Cold Process Facial Soap Recipe

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This fragrance-free, nourishing face bar soap is perfect for many skin types, thanks to its gentle cleansing and rejuvenating properties.

Made with bentonite clay for a deep clean and rosehip oil to keep things nourished, it’s perfect for most skin types.

A hand with orange fingernail polish holding up a bar of white cold process facial soap over a rattan placemat. There are 8 rectangular bars of soap pictured.

There’s something truly special about handmade soaps. Finding unique ones at the farmer’s market or local boutiques was always a treat. Unfortunately, the price tags often kept them out of reach. I understand the value of handcrafted goods, but for me, it just wasn’t practical.

That’s what sparked my interest in making my own soap! Now, I get to control exactly what goes into my bars, from the ingredients to the fragrances. Plus, there’s the added bonus of reducing unnecessary packaging, which is a win-win in my book.

For those new to soap making, the cold-process method with lye can seem daunting. If you don’t feel comfortable diving right in, I suggest checking out my step-by-step beginner’s soap recipe.

If you’re not quite ready, you can always start with a melt-and-pour soap recipe that doesn’t require lye.

I’ve created several cold-process soap recipes using many natural ingredients, including my sea salt, lavender, and lemon-scented coconut milk soap. However, I still wanted an unscented soap recipe well-suited for my face.

I wanted to make a face soap bar that was gentle on my skin, would not clog pores, would remove makeup and excess oil, but leave my skin feeling soft and nourished. Quite the list, I know!

Several white rectangular bars of cold process facial soap lying on a woven placemat. There is a white and blue patterned towel and bunch of pink and white flowers for decoration.

Key Ingredients

Shea butter is a popular ingredient in many of my bath and body recipes. It is great for transforming dry skin into soft and smooth. It also ensures the finished soap is hard but has a great lather.

Sweet almond oil is rich in fatty acids and vitamins A, E, and B2. It is lightweight but an excellent moisturizer and odorless, making it the perfect neutral addition to a facial soap.

Castor oil is one of my favorite ingredients to add to soap bars, especially this facial soap bar recipe. It creates a wonderfully bubbly lather that feels so gentle on my skin.

Argan oil is one of the more luxurious oils in this recipe. It contains antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids and is extremely nourishing.

Coconut oil is another common ingredient in many of my soap recipes, and for good reason. It helps create a beautiful, hard bar of soap that also leaves the skin feeling wonderfully moisturized.

Rosehip oil minimizes fine lines and wrinkles and improves the skin’s texture. I love using it in my skincare recipes, and I even have a recipe for making your own rosehip oil.

Bentonite Clay is an excellent addition to this recipe because of its ability to draw oils, dirt, and impurities from the skin. As a result, it leaves the face feeling incredibly clean and refreshed.

Equipment:

Small saucepan or double boiler
Heat-resistant glass jar or container
Immersion blender/stick blender
Soap molds
Protective gear (gloves, goggles, long-sleeved shirt)
Digital thermometer
Digital scale
Non-reactive stirring utensil
Vinegar (for neutralizing lye, in case of spills)

Ingredients:

10 oz shea butter
2 oz almond oil
2 oz castor oil
1 oz of argan oil
1 oz of coconut oil
0.25 oz rosehip oil
1/2 tsp bentonite clay
6.18 oz water
2.06 oz lye

Safety note about working with lye:

Homemade soap-making is best done when the kids aren’t around. Before you get started, make sure you are working in a well-ventilated area away from pets and children. Be sure to wear gloves, goggles, long sleeves, and a mask.

Table of Contents

Recipe instructions:

Step 1: Prep bentonite clay by dissolving 1/2 a teaspoon of clay in 1.5 tablespoons of water. Set aside for now.

Two hands are holding a bowl and mixing bentonite clay into the water with a silver spoon on a gray countertop. This step is part of a cold process facial soap recipe.

Step 2: In a heat-resistant container, slowly add the lye to the 6.18 oz of water. Carefully stir until dissolved. Set the lye solution aside in a safe area to cool. Note that the water will rapidly heat up to over 200°F.

Two hands wearing bright pink rubber gloves for protection are mixing up a lye solution with a silver spoon as a step in making a cold process facial soap recipe.

Step 3: Melt the oils and butter in a double boiler. Then, allow them to cool to around 110°F. (Ideally, the lye water mixture will be within 10° of the oil temperature)

Step 4: Add the lye water to the melted oils and mix with an immersion blender until it comes to a light trace.

Two hands wearing bright pink rubber gloves use an immersion blender and pour the lye solution into a clear glass bowl filled with melted oils as part of a cold-process facial soap recipe.

Two hands wearing bright pink rubber gloves use an immersion blender to blend the lye solution with melted oils as part of a cold-process facial soap recipe.

Step 5: Add the bentonite clay mixture and continue mixing until it comes to a medium trace.

Note: I opted for a light/medium trace for this batch. This allows for easier pouring into the molds, but it also means the soap will take a bit longer to harden before unmolding.

Two hands wearing bright pink rubber gloves use an immersion blender to blend as they add bentonite clay to melted oils and lye as part of a cold-process facial soap recipe.

Step 6: Transfer to soap molds.

Two hands wearing bright pink rubber gloves pour a mixture into soap molds as part of a cold-process facial soap recipe.

Step 7: Allow the bars to harden for 3 days in the molds. Then, pop them out and lay them on their ends for 6 weeks to cure.

Two hands place white rectangular facial soap bars into a white porcelain tray for curing for 4-6 weeks. The final step in a recipe for cold process facial soap bars.

Yield

This recipe makes approximately 8 bars of soap.

FAQs

How does this soap feel?

This facial soap recipe is both cleansing and moisturizing. The added bentonite clay balances it out so it doesn’t feel heavy.

Can I modify this recipe?

I developed this recipe for myself and those who either don’t like scented face products or have sensitive skin. You know I love essential oils, but I chose not to use any here. You can add fragrance to this recipe at 3% of the recipe weight. For any additional variations, you will want to use a soap calculator.

What is the superfat level of this soap?

This facial soap recipe is made with a 5% superfat. Each oil requires a different amount of lye to turn it into soap. A recipe with more oil and less lye will leave some unsaponified fat, resulting in a more moisturizing soap. A 5% superfat recipe will leave you with a harder bar of soap that moisturizes and lathers well.

Do I need to use distilled water for soap making?

Some soap recipes do call for distilled water, but I just use tap water from home in my own soap recipes.

White rectangular soap bars stacked on a woven placemat.

Patch Test Reminder

I suggest doing a patch test on your inner arm to check for any allergic reaction or sensitivities. Some people may have sensitivities to clay.

Wrapping up

Cold process soaps require a little extra equipment, attention to detail, and patience, but it is worth it. Once you feel more confident handling the lye and making adjustments with the soap calculator, you will be ready to make more.

I’ll admit – the process is a little addicting. If you go a bit overboard, you can always share your beautiful bars of soap. It’s a useful and impressive gift!