3 ways to upgrade your handmade soap

🟢Get the soap formulator’s workbook here →
www.tellervo.f...
In this soap making video I show you 3 things I like to add to my handmade soap to make it better. I also make a cold process soap and show you the process I use when making soap with these 3 ingredients.
Thank you for watching!
'Upgraded' soap recipe:
This recipe is calculated with soapee.com/calc...
Total batch weight: ~800 g
275 g olive oil (50%)
137.5 g coconut oil (25%)
82.5 g cocoa butter (15%)
55 g mango butter (10%)
116 g distilled water
10 g citric acid
83.3 g lye (77.3 g if not using citric acid)
(40% lye concentration, 5% superfat)
additives:
40 g coconut cream
1 tsp silk powder
10 g eucalyptus essential oil
dried cornflower petals for decoration
Cure the soap 4-6 weeks before using.
○ Citric acid information
When citric acid and sodium hydroxide lye (NaOH) are combined, sodium citrate is created. Sodium citrate works as a chelator in soap.
A chelator traps metal ions such as calcium and magnesium that can be found in tap water.
These metal contaminants can cause rancidity and soap scum in handmade soap.
A chelator binds to these metals so that they can’t bind to the soap molecules. This way the soap won’t react with them and the soap's lather improves + shelf life increases.
Citric acid does not lower the pH of soap. Instead it consumes some of the lye and increases the superfat. Add 6 g extra lye for every 10 g of citric acid added to a soap recipe if you want to keep the superfat % at the same level.
How much citric acid should be added to soap?
Usage rate in bar soap is 1-2% of the oil weight.
How to use citric acid
Add citric acid to the distilled water and dissolve completely before adding the lye.
Soap making equipment*
○ Safety glasses - amzn.to/3pP99gz
○ Gloves - amzn.to/3gjEViA
○ Braun multiquick stick blender (black colored version) - amzn.to/35h3GFO
○ Infrared thermometer - amzn.to/3fXLx6e
○ Digital scale - amzn.to/3zmJSOR
○ High precision scale - amzn.to/39YRc8t
○ Spatulas - amzn.to/3zo8DdB
○ Funnel pitchers for easy pouring - amzn.to/3aYb9h1
○ Silicone molds:
○ Single cavity mold - amzn.to/3cAEIW0
○ Silicone loaf mold - amzn.to/35gS05S
○ Small wooden soap mold with silicone lining - amzn.to/3pVdn6b
○ Cafe de savon wire cutter - item.rakuten.c...
○ Guide - item.rakuten.c...
○ Swiss star stainless steel vegetable peeler for beveling soaps - amzn.to/3ak4VHW
○ Mini mixer - amzn.to/35dvECc
*amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase a product through a link I have provided I receive a small commission, with no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my channel!

[@tellervo.]

The soap formulator’s workbook is now available → www.tellervo.fi/shop/p/the-soap-formulators-workbook

[@florestista9339]

hello my wife would like to ask you a question by any chance do you have an email ? Ty

[@tellervo.]

@@florestista9339 Yes it's [e-mail]

[@florestista9339]

@@tellervo. thank you so much

[@uleiuriesentialeshop-fz8me]

From where did you purchased the silk powder? Tia

[@sweetpeastationnz6598]

I have to say this is the best soap making video I've seen. So peaceful, so therapeutic. Thank you for sharing. 🌹

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much💝

[@patriciasatterly]

@@tellervo. I totally agree. I LOVE that there is no talking. VERY enjoyable, and gives ALL the information required. Thank you.

[@kingfaijennyleung5698]

me 2

[@karenurbanski5004]

Totally agree

[@hbrunet72]

This was the most peaceful soaping video I’ve ever had the pleasure and privilege of watching … your soaps so simple, and yet so pretty! Thank you for sharing this with us

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much💝

[@hemalipeiris2688]

Absolutely true , 🙂❤️

[@SIMONEPRYOR]

Even my baby of 10 months old was peacefully checking this video So satisfying 😍

[@tellervo.]

Aw that's so sweet🥰

[@bellabates4512]

To the viewer, if using the 10% citric acid ratio rule of them on a total weight of 550 g citric acid would be 11 g instead of 10 may be a big deal maybe not just wanted to clarify.

[@sharlawatkins]

Every time I watch your videos, it makes me want to go make soap. It highlights the beauty and simplicity of soap making. Thanks for taking the time to curate these lovely videos.

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much🥰🥰

[@tassiegirl1991]

Thankyou also for the citric acid information. Very interesting to read about its use.

[@donnanail9597]

What a simply lovely bar of soap. I can almost feel the creaminess of it looking at the smoothness as you cut it! ❤️❤️

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much❤

[@bunnyskitchen3359]

The most wonderful step by step soap video I have ever watched on you tube!! Perfect!! Thanks for sharing!

[@tellervo.]

Thank you🥰

[@bellabates4512]

Figured it out if you (the viewer) want to make sure you understand the recipe use total weight of 550g not 800g. That’s just double check your math & her lesson! From there you can create a personalized recipe to the total weight of your preferred mold size!

[@Szynszula]

hello, I've found out that citric acid causes bar of soap to be less hard and vinegar doesn't. Why you dont use vinegar? It is also more common and way cheaper

[@7slaper]

Thank you for your Zen soap making video! 💚 It was a joy to watch. Thank you even more for sharing the citric acid info! I find the misconceptions about its use - found almost everywhere - alarming! (I've been making soap for over 15 years now; finding someone sharing the same concepts fills my heart with joy.) Keep up the good work! 👌

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much💝

[@ildadomingues5775]

What is the cítric acid for? Look your videos, Thank you from portugal 🇵🇹

[@tellervo.]

@@ildadomingues5775 Thank you, I added some information on it to the description box :)

[@KimPitts85]

This was theee most absolute best soap making video. Extremely therapeutic

[@alejandrabarrios7072]

Beautiful and perfect! ♥️ thank you so much for sharing it.

[@rrutaba]

U mean 7% of any milk, PPO? Can v add citric acid & then sugar before adding lye into water???

[@iztherelife1340]

Everyone else making soap must have better eye sight. I can’t make out the words printed. ☹️

[@PeiPeisMom]

Funniest video I've seen in ages, thank you!

[@GordonDunbar]

Thank you. Especially appreciate the Citric Acid tip. Could one replace the Olive oil either in whole or in part with Canola Oil?

[@vaslim1711]

The simplicity of the final product is amazing'!

[@kristeljoyrovero4107]

Is coconut milk for food cooking applicable when making soap?

[@prachisharma6353]

Hi I am from India love your channel it's great can you please teach how to use stearic acid in soap

[@thirddaysoapsgarden]

I have used condensed milk as well in my soap formulas.

[@bassammoga4670]

The water added to citric acid and Lye will the total water or different .adding citric acid it's not clear do you ment the ratio 1-2% to total oil weight ?

[@jacquellynnnakintu9163]

Is it possible for me to make soap without stick blender

[@sabar7532]

What about the shelf life of this soap? And do we have to worry about the pH?

[@NitaRobinson219]

Beautiful video! What size mold are you using?

[@tellervo.]

Thank you😊 It's about 900 grams

[@jacquellynnnakintu9163]

Ur a great teacher I was looking for something like this .

[@ChannelThanuri]

If i add sugar and salt too, when should i add these ingredients too?

[@yennytio628]

What kind Of brand the silk powder?

[@RNDiva33]

Interesting I've never seen anybody add citric acid to the water prior to the lye

[@ammiechiok88]

May I know what is the benefits of add citric acid into the CP soap?? For reduced the pH??

[@josiethornton7049]

To make silk Millions of catipilers are killed.

[@belindaayewoh437]

Your videos are so relaxing and peaceful. May I ask, what is a good overall recipe to use as Christmas gifts for co-workers? I have some molds in shapes of trees, stockings and wreaths. Wanting one recipe for the mass, but not sure if some might have allergies. Can you suggest one please? Thank you!

[@yennytio628]

Kind Of difficult to find silk powder

[@7thsignthenorthcoast146]

I felt like I was at a funeral with that music

[@joy1255]

Where did you buy your silk powder?

[@butterfly1823]

NY new vilogger I live your videos best easy video of soap making i ever watch. What I like is that yiu do used fresh or healthy ingredients thank you

[@soyvanesajimenez]

Hi. Very good information. Thanks. I have a question. Coconut cream you add (7% of oil weight) is apart from the superfat?. Do you consider it in the formula to reduce superfat oil amount?. Thanks

[@tellervo.]

Thank you! I don't reduce the superfat and just let the coconut cream add to it

[@sairatoru7995]

i add corn silk and oatmeal milk with the oils before adding my lye , it gives a great feel

[@lauriewilson4741]

Hi! Do you purchase your corn silk or just straight from the ear?

[@noorfoodofficial8348]

Do you give certificate

[@r.e.holding]

Unintentional ASMR 😉

[@tellervo.]

😊

[@stepheniehoo]

May I know why use citric acid ya?

[@tellervo.]

I use it as a chelator, this article explains it well: www.ultimatehpsoap.com/post/soapy-science-citric-acid-in-soap-making

[@vakamullayuvaraj300]

wow nice...i make my own soap with my my own ideas which i use for my personnel. I was tired of using commercial soaps and shampoo...now after 3 month it gave me great result.I did my own video to share my experience with others...

[@rawsunnata829]

If you used butters then it is easier to release from the form in couple or even 3 days.

[@thehealthbox]

Hi, can we skip the citric acid?

[@deepthiraman4138]

Very informative video u made . Some doubts has been cleared with this . Thank u

[@lalimarte9188]

What a beautiful video ... i feel like i went to a spa. Thanks !

[@tellervo.]

Thank you💝

[@tiamaribu9394]

Can soap be made with just butters?

[@tellervo.]

In theory yes, but I don't think it would make a good soap, the lather would probably be very minimal.

[@garrettpeters3438]

That is a beautiful creamy bar of soap! 😊🧼❤️👍🏼

[@tellervo.]

Thank you😊

[@auroraautumn8764]

Looking for a diy for liquid hand soap. Any suggestion?

[@nila518]

1:33 onwards 🤣🤣🤣 ☠️☠️☠️

[@guadalupealcocer1262]

perfect soap making video :) love to watch your videos...

[@samaliekisakye1158]

Wow! This bar of soap looks so chocolatey(toblerone)thanks for sharing

[@butterfly1823]

NY I loved tharbwhen I heae rhe music while you are doing the soap it sooths me

[@anastasia10017]

how do you buy from Rakuten when it is all in japanese ?

[@tellervo.]

I used google translate.

[@moddesluengo4977]

Me encantan sus vídeos, lastima que no tengan subtítulos en español, hay cosas que no entiendo, gracias por compartí

[@sunderdaswani7388]

The subtitle is not noticeable in the video, sorry let you know.

[@tellervo.]

Thank you, I have made changes since this video so I hope it's better now :)

[@lisamcbride9891]

The music so sad.

[@sl4983]

2:35 add lye

[@Erica-yr3gf]

Very beautiful and highly therapeutic. Thank you. 💕🌎🙏🏻

[@vijayagauri7988]

Very relaxing video. Must do this . Thank you for sharing.🙏

[@deenel8700]

Wow I love this soap. 🌴 thanks for sharing.

[@esp348]

Can this be made without the lye

[@tellervo.]

No

[@boop7313]

You can't make soap without it. It's the reaction between the lye & the oils that transforms (saponifies) both of those things into something totally new (soap). No lye is present in the soap after saponification. Without the lye all you have is a pile of mushy oils...

[@bathinGGlow]

Hi…. I love your video. They are so simple yet peaceful. I have just started the journey of soaping. I have bought citric acid yet to use since as you have said that I have to take 6g of lye more than the recipe. So citric acid is 2% of base oil and 6g of more lye. I don’t know whether I can get hold of silk. My question is can I try this same recipe replacing mango butter with Shea butter with HP soap? Can I add sodium lactate?

[@tellervo.]

Thank you! Yes you can make changes, as long as you run the new recipe through a lye calculator🙂

[@vincentraverdy4343]

Hi Sara I love your videos which are very informative and inspiring. I took the liberty of writing you a PM via instragam for a specific request ;-) thanks again for all you do for soap community

[@triciastephen3137]

Thanks for sharing this information about the additives. 🤗😙

[@markman1276]

How do I get in touch with you

[@tellervo.]

You can send me a message on instagram @ tellervo.fi

[@monicastephens7345]

May I ask your permission to try your recipe please.

[@tellervo.]

Yes of course I share them so that you can try them out if you want to😊

[@monicastephens7345]

Thank you.🙂

[@Naturalsoaprecipes]

I really enjoy your videos. May I ask how you edit them. Which software do you suggest? Thank you for sharing ☺️ so calming

[@tellervo.]

Thank you😊 I use adobe premiere rush. You can't really do anything special with it but it's super simple and easy to use.

[@Vaale7_]

Thank you! The only thing i don't unederstand how citric acid binds metal ions from tap water if we use distilled water for soap making? Thank you

[@tellervo.]

It's for when the soap is used with tap water🙂

[@taniacomella8737]

Amazing tips, thank you so much. Question, if I am making my own mandarine butter using mandarine oil, stearic acid and Cetyl alcohol, would that be a problem when making a soap? My first guess will be not but just want to make sure. Thanks a lot for your guidance.

[@tellervo.]

Thank you! I have no experience with that so unfortunately I can't really help you🙂

[@anaharasemiuc9112]

what do you use for foaming ??

[@cathyanndrakes5722]

What does citric acid do to the soap when added

[@okefortune6305]

First time stumbling into your channel and I subscribed after watching this video! Lovely bars of soap. Will do this sometimes soon. Thanks for sharing

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much🥰

[@huguettearmstrong2591]

J’adore cette recette merci bcp 🤍🤍🤍

[@Alicia-jn9rf]

Hi, I don’t understand why you add citric acid if the water you use for you soap is distilled water?

[@tellervo.]

Please check the description box :)

[@simonesouza7017]

Thanks you for sharing. 💞💞💞

[@SheaNutOrganix]

I have a question. No one ever show how to store the soap for the six weeks. Can you show us how you package and store for the six weeks?

[@tellervo.]

I just keep my soaps in wooden boxes🙂

[@Peabody10]

Could you replace the same amount of coconut milk for goats milk.?

[@tellervo.]

Yes :)

[@shanthinandakumar]

Wow.. Awesome..butt why citric acid??thankyou

[@tellervo.]

Thank you! I use it as a chelator, this article explains it better than I ever could: www.ultimatehpsoap.com/post/soapy-science-citric-acid-in-soap-making

[@kamar1171]

I tried to watch your video, but the over emphasis of all of the sounds made me want to vomit.

[@Alicia-jn9rf]

You’ve got a problem!

[@talaassi8630]

Hello, how can we lower the pH of the soap to make it more skin friendly, or for face usage ? many thanks

[@tellervo.]

It's not possible to lower pH in cold process soap

[@bourgeoisoriginal]

This is like the perfect bedtime story 😴 😌

[@hapshabyahyisrael9810]

Can this be accomplished with Shea butter melt and pour? If so how would the recipe change?

[@tellervo.]

You could probably add a very small amount of coconut cream to your soap base. Silk powder can be added too but I think you would have to dissolve it in something first.

[@sihamtabet5482]

It's just perfect

[@tellervo.]

🥰

[@tiamaribu9394]

Agreed

[@gul4470]

Thanks for this insightful video!

[@gabrieladumba5288]

Hello! What can I substitute for mango butter?

[@tellervo.]

You can add more shea, but please run the new recipe through a lye calculator🙂

[@CanterburySoapworks]

Sick in bed today watching and rewatching everything on your channel. The best.

[@tellervo.]

🥰🥰

[@ulanimikelldavison5676]

Great video start to finish 👏 ❤

[@kmv3280]

Very beautiful soap recipe 😍 thanks for sharing. Regards

[@tellervo.]

Thank you☺

[@KalasFoodntravel]

Wow nice recipe

[@joannpage6691]

Gorgeous!! I noticed you used citric acid and I was wondering what does it do for the soap?

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much! I use it as a chelator, this article explains it well: www.ultimatehpsoap.com/post/soapy-science-citric-acid-in-soap-making Citric acid does neutralize some of the lye but I actually add more to compensate so that my superfat stays the same🙂

[@joannpage6691]

@@tellervo. Thank you for responding. I love, love your soaps🌸🌸🌸💜

[@tellervo.]

Thank you so much💝

[@vitraidris8775]

@@tellervo. PH of end product with citric acid compare to without it?

[@tellervo.]

@@vitraidris8775 citric acid does not lower pH in soap

[@LB-qp4cn]

Thanks for this calming soap making video!

[@ellenchiang5098]

Always the best quality soap

[@meenashah2311]

Hi,your soaps look lovely creamy can you please tell me what ratio do you take water and lye?

[@tellervo.]

Thank you, recipe is in the description box🙂

[@rolon4260]

Beautiful ❤

[@RNDiva33]

Also since you added coconut milk or coconut cream would you do a water discount for the lye

[@tellervo.]

Yes, the full recipe is in the description box🙂

[@dawnvincent899]

Recently, I've found when I add citric acid (at 2% PPO + extra to account for the lye consumption) and NaOH to my distilled water/ice cubes that after letting the solution sit to wait for it to cool that the solution is cloudy and that there's some kind of silt on the bottom of the container (sodium citrate at that point?) and no amount of stirring will bring everything back into solution. I originally assumed that I messed up the calculations so tossed it and did it again with no luck. I've tried diluting the acid in water and then adding the ice cubes to ensure that it is properly dissolved but no luck there either. Have you (or anybody else) encountered this with citric acid? Without the acid, my lye behaves normally so I don't think it's bad lye (I've had it for less than a year) and my citric acid is about 6 months old. Thoughts? (P.S. Love the workbook, especially the list of oils and fatty acid compositions. It's very handy.)

[@tellervo.]

I'm sorry I really don't know, I've never had that happen to me, wish I could be of more help🤔 So glad you like the workbook!

[@mwinyihabiba366]

you have to dilute citric acid in hot water first

[@dawnvincent6390]

@@mwinyihabiba366Thanks, I've also tried that. It still falls out of solution. I've bought lye and citric from a different company and will see if it's either of those things.

[@CoralDawn2317]

I noticed that the link for your loaf mold is different then the one you actually used in the video... may I ask what mold you actually used?

[@tellervo.]

Sure, this is the one I used in this video: amzn.to/3w1jTdP

[@caroMMAGA]

I love this soap💖

[@maryam66]

Satisfying ❤️

[@tellervo.]

❤