How To Make Cornsilk Soap

How To Make Cornsilk Soap (Hot Process)

If you haven’t yet tried cornsilk soap, you’re in for a real treat! Cornsilk soap has a luxurious, silky feel with an incredibly rich lather. The texture of the soap is shiny, and it leaves a smooth, slippery feel on the skin. Cornsilk contains allantoin, a common ingredient in many skin care products, as well as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and lutein, a powerful antioxidant.

Cornsilk is a fantastic vegan alternative to Tussah silk, providing the same skin benefits. It’s packed with amino acids, allantoin, vitamins, and minerals known for their antioxidant properties. Cornsilk powder is used in face creams, lotions, and, of course, soap, where it provides gentle exfoliation. Plus, it works wonderfully as a shave soap due to its slippery texture.

What’s cornsilk, you ask? It’s those long, silky strands you pull off when shucking corn on the cob. You’ll want to trim off the brown, dead ends and use the fresh or dried cornsilk in your soap batch.  Fun farmer side fact - each kernel of corn on the cob has or had a silk strand attached to it at one time or another.

This project takes about an hour to complete (not including eating the corn on the cob!) and will be ready to use in about 10 days. We’ve tried both cold and hot process methods for making cornsilk soap, and we definitely prefer the finished soap of the hot process method. We feel like the cooking of the cornsilk broke down the texture, so it wasn’t stringy. Below are the step-by-step instructions for making cornsilk soap using the hot process method. But if you’re a cold process fan, feel free to try the recipe with that method instead!

Equipment You Will Need:

• Crockpot
  
  
• Immersion Blender
  
  
• Scale
  
  
• Soap Mold
  
  
• Blender or NutriBullet
  
  
• Spatula
  
  
• Paper Towels
  
  
• Eye Protection (for safety when working with lye)
  
  
• Gloves (for handling the lye)
  
  
• Measuring Spoons
  
  

Materials for the Recipe:

• 1 Trifecta + Lye Combo (a pre-mixed soap-making oil blend of coconut, palm and olive oils)
  
  
• 1 tbsp Fresh Cornsilk (dried also works)
  
  
• 11.9 oz. Water/Ice Combo
  
  
• 1 tsp Sodium Lactate (helps with the hardness of the soap)
  
  
• 1.5 oz. Fragrance or Essential Oil (optional, but a lovely addition)
  
  

Now, Let’s Make Cornsilk Soap!

1. Melt Your Oils:
   
   
• Set your crockpot on high and melt the oils from your Trifecta soap blend. This will form the base of your soap.
  
  
2. Prepare the Cornsilk Lye Solution:
   
   
• While the oils are melting, blend 4 oz. of room temperature water and 1 generous tablespoon (or healthy pinch) of cornsilk in a blender or NutriBullet. This will break down the cornsilk into a slurry.
  
  
• Add the remaining 7.9 oz. of ice/water (use at least 6 oz. of ice) to the blender and blend well until you get a cold slurry.
  
  
• Put on your gloves and goggles and slowly add your lye to the slurry. Stir it gently until the lye is fully dissolved and the cornsilk breaks down.
  
  
3. Add Sodium Lactate:
   
   
• Stir in 1 tsp of sodium lactate into the lye solution. This ingredient helps your soap harden more quickly and will make it last longer once cured.
  
  
4. Combine Lye Solution with Oils:
   
   
• Add the cornsilk lye solution to the oils in the crockpot and stir until it is well incorporated.
  
  
5. Blend to Trace:
   
   
• Use an immersion blender to blend the soap until it reaches “trace.” This is when the soap thickens and leaves a trace or trail on top when you drizzle it from the blender.
  
  
6. Let the Soap Cook:
   
   
• Cover your crockpot and let the soap cook. This process may take about 30-45 minutes. Be patient as the soap will go through different phases.
  
  
• Phase 1: Applesauce Stage – At first, the soap will look like a messy separation of oils with visible chunks in the mixture. It will resemble applesauce. Don’t worry; keep cooking!
  
  
• Phase 2: Mashed Potato Stage – As the soap continues to cook, it will become more opaque and begin to resemble mashed potatoes. Keep stirring occasionally and cook a little longer.
  
  
• Phase 3: Fully Cooked Soap – Your soap will eventually lose all the lumps, becoming shiny and taffy-like in texture when stirred. This means the soap is fully cooked and ready for fragrance!
  
  
7. Add Fragrance and Color (Optional):
   
   
• Once the soap has finished cooking, remove the ceramic part of the crockpot from the heat. Stir in your fragrance or essential oil (about 1.5 oz.). Make sure to mix thoroughly so that it’s evenly distributed.
  
  
• If you’d like to add color, do so at this point. Stir them in gently to keep the soap's texture smooth.
  
  
8. Pour into the Mold:
   
   
• Pour the soap into your mold and tap it gently on the counter to release any air bubbles. Use your spatula to create a fun design on top of the soap for a little extra flair.
  
  
9. Cover and Let Sit:
   
   
• Spray the soap with isopropyl alcohol to help prevent any bubbles on top. Cover the mold and let it sit for 24 hours.
  
  
10. Unmold and Cut:
    
    
• After 24 hours, gently release the airlock on the mold and slide the soap out.
  
  
• Cut the soap block into 1” slices. Set the soap bars out where they can dry and cure for about 10 days.
  
  

Curing and Final Notes:

• The soap will be ready to use when it’s hard in the middle, and you can’t make a dent in it with your fingers.
  
  
• During the curing process, the soap will continue to harden and improve its lather. The longer you wait, the better the texture and performance.
  
  

Additional Tips:

• Safety First: Always wear gloves and goggles when handling lye. It’s a caustic substance and can burn your skin.
  
  
• Cornsilk Texture: I prefer fresh cornsilk, but you can also dry it out first so it blends easier.  You can also grind it into a finer powder to make it easier to blend.
  
  
• Customization: Feel free to experiment with different fragrances or essential oils to suit your preference. Cornsilk has a delicate, natural scent that blends well with clean, floral, herbaceous, or citrus aromas.
  
  
• Shaving Soap: The slippery nature of this soap makes it an excellent choice for a shaving soap.
  
  

This recipe will give you a wonderfully silky, nourishing soap. Cornsilk is a perfect natural addition to your soap-making adventures, providing moisture and a unique, luxurious texture. Enjoy the process, and most importantly, enjoy your beautiful handmade cornsilk soap!

Have fun and make sure to leave a review so we know how you liked the Cornsilk Soap Project.