Pine Needle Soap Recipe

Pinyon pine in the winter.

There are many species of pine that exist throughout the world.  In fact there are well over 180 varieties of pine.  The good news is that all varieties can be used in the pine needle soap recipe!  Ponderosa pine (Yellow pine) and Lodge-Pole pines are quite common in the north american west. 

White pines, Red pines and Jack pines are found in the US mid-western region.  Douglas fir and Spruce trees are found in the rocky mountain region.  The Blue spruce tree is found in the mid-west and northeast. 

Pinyon pine trees are primarily found in the southwest region of the US.  Pictured here is a Pinyon pine tree in the wintertime.  Pinyon pines are similar to orchard trees in size and shape.  Their small shrubby size makes it easy to access and collect the pine needles needed to make this soap.

Different Size Pine Needles

Pine needles come in all sizes!  If the pine needles you collect are rather large, clip them down to about a one-inch size so they will fit into your measuring cup. 

Each pine species will have a distinct scent.  This makes each variety unique.  With that said, regardless of the pine needles you choose, I believe that you will enjoy this pine needle soap recipe!

Gather 3 cups of pine needles to scent the water. Cut them up into smaller pieces. Bring one cup of water to a boil then add the pine needles.  Be careful not to scald the needles.

Boil for 5 – 7 minutes.  Then, let the needles soak in the water for 15 – 20 minutes. Strain out all the needles and you will have a nicely scented pine water.

Pine Needle Soap Recipe:

To make this soap we will use a combination of 3 oils & fats for their beneficial soap properties. Here’s the list of oils including the percentage amount to use.

1. OILS:

a. Lard- - - - - - - - - - - - 70%………...XX.X oz.

b. Coconut Oil - - - - - - 20%…..……...X.X oz.

c. Olive Oil - - - - - - - - - 10%……....….X.X oz.

Total Oil Amount   =  100%      =    XX.X oz.

2. LYE Amount  = X.XX oz. (5% Super fat)

3. H20 Amount = X.XX oz,.

4. ADDITIVES:

a. Pine Needle Scented Water.  Add .05% at trace.  The .05% number is based off the total oil amount in ounces.

Pine Needle Soap Recipe by the numbers.

This Pine Needle Soap Recipe uses 3 oils/fats. They are Lard, Coconut Oil and Olive Oil. From this combination of oils & fats we can calculate our soap attribute numbers from the Soap-Calc.

1. Hardness of ( 47 ).

2. Cleansing Capabilities at ( 14 ).

3. Conditioning Qualities are at ( 47 ).

4. Bubbly number is ( 14 ).

5. Creamy number is ( 33 ).

6. Iodine is at ( 50 ).

7. The INS number is at ( 159 ).

So what do all these numbers mean?  Well, with these numbers we can compare our soap recipe numbers with the optimal range numbers from the Soap-Calc.

Compare your soap recipe numbers to the range numbers.

So here’s how our soap recipe fits into each of the ranges.

1 Hardness. Best range is between (29 – 54). The higher the number the harder the soap bar will be. Our hardness number was ( 47 ) which is high but within range.  This will yield a hard soap bar.

2. Cleansing. Best range is between (12 – 22). The lower the number the more mild the soap. Our number for cleansing is ( 14 ) which will produce a mild soap bar.

3. Conditioning. Best range is between (44 – 69). The higher the conditioning number, the more soothing and softening this soap will be. Our number is ( 47 ) which is within range. This bar of soap will have the normal amount of soothing and softening capabilities.

4. Bubbly. Best range is between (14 – 46). Higher numbers in this category equate to more bubbly lather. Our Bubbly number is ( 14 ). This is within the range but low.  This soap will have less bubbly lather.

5. Creamy. The best range is between (16 – 48). The higher the number the more lather you will have. Our Creamy number is ( 33 ) which means this soap will have a decent amount of creamy lather.

6. Iodine. The range here is between ( 41 – 70 ). If your number is below “70” the soap will not go rancid. Our number is ( 50 ) which means this soap will not go rancid.

7. INS. The best range here is between (136 – 165). The lower the number the more moisturizing the soap will be to your skin. We have the number ( 159 ). This is within range closer to the high numbers. This soap will be less moisturizing to the skin.