It’s hard to put in words just how wonderful this natural honey soap recipe smells, it’s just one of a few soaps that I can’t walk past without having a little sniff.
Both of the homemade honey soap recipes featured below can be made as individual soap batches, they are excellent on their own but perfect as a layered oatmeal & honey soap that will give you the best of both worlds.
- A mild smooth side with a gentle scent of honey and beeswax.
- An exfoliating scrubby side with its rich lovely smell of orange, clary sage, and honey.
Each recipe gives a 2 pound batch of soap so if needed there’s plenty enough to make a few bars on their own along with the layered batch.
Smooth Natural Honey Soap Recipe
First, let’s have a look at making the smooth honey soap.
There’s no extra added scent in this natural honey soap recipe, just the wonderful mild aroma of honey and beeswax. It’s a hard long lasting bar of soap with a creamy texture that’s suitable for all skin types.
Ingredients
- 15 oz (425g) Shortening (vegetable fat)
- 10 oz (283g) Sweet Almond Oil
- 7 oz (198g) Olive Oil
- 2 oz (57g) Beeswax (preferable white if using as a layered batch)
- 5 oz (142g) Lye (Sodium Hydroxide/Caustic Soda)
- 10 oz (283g) Distilled Water
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
Method
Watch How To Make Basic Cold Process Soap
Before you make this soap, take a few minutes to watch the video below for the basic method. For more detailed information see how to make cold process soap at home.
Specifics To This Recipe:
Use the cold process soap making method plus the following recipe specific steps:
- In Step 4 – Mix lye and oil between 120 and 140.
- In Step 6 – Add honey at trace and stir thoroughly.
Photos From Making This Soap:
The Ingredients | Gently Melt Oils  |
Add Honey At Trace | Pour Soap Into Mold  |
Honey, Orange & Oatmeal Soap Recipe
The texture of this natural honey soap recipe can be altered to suit the individual by grinding the oats finer in a blender or grinding with a pestle and mortar.
Or for an extra special bar try substituting half the oatmeal with finely ground dried orange peel, this compliments the orange essential oil beautifully.
It’s an exfoliating soap bar suitable for all skin types.
Ingredients
- 10 oz (283g) Shortening (vegetable fat)
- 12 oz (340g) Olive Oil
- 10 oz (283g) Coconut Oil
- 2 oz (57g) Beeswax
- 5 oz (142g) Lye (Sodium Hydroxide/Caustic Soda)
- 11 oz (312g) Distilled Water
- 2 oz (57g) Oatmeal
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1 tablespoon Orange essential oil
- 1 tablespoon Clary Sage essential oil
Method
Use the Cold Process Method plus the following recipe specific steps:
- In Step 4 – Mix lye and oil between 120 and 140.
- In Step 5 – At trace sprinkle in the oatmeal then add the honey and essential oils and stir thoroughly.
Photos From Making This Soap:
The Ingredients | Gently Melt Oils |
Sprinkle In The Oatmeal At Trace | Spoon Into Containers |
Allow To Set | Honey, Orange And Oatmeal Soap |
Creating The Double Layered Soap
Although I’ve made this layered honey soap in a long slim mold (just wanted to try it really) I have to say I think I would prefer to make this soap in a slightly larger and shallower mold than the one in the photo below. So that the soap is a little more square and it sits flat, with the scrubby side on top and the mild honey soap on the bottom.
Take a look at the finished individual cut soaps and you’ll see that I’ve made this one with the scrubby and the smooth side both showing when sitting flat. To be honest it’s not that big of a deal it’s still a fabulous soap but I would prefer it the other way (felt I had to mention that).
- Make the smooth honey soap recipe as instructed above.
- Pour it into the mold up to about the half way mark.
- Cover and leave to set in the usual way then put it to one side for a week.
- After the honey and beeswax soap has been left to sit for a week make the honey, orange and oatmeal soap recipe as instructed.
- Pour the honey, orange and oatmeal soap into the mold on top of the honey and bees wax soap filling it up to the brim.
- Cover and wrap the honey soap in a towel then leave to set in for a good 48 hours before removing from the mold and cutting into bars.
I hope you enjoy learning how to make soap at home and I’m sure you will love this natural honey soap recipe, it really does smell wonderful and makes a fantastic homemade gift idea.
This sounds like a beautiful recipe. Do you know if honey soap can attract ants? We sometimes get them in the bathroom. Thank you!
Hi Annie,
I haven’t had any problems like this, and I have had ants from time to time too (but never where I store my soaps, and I definitely some in there right now. So I would say that it’s unlikely to make the problem worse. Hope this helps and good luck with the pesky ants!
Just rendered my own beeswax and honey and was looking for a cold process recipe. Tried one with the honey blended into the oils and was not thrilled with the results. Found this one and as 2 lbs is my standard amount just gave it a try. Your recipe had more beeswax than I had seen recommended (max 2% of recipe), but had the rest of the oils. It came together beautifully. Looking forward to seeing how it all comes out.
Hi Mz Fizzle,
That’s so exciting! I’m glad you’re getting on well with the recipe. Let me know how the finished product works out of you, and how it makes your skin feel! I love hearing about that.
I LOVE this recipe. Have come back and made variations 3 times. Though I shifted it to make it with lard and tallow and olive oil as my homestead makes lard and tallow. Trying to make the soap with all the local natural ingredients is part of the charm for me.
Also- the beeswax really makes the lard into a much nicer bar, with a firmer texture and drier feel.
Used a lye calculator to translate the difference in animal shortening vs the vegetable shortening. And so far so good.
Going to refer back to this to teach my homesteading/beekeeping friends their first batch of soap!
That’s amazing! I’m so glad you’re having fun with these recipes. Have you tried using our lye calculator? Would love to know your thoughts on it.
Have not! Going to use it for my next batch and it’s a class so will share it with the students if it works well.
Thanks for linking to it! So far (plugged in my theoretical variation) I like it a lot!
Hello, I made your Smooth Honey Natural Soap a few weeks ago as my 1st soap. I used individual molds and they are very pretty. If I want to use a rectangular mold the next time, how do I know which size to use? I know there are calculators out there to figure this out, but I’m hoping you can help me. I have a 42oz and a 50oz mold that I can use. Thank you.
Hi Louise!
In this case, I would go for the 50oz. This recipe is a batch size of around 1388g (1.388kg). A 50oz (1417.48g) mold should definitely hold this with a little room left over.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Angela!
What are the first 3 steps to cold process soap? I am new to this but really want to try this as I know how honey is good for skin.
Hi Cynthia, Here’s the full cold process method
I made your recipe for honey, orange and oatmeal soap this morning. what a fun recipe! I can’t wait till it is cured. It smells so nice and the texture of the soap looks like it’ll be perfect, not too much and not too little texture.
Hi Lara, This is one of my favorites! I hope you like as much as I do… would love to show a photo of yours here if you have time.
angela[at]savvyhomemade.com or you can post it here https://www.savvyhomemade.com/contact-us/
In the Smooth Natural Honey soap it has 2 oz and Tablespoons, should it be oz?
Hi Lori
This should read 2 tablespoons, thanks for letting me know, I have edited the recipe to show this.
Wow that looks great! We usually add 2 tbsp of honey per one kilogram batch, but it doesnt smell of honey at all. Should we increase the amount of honey?
Okay this sounds absolutely delicious. I’m a girl all about bubble baths, and I have GOT to make this and lather up! Thank you for the recipe!
Honey soap is one that I have not tried. I took a course on home made soap making and enjoyed it much. The soaps seem much more quality better than commercial soaps. Thank you much.
I have never made soap before. I read your recipe and I think I will try if I can find all the ingredients. Keep your fingers crossed.
I made bath salts and scrubs but I will try your recipe for honey soap soon!
Thank you
You’re welcome Micheline 🙂