Everything You Need to Know About Our Honey & Oats Soap (Including the Recipe!)

Our Honey & Oats Soap has quickly become a customer favourite, which honestly surprised us, given that it's the only unscented bar in our collection. We carefully choose every ingredient for its natural benefits across all of our soaps, but this one really stands out. The combination of colloidal oatmeal, natural honey, and kaolin clay creates a gentle yet effective bar that soothes, moisturises, nourishes, and cleanses the skin. It's what we like to call our "miracle bar".

We believe less is more when it comes to soap. Yes, colourants are eye-catching, and fragrance oils smell nice, but we think those belong in candles and wax melts. When it comes to skincare, nature knows best.

Why These Ingredients Work So Well

The Additives

Honey:

• A natural humectant, it helps the skin attract and retain moisture.
  
• Full of antioxidants, which support skin health and repair.
  
• Gentle antibacterial properties, making it a good option for blemish prone or irritated skin.
  
  

Colloidal Oats

• Known for soothing dry, itchy, or sensitive skin.
  
• Forms a protective barrier that locks in moisture.
  
• Naturally contains compounds (saponins) that gently cleanse the skin without stripping it.
  
  

Kaolin Clay

• One of the mildest clays, making it suitable for sensitive or dry skin.
  
• Helps absorb excess oils while still being gentle.
  
• Gives the soap a silky texture and a creamy, luxurious lather.
  
  

The Base Oils

Shea Butter

• Rich in vitamins A and E, this deeply moisturises while supporting skin elasticity. It also helps create a conditioning, creamy lather.
  

Coconut Oil

• Adds firmness to the bar and provides excellent cleansing properties, leaving skin feeling fresh (but not stripped, thanks to the balance with other oils).
  

Olive Oil

• A gentle, skin loving oil that makes for a nourishing and mild bar.
  

Castor Oil

• Boosts lather, giving the soap a bubbly finish while also bringing in additional moisturising qualities.
  
  

Together, these oils create a well balanced bar, cleansing, gentle, bubbly, creamy, firm and long lasting.

The Recipe

Beginner Safety Reminders

Before you dive in, here are a few non negotiables when working with lye and hot soap batter:

• Protect yourself: Always wear gloves, goggles, and long sleeves. Lye is caustic and can burn skin on contact.
  
• Ventilation matters: Mix your lye solution near an open window or in a well ventilated space. Never breathe in the fumes.
  
• Add lye to water, never water to lye: This prevents dangerous splashing or volcanic reactions.
  
• Use heat safe containers: Avoid aluminium or tin,  lye reacts with certain metals. Stick with stainless steel, heat resistant plastic, or tempered glass.
  
• Label your tools: Anything that touches lye or raw soap should be used only for soap making, never for food.
  
• Clean up carefully: Wash tools immediately after use, wearing gloves, and keep them out of reach of children or pets until they're safe.
  
• Patience is key: Soap needs time to cure, don't be tempted to use it before the full 6 weeks.
  

Think of this checklist as your soap making "seatbelt." It might feel cautious, but it ensures your process is safe, smooth, and enjoyable.

Ingredients:

• 250g Shea Butter
  
• 250g Coconut Oil
  
• 400g Olive Oil (or Olive Pomace Oil)
  
• 100g Castor Oil
  
• 136.96g Lye
  
• 246.93g Distilled Water
  
• 9g Kaolin Clay
  
• 15g Colloidal Oatmeal
  
• 14g Honey
  

Equipment:

• Safety goggles
  
• Gloves
  
• Long sleeves (make sure as much skin as possible is covered)
  
• Scale (accurate to 0.01g)
  
• 2L jug ×3 (one for water/lye, one for solid oils, one for liquid oils)
  
• 3 small dishes for measuring additives
  
• 1 medium dish for combining additives with oil
  
• Stick blender
  
• Heat resistant spatula
  
• Soap mould (lined if not silicone)
  
• Parchment paper (if mould requires lining)
  
• Thermometer (optional, but useful for monitoring temperatures)
  
• Measuring spoons
  

Method (Cold Process – Heat Transfer Method)

Step 1: Measure Your Base Oils

• Measure out your solid oils (shea butter and coconut oil) into one jug.
  
• Measure out your liquid oils (olive oil and castor oil) into a separate jug.

Step 2: Prepare the Lye Solution

• Weigh your distilled water into a heat safe jug.
  
• Carefully weigh out your lye.
  
• Slowly pour the lye into the water (never water into lye), stirring gently until dissolved. Do this near a window or under good ventilation, the fumes will be strongest at this stage.
  

Step 3: Melt the Solid Oils (Heat Transfer Method)

• Pour the hot lye solution directly into your jug with the solid oils.
  
• Stir every couple of minutes until the heat of the lye solution has melted the oils completely.
  

Step 4: Prepare Your Additives

• While the oils are melting, measure out your honey, colloidal oats, and kaolin clay into small dishes then combine them into one medium dish.
  
• Add a tablespoon of your liquid oils (from the jug you set aside) at a time into the dish with additives, mixing thoroughly until smooth and clump free.
  

Step 5: Combine Liquid Oils, Additives into Lye Solution/Solid Oil Mixture

• Once the solid oils are fully melted, add the liquid oils and your prepared additive mixture into the main jug.
  
• Use your stick blender in short bursts, alternating with stirring, until the batter reaches a light trace (thin pudding consistency).
  
• Be cautious not to over blend, honey contains natural sugars, which can accelerate trace and cause the soap to thicken quickly.
  

Step 6: Pour into the Mould

• Pour your soap batter into your lined soap mould.
  
• Tap the mould gently on the counter to release any air bubbles.
  

Step 7: Set and Cure

• Cover and insulate your mould if desired (though honey can sometimes cause extra heat, so watch closely).
  
• Allow the soap to set for 24–48 hours.
  
• Once firm, unmould and slice into bars.
  
• Leave to cure in a cool, dry place for at least 6 weeks. This allows the soap to harden and ensures it's gentle on the skin.
  

Troubleshooting Tips for Honey & Oats Soap

Even with a tried and true recipe, soap can sometimes misbehave. Don't worry,  it happens to all of us! Here are a few common issues you might encounter with this recipe and how to handle them:

1. Soap Overheating

Why it happens:

The sugars in honey can cause your soap to heat up more than usual during saponification.

What to do:

• Avoid insulating the mould too heavily, sometimes leaving it uncovered is best.
  
• If you notice cracking or a darker spot forming in the centre (signs of overheating), pop the mould in the fridge for a few hours.
  

2. Soap Reaching Trace Too Quickly

Why it happens:

Honey can speed things up, especially if your oils or lye solution are too warm.

What to do:

• Stick blend in short bursts and switch to hand stirring once the batter starts to thicken.
  
• If the batter thickens too quickly, don’t panic, just spoon it into the mould and smooth it down. It will still cure beautifully.
  

3. Separation or Oil Pools

Why it happens:

Additives weren't fully blended in, or the batter wasn't mixed to a stable trace before pouring.

What to do:

• Always premix additives with a little oil (as in the method above) to prevent clumps.
  
• Make sure you've reached at least a light trace before pouring into the mould.
  

4. Soda Ash (White Powdery Layer on Top)

Why it happens:

Exposure to air while the soap is still soft can cause soda ash to form.

What to do:

• Spray the surface of the soap with isopropyl alcohol after pouring (optional but effective).
  
• Cover the mould lightly with cling film, making sure it doesn't touch the soap surface.
  
• If it still forms, don't worry, it's harmless and purely cosmetic. A quick rinse or trim will remove it.
  

5. Soap Sticking to the Mould

Why it happens:

Soap hasn't set long enough or the mould wasn't lined properly.

What to do:

• Give it more time, check again after 48 hours if it's too soft to unmould.
  
• If you're not using a silicone mould, line your mould with parchment or freezer paper before pouring.

A Note for Beginners

Soap making takes practice. Every batch teaches you something new, and small imperfections don't mean failure, they're part of the process. Even if your soap doesn't look perfect, it's still going to clean, nourish, and be completely usable.

Final Thoughts

We know not everyone has the time (or the patience!) to make soap at home and that's okay. If you'd rather skip the lye and stick blender, why not try our Honey & Oats Soap  and enjoy all the benefits without the work.

And if you want to make your bar last even longer, pair it with a Soap Saver Bag to add gentle exfoliation or a Soap Dish to allow it to drain between uses and extend its life.

This soap is proof that sometimes the simplest things are the most powerful. By leaning on nature's ingredients, we've created a bar that's gentle, nourishing, and suitable for almost any skin type. It's the kind of soap you can use every day and know it’s doing your skin good, no bells, no whistles, just clean and natural care.

Join the Conversation!

Have you tried our Honey & Oats Soap yet? We'd love to hear your thoughts! How does it feel on your skin, and do you have a favourite way to use it in your routine? Share your experiences in the comments below, your tips might inspire someone else to treat themselves to this gentle, nourishing bar!