Green Tea Facial Soap
Recipe Instructions
Green Tea Face Soap — Recipe Card (32.01 oz batch)
Face‑friendly, conditioning cold process bar colored with French green clay, boosted with sea moss, kojic acid dipalmitate (KAD), and scented with Raw Honeycomb (Bramble Berry). Includes sodium lactate for easy unmolding.
Formula Overview
- Target batch total (pour weight): 32.01 oz (907 g) — includes oils, KAD, lye, water, fragrance, sodium lactate, sea moss, and Vitamin E
- Superfat: 5%
- Lye: Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
- Liquid: Distilled water (option to brew strong green tea, cooled)
- Color: French green clay
- Additives: Sea moss, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), Sodium lactate (60% solution), KAD 2%
- Fragrance: Raw Honeycomb (Bramble Berry) — balanced load
Tip: Work cool (85–95°F / 29–35°C). Do not insulate the mold (additives + honey-type scents can heat; KAD prefers cooler gel/ungelled).
Oils & Butters (SAP‑reactive total = 21.394 oz | 606.5 g)
Ingredient Ounces Grams % Olive oil 5.026 oz 142.5 g 23.49% Coconut oil (76°) 3.410 oz 96.7 g 15.94% Palm oil 3.410 oz 96.7 g 15.94% Sunflower oil 2.728 oz 77.3 g 12.75% Hempseed oil 2.387 oz 67.7 g 11.16% Mango butter 1.364 oz 38.7 g 6.38% Neem oil 1.364 oz 38.7 g 6.38% Jojoba oil 1.023 oz 29.0 g 4.78% Argan oil 0.682 oz 19.3 g 3.19% Non‑saponifiable additive (included in batch total):
- Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD) @ 2% of oils → 0.428 oz | 12.1 g
Scaled to meet 32.01 oz pour weight with all additives.
---|---:|---:|---:|
| Olive oil | 7.37 oz | 208.94 g | 23.49% |
| Coconut oil (76°) | 5.00 oz | 141.75 g | 15.94% |
| Palm oil | 5.00 oz | 141.75 g | 15.94% |
| Sunflower oil | 4.00 oz | 113.40 g | 12.75% |
| Hempseed oil | 3.50 oz | 99.22 g | 11.16% |
| Mango butter | 2.00 oz | 56.70 g | 6.38% |
| Neem oil | 2.00 oz | 56.70 g | 6.38% |
| Jojoba oil | 1.50 oz | 42.52 g | 4.78% |
| Argan oil | 1.00 oz | 28.35 g | 3.19% |
Non‑saponifiable additive (included in batch weight):
- Kojic Acid Dipalmitate (KAD) @ 2% of oils → 0.640 oz | 18.15 g
Total oils + KAD = 31.37 + 0.64 = 32.01 oz (907 g)
Lye & Liquid (5% SF)
- NaOH (lye): 2.859 oz | 81.0 g
- Water (33% lye concentration, recommended): 5.805 oz | 164.6 g
- (Alternative: 2:1 water:lye → 5.718 oz | 162.1 g — not used in totals)
Sodium lactate (60% solution): 2% of oils → 0.428 oz | 12.1 g
Add to cooled lye solution (<120°F / 49°C) after lye fully dissolves.
Additives & Scent
- French green clay: ~2 tsp (bloom in a little recipe oil)
- Sea moss (gel or powder): 0.321 oz | 9.1 g (~1.5% of oils) at light trace
- Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols): 0.107 oz | 3.0 g (~0.5% of oils) at trace
- Fragrance — Raw Honeycomb (BB): 0.669 oz | 19.0 g (~0.5 oz PPO — balanced facial strength)
- Notes: Mild acceleration, 0% vanillin (no discoloration). Work cool.
- Optional chelator (improves clarity/rinse; helps hard water):
- Sodium citrate 0.3–0.5% of oils → 0.064–0.107 oz | 1.8–3.0 g
- (Dissolve in your batch water before adding lye.)
Step‑by‑Step (☑ = check as you go)
Prep
☐ Line mold; pre‑mix clay in a splash of oil.
☐ Pre‑melt KAD in ~0.5–0.7 oz (15–20 g) of light recipe oil (from the Sunflower/Olive portion); warm just until clear, then cool.
☐ Optional: Brew strong green tea, cool to room temp.
Lye solution
☐ In a safe container, slowly add NaOH to water and stir until clear.
☐ Cool to 85–95°F (29–35°C).
☐ Stir in sodium lactate (0.428 oz | 12.1 g) until clear.
Oils
☐ Melt/temper hard oils/butters; add liquid oils.
☐ Stick‑blend in the clay slurry thoroughly before adding lye (smooth batter!).
Emulsify & Add
☐ Add lye solution to oils; blend to very light trace.
☐ Add fragrance (0.669 oz | 19.0 g) and KAD solution; pulse 2–3 short bursts.
☐ Fold in sea moss (0.321 oz | 9.1 g); stir in Vitamin E (0.107 oz | 3.0 g) last.
Pour & Finish
☐ Pour immediately (fragrance may mildly accelerate).
☐ Do not insulate; optionally chill 1–2 hrs to prevent overheating.
☐ Unmold when firm (sodium lactate helps), cut, and cure 4–6 weeks.
Safety & Notes
- Wear gloves, goggles, long sleeves; mix lye in a ventilated area.
- Keep temps on the lower side to maintain smooth texture and KAD stability.
- If you ever change superfat or water profile, message me and I’ll rescale to keep 32.01 oz total.
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Soap Properties
Highlighted gray ranges represent recommended ranges for each property.
100
80
60
40
20
0
INS: 122.12 (low)
iodine: 80.88 (high)
Calculated Values for Oils and Preferences
| Superfat % | 5% |
| Saturated | 6.85 Ounce(s) |
| Mono-Unsaturated | 7.67 Ounce(s) |
| Poly-Unsaturated | 5.19 Ounce(s) |
| Saturated:Unsaturated Ratio | 34.74:65.26 |
| Lye concentration | 100% |
| Weight Unit | Ounce(s) |
| Soap type | solid |
Fatty Acid Profile
| Oleic | 35.89% |
| Linoleic | 21.80% |
| Linolenic | 2.50% |
| Ricinoleic | 0% |
| Lauric | 7.66% |
| Myristic | 3.22% |
| Palmitic | 14.67% |
| Stearic | 6.49% |
Recommended Additive Amounts
Swipe on table to see all values
For Advanced Soapmakers
| Sodium Lactate (60%)
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| Recommended Essential/Fragrance Oil | 0.93 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Ascorbic Acid
| 0.21 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Extra Lye to Neutralize Ascorbic Acid for A.A. | NaOH: 0.04 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Lactic Acid
| 0.16 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Extra Lye to Neutralize Lactic Acid for L.A. | NaOH: 0.09 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Tetrasodium EDTA
| 0.16 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Sodium Citrate
| 0.28 - 0.83 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Potassium Citrate
| 0.34 - 1.03 Ounce(s) | ||||||
| Rosemary Oleoresin (ROE)
| 0.01 - 0.01 Ounce(s) | ||||||
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Citric Acid Powder (anhydrous) |
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Extra Lye to Neutralize Citric Acid Powder for C.A. |
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