Soapmaking Hobby

A soapmaker’s journal

🍋🍃🍊Lemon & Orange Peel

📓Grandma’s Soap Journal – Entry #10

A bright kitchen morning

This morning started with the windows cracked open just a sliver, the kind of cool air that sneaks in before the sun remembers it’s summer.

The kitchen still smelled like last night’s bread, but the light coming through the curtains had that cheerful yellow glow to it — the kind that makes you want to scrub something clean or hang laundry on the line. I made my way to the soap shed to get in an early batch.

Grandma always said citrus days were for fresh starts. A quiet new beginning.

A wiped counter.

A rinsed sink.

A fresh apron.

A new bar of soap curing on the shelf.

I set my bowl on the scale and began melting the tallow slow and steady, just like she taught me. The spoon made that soft wooden clink against the pot, and before long the whole room filled with the smell of lemon zest and sweet orange peel.

Bright. Happy. Honest.

Like sunshine you can hold in your hands.

There’s something about citrus soap that feels like rolling up your sleeves. It doesn’t whisper lavender lullabies or sit fancy by the tub. No — this one belongs by the kitchen sink, next to muddy garden hands and flour-dusted counters.

It’s a working soap.

The kind Grandma kept in a chipped dish by the pump.

The kind that says:

“Go on now — wash up and start again.”

I stirred in the dried peel and watched the little flecks scatter like confetti through the batter. Tiny golden sparks. Like bits of summer caught in time.

By the time it hit trace, the whole shed smelled like lemonade and marmalade simmering on the stove.

If sunshine had a texture…

I think it would feel just like this.

A little note to self

Citrus always reminds me that clean doesn’t have to be complicated.

Sometimes simple is the most beautiful thing of all.

Just good oils.

A wooden spoon.

And a bright scent to chase away the blues.

Grandma would’ve approved.

She always did like a cheerful soap.

-Soapmaking Hobby 🫧💛

🍋🍃🍊Recipe

🤍This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission — just enough to keep the soap kettle warm — at no extra cost to you.

Lemon & Orange Peel – Cold Process Tallow Soap

50 oz oils | 5% superfat | Grandma’s Base Formula

Oils (50 oz total)

• 20 oz tallow (40%)

• 12.5 oz coconut oil (25%)

• 12.5 oz olive oil (25%)

• 5 oz castor oil (10%)

Lye Solution

• 14 oz distilled water

• 7 oz Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) — calculated for 5% superfat

• 2 tsp sodium lactate (optional, for harder bars)

Additives (mixed into melted oils)

• 1 tbsp kaolin clay

• 1 tbsp colloidal oats

• 1–2 tsp dried lemon & orange peel (finely chopped or ground)

Color (optional)

• Yellow clay

• Turmeric (tiny pinch)

• Leave part uncolored for a soft cream swirl

Scent Suggestions (optional — but be sure to check supplier for exact amounts)

• Lemon essential oil

• Sweet orange essential oil

• Citrus F/O

Method (Grandma’s Way)

1. Slowly combine lye with water and set aside to cool.

2. Line the mold with parchment paper,and prepare the counter so your workspace is clean and uncluttered.

3. Melt oils gently in a hot water bath.

4. Stir kaolin clay and oats into the cooled oils.

5. Blend oils and lye mixture. 

6. Fold in citrus peel and color.

7. Pour, tap the mold, and swirl if desired.

8. Insulate lightly and let rest overnight.

9. Cut the next day and cure 4–6 weeks.

Bars will harden into a creamy yellow with tiny sunny flecks.

🌼 Tips from Grandma

• Citrus scents fade faster → anchor with a touch of litsea or a citrus FO

• Grind peel finely for a gentler scrub

• Too much peel can feel scratchy — less is more

• Perfect as a kitchen or gardener’s bar

• Cure longer for a harder, longer-lasting bar

• Store extra bars wrapped in paper, not plastic

Grandma always said:

“A good scrub and a little sunshine fixes most things.”

-Soapmaking Hobby 💛🫧

Soapmaking Hobby

A soapmaker’s journal

🍋🍃🍊Frequently Asked Questions

🍋Can I use fresh lemon or orange juice instead of water?

You can, but Grandma would tell you it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

Fresh juice contains sugars that can overheat your soap and cause scorching or strange textures. For a simple, reliable batch, stick with distilled water and let the zest or peel and scent do the talking.

Save the juice for lemonade.

🍊Will citrus essential oils fade in cold process soap?

They can, yes.

Citrus oils are light and cheerful, but they’re also quick to wander off during cure. To help the scent linger:

• blend with litsea cubeba

• use a citrus fragrance oil

• or anchor with a touch of clay

Even if the scent softens, the soap still cleans beautifully.

Grandma always said:

“Smell’s a bonus — good soap is the real prize.”

🍋Are the peels scratchy on the skin?

Not if they’re ground fine.

A light sprinkle gives a gentle kitchen scrub feel. Big pieces can feel rough, so pulse them small — like tea leaves or cornmeal.

If you want smoother bars, you can leave them out altogether and keep the color only.

🍊What is this soap best used for?

This is a working bar, plain and simple.

Perfect for:

• kitchen sinks

• gardeners

• mechanic or workshop hands

• after cooking or baking

• everyday family use

It cuts grease and odors like a dream.

Not fancy. Just faithful.

🍊Why add kaolin clay and oats to every bar?

They’re quiet little helpers.

• Kaolin clay → creamy slip + silkier feel

• Colloidal oats → soothing + gentle conditioning

They don’t shout.

They just make everything nicer.

🍋How long should Lemon & Orange Peel cure?

Give it time.

At least 4–6 weeks.

Longer cure = harder bar, better lather, longer life at the sink.

If you can forget about it on the shelf for a month, it’ll reward you.

Patience is part of the recipe.

🍊Can I skip scent altogether?

You sure can.

This base recipe stands on its own. Unscented bars still smell faintly clean and creamy — like fresh laundry and warm air.

Sometimes simple is the coziest choice.

🍋Is this a good beginner soap?

Oh yes.

It’s one of the easiest:

• simple oils

• no tricky swirls

• forgiving recipe

• everyday usefulness

If this were a person, it’d be the neighbor who brings soup when you’re sick.

Reliable. Kind. Always welcome.

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🧺Pick another soap off the shelf…

🍎 Apple Cider Vinegar – A rustic pantry classic with old-fashioned soapmaking charm.

🌺Pink Grapefruit Salt Bar – Crisp citrus brightness with silky salt-bar lather.

🍻Bubblin’ Beer Bar – Old-world lather with a hearty, tavern-style twist.