A beautifully moisturizing bar made with everyone’s favorite fall drink, this soap recipe is a fun creation for apple season.
Table of contents
❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- A balanced, moisturizing formula. This recipe makes a great bar for people with normal to dry skin.
- Natural color. The cider in this recipe adds a beautiful tan color to the soap without any added colorant.
- Fun and festive way to enjoy the autumn season. This soap is perfect for fall, with its warm fragrance and natural color.
🧂 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You’ll find the full measurements and instructions in the printable recipe at the bottom of the page.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this palm-free bar:
- apple cider
- lye
- sweet almond oil
- coconut oil
- olive oil
- shea butter
- Comfort and Joy fragrance oil from Nurture Soap
🥣 Equipment
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- Basic stick blender
- Sturdy silicone mold
- Safety equipment (gloves, goggles, apron)
- Old saucepan
🍴Instructions
Brand new to soapmaking? This recipe is a great choice for beginners, but first read my beginner’s guide to making soap at home.
Step One: freeze the cider
To make apple cider slushy, freeze it for a few hours. The sugars in the cider can react with the lye and freezing it ahead of time prevents any trouble.
Step Two: measure the oils and lye
Using a digital scale, measure out the lye, oils, and butter.
Step three: mix the lye and cider
Add the lye to the partially frozen cider and stir until completely blended. It will melt, heat up, and may change color. Set it in a safe place.
Step Four:
Measure the oils and butter. Melt them over low heat until they are completely melted. Heated to 140 degrees. Set them aside to cool. Prepare your soap mold and any color or fragrance you are using.
Step Five
When the milk and cider have cooled to about 110 degrees, add them to the melted oils. Use a stick blender to mix until the soap thickens slightly and a trail of soap rests on top of the batter rather than immediately sinking in. Add the fragrance (and color, if you use it!) stirring in by hand.
Step six
Pour your soap mix into a mold. Gently smooth out the top. Place it in a room where it will stay at room temperature so the soap can cure.
Step seven
Take it out of the mold after 24 hours and cut it into bars. Let the soap cure for 2 weeks before using it.
🥫 Storage instructions
Keep your soap in a cool, dark place with good air circulation. This will help it last longer.
Avoid storing your soap in a humid environment. This can cause the soap to deteriorate and become mushy.
While it’s in your shower or by your sink, use a soap saver or tray to lift the soap a bit so it can dry out in between uses.
🔍 FAQs
Mostly just that it’s fun! The color is lovely and it feels like fall. The cider doesn’t do anything special for your skin.
No, not in the finished bar. But the recommended fragrance oil is just perfect for this recipe!
If you don’t want to work with lye, don’t do cold-process soapmaking. Look into melt and pour. Use the mica and fragrance I’ve recommended and you’ll still get a lovely fall soap.
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- Never make soap when you are rushed or stressed. This leads to mistakes, which are very serious when working with chemicals.
- If you’ve never made soap before, check out my beginner’s guide to cold-process soapmaking. It covers all the basics you need to know to get started.
- If you want to add exfoliants like oatmeal or coffee grounds, wait until after the soap has thickened, and then mix them in by hand. Ground oatmeal would be great in this!
📘 Related soaps
📖 Here’s the recipe
Apple Cider Soap
Equipment
- Safety gear
- soap mold
Ingredients
- 10 ounces apple cider
- 4.21 ounces lye
- 5 ounces sweet almond oil
- 8 ounces coconut oil
- 12 ounces olive oil
- 5 ounces shea butter
- 2 tablespoons Comfort and Joy fragrance oil
Instructions
- Prepare the apple cider by freezing for a few hours until it reaches a slushy consistency.
- Add the lye to the partially cider and stir until completely blended. It will melt, heat up, and may change color. Set aside in a safe place.
- Measure the oils and butter and melt over low heat until completely melted and heated to 140 degrees. Set aside to cool. Prepare your soap mold and any color or fragrance you are using.
- When the oils and cider have cooled to about 110 degrees, pour the cider into the melted oils and blend using a stick blender. Mix until "trace" is achieved, or the soap thickens slightly and a trail of soap rests on top of the batter rather than immediately sinking in. Add desired fragrance or color, stirring in by hand.
- Pour into a soap mold, gently smoothing out the top. Place at room temperature to cure. Un-mold after 24 hours, cut into bars, and allow to cure for 2 weeks before using.
The recipe instructions mentions the word ‘milk’ twice. I don’t see milk in your recipe list. Should instructions read: Lye/cider liquid in lieu of milk ?
yes! I’ll change that!