How to Make Chamomile Lavender Tallow Soap (Cold Process Soap)
Making your own soap at home is one of those things that feels both luxurious and homestead-worthy at the same time. This chamomile and lavender tallow soap pairs two of my favorite calming herbs with the nourishing benefits of tallow, creating a bar that’s as gentle as it is beautiful.
Together, chamomile and lavender create a bar that is perfect for a peaceful shower or relaxing bath. Infusing the tallow with homegrown botanicals adds a touch of old‑fashioned charm to each bar.
Check out our How to Render Tallow Tutorial or our How to Make Tallow Soap Tutorial for the basics of soap making.
For other tallow soap recipes, try our 3-Sugar Tallow Soap, Coffee Scrub Soap, Charcoal & Tea Tree Tallow Soap, Rosemary Mint Tallow Soap, Eucalyptus Mint Soap, Pine Camo Tallow Soap, or Spice Honey Vanilla Soap.
You may also like our how-tos on making Tallow Laundry Soap, Tallow Shampoo Bars, or Tallow Balms.
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Why You’ll Love Chamomile Lavender Tallow Soap
Whether you want to stock your shelves or gift a little homemade comfort, this recipe is a wonderful place to start.
- It’s deeply calming: Chamomile and lavender create a soft, soothing aroma that makes every wash feel like a little moment of calm.
- Made with traditional ingredients: Tallow gives this bar a rich, creamy lather that feels nourishing. Plus, the ingredients are wholesome, and the finished soap has a rustic, handcrafted feel that makes it so special.
- Gentle on skin: The blend of herbs and tallow creates a mild bar that’s perfect for everyday use and for most skin**.
- Perfect for gifting. These simple bars make thoughtful, homemade gifts that feel personal and heartfelt.
**We are not medical professionals, and nothing on this site should be taken as medical advice; it is provided for informational purposes only. ** Always check with your doctor first.
**SAFETY FIRST when working with lye: wear gloves, safety goggles, and work in a well-ventilated area when handling sodium hydroxide (lye). Have vinegar nearby in case of spills.
Chamomile Lavender Tallow Soap (Cold Process)
Supplies:
- Small Crockpot
- Stainless Steel Bowls
- Silicone Spatula
- Kitchen Scale
- Soap Molds and Cutter
- Cookie Sheet
- Immersion Blender (stick blender)
- Infrared Thermometer
- Plastic Wrap
- Protective Glasses and Gloves
Ingredients
- 24 oz Tallow (rendered) (60%)
- 8 oz Coconut Oil (20%)
- 8 oz Olive Oil (20%)
- 5.67 oz Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)
- 12 oz Water
- .75 oz Lavender Essential Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Lavender Buds
- 2 Tablespoons Chamomile Flowers
Notes:
- 5% superfat
- This recipe makes approximately 10-12 bars depending on cut size
- Always run a soap recipe (even mine) through a lye calculator — I use SoapCalc.net.
- Wear eye and hand protection, you do not want to be splashed with lye or unsaponified soap or inhale fumes. Long sleeves, pants, and shoes are great too.
- Do not have children nearby while making soap.
- Make sure you melt fat on low heat, you do not want to scorch it by using higher temperatures.
- Do not use any melt-and-pour soaps (pre-bought soap ingredients often in craft stores) in this process.
- ALWAYS pour lye into water. NEVER pour water into the lye. A hard pocket of undissolved crystals can occur, and you could end up with undissolved lye in your soap, or lye could explode out of your bowl. Be safe!
- Trace is when the soap mixture has emulsified to the stage of looking like pudding. Let some of the soap drop off the blender or a spatula, and you should be able to see it kind of sitting on top of the rest of the mixture.
- Cure soap in a dark, dry area
- I usually fill one soap loaf mold and then have a little extra I put into a small silicone mold.
- Soap making is basically kitchen chemistry. Use a digital scale, and always measure in grams or ounces—never cups. Precision makes the difference between a dreamy bar and a greasy brick.
Chamomile Lavender Tallow Soap Tutorial
Prepping Soap
Infuse Tallow: I like to weigh and infuse my tallow with lavender buds (2 tablespoons) and chamomile flowers (2 tablespoons) in a small crockpot on the warm setting for 24-48 hours before I make my soap.
Melt Fats and Oils Together: When I begin getting ready to make soap, I will measure and add my olive oil and coconut oil to the crockpot with the infusing tallow to come to the same temperature. This is usually between 130-165 degrees.
Prepare Your Work Area and Supplies: Wear gloves and goggles, and work in a well-ventilated area.
Making Your Chamomile Lavender Soap
Make the Lye Solution: Put on protective gear before starting this step and make sure you are in a well-ventilated area or outside. Weigh water in a heat-resistant bowl and lye crystals in another bowl. Slowly add sodium hydroxide (lye) to the water (never the other way around!). Stir until fully dissolved and allow the lye solution to cool to around 100 degrees. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
Cool Oils: Strain oils using a mesh strainer and a cheesecloth into a soap-safe bowl and let the oils cool to around 100 degrees. This will take around 15-20 minutes(ish).
Combine Lye Solution & Oils: Slowly pour the lye solution into the cooled oils. Using an immersion blender, keep it submerged, and pulse for about 15 seconds. Then use a spatula to stir the mixture, switching between pulsing and stirring until you’ve reached a light trace (a pudding-like consistency).
Add Scent to Soap Batter: Add in the lavender essential oil. Give a few pulses or well stir to incorporate until a medium trace (thick pudding).
Pour Soap Batter: Go slowly when pouring soap so it doesn’t splatter. Fill mold(s) and gently tap out any air bubbles. Texture if desired, then top with dried lavender and/or chamomile flowers to make it pretty.
Insulate, Cut, & Cure: Put soap molds on a cookie sheet for easier transporting. Lightly cover the soap with plastic wrap (to help prevent soda ash). Allow it to fully saponify for 24-48 hours before unmolding. Cut into bars of desired size and cure for 4-6 weeks for best hardness and lather.
Soap Variations to Try
- Unscented Option: Skip the essential oils for a simple, fragrance-free bar.
- Bonus: Use your homegrown luffa, sliced and then soap poured over the top into round molds for a really scrubby soap
- Tea Water: Steep a chamomile and lavender tea (strain and cool before using) for the water portion of the recipe for even more infused goodness.
Common Cold Process Soap Problems
- Soda ash? It’s harmless. Soda ash is a white, ashy film that can sometimes show up on soap when you go to cut it. It happens when unsaponified lye reacts with carbon dioxide in the air. The quality of soap is not diminished, and the soap is safe to use. Spray with rubbing alcohol or embrace the rustic look.
- Soap separating? Blend a bit longer next time until you get that pudding texture.
- Seizing? Soap batter hardening up too fast? Your oils might be too hot or your scent too strong.
- Bars getting mushy? Make sure you let the bars cure for 4-6 weeks to harden and make them last longer. Be sure they dry in between uses and don’t sit in a wet puddle.
A few humble ingredients and a little patience make this chamomile and lavender tallow soap the kind of project that slows you down in the best way. Once they’re cured, you’ll have a stack of soothing, rustic soaps perfect for gifting or tucking into your own bathroom cabinet.
Check out this Collab of 13 Homesteading Skills if you want to learn more ways to grow your homesteading skills this year!
You’ve read about making tallow skincare on the blog, and now you can bring it home! Sometimes life gets busy, and you just don’t have the time to make it yourself. Visit our shop, Rose Hill Harvest, to buy our handcrafted soaps and balms.
How to Make Chamomile Lavender Tallow Soap (Cold Process Soap)
Learn how to make DIY cold-process chamomile and lavender tallow soap. You'll have a bar that is cleansing, moisturizing, and relaxing.
Materials
- 24 oz Tallow (rendered) (60%)
- 8 oz Coconut Oil (20%)
- 8 oz Olive Oil (20%)
- 5.67 oz Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)
- 12 oz Water
- .75 oz Lavender Essential Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Lavender Buds
- 2 Tablespoons Chamomile Flowers
Tools
- Small Crockpot
- Stainless Steel Bowls
- Silicone Spatula
- Kitchen Scale
- Soap Molds and Cutter
- Cookie Sheet
- Immersion Blender (stick blender)
- Infrared Thermometer
- Plastic Wrap
- Protective Glasses and Gloves
Instructions
Prepping
- Infuse Tallow: Optional, but I like to weigh and infuse my tallow with lavender buds (2 tablespoons) and chamomile flowers (2 tablespoons) in a small crockpot on the warm setting for 24-48 hours before I make my soap.
Making Soap
- Melt Fats and Oils Together: When I begin getting ready to make soap, I will measure and add my olive oil and coconut oil to the crockpot with the infusing tallow to come to the same temperature. This is usually between 130-165 degrees.
- Prepare Your Work Area and Supplies: Wear gloves and goggles, and work in a well-ventilated area.
- Make the Lye Solution: Put on protective gear before starting this step and make sure you are in a well-ventilated area or outside. Weigh water in a heat-resistant bowl and lye crystals in another bowl. Slowly add sodium hydroxide (lye) to the water (never the other way around!). Stir until fully dissolved and allow the lye solution to cool to around 100 degrees. This will take about 15-20 minutes.
- Cool Oils: Strain oils using a mesh strainer and a cheesecloth into a soap-safe bowl and let the oils cool to around 100 degrees. This will take around 15-20 minutes(ish).
- Combine Lye Solution & Oils: Slowly pour the lye solution into the cooled oils. Using an immersion blender, keep it submerged, and pulse for about 15 seconds. Then use a spatula to stir the mixture, switching between pulsing and stirring until you've reached a light trace (a pudding-like consistency).
- Add Scent to Soap Batter: Add in the lavender essential oil. Give a few pulses or well stir to incorporate until a medium trace (thick pudding).
- Pour Soap Batter: Go slowly when pouring soap so it doesn't splatter. Fill mold(s) and gently tap out any air bubbles. Texture if desired, then top with dried lavender and/or chamomile flowers to make it pretty.
- Insulate, Cut, & Cure: Put soap molds on a cookie sheet for easier transporting. Lightly cover the soap with plastic wrap (to help prevent soda ash). Allow it to fully saponify for 24-48 hours before unmolding. Cut into bars of desired size and cure for 4-6 weeks for best hardness and lather.
Notes
- 5% superfat
- This recipe makes approximately 10-12 bars depending on cut size
- Always run a soap recipe (even mine) through a lye calculator — I use SoapCalc.net.
- Wear eye and hand protection, you do not want to be splashed with lye or unsaponified soap or inhale fumes. Long sleeves, pants, and shoes are great too.
- Do not have children nearby while making soap.
- Make sure you melt fat on low heat, you do not want to scorch it by using higher temperatures.
- Do not use any melt-and-pour soaps (pre-bought soap ingredients often in craft stores) in this process.
- ALWAYS pour lye into water. NEVER pour water into the lye. A hard pocket of undissolved crystals can occur, and you could end up with undissolved lye in your soap, or lye could explode out of your bowl. Be safe!
- Trace is when the soap mixture has emulsified to the stage of looking like pudding. Let some of the soap drop off the blender or a spatula, and you should be able to see it kind of sitting on top of the rest of the mixture.
- Cure soap in a dark, dry area
- I usually fill one soap loaf mold and then have a little extra I put into a small silicone mold.
- Soap making is basically kitchen chemistry. Use a digital scale, and always measure in grams or ounces—never cups. Precision makes the difference between a dreamy bar and a greasy brick.
FAQS
You can substitute lard, but the texture and hardness might vary slightly and the SAP values may differ. Make sure you check with a lye calculator before swapping 1:1.
It’s gentle enough for most skin types, but just patch test first if you have sensitive skin.
The cure time allows excess water to evaporate—giving you a harder, longer-lasting bar of soap.
Absolutely! You can choose whichever oils you prefer, just make sure to use the correct percentages for specific kinds.
Around 1 year for the best scent if stored in a dry spot —though I bet it’ll be gone long before that! Really, soap lasts indefinitely (although scent may fade).
I love this! I totally want to get into making our own soap & this is such a great guide!
I have always been intimidated by lye but have a lot of tallow to use up. This tutorial makes it seem achievable!
I love tallow soap, I just made a chamomile scented bar but didn’t infuse the oil like this. Love that tip, thank you.