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Cold Process Soaps

How to Make Cold Process SoapInterested in Cold Process soapmaking? Cold Process or CP soap is our first and true love here at Bramble Berry. Anne-Marie (owner & founder of Bramble Berry) has made thousands of pounds of soap and really knows what goes into making a beautiful and luxurious bar of soap. In a nutshell, Cold Process soap is made by mixing fatty acids and sodium hydroxide (oil & lye) which then triggers the saponification process. Sounds like magic, but really it's all chemistry. But you don't have to be a scientist to make soap! You just need to know and understand a few basic principles and safety precautions.

Important Info

How to Make Yellow Soap

  • Sodium Hydroxide (also known as lye) is absolutely necessary for making soap. It is also a caustic and dangerous chemical. Make sure you are fully educated on the safe handling of lye before you make your first batch.
  • Check out this easy soap recipe that's perfect for beginners. 
  • One good book is essential to safe and successful Cold Process soapmaking. We recommend the Soapmaker's Companion or The Everything Soap Book.
  • Of course, our DVD featuring Anne-Marie demonstrates how to make Cold Process soap and how to fix common problems is pretty great too, even if we say so.
  • Our Cold Process kit is the perfect starting point for making your own soap from scratch. It has everything you need (including a great book) except the Lye - which you can order separately here.

  • Oils

    Every soaper has favorite oils, fats, & butters. Here are a few of the most important oils to start with.

  • Molds

    Wooden molds are ideal for Cold Process soap. These log style molds are perfect for making professional looking bars.

  • Fragrances

    We've paired down our selection of fragrances to our favorites that have dependably held-up in cold process soap in multiple batches.

  • Lye

    Also known as Sodium Hydroxide, this is what starts that magical process called saponification.

  • Scales

    Weighing all of your ingredients is the key to successful and consistent batches. This is our most economical scale - perfect for beginners.

  • Colorants

    Bramble Berry has hundreds of colorants but here are the our favorites for use in Cold Process Soap.

  • Herbs

    Use herbs to add interest and natural color to your soaps

  • Stamps

    Personalize your soap easily and economically with an impressed design.

  • Rebatch

    All the natural goodness of handmade soap without the hassle of lye.