If you’ve ever smelled pine tar soap, you know it’s not your ordinary handmade bar. It has a deep, smoky, woodsy scent and a rich brown color that gives it an old-fashioned, rustic feel.
Pine tar has been used in traditional soap-making for generations. It’s still popular with soap makers who enjoy working with simple ingredients and creating bars that look and smell a little different from the usual handmade soaps.
Making pine tar soap is a little different from making regular cold process soap. The biggest difference is how quickly pine tar can cause your soap batter to thicken. If you’re not prepared, you might find yourself scrambling to get everything into the mold before the mixture becomes too thick to pour.
Fortunately, once you know what to expect, making pine tar soap is fairly straightforward.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the ingredients, explain how to add pine tar to your soap, and share some tips for avoiding common problems.
If you’re new to soap making, I recommend starting with my cold process soap making guide before trying this recipe.
Pine Tar Soap Recipe at a Glance
| Recipe Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Soap-making method | Cold process |
| Total oil weight | 500 grams |
| Pine tar | 20 grams |
| Superfat | 5% target |
| Approximate yield | 5–6 bars |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Unmolding time | Approximately 24–48 hours |
| Curing time | Approximately 4–6 weeks |
| Finished color | Dark brown |
| Scent | Smoky, earthy and woodsy |
Important: This recipe requires accurate lye and water measurements calculated for the oils being used. Always verify the amounts with a reliable soap calculator before making your batch.
What Is Pine Tar Soap?
Pine tar soap is a traditional type of soap made by adding pine tar to a soap recipe.
Pine tar is produced by heating pine wood under controlled conditions. The result is a thick, dark, sticky substance with a distinctive smoky smell.
It has a consistency similar to molasses, although it’s much darker and has a stronger scent.
When added to handmade soap, pine tar gives the finished bars their characteristic brown color and woodsy aroma.
One of the things I like about traditional soap recipes is that you don’t always need fancy ingredients or elaborate designs to make an interesting bar.
Pine tar soap is a good example of that.
The pine tar provides much of the color and scent naturally, making additional colorants unnecessary.
What Is Pine Tar Soap Used For?
Pine tar soap has a long history as a traditional cleansing bar.
Many people choose it because they enjoy its rustic scent and the simplicity of a handmade soap made with traditional ingredients.
Some people also associate pine tar soap with historical skin-care practices.
However, it’s important to understand that pine tar soap is a cleansing product, not a proven treatment for skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.
Not every pine tar product has the same composition, and pine tar can irritate sensitive skin.
If you have sensitive or damaged skin, check with a qualified health professional before using it. Discontinue use if irritation occurs.
For everyday washing, the qualities of the finished soap also depend on the oils used in the recipe and how the soap is made and cured.
Pine Tar Soap Ingredients
This is a small-batch recipe using 500 grams of base oils.
It should produce approximately five to six bars, depending on the size of your mold and how thickly you cut the soap.
Oils
| Ingredient | Amount | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 225 g | 45% |
| Coconut oil | 125 g | 25% |
| Shea butter | 125 g | 25% |
| Castor oil | 25 g | 5% |
| Total oils | 500 g | 100% |
Additional Ingredients
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20 grams pine tar (4% of the base oil weight)
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68 grams Sodium hydroxide (lye), accurately calculated and verified
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125 to 188 milliliters of Distilled water, accurately calculated and verified
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Optional essential oil suitable for cold process soap
Recipe note: The 20 grams of pine tar is an additional ingredient and is not included in the 500-gram base oil total. Pine tar composition varies between products, so use only a product whose supplier confirms suitability for the intended soap-making application.
Why I Chose These Oils
Each oil contributes something different to the finished soap.
Olive Oil – 45%
Olive oil helps create a conditioning bar and contributes to a smoother feel.
It also helps balance the cleansing properties of the coconut oil.
Coconut Oil – 25%
Coconut oil contributes hardness and creates plenty of bubbles.
It helps the finished soap produce a satisfying lather.
Shea Butter – 25%
Shea butter contributes firmness and helps produce a creamy lather.
It also gives the recipe a slightly more luxurious feel.
Castor Oil – 5%
Castor oil helps support and stabilize the lather.
A small amount is usually enough to make a noticeable difference.
If you’re interested in learning more about choosing oils, read my guide to soap-making oils and their properties
Calculating the Lye and Water
Before making this soap, enter the four base oils and their exact weights into a reliable lye calculator.
Select a 5% superfat and choose an appropriate water setting for cold process soap.
Check that the calculator uses the correct type of each oil, especially coconut oil and shea butter.
Because pine tar is a variable material rather than a standard base oil with a dependable saponification value, don’t assume that a calculator’s regular oil setting accurately represents it.
Follow the pine tar supplier’s formulation guidance and verify the recipe before proceeding.
If you’ve never used a soap calculator, my guide to using a soap lye calculator explains how to get started.
Equipment Needed to Make Pine Tar Soap
Before starting, gather everything you’ll need.
Pine tar soap can thicken quickly, so you don’t want to be searching for your mold or spatula halfway through the process.
You’ll need:
- Digital soap-making scale or kitchen scale
- Heat-resistant lye-safe containers
- Stainless steel or silicone mixing utensils
- Stick blender
- Silicone loaf mold
- Small container for warming pine tar
- Chemical splash goggles
- Chemical-resistant gloves
- Long sleeves
- Soap cutter or suitable cutting knife
A reliable digital soap making scale is particularly important for smaller batches like this one, where even a small measuring error can affect the finished soap.
I also like using a silicone loaf mold because it’s easy to unmold handmade soap once it has hardened.
Always use proper chemical splash goggles when working with sodium hydroxide.
How to Make Pine Tar Soap
Wear your goggles and gloves for every stage that involves lye. Mix and combine as you would for any cold process batch, then follow these pine tar specifics.
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- Warm the pine tar first. Cold pine tar is stiff and hard to scrape out of its container. Stand the jar in a bowl of hot tap water for ten minutes or so until it pours easily, then weigh out 20 g into a small cup.
- Make the lye solution. Add the lye to the distilled water, never the reverse, stir until clear, and set it aside to cool.
- Melt the hard oils. Melt the coconut oil and shea butter, then add the olive and castor oils. Let the oils and the lye solution come down to a similar warm temperature, roughly body temperature to a little above.
- Combine and blend to light trace. Pour the lye solution into the oils and use the stick blender in short bursts, stirring in between. You want a thin trace, where the batter leaves a faint line on the surface. If trace is unfamiliar, what is trace in soap making shows what each stage looks like.
- Add the pine tar. Scoop a cup of the thin batter into the cup holding the pine tar and stir it until smooth with no tar clumps. Pour this mixture back into the main pot.
- Blend briefly. Give the pot a few short pulses with the stick blender, then stir by hand to check that the color is even.
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Mixing the pine tar into a small amount of batter first matters because the tar is dense and sticky. If you drop it straight into a full pot, it can form stringy lumps that are hard to break up.
Pine tar can also speed up the batter, so do not take the batter to a thick trace before adding it. Light trace gives you the most working time.
Scent: working with the smoky smell, and whether to add essential oils
Raw pine tar smells strong, but the scent in the finished soap is milder than in the jar. In the pot it can fill a room, so work with the windows open.
You have two options:
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- Leave it unscented. Many makers do, because the smoky, woody smell is the point of the bar. Once it is cured the smell is a softer, warm campfire note.
- Add essential oil. A little scent added can round out the smoke smell. Cedarwood and other woody are often used. Peppermint and eucalyptus give a sharper, fresher edge that some people like.
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Keep any essential oils within safe usage rates. This essential oil dilution chart will help with usage. Because the pine tar already contributes a lot of aroma, a light hand with additional scent usually smells better than a heavy one.
Pouring, cutting, and the color to expect as it cures
Pour the batter into the lined mold and tap it gently on the counter to release air bubbles. Pine tar batter is already dark brown, so there is no point in elaborate swirls. A smooth top or a gentle texture made with the back of a spoon makes a nice bar.
Allow the soap to sit in the mold for approximately 24 to 48 hours. Depending on the temperature and ingredients, the soap may go through gel phase, which can deepen its brown color. Avoid insulating the mold too heavily, as pine tar soap can heat up quickly.
Expect these colors:
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- Fresh from the pot: a medium to dark chocolate brown, often with a slightly glossy surface.
- After unmolding: a deep brown, sometimes with lighter streaks where the batter did not gel.
- During cure: the bar may lighten a little toward a warm brown as it dries, and a thin pale film (soda ash) can appear on the top. You can plane or trim it off, or simply leave it, since it is cosmetic.
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Cut the loaf into bars when it is firm enough to hold its shape, usually after a day or two. Since this recipe has a high share of olive oil and shea butter, it may be softer than a bar made mostly of hard fats, so give it a little longer before cutting if the loaf still dents under your thumb.
Cure time and how to tell the bar is ready
Set the bars on a rack or a sheet of parchment with space between them, in a place with good airflow and out of direct sunlight. Turn them every week or so to help dry evenly.
Plan on a minimum of four weeks. Because of the high olive oil content, six weeks gives a harder, longer-lasting bar. The guide on how long handmade soap should cure explains the timeline in more detail.
You can tell the bar is ready when:
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- It feels firm and does not dent when you press a thumb into it.
- It has lost weight. Weigh a bar once a week, and when the numbers stop dropping it has stopped losing water.
- The smell has mellowed from sharp tar to a softer, woody smoke.
- It lathers well and does not feel slimy.
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Before using your pine tar soap, check that the bars have hardened properly and show no signs of oily pockets or liquid separation. Allow the soap to cure for at least four to six weeks, giving it more time if needed. If anything looks unusual, review your recipe and measurements before using the soap. A properly made and cured bar should be firm, lather well, and last longer between uses.
Pine Tar Soap vs. Regular Cold Process Soap
Although pine tar soap is made using the cold process method, there are a few important differences.
| Feature | Pine Tar Soap | Regular Cold Process Soap |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Naturally dark brown | Depends on oils and colorants |
| Scent | Smoky and woodsy | Depends on ingredients and fragrance |
| Trace | May thicken very quickly | Varies by recipe |
| Additional ingredients | Pine tar | Optional additives |
| Design possibilities | Best suited to simple designs | Swirls and decorative designs possible |
| Cure time | Commonly 4–6 weeks or longer | Commonly 4–6 weeks or longer |
Troubleshooting Common Pine Tar Soap Problems
Pine tar soap can behave a little differently from regular cold process soap. Because pine tar is thick and sticky, it can affect how quickly your soap reaches trace and how easily the ingredients mix together.
Here are some common problems you might run into and how to avoid them.
Why Did My Pine Tar Soap Thicken So Quickly?
Pine tar can cause soap batter to thicken much faster than usual, especially if your oils and lye solution are too warm.
To help prevent this, add the pine tar while your soap batter is still thin and use your stick blender sparingly.
If the batter starts thickening too quickly, stop using the stick blender and stir by hand. As long as everything is thoroughly combined, you can spoon the soap into your mold and tap it gently to remove air pockets.
Your finished bars might have a rougher appearance, but that doesn’t necessarily affect the quality of the soap.
Why Is My Pine Tar Soap So Dark?
Pine tar is naturally very dark, almost black, so even a small amount can turn your soap a deep chocolate brown.
The color may become darker if the soap goes through gel phase.
This is perfectly normal and doesn’t mean anything went wrong with your batch.
If you prefer a lighter-colored soap, you can experiment with using less pine tar in a future batch, provided the adjusted formulation is suitable.
Why Does My Pine Tar Soap Have Dark Streaks?
Dark streaks or spots can appear when the pine tar hasn’t been mixed evenly throughout the soap batter.
Because pine tar is so thick, it can be difficult to incorporate if it’s cold.
Warming the pine tar gently before adding it to your soap can help.
I also recommend mixing the pine tar with a small amount of soap batter first, then stirring that mixture back into the main batch.
If you notice concentrated pockets of unmixed pine tar in the finished bars, don’t use them until you’ve determined what caused the problem.
Why Is There Oil on Top of My Soap?
If you notice oily patches or a layer of liquid on top of your soap, the ingredients may have separated.
This can happen when the oils and lye solution haven’t been mixed thoroughly or when the batter thickens before everything is properly combined.
Always double-check your measurements and make sure your soap batter is evenly mixed before pouring it into the mold.
If your finished soap shows signs of separation, don’t use it. Review your recipe and measurements to determine what went wrong.
Why Is My Pine Tar Soap Soft or Sticky?
Pine tar soap may feel softer than expected when you first remove it from the mold.
The olive oil and shea butter in this recipe can contribute to a softer bar during the early stages.
If your soap is still too soft to cut, leave it in the mold a little longer.
Once cut, place the bars on a curing rack with good airflow and allow them to cure for approximately four to six weeks, or longer if needed.
If the soap remains unusually soft or sticky, double-check your recipe and measurements rather than assuming more curing time will solve the problem.
How Can I Avoid Problems With My Next Batch?
The best advice I can give is to keep your first pine tar soap batch simple.
Have all your ingredients measured, your equipment ready, and your mold prepared before you start mixing.
Work at suitable temperatures, avoid overusing the stick blender, and be prepared for the soap to thicken quickly.
If you decide to experiment with different oils, pine tar amounts, or essential oils, change only one thing at a time. That way, you’ll have a better idea of what worked and what didn’t.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pine Tar Soap
What Is Pine Tar Soap Traditionally Used For?
Pine tar soap has been used for generations as a traditional cleansing bar. Many people enjoy it for its smoky, woodsy scent and rustic appearance.
Although pine tar has a history of use in skin-care products, homemade pine tar soap should not be considered a treatment for eczema, psoriasis, or other skin conditions.
Is Pine Tar Soap Good for Sensitive Skin?
That depends on your skin and the ingredients used in the soap.
Pine tar can irritate sensitive skin, and some people may find its strong scent unpleasant.
If you have sensitive skin, use caution and discontinue use if irritation develops. Anyone with a skin condition should check with a healthcare professional before using pine tar soap.
How Much Pine Tar Should I Add to Cold Process Soap?
The amount of pine tar depends on the recipe and the particular product you’re using.
This recipe uses 20 grams of pine tar with 500 grams of base oils, which works out to 4% of the oil weight.
Not all pine tar products are the same, so make sure the product you choose is suitable for soap making and follow the supplier’s recommended usage guidelines.
Why Does Pine Tar Soap Reach Trace So Quickly?
Pine tar can speed up the thickening of cold process soap batter.
This is one of the biggest differences between making pine tar soap and making regular cold process soap.
To give yourself more working time, avoid blending your soap to a thick trace before adding the pine tar.
Have your mold ready and use short bursts with your stick blender, switching to hand stirring when needed.
Can I Add Essential Oils to Pine Tar Soap?
Yes, you can add suitable essential oils to pine tar soap, although many soap makers prefer to leave it unscented.
Pine tar already has a strong, smoky aroma that gives the finished soap its distinctive character.
Cedarwood and other woodsy essential oils can complement the scent, while peppermint or eucalyptus may add a fresher note.
Always follow safe usage rates for the specific essential oil you’re using. Keep in mind that additional fragrance ingredients can sometimes affect how quickly soap batter thickens.
How Long Does Homemade Pine Tar Soap Need to Cure?
Pine tar soap generally needs approximately four to six weeks to cure, although some batches may benefit from additional time.
During curing, excess water evaporates, and the bars become harder and longer-lasting.
Place your soap on a curing rack in a dry area with good airflow, turning the bars occasionally to help them dry evenly.
If you’d like to learn more about curing handmade soap, read my guide on How Long Should Handmade Soap Cure?
Disclosure:
The information provided on this website is for educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always practice proper safety when making soap or skincare products.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
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