Supply List for Minimalist Soapmaking

Many of you have asked me what supplies are needed to make the recipes in my upcoming book. Here's a link to the ingredients and you'll also find this list of ingredients on page 57 of the book as well.

Essentials:

  • Sodium Hydroxide (lye)
  • Distilled Water

Note: You will be batching your lye-water to create a 1:1 lye water solution. I purchased my sodium hydroxide from Bulk Apothecary and my distilled water from my local grocery store.

Soapmaking Oils:

  • Mostly Olive Oil Soap Base: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil
  • Nurture Shea Soap Base: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Castor Oil
  • Homespun Tallow Soap Base: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Beef Tallow Castor Oil

Note: You will choose one base for ALL the recipes in the book. These oils will be batched for easy soapmaking. I recommend using Refined A Olive Oil, Coconut 76, Refined Shea Butter, and Deodorized Beef Tallow to create a whiter bar of soap. I purchased the olive oil, coconut oil, tallow, and castor oil from Soaper's Choice and my shea butter from Bulk Apothecary.

Essential Oils:

  • Cedarwood Atlas
  • Eucalyptus Globulus 80/85
  • Lavender 40/42
  • Orange 5-Fold
  • Peppermint Supreme

Note: Be sure to use high-quality essential oils! I recommend purchasing from Bulk Apothecary, New Directions Aromatics, or Brambleberry in the United States. I used a mix of Bulk Apothecary and New Directions Aromatics essential oils.

Dried Botanicals:

  • Calendula Petals
  • Chamomile Flowers
  • Lavender Buds
  • Rose Petals

Note: You will be infusing the calendula petals and chamomile flowers in olive oil to use in some of the recipes. These dried botanicals will also be used as decoration on top of soap. I got all my dried botanicals from Brambleberry, except the chamomile flowers, which I got here.

Plant-Based Colorants:

  • Activated Charcoal (I used this one from Anne Goerges)
  • Alkanet Root Powder (I used this one from Anne Georges)
  • Annatto Seed Powder (I used this one from Anne Georges)
  • Chlorella Powder (I used this one from Anthony's Goods)
  • Cocoa Powder (I used Hershey's Cocoa, 100% Cacao, Natural Unsweetened, from the grocery store)
  • Himalayan Rhubarb Powder (I used this one from Anne Georges)
  • Indigo Powder (I used this one from Anne Georges)
  • Madder Root Powder (I used this one from Brambleberry, but you can also use this one from Anne Georges)

Note: Sourcing the colorants from the same place that I used will hopefully yield very similar color results! I purchased my Anne Georges colorants from the Indian website (annegeorges.in), but you can also probably use the one in the US (annegeorges.com). I'm not sure if the shipping will be faster or if they're really the same thing. You will be infusing the alkanet root powder, annatto seed powder, and Himalayan rhubarb powders in olive oil. You will also be creating an indigo slurry with the indigo powder. I used 1.5 oz (42 g) of each powder for my infusions. I did a hot infusion for all of these and then let the oil sit for 5 days so the powder could settle. You may want to do this right away when you get the book. Instructions are on pages 51-55.

Clays:

  • French Pink Clay
  • French Green Clay

Note: I got both of mine from New Directions Aromatics ages ago! Bulk Apothecary and Brambleberry also carry these clays.

Staples:

  • Carrot Juice (I use Bolthouse Farms Carrot Juice, which is 100% carrots)
  • Coffee Grounds (I use spent grounds that I dry from my morning coffee)
  • Colloidal Oatmeal (I use the one from Brambleberry, but anything should work as long as it's colloidal oatmeal and not just ground oatmeal)
  • Goat Milk (or vegan milk) (I use Meyenberg Goat Milk, but any pure goat milk is good)
  • Honey (or vegan alternative like maple syrup or agave nectar) (I use Local Hive honey from Colorado)
  • Sea Salt (fine) (I use Morton's Fine Sea Salt)

Note: These are ingredients I always have on hand and are used in some of the recipes. We also use other pantry items like fresh fruit, whole oats, and chocolate, which you can get at your local grocery store. 

Order Minimalist Soapmaking (in the US):

Order internationally where you normally buy books, but here are some ideas other than Amazon:

Australia:

Canada:

UK and Europe:

Because the book is distributed via major trade distributors (Page Street / Macmillan / Ingram), almost any local independent bookstore across the UK and Europe can order it directly into their store using the ISBN (9798890034816).