Green Tea Herbal Soap Recipe

The following green tea soap excerpt is used with permission and taken from Easy Soapmaking by Kelly Cable.

A beautiful, bright scented herbal bar. This recipe is easy to make using a green tea bag to add the anti-inflammatory properties of green tea and gentle exfoliation to your soap.

10% Superfat, 2 pounds or eight 4-ounce bars

Start to finish time: 30 minutes active work time, with time between for ingredients to cool.

Safety: Make sure everyone in the home knows you are making soap and the safety guidelines for working with lye. Do not make cold-process soap with very small children. 

Equipment: 

• Glass bowl or large glass measuring cup
• Zip-top bag
• Plastic bowl for lye water
• Small glass bowl to weigh essential oils
• Kitchen scale 
• Rubber spatula
• Large stainless steel spoon
• Large stainless steel pot
• Measuring spoons
• Emersion blender
• Food thermometer

Base Oils

• 8 ounces olive oil
• 7 ounces coconut oil
• 7 ounces cocoa butter

Lye Water

• 7.7 ounces water
• 3 ounces lye

Natural Additives

• 0.5 ounces lemon essential oil
• 0.5 ounces eucalyptus essential oil
• 1 tablespoon green tea leaves (or contents of one tea bag)
• 1 teaspoon honey (optional)

Prep Ahead: Line soap mold with wax or parchment paper before beginning if you’re not using a silicone mold.

1. Weigh olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter in a glass bowl and transfer the oils to a large stainless steel saucepan. Melt over medium low heat. Remove from heat and allow it to cool to 90°F. 
2. Weigh the water in a plastic container and set it aside. Put on gloves and weigh lye crystals in a small zip-top bag. Go outside and while wearing gloves, goggles, and a charcoal mask, pour the lye crystals into the water and stir. Note: Wear a charcoal mask because the lye water will give off a gas for 1to 2 minutes and heat rapidly. Allow it to cool to 90°F.
3. When both oils and lye water are around 90°F, pour the lye water into oils and blend with an emersion blender on and off until mixture begins to thicken to light trace. 
4. Add essential oils, green tea, and honey (optional) and blend.
5. Pour the soap into a prepared mold, cover, and allow it to cure for 24 hours. Remove the soap from the mold and cut with a knife or bench scraper. Allow to cure for 4 to 6 weeks to harden.

Tip: 

• Remember to weigh each ingredient very carefully and check temperatures.
• If either the oil or lye water is a lot hotter than the other, you can use a cold water bath to cool it down so it reaches the correct temperature around the same time.
• If soap is too soft to unmold after 24 hours, wait another 12 to 24 hours and check again.
• For a vegan alternative to honey, add a tablespoon of cane sugar.
  

For more on soapmaking, see:

Herbal Soap Recipe for Eczema
A DIY Floral Delight Soap Recipe You’ll Love!