Soap Making Recently Made History. 

Soap has been around for thousands of years as we know, but Nablus soap has recently been officially recognised by UNESCO as an important cultural tradition. When UNESCO, (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation)  recognises something, it’s a big event! It means that craft, place, or tradition is considered valuable not just for one country, but for the world. 

Nablus soap originates from Nablus, a city in the West Bank, it is 100% olive oil soap and has been handmade there for over 1,000 years. It is interesting that there are so many countries around the world who favour 100%, or a very high % olive oil soap, and yet we don't here in the UK, which got me thinking - why do we not favour olive oil soap in the UK, even now, in the 21st century when olive oil is readily available (if currently on the expensive side?)

The UK’s Soap-Making History – Tallow Over Olive Oil

The UK has never had an olive growing culture (or climate sadly), so historically, we relied on different oils and fats for soap making. Unlike the Mediterranean, where olives were abundant, British soap makers often used tallow (rendered animal fat), which was easily available from livestock farming.

Even when plant based soap making became more common, UK makers chose blends of oils typically palm, coconut, and shea or cocoa butter together with olive oil rather than just pure olive oil. This created harder, longer lasting, and more lathering soaps, which suited British tastes better.

This is purely my personal thought, but I suspect one of the biggest reasons olive oil soap hasn’t become a household favourite in the UK in recent years is because it doesn’t lather like we expect soap to. (Whilst olive oil is currently very expensive, that was not he case going back to 2020/21 when, from memory, a litre was about £2.75 in Aldi and Lidl and therefore this is not a valid reason for the lack of popularity).

British consumers in the last 30 years or so have been raised on commercial soaps and shower gels packed with synthetic foaming agents like SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate), which create that big, bubbly lather we associate with cleanliness. In contrast, pure olive oil soap produces a creamy, low lather foam, which, while still effective, doesn’t give the same sensory satisfaction. For some reason we love a lot of bubbles and have a view that lather is a must to be clean, which just isn't true. 

Pure olive oil soap, like traditional Castile or Nablus soap, is notoriously soft and slow to cure. Unlike a soap made with coconut or palm oil, which hardens quickly, olive oil soap takes months to reach its best consistency. Often up to a year. Full confession here - I have never made 100% olive oil soap for this very reason. I am impatient and want everything yesterday - olive oil soap making is not for me but don't let that put you off, if you would like to give it a go anyway, I have a recipe for you!

Ingredients:

• 500g olive oil

• 64g sodium hydroxide (lye)

• 100g water

Equipment

You will also need gloves, goggles, weighing scales, a hand blender. Something to use as a mould. Either a 6 cell silicone rectangle bar mould or line a small, cardboard box with greaseproof paper. 2 x 1 litre plastic or stainless steel jugs. (not glass as it can be damaged by the sodium hydroxide over time and eventually shatter). A silicone or stainless steel spatula. A paper cup or mug. A digital or jam thermometer. 

Safety Note. When working with sodium hydroxide you must wear gloves and goggles at all times. It is a caustic product and will burn in its raw state . In the event of getting it on your skin, rinse well with plenty of plain water. If it is splashed in the eyes, wash with water and seek urgent medical attention. Keep away from pets and children at all times.

Method.

• Weigh your cold water into one of your jugs. Place to one side
• Important - now put on your gloves and goggles - weigh your sodium hydroxide into your paper cup or mug. Make sure you pop the lid back on as it attracts water quickly.
• Slowly pour your sodium hydroxide granules into your water, not the other way around. Take care to do this in a ventilated area as it will give off hydrogen fumes for a few seconds once you begin to stir. Stir for around 10 to 15 seconds until completely dissolved with your silicone/stainless steel spatula.
• Place safely to one side. It will be too hot to use at the moment.
• Weigh out your olive oil into a 1 litre jug or a stainless steel pan
• Test the temperature of your sodium hydroxide solution with your thermometer. When it has cooled down to around 120 fahrenheit it is ready to use. There is not exact right temperature. This is just a guide.
• When you are happy that your lye solution is cool enough to use pour it into your olive oil.
• Stir gently with your hand blender and then blend until it reaches a light to medium trace. Not sure what trace is? Watch this video. 
• Trace means you have a batter that has thickened up somewhat and when you drizzle a little of it across the top of the jug of batter it sits on top for a moment. 
• Pour (or spoon)  into your mould. Tap on the worktop to remove air bubbles. If the weather is a little cool then place the mould in a cardboard box, and wrap it in a towel to keep it warm and therefore aid the saponification process.
• Normally with any other soap recipe you would leave it for 2 days before unmoulding and cutting into bars with a non serrated knife (if not using individual bar moulds). For olive oil soap you will need to leave it longer, several days at least as it will be soft initially. Once unmoulded and cut place somewhere with a good airflow between bars. 
• Curing - your soap may ready to use within 3 months but I would leave it longer. 

Helpful hints.

• You may notice that I have used a low % of water (20%). That is deliberate, reducing the water will enable you to unmould it a little sooner and will speed up the curing time.
• Try using sodium lactate to give a harder bar (around 7 to 10% of the weight of your oils would be a good start).
• Don't worry about using a warmer lye solution, that will speed up the blending process a little which leads me on to....
• Olive oil soap takes forever to reach trace, if you feel you are getting nowhere but the batter is well mixed and emulsified, just pour it in the mould. It will be fine - let the chemistry do it's thing in it's own time. 

If you have not made soap before then I do recommend you spend some time researching the topic, There is a lot more information within the blogs on my website and many, many You Tube videos from experienced soap makers. Whilst the process is straightforward once you get the hang of it, it can seem a little overwhelming to begin with. 

If you are looking for all the information in one place without having to spend time researching and googling then my Mini Soap Suite is the place to be . The Mini Soap Suite is a digital soap & skincare product making club which will take you from a novice to a confident maker and provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make your own products at home. Every month at least one new video and recipe is included and you get immediate access to the back catalogue and me in a private Facebook group too. Rest assured there is no minimum term you need to remain a member but it is such great value most people stay.