How to make soap with honey?

There is something deeply primal and satisfying about taking raw ingredients from nature and transforming them into a luxurious bar of soap that nourishes the skin.

I still remember the sweet, earthy scent wafting through my workshop the first time I successfully incorporated raw honey into a batch without scorching it. That golden elixir turns a standard cleansing routine into a spa-like ritual, and I am thrilled to guide you through this delicate process.

My Journey with Honey Soap Making

I started my soap-making journey over a decade ago, initially drawn in by the chemistry of it all, but I quickly fell in love with the artistry of additives. My early attempts were, to put it mildly, disastrous experiments in temperature control. I remember my very first honey batch vividly because I underestimated how much heat sugar generates.

I walked away from the mold for ten minutes, and when I returned, the soap had “volcanoed” up and over the sides, creating a hot, sticky mess on my curing rack. It was a harsh lesson in thermodynamics, but it taught me respect for the ingredients. That failure pushed me to master the technique of “soaping cool,” and now, honey soap is my best-seller at local markets.

Soap making is where the precision of chemistry meets the soul of cooking; you must respect the reaction while trusting your intuition.

What This Craft Really Entails

Making soap with honey is generally done through the Cold process soap method, though it can be adapted for melt-and-pour or hot process techniques. At its core, it involves mixing oils (acids) with a lye solution (base) to create a chemical reaction called saponification. When you introduce honey, you are adding natural sugars, which act as a fuel for this chemical fire.

Lisa Mandel

Historically, honey has been used in skincare since ancient Egypt, prized for its humectant properties, meaning it draws moisture from the air to your skin. In the modern crafting world, adding it to soap is considered an intermediate skill because of the temperature sensitivity. It is not quite as simple as stirring it in; it requires timing and thermal management.

Have you ever wondered why some handmade soaps have a dark, brownish center? That is often the result of the honey burning inside the soap while it saponifies. To master this craft, you must learn to balance the benefits of the sugar—which boosts lather and hydration—against the risk of overheating the batch.

This craft is best suited for those who have made a few basic batches of soap and are comfortable handling lye safely. It compares closely to baking delicate pastries; the ingredients are simple, but the technique and environmental factors dictate your success. It is less forgiving than standard soap making but infinitely more rewarding.

Essential Materials and Tools

To create a high-quality honey soap, you need precise tools and specific ingredients. I always recommend using digital scales because volume measurements are simply too inaccurate for the chemistry involved.

Never use aluminum pots or utensils when making soap, as the lye will react with the metal and create dangerous hydrogen gas.

Key Techniques and Skills

Through years of trial and error, I have identified the specific skills you need to produce a creamy, light-colored honey soap. Mastering these will prevent the dreaded “alien brain” texture or separation.

• Tempering the Honey: Diluting the honey in a small amount of warm water from your recipe before adding it to the batter helps it disperse evenly.
• Soaping Cool: Allowing your lye water and oils to drop to around 90°F (32°C) or lower before mixing is crucial to prevent overheating.
• Controlling Trace: Understanding when you have reached “light trace”—where the batter just barely leaves a mark on the surface—is the perfect time to add sugary additives.
• Preventing Gel Phase: Unlike other soaps, you often want to prevent the Gel phase in honey soap by putting the mold in the fridge or freezer immediately after pouring.
• Lye Safety: Being comfortable handling caustic materials without fear, but with immense respect.
• Scent Anchoring: Honey has a faint scent that fades; learning to pair it with vanilla or oat fragrances requires knowledge of flashpoints.
• Beveling and Planing: Finishing techniques to remove any soda ash that might form on the surface due to the cooler soaping temperatures.
• Curing Patience: Waiting the full 4 to 6 weeks for the water to evaporate and the bar to harden is a skill in itself.

Thinking of this process like tempering chocolate helps; if you rush the temperature changes, you lose the glossy, smooth finish you are aiming for.

Skill Level and Time Investment

Many beginners underestimate the waiting game involved in cold process soap. While the active work is short, the patience required is long. Here is a realistic breakdown of what you can expect.

Do not insulate your honey soap mold with towels; the excess heat trapped inside will almost certainly cause the soap to crack or volcano.

Advantages and Challenges

There are distinct reasons why I keep coming back to honey soap despite the extra effort required. The feedback I get from customers and family makes it worth the trouble.

• Humectant Properties: Honey draws moisture to the skin, making for a very conditioning wash.
• Lather Boost: The natural sugars in honey increase the size and stability of the bubbles.
• Antibacterial Qualities: While saponification changes things, honey adds a natural appeal that users love.
• Creative Freedom: The golden color provides a beautiful, natural aesthetic without artificial dyes.
• Cost-Effective Luxury: A small amount of honey goes a long way in a large batch of soap.
• Gift Appeal: “Milk and Honey” is a classic combination that feels expensive and thoughtful.

However, I would be lying if I said it was always a smooth ride. Here are the hurdles you might face in the workshop.

• Scorching Risks: If the batter gets too hot, the sugars caramelize, turning the soap an ugly orange-brown.
• Acceleration: Honey can make the soap batter harden (trace) much faster than expected, leaving you rushing to pour.
• Soda Ash: Soaping at cooler temperatures often invites a harmless but powdery white layer on top.
• Seizing: In rare cases, the chemical reaction happens instantly, turning your batter into a solid brick in the pot.

Trace is the point where the oil and lye solution have emulsified and will not separate; it looks like pudding when you drizzle it from the blender.

Real Project Applications

One of my favorite projects to date was a “Breakfast Bar” series I created for a holiday craft fair. I combined raw local honey with colloidal oatmeal and a touch of goat milk. The result was a creamy, beige bar that smelled faintly of sweet porridge. I cut them into chunky squares rather than standard rectangles, which gave them a rustic, artisanal look.

Another fantastic application is making guest soaps for weddings. I once made 200 small, heart-shaped honey soaps for a summer wedding. Because honey increases the bubbles, these small bars lathered beautifully despite their size. I used a silicone mold for individual cavities, which saved me the trouble of cutting a large loaf.

For a more decorative approach, you can use bubble wrap. By lining the bottom of your mold with bubble wrap before pouring your honey soap, you create a honeycomb pattern on the top of the bar. It is a simple trick, but it visually communicates the “honey” ingredient immediately to anyone who sees it.

Why settle for plain soap when you can create something that tells a story? These projects not only serve a practical purpose but act as beautiful decor for any bathroom.

The Learning Experience

When I first started teaching workshops, I noticed that students often panicked when the soap batter started to change color. Honey soap goes through a phase where it looks much darker than the final result, and seeing that transformation can be scary if you aren’t expecting it.

A common mistake beginners make is adding too much honey. They think “more is better” for moisturizing, but too much sugar ruins the chemistry. Use no more than one teaspoon of honey per pound of oils to keep the reaction under control. When I finally adhered to this rule, my batches went from unpredictable to consistent.

I found the most help in online forums like the Soap Making Forum and specialized YouTube channels by master soapers like the “Soap Queen.” Books are great for recipes, but seeing the texture of the batter in a video is invaluable. The community is incredibly supportive because we have all cleaned up a soap volcano at least once.

I’ve found that mixing the honey with a little bit of the liquid oil from the recipe helps it blend smoother than adding it straight.

Comparison with Similar Crafts

It helps to understand where honey soap fits in the broader spectrum of soap making and fiber arts. Here is how it stacks up against other techniques.

Common Questions from Fellow Crafters

Q: Can I just squeeze the honey straight from the bear into the pot?

A: Technically yes, but I advise against it. It’s thick and hard to disperse. Diluting it slightly with warm water or oil ensures you don’t get pockets of raw honey in your finished bar.

Q: Why did my soap crack down the middle?

A: That is a heat tunnel. The center got too hot while the outside cooled. Next time, put your mold in the fridge immediately after pouring to keep the temperature down.

Q: Does the soap smell like honey when it’s done?

A: Sadly, the scent of natural honey rarely survives the chemical process of Saponification. If you want a strong scent, you will need to add a honey-fragrance oil or beeswax absolute.

Q: Can I use crystallized honey?

A: Yes, but you must dissolve it first. If you leave crystals, they will create scratchy spots in your soap, which isn’t pleasant to wash with.

Q: Is this safe for sensitive skin?

A: Generally, yes! Honey is very soothing. However, always patch test, as some people can be sensitive to specific plant pollens found in raw honey.

Q: My soap has a weird white powder on top, is it ruined?

A: Not at all! That is soda ash. It happens often with honey soap because we soap cool. You can steam it off or just wash it off the first time you use the bar.

Always run your recipe through a lye calculator online before you start to ensure your oil-to-lye ratio is safe for skin.

My Personal Results and Insights

Over the years, I have tracked my batches to see what yields the best results. Treating your craft like a science experiment really pays off in the long run.

Have you ever considered that the climate in your kitchen—humidity and ambient temperature—plays just as big a role as your ingredients?

Final Thoughts and My Recommendation

Making soap with honey is a journey that balances the razor’s edge of chemistry and art. It is not the first project I would recommend to someone who has never touched a stick blender, but it is a fantastic “level up” for the intermediate crafter. The feeling of using a bar of soap that you created from scratch, knowing it contains the healing properties of nature, is unmatched.

If you are looking for a craft that requires focus, precision, and patience, this is it. The secret is consistent temperature control and the willingness to fail a few times before you succeed. I highly recommend starting with small batches so if things go wrong, you haven’t wasted pounds of oil.

Ultimately, the reward is a hard, long-lasting bar of soap that feels like silk on the skin. It is a labor of love that produces tangible, useful art. So, put on your safety goggles, measure your oils, and dive in—just remember to watch that thermometer!