How to Make Apple Cider Soap: Simple Cold Process Recipe

This apple cider soap is the perfect way to indulge in the cozy scents of autumn for the fall season. The real apple cider and comforting fragrance make this soap beautiful and super nourishing for your skin.

This moisturizing soap is perfect for those with normal to dry skin. And guess what? The natural color of the apple cider gives the soap a beautiful tan hue without the need for any artificial colorants.

wooden board with homemade soap bars on top

Apple Cider Soap

Use real apple cider and a warm fall fragrance to create a beautiful bar that has all the best things of autumn.
Prep Time 1 hour
curing time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 1 hour
Serving Size 10 bars

Equipment

Ingredients 

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Instructions 

  • Prepare the apple cider. Freeze the apple cider for a few hours until it reaches a slushy consistency.
    partially frozen apple cider
  • Measure the oils and lye. Using a digital scale, measure out the lye, oils, and butter.
    oils and lyes on scale
  • Mix the lye and cider. Carefully add the lye to the partially frozen cider and stir until completely blended. The mixture will melt, heat up, and may change color. Set aside in a safe place.
    frozen apple cider in bowl
  • Melt oils and butter. Melt the oils and shea butter over low heat until completely melted and heated to 140ยฐF (60ยฐC). Set aside to cool.
    pot of melted oils
  • Prepare mold and additional ingredients. Prepare your soap mold and any color or fragrance you plan to use.
  • Combine oils and cider mixture. When the oils and cider mixture cools to about 110ยฐF (43ยฐC), pour the mixture into the melted oils. Blend using a stick blender until "trace" is achieved โ€“ the soap thickens slightly, and a trail of soap rests on top of the batter rather than sinking in immediately.
    stick blender inn pot of soap
  • Add fragrance. Stir in the fragrance oil by hand.
  • Pour into mold and smooth. Pour the soap batter into the prepared mold, gently smoothing out the top. Allow it to cure at room temperature.
    soap batter being poured into mold
  • Unmold and cure. Un-mold the soap after 24 hours, cut it into bars, and let the bars cure for 2 weeks before using.
    finished loaf of soap being sliced with large knife

Video

Notes

Before you begin, get all your stuff and ingredients ready so you’re not rushing during the process.
Make sure the apple cider you use is fresh and doesn’t have preservatives because they can mess up the soap-making.
Put the cider in ice cube trays and freeze it to make it easier to handle and speed up the cooling when adding lye.
A strong stick blender will help you get to the “trace” stage faster and more evenly.
Allow the soap to cure for a full 2 weeks to make sure it’s fully ready and gentle on your skin.
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!
If youโ€™re making lots of soap or different types, labeling them can help you remember when they are ready and what’s in them.

More Tips:

Never make soap when you are rushed or stressed. This leads to mistakes, which are very serious when working with chemicals.

Make sure to use a thermometer to check the temperatures of your oils and lye mixture before mixing to make sure they are just right.

Soap-making can be messy, and lye can ruin fabrics, so wear something you don’t mind getting stained or damaged.

Lye fumes can be strong, so working in a well-ventilated area or near an open window is best.

Keep any raw soap or lye away from children. Always follow safe soap-making practices: wear gloves, goggles, long sleeves, and work in a well-ventilated space.

The soap in the picture is colorless. Add a brownish-orange micaย like this one if you want a deeper color.

stack of tan bars of soap

Serving Suggestions

This moisturizing soap pairs well with autumn-inspired bath salts, cinnamon-scented candles, pumpkin spice body lotion, or honey and oatmeal scrub.

Brand new to soapmaking? This recipe is a great choice for beginners, but first, read my beginner’s guide to making soap at home.

To make this soap, you’ll need some important tools and ingredients. Here are the key items you’ll need:

ingredients laid out on dark surface
  • Apple cider: Fresh apple cider is important for capturing the true essence of autumn in your soap.
  • Lye: This important ingredient is necessary for making soap and can usually be found in the cleaning supplies section of a hardware store.
  • Sweet almond oil: This oil adds moisturizing properties to your soap and can be found in the skincare aisle or online.
  • Shea butter: Known for its rich, moisturizing qualities, shea butter can be found in health food stores or online.
  • Stick blender: A sturdy stick blender helps you achieve “trace” quickly and ensures a smooth mixture.

These items will make sure that your soap-making process goes smoothly and that your final product is high quality.

Here are some good options for ingredient substitutes in this recipe:

  • Sweet almond oil: You can use grapeseed or sunflower oil Instead of sweet almond oil.
  • Shea butter: Use cocoa butter or mango butter as an alternative.
  • Coconut oil: Consider using palm oil or babassu oil.
  • Comfort and Joy fragrance oil: Try another autumn fragrance or essential oil blend like cinnamon and clove.

Using these alternate ingredients may affect the final result of the recipe, but feel free to try and see how it turns out.

Storage Instructions

Let the soap cure for at least 2 weeks before using it to ensure it’s completely hardened and gentle.

After curing, keep the soap bars in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight. A linen closet or drawer works best.

Avoid storing your soap in a humid environment. This can cause the soap to deteriorate and become mushy.

Use a breathable container like a cardboard box or a wooden crate to store the bars. Avoid plastic bags as they can lock in moisture and soften the soap.

Freezing this soap is not recommended, as it can alter the texture and quality, reducing its effectiveness.

Making your own Apple Cider Soap at home is a delightful and rewarding project that fills your space with the cozy scents of fall. With a little bit of preparation and care, you’ll end up with beautiful bars of soap that are useful and a lovely reminder of autumn.

Just follow these simple steps and tips to make lovely, fragrant soap bars perfect for pampering yourself or gifting to others. Don’t forget to enjoy making your own soap and the satisfaction of creating something wonderful from scratch!

close up view of finished bar with cinnamon sticks.
picture of smiling female

By Katie Shaw

Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.

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9 Comments

  1. Hi Katie, I have got my Apple cider in the freezer ready to try your recipe. I was wondering if this soap bar can be used as a shampoo bar?

    1. You can use vinegar in soap and typically you would do 50% water 50% vinegar, but no the recipe is not intended to use it. the cider has sugar which helps the lather and it provides a nicer color as well. vinegar water would be a totally different bar ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. 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 ?