Bastille No. 1 Cold Process Soap Recipe

This is one of my favourite Bastille soap recipes.  What's bastille?  No, not a French national holiday marking the storming of the Bastille Prison in 1789!  It's an olive oil cold process soap, which is not quite castile, it has a very high percentage of olive oil, and another oil or two as well.  This means you will have increased lather and will cure a little sooner, as 100% olive oil soap needs a long, long cure for the nicest, mildest soap with good lather.

I tend to stick to one clean fragrance or essential oil for my uncoloured, castile and bastille batches but this is purely personal!

Ingredients:

• 700g Olive Oil
• 100g Castor Oil
• 100g Coconut Oil

• 280 - 340g Distilled Water - If you are new to soaping use the larger amount
• 115g Sodium Hydroxide
• 20g/ml Sodium Lactate Plus
  
• 35g/ml Fragrance or Essential Oils of choice
• Flexible Mould - Loaf (Regular)

Equipment:

All your regular Cold Process Soap making equipment and Safety Gear including Goggles and Gloves
Jug to hold 500ml to 1 litre traced soap
Cups to mix and hydrate the colours
Small beaker to hold the Fragrance - helpful, not essential
Isopropyl Alcohol and Spritzer Bottle – optional – to prevent soda ash if you decide on a textured top

Method:

If you are a beginner, we recommend you make a few batches before attempting this soap due it taking long to trace.   For how to make soap from Scratch, please see our Cold Process Soapmaking Instructions.  You can also watch Soap Queen's You Tube Series on Cold Process Soapmaking.

Combine oils and lye water, Sodium Lactate Plus and bring to medium trace. 

Use stick blender to medium trace.

Add fragrance and bring to a thick trace.

This is heavy trace, pour into the mould/s.

Insulate to encourage an even, hot gel.
Unmould after a few days.
Slice and then allow 6 - 8 weeks to cure

If using "Add to Trolley" you will need to purchase the Fragrance, Olive Oil, Sodium Hydroxide and Distilled Water