When we began road-testing top DIY toothpaste recipes here at Old School, we found that almost all called
for glycerin, an ingredient that demanded immediate Googling to discover if we could make it from scratch. What’s with glycerin? It’s a soap-making byproduct with antibacterial properties, but it’s often made with animal fat derivatives, which isn’t really our thing. So, we figured out how to make our own veggie version with coconut oil, opening up a whole world of kitchen pantry beauty concoctions (and gave us a bonus bar of soap).
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 cup coconut oil
Here’s how to make glycerin:
- Put on safety goggles and rubber gloves. Pour one cup of coconut oil and one cup olive oil into large
saucepan and place on stovetop on high heat. Carefully add two tbsp lye and one cup cold water. - Using a cooking thermometer to maintain temperature, heat mixture in saucepan to 125 degrees F, stirring regularly until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Reduce the heat to 100 degrees F.
- Stir the mixture with a spoon for up to 15 minutes, watching for “tracing,” i.e., when the mixture thickens enough to maintain the outline of the spoon’s path for several seconds.
- Once tracing occurs, add a 1/2 cup salt and allow mixture to cool. Once cooled, soap will be curdled on top and glycerin will be left under it. Skim off the soap and pour it into a soap mold (win!).
- Pour the glycerin into a glass bottle and seal tightly. Store in the refrigerator, where it will last for 3-4 weeks.
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