and cure

• Unmould your soap and cut into bars.
• Spread out with an air gap between bars
• Leave to cure for 4-6 weeks. 

Continue reading

Now that you've learned how to make hemp soap, why not continue your soap making journey?

• Want to learn more about essential oils? Read our introduction to essential oils for soap making
• Want to try another soap recipe? Try our lavender soap recipe
• Interested in hot process soap making? Try our easy hot process soap recipe

How did your hemp soap come out? Comment below and let us know!