Liquid Dish Soap Recipe
A high-lathering, grease-cutting liquid dish soap made with 100% coconut oil, 0% superfat for maximum cleaning power. Infused with (optional!) lemon essential oil for a fresh scent. This makes about 2 quarts of soap paste, which will dilute to a gallon of dish soap.
Servings: 2 quarts
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Heat-safe glass or plastic container for mixing lye
- Stainless steel or heatproof plastic mixing spoon
- Gloves, goggles, and safety gear
- Scale (for accurate weighing)
- Thermometer
- Bungee cord (optional, for sealed cook)
- Mason jars or bottles for storage
Ingredients
For Making the Soap Paste
- 35.3 ounces Coconut oil
- 10 ounces Potassium hydroxide
- 31.7 ounces Water
- 5.3 ounces Alcohol 90%
For Dilution and Fragrance
- 53 ounces Dilution water distilled water is best
- 1 ounce Lemon essential oil
Instructions
- Measure water and lye. Put on gloves and goggles for safety. Measure the lye and water in separate containers.
- Mix lye and water together very carefully. Pour the water into a heat safe container like large Pyrex measuring cup. Pour the lye on top. Stir until fully dissolved. The solution will get very hot. Set it aside to cool while you heat the oil.
- Heat the Oil. Weigh and add 1000g (35.3 oz) of coconut oil into a slow cooker. Heat until fully melted, around 140°F (60°C). This will take about 30 minutes. Turn it off once melted.
- Mix the Lye Solution with Oil. Slowly pour the cooled lye solution into the melted oil. (Right into the slow cooker.) If you are using the alcohol add it now. Begin mixing with a stick blender in short bursts until it reaches trace. It will often go through a stage where it looks like rice pudding, but keep blending until it's quite thick and no spots of oil are visible.
- Cook the Soap Paste. Put the slow cooker lid on and either weight it down and put a bungee cord around it so it doesn't move. Turn it back on to high. and let it cook for 2-4 hours, until the mixture is thick and translucent.
- Check occasionally. The paste is ready when it passes the zap test (a small bit rubbed between fingers and tasted should not tingle like lye).
- Store until ready to dilute. The soap paste will keep a long time with no preservatives in this state. It's best to store it as a paste and dilulte/ add fragrance as needed.
- Dilution. Mix a 1:1 ratio of water and soap paste and allow to sit overnight. In the morning, it will have turned into a liquid. If you're in a hurry, you can heat the whole thing up. Add a few drops of lemon essential oil.
- Sequester. Before using the liquid soap, let it sit 1-2 weeks after dilution. It will become clearer as it sits. This is optional and just for appearance.
Video
Notes
This 0% superfat formula is ideal for cutting grease but is drying on skin. Best used as dish soap, not body wash.