This hot process soap recipe will give you the most beautiful green, refreshingly scented moisturizing and lathering soap ever! Everyone loves this soap, but I created this recipe with your manly man in mind! (Well, my own manly man, actually.) If creating hard bars of soap that last well, then this is a great recipe for you! Makes a great gift for anytime!

*Updated 3/24/2020

If you are trying to figure out a great gift for a man in your life, well, I have a special hot process soap recipe for you! It's my Hard Hunk-O-Man hot process natural and handmade soap. And since it's green---it is especially great for Christmas or St. Patrick's Day!

Naturally colored with nettle powder or wheat grass powder, and scented with essential oils, it’s a purely natural soap. It’s vegan too!

If you've been reading my soap making stuff for awhile, then you know I got myself into a rut recently. How? Well, I found the perfect, no-fail recipe that was so fun to customize, plus it worked every time, and I just stopped trying or creating other recipes.

In fact, I wrote an eBook on How to Make Hot Process Soap that is based around that perfect recipe. Why? Because it’s seriously NO fail.

But, Friend, here is another reason why I love you: Your questions and comments made me realize it was time to break out of that rut and do some different things with my soap making! This past month or so has been devoted to new soaps! I developed this hot process recipe to create a hard, conditioning bar that is still highly cleansing with a good lather.

It's a perfect soap for you to make for your man, too---Or woman. It doesn't matter because it's really just great for everyone. I think men are a little more picky about scents, but almost every man I know loves the smell of Pine and Peppermint. This soap is a lovely green color that reminds you of the forest.

**One thing about Peppermint: It's cooling and refreshing. The Pine is uplifting and clarifying. It's a great combination!

**If you want another great "manly man" soap, check out "Sexy Wild Man: A Cedarwood-Spice Hot Process Soap Recipe!"

If you are new to making hot process soap or to using lye, please be sure to read through these two articles, which provide very complete picture tutorials: How to Make Hot Process Soap and Rosemary-Lavender-Vanilla Hot Process Soap.

If you’re very nervous about using lye and/or the hot process method, I’ve also created a Natural Soap Making course where I personally walk you through every single step. It’s also got tons of new recipes, and it comes with my Hot Process Soap Making eBook as a Bonus!

AND…I have something else for you: My FREE Checklist for Making Hot Process Soap! This checklist has been a lifesaver for me, so I don’t forget any steps, plus I include the basic instructions for you too! Just complete the form at the end of this article to access it right away!

Now, on to the recipe!

FTC Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Make handmade soap for your love! This lovely green soap recipe is moisturizing, conditioning, and cleansing at the same time. It’s the BEST recipe! It lathers well, and best of all…it’s quite a hard bar, so it will last longer. Scented with pine an… — Make handmade soap for your love! This lovely green soap recipe is moisturizing, conditioning, and cleansing at the same time. It’s the BEST recipe! It lathers well, and best of all…it’s quite a hard bar, so it will last longer. Scented with pine and peppermint essential oils, it’s a real winner! #soapmaking #recipes #forbeginners #natural #withessentialoils #crockpot #hotprocess #vegan #healingharvesthomestead #handmade #sheabutter

How to Make Hard Hunk-O-Man Hot Process Soap: A New Recipe

This soap recipe is approximately two pounds of soap, perhaps a bit less. If you want more, just double it up. If you make any changes, though, run your numbers through a soap calculator just to be sure you've converted correctly. I like these: Lye Calculator and Soap Calc.

Ingredients for Hard Hunk-O-Man Hot Process Soap

The Oil Mixture:

*** 8 ounces Olive Oil.

For mine, I used lavender and lemon balm infused olive oil, but you can just use plain olive oil too.

*** 6 ounces Coconut Oil

The best place I've found to purchase both olive oil and coconut oil is Costco. If you are not a commercial soap maker and just making small batches, this is the most cost effective choice.

*** 4 ounces Sweet Almond Oil

*** 4 ounces Shea Butter

*** 4 ounces Cocoa Butter

Note: I use unrefined cocoa butter because I love the cocoa scent, but if you don't want that scent at all, even a bit, I'd choose refined cocoa butter instead.

*** .75 (3/4) ounce Castor Oil

The Lye Solution:

*** 10.17 ounces distilled water

*** 3.7 ounces sodium hydroxide (lye)

Essential Oil Blend & Natural Colorant:

Colorant:

2 tablespoons Spirulina powder or Wheat Grass powder. You can also use Nettle Powder for a lovely green color.

Essential Oil Blend:

*** 1.25 ounces Pine Essential Oil

*** .75 ounces Peppermint Essential Oil

Note: The Peppermint can really overpower the Pine, so I'd start out with the Pine, then add Peppermint until you like the blend for yourself.

I generally add an ounce of essential oil per pound of soap, and that makes a nice strong, long-lasting scent. But if you don't like a lot of fragrance, just cut the measurements in half.

You are probably wondering:

Where can I get good quality essential oils for soap making that aren't so expensive?

When I first started making handmade soap, the cost of the essential oils was so prohibitively expensive! And I refused to turn to fragrance oils to scent my soap. After all, what’s the point of making “natural” soap if you’re using toxic chemicals, right?

I finally found Starwest Botanicals.

NOTE: For making soap, I purchase my essential oils at Starwest Botanicals. I LOVE this company, and you can purchase your oils and butters there, too, along with any of your herbal supplies, such as the spirulina powder or nettle!

The links in the recipe above are for Amazon, and you really do need to be careful purchasing essential oils from a store, including Amazon.

Ready to make your own homemade natural soap? Click here to find out more!

Tools You'll Need to Make Hot Process Soap

Heat resistant non-metal or stainless steel container for the lye (I like Pyrex)

A soap mold (If you find your mold is a little too small, that's ok. You can just have a nice bread top which you can slice right off after about an hour of cooling and make soap balls. My hot process ebook has directions for this. If your mold is too large, see the pictures below. I'll show you how to handle this issue.)

SAFETY GEAR: You'll need safety glasses and rubber gloves. Wear long sleeves, and be sure you have shoes on! If you're new to making hot process soap, please read through my other tutorials above. They are very detailed.

Click to learn more! You’ll love this step-by-step video and text with eBook course and many recipes and examples for using natural textures, colors, and additives for beautiful homemade soap! — **Click to learn more!** You’ll love this step-by-step video and text with eBook course and many recipes and examples for using natural textures, colors, and additives for beautiful homemade soap!

Basic Instructions for Hot Process Soap

NOTE: This article has SUPER basic instructions for hot process soap. See the links I mentioned above for complete picture tutorials if you are new to the soap making process or new to making soap in a crock pot.

Step 1) Measure out your oils and put them in the crock pot on low. NOT the essential oils, though--these will be added last.

Step 2) Measure out your lye solution. Remember to always always always pour the lye INTO the water, and never the other way around.

Step 3) Pour the lye solution into your oils in the crock pot.

**Do this only after all the oils have melted completely.

Step 4) Mix to trace with your hand blender.

Step 5) Put the lid on and cook the mixture.

**This is where the chemical reaction (saponification) occurs---You'll see your soap go through several stages before it's done. Making hot process soap takes about an hour or so to cook, sometimes more, sometimes a little less. See the articles mentioned above to know when your soap is finished and safe.

Step 6) Turn off the crock pot. Let sit for about five minutes to cool down a bit. Add the powders (colorant) and the essential oils.

** You can also add the colorant to the oil mixture in Step 1 if you like.

Step 7) Stir SUPER well to be sure all the essential oils and powder is mixed in thoroughly.

Step 8) Add your soap to the mold.

Step 9) Allow to cool completely. Once cool (several hours or overnight), you can remove your soap loaf. You can cut it all at once, or do what I like to do and just cut it as you need it! This retains the freshness and scent too.

Step 10) Enjoy!

This recipe is a lot less poundage than I usually make at a time, and with my larger soap molds, I had to make adjustments. I just tucked in firm cardboards into the soap mold behind the soap---Perfect!

You might be wondering: Does hot process soap need to cure?

Not really. I've used my hot process soap as soon as it's completely cooled down. You'll need to be prepared for a softer soap if you use it right away, however. The best thing is to allow it to sit for a day or two minimum.

You'll find the longer you leave your hot process soap, the harder it will become as any excess moisture continues to evaporate. So---if you want a super hard bar, definitely let it sit for several days. However, this is not necessary for safety. Your hot process soap is safe to use right away! Yay!

Learn how to make hot process soap with confidence in my step-by-step video course and eBook, Make Your Own Natural Soap!

Final Thoughts on My Hard Hunk-O-Man Soap Recipe

Honestly, this soap recipe is a winner! I think perhaps my original basic soap recipe found in my hot process soap eBook, How to Make & Customize Hot Process Soap, may have just met its match!

This soap lathers well, has a nice slip, and leaves your skin feeling clean! The addition of the cocoa butter and shea butter creates a very conditioning soap as well.

If your man loves pine and peppermint, this soap may just become a favorite!

I know I keep referring to this soap as a "man" soap, but really, it's a great soap for everyone who loves the scent of Pine and Mint. Like I do. The color of this soap also makes it a great soap gift for Christmas or St. Patrick's Day! :-)

Which is your favorite way to make soap? Hot process or Cold process? They sure both have their good characteristics....

Actually if you want to read a comparison between CP and HP, you can find that here: Cold Process vs. Hot Process. Which is Best?

Leave comments---questions, concerns, opinions, ideas, etc in the comments! I sure love to hear from you---

Hugs, Health, & Self-Reliance,

Heidi

P.S. If you haven't done so yet, please sign up for our newsletter! You'll never miss a thing, plus you’ll get immediate access to the Healing Harvest Homestead Resource Library, which is updated weekly. It contains all kinds of downloadable eBooks, guides, checklists, and lots more will be added on topics I write about here on the blog. It’s just for you! Complete the form below to get the newsletter and to be able to visit the Resource Library!