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Smelling good and saving time is on many men’s wish lists. That’s why these homemade soap bars for men are just the thing. Grab one on the run and freshen up when you want!
It’s interesting to me that men often appreciate a bar of soap. Really!
Maybe it’s because a soap bar is that one-stop stop for washing anything and everything?
You can use it to wash your body, hair, feet, and hands. Soap bars are great to use after working out at the gym or before heading to the office.
Soap in a bar, whether it’s an unscented coconut oil soap bar recipe or a beautiful clear glycerin soap bar recipe, is the all-in-one time saver when you think about it!
This might explain why men love soap. And women, too, of course! A soap bar is one of those must-have items in any home.
In this post, I’ll share a great soap recipe for men which smells excellent and results in several fantastic soap bars that last for ages, both in terms of usage and longevity.
For the man in your life – they’ll surely be delighted!
What is homemade soap for men?
Just to set the record straight – The main purpose this is called a mens soap bar is because of its ‘manly soap’ scent.
Both cedarwood and lemongrass are earthy, grounding tones that are popular to use in men’s products.
And you won’t find my husband putting anything on his skin with the words lavender or chamomile in the ingredients!
But that’s not to say this men’s soap recipe is unsuitable for women. Not at all! This soap is excellent for women, too.
As you know, there are plenty of gender-neutral products out there for sale, and for me personally, I love using this soap at my kitchen sink to wash my hands after working in the garden or doing something DIY related.
So ladies – take this recipe for yourselves, too. But be aware that your man may want to ‘borrow’ it more often than you’d like!
A little about the ingredients
- Lemongrass: A fresh lemony scent made from extracted lemongrass oil. It’s great for use in soaps as its antifungal and antibacterial properties help leave skin clean and fresh.
- Cedarwood: Another essential oil extracted from cedar trees. Great also for soaps as the woodsy scent is antifungal and antiseptic and is believed to reduce stress and promote relaxation.
- Coconut oil: is highly moisturizing, suitable for creating a natural lather that cleanses the skin, making the soap friendlier and more enjoyable to use.
- Olive oil: is full of healthy fats which moisturize the skin. Probably why I use it in my coconut milk soap bar recipe!
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Homemade men’s soap recipe
Follow along with me as you enjoy making this homemade men’s soap recipe. Please ensure you follow the instructions and quantities at all times.
Ingredients:
- Olive Oil 10 oz
- Coconut Oil 10 oz
- Lye 2.99 oz
- Water 6.69 oz
Addins
- Cedarwood essential oil 18 drops
- Lemongrass essential oil 15 drops
- Brown oxide pigment 1 teaspoon
Instructions:
Work in a well-ventilated area away from kids and wear gloves, goggles, long sleeves, and, if needed, a mask.
Use a digital scale to measure out all your ingredients.
Pour the water into a heat-resistant glass or metal container.
Add the lye to the water. Stir the lye into the water slowly until it dissolves. Take care on this part as the chemical reaction will cause it to heat up quickly (avoid splashing on your skin or breathing in the fumes)
Melt the coconut oil with the olive oil in a small saucepan on medium-low heat.
Once the oils are melted, allow them to cool down to 100 degrees before mixing with the lye water.
Slowly add the lye/water mixture to the oils, a little at a time (again, being careful!)
Place the immersion blender in the middle of the bowl at the base. Pulse for several seconds, then quickly swirl with the blender switched off. Repeat until it comes to a trace.
Be careful to prevent it from splashing as it will burn the skin. This will take a couple of minutes. You will know it’s the right consistency when the soap from the blender drips and pools up at the top of the soap in the saucepan. This is known as the ‘trace.’
Finally, add the essential oils and mix them quickly with the immersion blender.
Separate the soap into two containers and stir in the brown oxide pigment into one of them.
Finally, starting at one end of the mold, pour the soap from the non-dyed container into half of each mold.
Then fill the other half of the mold with the dyed soap.
Swirl the soap with a toothpick.
Allow the soap to harden in the molds for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
Remove the soap from the molds and place on their ends to cure for 5-6 weeks before using.
Tips
- The soap mixture can be poured directly into silicone soap molds. If you use a mold made from plastic or other materials, they may require parchment paper to prevent the soap from sticking.
- Always be safe when making soap. Wear gloves, long sleeves, goggles, mask, and work in a well-ventilated area away from kids.
- If you don’t like the scents or wonder how else to fragrance this soap, you can substitute these fragrance oils for any other essential oil blends you like.
- Use a deep bowl to help prevent splashing while bringing the ingredients to trace, which also adds to the safety factor too (meaning the splashes are less likely to cause harm)
Key takeaways
I hope you love making this soap as much as I do! We have been using these bars for a few weeks now, and I haven’t heard any complaints from my husband! (which means he likes it 🙂
If you made this recipe and loved it, leave a review below!
And if you are looking for more great soap bar recipes, check out some of these favorites below!
- Homemade charcoal soap bars
- Homemade Beeswax soap bars
- Cold process tallow soap
- 30 favorite DIY soap bars
Homemade Soap For Men
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 10 oz Olive Oil
- 10 oz Coconut Oil
- 2.99 oz Lye
- 6.69 oz Water
- 18 drops Cedarwood essential oil
- 15 drops Lemongrass essential oil
- 1 tsp Brown oxide pigment
Instructions
- Work in a well-ventilated area away from kids and wear gloves, goggles, long sleeves and if needed, a mask.
- Use a digital scale to measure out all your ingredients.
- Pour the water into a heat-resistant container.
- Add the lye to the water. Stir the lye into the water slowly until it dissolves. Take care on this part as the chemical reaction will cause it to heat up quickly (avoid splashing on your skin or breathing in the fumes)
- Melt the coconut oil with the olive oil in a small saucepan on medium-low heat.
- Once the oils are melted, allow them to cool down to 100 degrees before mixing with the lye water.
- Slowly add the lye/water mixture to the oils, a little at a time (again, being careful!)
- Place the immersion blender in the middle of the bowl at the base. Pulse for several seconds, then quickly swirl with the blender switched off. Repeat until it comes to a trace.
- Be careful to prevent it from splashing as it will burn the skin. This will take a couple of minutes. You will know it’s the right consistency when the soap from the blender drips and pools up at the top of the soap in the saucepan. This is known as the ‘trace’.
- Finally, add the essential oils and mix them quickly with the immersion blender.
- Separate the soap into two containers and stir in the brown oxide pigment into one of them.
- Fill half of each mold with the two separate containers.
- Swirl the soap with a toothpick
- Allow the soap to harden in the molds for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.
Do you have the % so I can calculate for a 5 pound loaf mold?
Thank you!
Hi, Laura! Thank you so much for sharing this! I’ve been wanting to make our own soap now for a while and am a bit intimidated but these instructions are simple and easy to follow. I do have a question about the pigment. Do you have to add it in or is it optional? Thanks so much!
The color pigments and fragrances are completely optional.