Pine Tar Soap (with Melt & Pour Base)

Learn how to make old-fashioned-style pine tar soap with melt and pour soap base; no handling of lye required!

bar of melt and pour pine tar soap on soapstone soap dish and bed of dried pine needles

Old-fashioned pine tar soap (and pine tar salve) is often used by those with difficult to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and other dry, itchy, flaky skin conditions.

While I have a recipe for pine tar soap made using the cold process method, some crafters don’t want to handle lye, so I experimented to see if pine tar does well in melt and pour soap base too. (It does!)

Pine tar can easily be added to glycerin or melt and pour soap base to create a quick soap project that’s ready to use right away!

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FAQS About Pine Tar & Soapmaking

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s cover a few frequently asked questions.

Where do I buy pine tar for soapmaking?

I use the Ausen brand, found on Amazon. Some people prefer to use various pine tars found in local feed and farm supply stores, but I like this brand because it’s made in a closed kiln for increased purity and has been noted as suitable for soapmaking.

Visit my Amazon Store Front to see more recommended melt and pour items, including pine tar:

screen shot of melt and pour Amazon storefront

How much pine tar do you add to melt and pour soap base?

I’ve experimented with different amounts and currently like these ratios:

  • For a lighter color and scent, use 1/2 teaspoon pine tar for every 4 ounces of white soap base.
  • For a darker color and stronger scent, use 1 teaspoon pine tar for every 4 ounces of white soap base.

I’ve noticed that adding more pine tar gives the soap a slightly higher tendency to sweat, so personally prefer the lighter amount.

Feel free to use these numbers as starting guidelines and experiment to find the amount you like best!

hand holding a container of Auson Pine Tar with pine tree in background

Melt & Pour Pine Tar Soap Recipe

Ingredients needed:

Directions:

  1. Using a microwave or double boiler, heat the soap base just until melted. (About 30 to 45 seconds in a microwave.)
  2. Don’t overheat, or the base could get lumpy and hard to work with.
  3. Stir in the pine tar and mix well.
  4. Add essential oils, if using.
  5. Pour the hot soap into the soap mold.
  6. Spritz the top with rubbing alcohol to eliminate air bubbles.
  7. Let cool for several hours or overnight, until completely hardened.
  8. Remove from the mold and wrap in airtight packaging.
  9. Store out of direct sunlight or indoor light.
  10. Shelf life is usually at least one year, or longer.

Yield: This recipe will make 2 of the square soaps shown, when using the same mold as listed in the ingredients list.

Tips

  • Pine tar has a very strong smoky scent that some people enjoy while others don’t. While you can add essential oils, the scent of pine tar usually overwhelms them. I most often leave pine tar soaps unscented.
  • For easy cleanup, use a plastic spoon to scoop the pine tar out of its container, then use the same spoon to stir the pine tar into the melted soap base.
  • Place the mixing jar and spoon in warm water to soak for a while before washing.
  • I also have a pine tar salve recipe that pairs well with this soap.
Melt and pour soap book and round soap on a rope

Looking for more creative melt and pour soap ideas? Check out my print book, Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps. It’s filled with helpful tutorials, natural colorant galleries, essential oil blends, plus 50 recipes with full color photos of each project!

Available from your favorite bookstore or the following online shops:

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7 Comments

  1. Hi Jan,
    Thank you for sharing your recepies for soap.
    I am a newby and I want to try to make a homemade soap with this recepy.
    Can I use a freshly collected balsam fir resin instead of pine tar?
    Just take 1 teaspoon balsam fir resin for every 4 ounces of white soap base?
    Or should I melt the resin with oil before incorporate it in soap base?

    1. Hi Larissa! Here’s how I incorporate resins into melt and pour soap base: ?

      I put about 1/2 to 1 tsp oil (usually olive) in the bottom of a heatproof canning jar, then add 1 to 2 tsp resin, then 8 ounces of chopped soap base.
      Loosely cover with a heatproof lid. Place the filled jar down into a saucepan containing a few inches of water and place the pan on your stove top.
      Turn the burner to medium-low until the soap starts melting, about 15 to 25 minutes, then reduce heat to low.
      Allow the soap to infuse for around 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
      Since resin is easily flammable, I don’t use the microwave at all, and I keep a close eye on everything as it heats.
      It’s normal for some resin to stick to the bottom of the jar. You can scrape it up gently with a spoon as you stir.
      Remove the melted infused soap from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a clean glass jar.
      Immediately clean the softened resin off of the sieve with a paper towel or old rag. Wash the sieve with hot water and dish soap and allow to air dry.
      Pour the hot resin infused soap into soap molds and spritz the top with alcohol to eliminate bubbles. Let cool and harden.

  2. Thank you very much Jan! I will try it!
    You are very helpful for beginner as I am!
    Wish all the best!

  3. I’m new to soap making but want to make this into an exfoliating bar. Can you suggest a product to add to it to make it such? Thank you!!

    1. Hi Tanya! Here are some exfoliating additives to try in this recipe: (oats are one of my favorite combination with pine tar!)
      coffee grounds – 1 to 2 tsp for this size recipe (some soapers say that used grounds are less scratchy)
      cornmeal – 1 to 1 1/2 tsp for this size recipe
      oats – up to 1 tbsp in this size recipe, grind to a fairly fine powder in a coffee grinder first
      poppy seeds – up to 1 tsp in this size recipe
      Here’s another version of pine tar soap that we all love here, in case you haven’t seen it yet – it has charcoal & oats added:
      https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/charcoal-cedarwood-pine-tar-soap/

  4. I looked at your activated charcoal recipe. And I have looked at this pine tar recipe. Can those 2 be put together to create a soap with the best of both worlds? As a newbie in this craft, I want to try so many different things but am afraid of wasting materials. Thanks for the input

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