If you love the smell of Earl Grey tea as much as the taste, you’ll want to give this bergamot soap recipe a go! Infused with real tea and lavender, this creamy soap feels as luxurious as sipping a hot cup of tea on a crisp morning. For those who boil multiple cups a day, this tea soap is a must-try!
Have you ever had a London fog before? Originally from Vancouver, it was invented in the 1980s by Mary Loria who would request the drink while pregnant.
In the past couple of years, I see the drink listed at every café as its popularity grows. And I can’t get enough of it! It’s essentially an Earl Grey latte with a splash of vanilla syrup. And as I do with all my favourite things, I make soap out of it!
For this soap, I combined my love for London fogs and Earl Grey tea with another herbal fave, lavender. Together, you get a delicious aroma and ultra-moisturizing soap that feels so silky on the skin.
It looks as beautiful as it smells. Coloured 100% naturally with the herbs and tea, additional flecks of purple mica make this bergamot and lavender soap shine. On top, I added butterfly pea flower and lavender buds for the final pop of colour.
So, if you’re the type of person to start your day off with a cuppa tea, you’re going to love this Earl grey inspired tea soap.
This post covers…
How to Make London Fog Bergamot Soap
People (including me!) go crazy over the scent of Earl Grey, so I had to make a soap inspired by the tea! Combined with lavender and the sweet, creamy aroma of benzoin resin, it smells just like a lavender London fog.
If this is your first time making soap, find detailed instructions on how to make soap here before getting started. Then, come back to this post for this specific bergamot soap recipe.
Materials
Ingredients
For exact measurements, see the recipe card below.
Before you begin making your soap, you’ll want to infuse some of the oils. For this recipe, I infuse the Early Grey tea in some olive oil, and some dried lavender buds in the coconut oil. Do this in a double boiler over medium-low heat.
Once melted, add in your Earl Grey tea bags to your olive oil, and 1 cup of lavender buds to your coconut oil, and turn the stovetop down to low. Let the oil infuse with the tea bags and lavender for a few hours or until the smell is aromatic.
You can strain using a fine sieve first then a coffee filter or cheesecloth for a second time. Check out more on how to infuse oils with herbs.
After you’ve infused the oils, you’re ready to make some soap!
Note: You will infuse olive oil and coconut oil before weighing them for the recipe. If you weigh beforehand, you won’t have the right amount of oil for the recipe once you strain out the tea/lavender.
Make Your Bergamot Soap
Weigh your ingredients. Heat your oils and shea butter over medium heat until you’ve reached 115°F.
In a heatproof container, stir together your lye and water in a well-ventilated area. Stir until fully dissolved. Then, cool in an ice bath until it’s 115°F.
When both the oils and lye water are at the right temperature, combine the lye into the oils in a large bowl. Mix with an immersion blender until you’ve reached a light trace.
Add your bergamot essential oil, lavender essential oil, and benzoin resin. Blend again.
Pour your soap into the soap mold. Sprinkle your purple mica powder on top. With a chopstick, mix your mica through to give the soap little purple flecks.
Top the bars with butterfly pea flowers and lavender buds.
Let your soap rest for 48 hours wrapped in a towel and set on top of the fridge.
After 2 days, cut your soap into even bars. Let cure for 6 weeks in a cool, dark space.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bergamot Soap
Why does Earl Grey smell so good?
Named after a British prime minister, Earl Grey, the tea is a mixture of black tea leaves either sprayed with bergamot extract or essential oil or mixed with bergamot rinds. So what you’re smelling is primarily bergamot oil! It’s slightly citrusy and floral, two very popular scents for the nose.
Is bergamot good for skin?
You can’t go wrong when it comes to bergamot and your skin. Full of antioxidants, bergamot fights against premature aging. The antibacterial properties also make it work as a natural cleanser to unclog pores and balance sebum (your skin’s natural oils). But perhaps its most well-known benefit for the skin is its ability to help with scarring, such as acne scars, stretch marks, and hyperpigmentation.
Is Earl Grey good for skin?
Also known as bergamot tea, Earl Grey is made from black tea leaves combined with fruit from the Citrus bergamia tree. Bergamot itself has plenty of health benefits, but most studies focus on essential oils rather than tea.
Luckily, this soap recipe has bergamot essential oil as well as tea! You can get a double dose of bergamot benefits, such as antioxidants, cleansing properties, and scar healing.
If you love Earl Grey tea as much as I do, then you’ll want to make sure to make a batch of this bergamot soap. It smells just like the real thing! Let me know how it goes for you in the comments below.
More Ways to Make Soap
Creamy Earl Grey Infused Bergamot Soap Recipe
Made with real Earl Grey tea, this creamy and beautiful bergamot soap recipe smells just like the real thing.
Make your infused oils, making more oil than you need for the recipe (you’ll lose some when it strains). Heat your olive oil over medium-low heat. Add in your tea bags and set to a simmer. After a few hours, strain your oil using a fine sieve and then again with a coffee filter or cheesecloth.
Repeat the same steps, this time infusing the coconut oil with lavender buds.
Weigh your ingredients for soap making.
Combine all the oils and shea butter over low heat until 115°F. While heating, add your lye to the water in a heatproof container. Stir until completely dissolved. Place in an ice bath until it also reaches 115°F.
In a large mixing bowl, add your lye water to your oils. Use an immersion blender to blend until it reaches a light trace.
Add in your essential oils and benzoin resin. Blend again.
Pour into a soap mold. Sprinkle the purple mica powder on top and use a chopstick to mix through the soap.
Sprinkle butterfly pea flowers and lavender buds on top.
Let soap rest for 48 hours wrapped in a towel.
After 48 hours, cut the soap and let it cure for 6 weeks in a cool, dark location.
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
I’m just buzzing about this honey soap because it was easy to make, and it comes with a bit of a secret. While the soap looks like a sticky block of honey straight from the honeycomb, it’s actually an aloe, cucumber, and carrot soap that I’ve mixed with manuka honey and scented with citrus. The trick to this attractive honey soap is how to get the honeycomb look without buying an expensive mold.
Homemade Honeycomb Soap
Materials
Make It!
The bubble wrap is what gives the soap its honeycomb look. I have seen some tutorials that suggest putting the bubble wrap in the bottom of the mold, then pouring the soap on top, but this did not work for me. The bubble wrap floated into the center of the soap, so I removed it and tried again. The following method works beautifully for me each and every time!
By pressing a piece of small-celled bubble wrap onto the top of the soap, the organic shape begins to take form. Cut the bubble wrap in rounds or geometric shapes that mostly fit into the molds, leaving a bit of extra plastic as a tab so you can easily grab and pull the bubble wrap off when the soap is dry. You will want to do this step first, as it will need to be done quickly when the soap is poured.
Cut up the soap base into 1-inch cubes and add them to the Pyrex measuring cup. Melt the soap base in a microwave or in a double boiler so that it is just melted. You want the soap base to melt but not cook. Remove the soap base from the microwave or off the double boiler before it starts to steam. There may be a few chunks left, but that is just fine. Those will melt if you keep stirring the soap base for a few minutes after removing it from the heat.
When your soap base is melted, add in the honey and essential oils to the soap mix. I like to add a bit of manuka honey to this soap for its antibacterial and healing properties and to add a delicate honey scent. The orange essential oil adds more sweet and bright scent that makes this soap deliciously decadent.
Pour the soap into the silicone mold and gently press a piece of bubble wrap on the top.
I like to use some geometric forms rather than rounds because I think it looks like broken off pieces of honeycomb. I like the organic, imperfect final product that it produces.
On a side note, the original post that was published here for Handmade Honey Soap was submitted as a guest post from an author and the publisher of a handmade soap book. I’m disappointed to say that the reviews of the book have been poor, both online and for this recipe in particular. I have decided to remove the original post and recreate a recipe that can be successfully made by beginners and experienced soap-makers alike. I hope that you enjoy this project!
When it comes to leaving your corner of the world a better place than how you found it, using biodegradable soap is a must. Today, I want to unpack the importance of using biodegradable products and provide you with an easy soap recipe made from 100% natural ingredients.
When you spend as much time as I do outside in the garden, you know how much your hands can take a beating. I end up washing my hands a ton between coming in and out of the house or even with the garden hose itself.
With all that cleaning, I want to make sure I’m being as kind to Mother Nature as possible with my greywater. Which means using a biodegradable soap!
By using biodegradable soap, I’m making sure that I’m not affecting my garden and local water sources. For years now, I’ve been making my own soaps. From bar to liquid soaps, I always stick with natural ingredients that both my body and the environment love.
And just because my soap is natural, doesn’t mean it is not powerful. This recipe for biodegradable soap can easily remove dirt, grime, and grease from the body. It’s also a wonderful soap for camping, to use for handwashing, on your body, or even the dishes.
This post will cover…
What Does “Biodegradable” Mean?
Biodegradable is a term that gets tossed around often, but many people don’t understand what it truly means for a product or material to be biodegradable. In simple terms, a biodegradable item will break down and go back into the earth with the right conditions and microorganisms and bacteria to help.
Ideally, biodegradable items should not leave any toxins behind as they degrade. However, many items even with the biodegradable label leave behind chemicals and other harmful substances when they degrade.
In a perfect work, everything biodegradable would break down quickly. This means it wouldn’t take up any landfill space and return to the earth. But oftentimes, many items labeled as biodegradable products can take years to degrade.
Why is Biodegradable Important?
Items made of plastic are heading to the landfill by thousands of truckloads a day. It can take centuries for plastic to degrade and even when it does, it leaves behind toxic substances.
Even when we send biodegradable products to landfills, they don’t have the right conditions for biodegradation. They need air, moisture, and plenty of the right bacteria to break down.
When it comes to interacting directly with our gardens and the outdoors while camping, we want to only use products that aren’t adding any toxins to the environment.
That being said, we should also care just as much when it’s running down our sink or going in our trash bins. Be aware of what you’re putting back into Mother Earth as much as possible.
So What About Biodegradable Soaps?
Most commercial soaps have surfactants, which are known as laboratory-made foaming agents. While regulated, many of these surfactants are still unhealthy for the environment and hard to filter through during water treatment processes. An easy switch is making sure you use biodegradable dish soap, hand soap, and body wash.
Since all of my bar soaps are made from vegetable oils, my cold process soap recipes are biodegradable. When bar soap is made (properly), there is no lye left. The fat reacts with the lye to create glycerol and soap.
You can also make liquid soaps if you don’t want a bar soap, especially for washing dishes while camping. Choosing the oil is the most important aspect. You want to source good quality oils (cosmetic grade) that are sourced ethically. For this reason, you will want to avoid palm oil.
As long as all your ingredients are natural and well-sourced, your soap will biodegrade with no problems. My favourite soap for camping or for use in the garden is a Castile-based liquid soap. Castile = olive oil or other plant base oil soaps!
How to Use Biodegradable Soap Outside
When using your biodegradable soap outside, there are a few things you want to keep in mind.
Never use your biodegradable soap inor neara water source. That means no washing directly in lakes, rivers, and streams. While natural, the ingredients in soap can affect the natural ecosystem of the water by adding extra nitrogen or disrupting the surface tension.
When disposing of any soapy water, try to place it in a grey water drain while camping or dig a hole 6-8 inches deep (away from a water source) and pour your water there.
At home, wash your hands wherever you like outside! Just be mindful when dumping a large amount of greywater and don’t dump it directly down a sewer drain.
Many biodegradable soaps are highly-concentrated, so be sure to follow instructions and dilute if necessary.
Lavender Biodegradable Soap Recipe
This is a basic, universal biodegradable soap recipe that works well for washing dishes, hands, and the body. In less than five minutes, you can have some soap for camping or in your backyard!
Equipment
Materials
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact measurements.
For my base of the recipe, I use Castile soap that I refill from a local dispensary. You can also buy the same brand, Dr. Bonner’s, online. The soap itself is extremely concentrated so you need to dilute it and scent it before it’s ready for use.
To make your soap, whisk together the olive oil, water, and castile soap until it’s homogenous. Then, add in your lavender essential oil and whisk again.
With a funnel, pour it into your container of choice. For hand soap, a glass container with a pump works well.
How to Use Biodegradable Soap
Before you use the soap, give it a good shake. You’ll have to do this less and less as it combines. The soap is good for 3 months.
Remember, half the battle of good hand washing is the action itself. Scrub and lather for at least 20 seconds and use a bristle brush to clean under fingernails.
Frequently Asked Questions About Biodegradable Soap
Is Biodegradable Soap Necessary?
Most of the chemicals in commercial soaps do not break down naturally and are difficult to filter out. Biodegradable soap does not contaminate the surrounding environment or water systems. If you go camping, have an outdoor sink, or a septic system, it’s highly recommended to use biodegradable soap.
Is Biodegradable Soap Bad for The Environment?
If it’s truly biodegradable then, no! Labels aren’t very trustworthy when it comes to biodegradable soap as many toxins and chemicals can still be hidden in it. Instead, read the ingredient list, buy from brands you trust, or try your hand at making your own biodegradable soap.
What is the Purpose of Biodegradable Soap?
Biodegradable soap completely degrades after one year. Because the ingredients are in pure form and come from nature, without laboratory assistance, they don’t cause harm to the environment. Many commercial soaps can harm aquatic life even after treatment, can affect plants, cause algae blooms, and even can disrupt your septic tank.
How Can You Tell If a Soap is Biodegradable?
Start off by reading labels and looking for the words biodegradable. Then, check the ingredient list. Natural soaps will be made of oils and fats. Anything that isn’t biodegradable will contain petrochemicals, phthalates, surfactants, parabens, and other chemicals. Make sure you know what every ingredient is!
Leave any of your other questions in the comments down below! I hope you enjoy your biodegradable soap. Mother Nature thanks you!
Lavender Biodegradable Soap
This 100% natural biodegradable soap recipe can be used for camping or out in your garden for hands, body, and washing dishes.
Mix together your water, Castile soap, and olive oil until well combined.
Add in your lavender essential oil and mix again.
Use the funnel to add liquid to the soap container.
Shake before use. This soap is good for up to 3 months.
More Soap Recipes
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
When I first wake up in the morning, this energizing rosemary and mint soap is the perfect way to wake me up and feel ready to start the day. Whether you prefer cold process or melt-and-pour soap making, this rosemary soap recipe is for you!
The scent of rosemary is used in aromatherapy to promote focus, memory, and reduce brain fog. Peppermint is purported to help energize and refresh the mind and body. And both of them are effective natural deodorizers.
That’s why I combined these two scents for my morning shower soap (well, that and they smell awesome together). I love this energizing rosemary peppermint soap for my morning shower because it helps me to wake up, clean up, and feel ready for the day.
Let’s get into it!
Rosemary and mint and two great complementary scents.
Soap vs. Body Wash
You may think that your body wash is just a type of liquid soap, but actually, the reason why it is called “body wash” is that it isn’t soap at all. It is a detergent. You know, like you use on your dirty dishes.
Soap can only be called soap if it goes through the saponification process of turning fats and oils with sodium hydroxide into soap. This process makes the most nourishing, gentlest, and healthiest cleanser for your skin, which is why soap is the only thing I use to get clean. No mystery body washes in this household!
Soap retains the natural glycerin that’s created in the soap-making process. Products like beauty bars and body washes are detergents, or a recipe of ingredients that, combined together, cleanse your skin. Glycerin has been removed from these products because it is much too valuable to leave in there and make a big profit. Then a bunch of other artificial ingredients have been added to mask the missing glycerin.
That’s why I use soap in my morning shower every day. It’s the healthiest way to cleanse the body, and this particular soap wakes up my mind with its refreshing scent combination of rosemary and peppermint.
These soap bars lather beautifully and are moisturizing for the body as well.
Rosemary and Peppermint: a Winning Combination
Rosemary is an excellent natural deodorizer, and peppermint’s bright scent leaves you feeling fresh. The invigorating scent and natural cleansing properties of both of these essential oils make this combination the perfect choice for your everyday morning soap.
For more information on rosemary and mint, check out these posts:
Energizing Rosemary Peppermint Soap Recipe
Makes 36 oz total; approximately 7 x 5 oz bars; or will fill a 2 lb soap mould
Ingredients
Mix temp 115°F
Oils
Lye mixture
Scent and Colour
I used a round mould to make my soap, but you can also use a loaf mould.
Add the essential oils after you’ve combined your lye water and oils and you’ve just begun to reach trace. You can also add the sage powder at this step, using the immersion blender to blend.
Once that’s all blended, you can add your spirulina powder to make a swirl. To do this, add the spirulina powder directly to the bowl on the edge. Mix it in place with a spatula or the immersion blender.
Then, use a chopstick to swirl it once or twice through the bowl. A majority of the swirling will happen as you pour the soap into the mould.
Once in the mould, let it sit wrapped in a towel and placed somewhere warm for 48 hours. After two days, you can unmould the soap. Let it cure for six weeks before use.
For best results, all cold process soap must cure for six weeks before using it.
Melt and Pour Method
I like using the cold process technique for this soap, but if you want something even easier, you can use a pre-made soap base and add the essential oils and colourants to that.
For info on this technique, check out my own book on handmade soap the easy way (using the melt and pour method): Good Clean Fun.
More Rosemary and Mint Goodness!
Rosemary and Peppermint Energizing Shower Soap
Start the day off right, feeling refreshed and ready to start the day using with this rosemary and peppermint cold process soap recipe.
Servings: 36oz
Put on your safety gear.
Weigh your ingredients on a scale.
Heat olive oil, grapeseed oil, and coconut oil in a double boiler until it reaches 115°F.
While the oils heat, mix together the sodium hydroxide and water in a well-ventilated area. Let it sit in an ice bath until it also reaches 115°F.
Add the oil mixture to a mixing bowl, followed by the lye water. Use an immersion blender to mix until you reach a light trace.
Add the essential oils and sage powder, and mix again until well combined.
Add spirulina powder to the outer edge of the bowl. Mix in place, then use a chopstick to swirl twice through the mixture. Pour soap into the mould.
Let the soap sit undisturbed, somewhere warm, for 48 hours. After which, you can remove the soap from the mould and let it cure for six weeks before use.
Makes 36 oz total or approximately 7 x 5 oz bars. Will fill a 2 lb soap mould.
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
Handmade soap is not only therapeutic and fun to make, but it’s a great way to infuse the healing properties of plants into something that touches our skin daily. Take a look at these beautiful natural soap recipes, and make a batch of your own!
I have been making my own soap for quite a while now. At this point, I have enough natural soap recipes published on Garden Therapy that I thought it was time to give you a post where you can find them all listed in one handy place.
I make all ofmy own soap because it is fun, great for my skin, and makes beautiful gifts. I absolutely love playing with all the fun add-ins like natural colours and botanicals. In fact, I like it so much that I made an entire book all about melt and pour soap-making, called Good Clean Fun.
If you’re interested in soap making, I highly encourage you to give it a try. I had no idea back when I got started how much I’d love making natural soap.
Looking for a place to start? Here are all of the natural soap recipes that are currently published on Garden Therapy; I even divided them up based on the method I used to make them.
Most people make large bars and cut them to size when soapmaking.
What Are The Benefits of Handmade Soap?
Handmade soaps are made using a variety of natural sources, such as plant-based oils and butters that are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. These are the types of ingredients that your skin, hair, and body will love.
You can enhance natural soaps with many other incredibly good ingredients that come straight from the earth, such as botanical extracts and essential oils. With so many different options and combinations, there is truly a perfect natural soap for everyone.
You’ve probably heard of glycerin. Ever wonder what it is? Handmade soap contains glycerin, which is a natural byproduct of the soap-making process. Glycerin is an excellent moisturizer that coats the skin and gives it a silky, soft feeling.
Add your own colours, scents, and toppers to really customize your soap.
How Do I Make Handmade Soap?
Soap can only be called soap if it goes through the saponification process of turning fats and oils, water, and sodium hydroxide into soap. This process makes the most nourishing, gentlest, and healthiest cleanser for your skin.
There are many methods of making handmade soap, including cold process, hot process, milk soap, and rebatching. You can also make melt-and-pour soap at home very easily and skip the lye, as well as the weighing and mixing of the ingredients.
The two main ways I have made soap are cold process and melt and pour. Each produces a very different type of soap, but both are equally useful.
Cold process soap
Cold Process Natural Soap Recipes
I like cold-process soap most as my everyday soap. However, there’s quite a bit of work involved in making a cold process soap—there’s quite a bit of chemistry and science involved, as well as some challenging, potentially dangerous ingredients.
If you’ve never made cold process soap, it’s doable, but it will take time and patience. It’s well worth the effort as you can completely customize your soap with natural additives and colours. See how to make cold-process soap here.
Plant-Based Natural Unscented Soap – 3 Recipes!
This unscented soap has three vegan recipe variations so you can choose which is the right one for you. It’s a return to basics and a great way to use the soothing ingredients in soap without any additives. I love how these bars come out looking like scrumptious truffles…they honestly look good enough to eat!
Gentle Rose Soap
Roses have been a staple in my skincare routine, from rose toner to face cream. They’re just fabulous for skin, while being incredibly gentle. This rose soap recipe takes the gentle nature of the flower and combines it with madder root powder and geranium essential oil for a beautiful soap.
Wildflower Soap
This wildflower soap is natural, vibrant, and gorgeous while being nourishing and good for the environment. It reminds me of walking through meadow flowers. This is a soap that you spend the time to create and enjoy, not one that you rush through.
Earl Grey Infused Bergamot Soap
I was inspired by my love of the hot drink known as a London Fog, which is essentially an Earl Grey latte with vanilla, to make this soap. The soap is infused with Earl Grey tea itself, as well as lavender and bergamot essential oils.
Lemon Balm Soap
This lemon balm soap recipe is soft and rich from the high percentage of olive oil. Its bright lemon-mint fragrance makes it a refreshing soap with a clean and energetic aroma that’s perfect for using in the kitchen to cleanse and moisturize hard-working hands.
Swirl Soap Technique
Most of my soaps feature beautiful swirls, and I’ve mastered my own technique for infusing swirls into my soap. In this swirl soap recipe, I break down my technique and provide a must-try scent combo in the process.
Sea Sponge Soap Bars
These sea sponge soap bars are topped with natural sea sponges to make a very gorgeous, organic-looking handmade soap that lathers up beautifully.
Basil and Peppermint Soap
Basil and peppermint might not be your go-to combination, but perhaps it should! This soap is really energizing, sweet and spicy, and super fresh. It reminds me of being out in the herb garden, and I like to use it in the kitchen as a deodorizing soap.
Charcoal Soap
I originally made this charcoal soap back in 2020 when I was suddenly dealing with facial acne, I called maskne. The activated charcoal and bentonite clay help to draw out toxins from the skin, making it super beneficial for oily skin that’s prone to acne.
Matcha Tea Soap
Not to brag, but I was on the matcha train long before it became one of the most popular hot drinks here in North America. I formulated this matcha tea soap in 2021 for a naturally green soap, scented with spearmint and rosemary.
Oatmeal Soap for Dry Skin
Have you ever taken an oatmeal bath to soothe an incessant it? Collodial oatmeal is great for soothing dry, itchy skin and helps to create a protective barrier. I infused some in this oatmeal soap recipe for a moisturizing and soothing soap when you have irritated skin.
Masculine Lime and Cedarwood Soap
I lean heavily toward floral scents in my soap, but sometimes I like something a little woodsy. Lime and cedarwood are a great combination to make a masculine but slightly sweet-smelling soap. Swirled spirulina powder gives it a forest-like feel.
Cheery Sunflower and Turmeric Soap
Usually a side ingredient in my soaps, I wanted to bring sunflower oil to the forefront with this recipe. To make it even more moisturizing, this sunflower soap also contains rice bran oil, cocoa butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. And turmeric brings the brightest natural pigment!
Irish Spring Soap
Irish Spring soap has always had such a strong scent that I shied away from. But when I sought to make my own version of it, I turned into such a fan! It’s a strong scent, using bergamot, lavender, lemon, and eucalyptus essential oils.
Budget-Friendly Lard Soap
While I always have a stash of oils and fancy materials as a serial soap-maker, I do know that buying all these oils can get pricey. So I did some experimenting and worked with lard to create a more budget-friendly, and traditional, soap recipe.
Loofah Soap (Made From a Real Vegetable)
Loofahs are such a fascinating vegetable. They’re a type of gourd with a fibrous inside that acts like a sponge once its dried. Many use them as natural exfoliants in the shower. To make things easy, I added loofahs to natural soap to clean and exfoliate all in one go.
Sweet Orange and Cinnamon Christmas Soap
Every fall, I make a big batch of soap to last me through the winter and to give as gifts for the holiday season. While I argue that any of the natural soap recipes on this list would make great Christmas presents, I wanted to formulate a recipe that reminds me of the holiday every time I smell it.Sweet orange and cinnamon soap is about as festive as it gets!
Lemongrass and Lavender Deodorizing Soap
Lavender is the number one scent I gravitate towards in the soap world, as it feels so clean and uplifting to me. When I sought to make a deodorizing soap, I knew a stronge scent like lemongrass would do wonders to tackle odours. Lavender became the perfect addition to help balance the soap, adding both scent and antibacterial properties.
Chamomile Soap
Yet another entry for gentle soaps, this chamomile soap is extremely calming to the skin. Chamomile herb has antibacterial antifungal, and anti-inflammatiors properties. When infused into the oil used to make the soap, you carry some of those properties to your soap.
Revamp Soap With Confetti Soap
Most soapmakers will make a batch of confetti soap every so often as a clever but beautiful way to use up soap scraps. When making soap, you’ll quickly learn that the ends of the large bars you cut don’t look good. But to keep them from going to waste, you can combine colours to create a fun confetti in a new soap batch.
Liquid Sunshine Orange Soap
While I could never pick a soap favourite, this liquid sunshine orange soap does rank in the top 5. It’s just so stunning and vibrant, and the orange scent is scientifically proved to boost your mood. As an added bonus, I show you how to dry orange slices to place on top of your soaps when gifting.
Rosemary and Peppermint Energizing Soap
Rosemary’s aromatherapy benefits include promoting focus, memory, and mental clarity. Likewise, peppermint boosts energy and enhances mental focus. And both of them smell amazing, which is why I combined them into this delicious energizing rosemary peppermint morning shower soap.
Lemongrass, Ginger, and Coffee Kitchen Soap
One of my very favourite blends in homemade soap is this fresh-smelling kitchen soap that I made using this process. The bright citrus scent is energizing and smells incredible. This bar has a great scent to wake you up and get rid of strong cooking smells from chopping onions and garlic!
Melt and Pour Homemade Soap Recipes
This is the soap-making method I would recommend to beginners or those looking for a simple project. I enjoy melt and pour for quickly making fun, decorative soaps. You can see some examples of in my melt and pour soap idea book, Good Clean Fun.
Lavender Ombre Melt-and-Pour Soap
This attractivelavender ombre soapis lightly scented with lavender and contains moisturizing rich shea butter. It may look like a high-end decorative soap from a fancy shop, but it’s easily homemade.
Rosemary Lemon Soap-On-A-Rope
Soap-on-a-ropeis more than just fun to say. It’s really an artistic way to display soap that also effectively keeps it from sitting in a little puddle in your shower. This project comes straight from the garden and is a fun way to combine the stars and bars.
Exquisite Botanical Soap
Thesebotanical soap barsuse flowers, herbs, and leaves found in the garden to look almost too pretty to use. This simple project brings the delight of your backyard into your bath or shower. These soaps look much more difficult to make than they actually are.
Lavender Oatmeal Soap Cupcakes
Thislavender oatmeal soapis soothing and calming for your skin. And any recipe that uses my garden-grown lavenderis a favourite of mine due to the amazing scent and natural beauty that it lends to any recipe!
Homemade Honeycomb Soap
This honey soap is not only gorgeous, but it’s also fun and easy to make too! I love that this soap looks like it comes straight from the honeycomb. It’s really an aloe, cucumber, and carrot soap mixed with manuka honey and scented with citrus.Find out the trickto making the attractive honeycomb texture without buying an expensive mold.
Sakura Cherry Blossom Soap
Similar to how cherry blossoms only bloom for a short time each year, thesecherry blossom soapsare not meant to last long. These small ‘blooms’, or personal-sized soaps, will only last for a few uses.
Amber Fossilized Bug Soap
These ultra-funamber fossilized bug soapsare inspired by the fascinating look of fossilized insects in amber. What a way to make bathtime feel more like an adventure than a chore for little ones.
Winter Forest Soap
Thiswinter forest soaprecipe smells like a walk through the forest in the brisk winter air. Scented with essential oils from forest trees that make it both fresh and woodsy, this soap will perk you up and combat the dreariness that comes with the long, cold winter nights.
Embossed Calendula Soap
Embossing stamps are a fun way to personalize your melt and pour soap recipes, and make them look ultra high end for gift giving. Alongside the stamps, this calendula inspired soap uses an oatmeal base and calendula petals for a beautiful, natural colouring.
Liquid and Foaming Hand Soap
I love the silky luxury offoaming hand soap, but I don’t love using chemicals and substances I can’t even pronounce in my products. Since ingredients like that are often listed on the bottles of store-bought foaming soap, I set out to make a fantasticbasic foaming hand soap recipe.
The basic version is amazing, and what’s even better is that you can easily customize it to suit your tastes.
Over the years, I’ve tweaked this original recipe for some fun variations. Here are some combinations (that can be used as liquid or foaming soap) to give a try:
Soap-on-a-rope is more than just a catchy rhyme. It’s a decorative way to display soap that also keeps it from getting soft or sitting in a little soap puddle in your shower or bath.
These rosemary lemon soap-on-a-rope stars come straight from the garden into the holiday gift-giving season. This project is extra special because it creates two types of soap in one: stars and bars!
Stars and bars? Yes! Two kinds of soap come out of this one project. First, you will cut out soap stars, and when that process is finished, you’ll add another soap to fill in the holes and create decorative soap bars. Let’s get to it, shall we?
You can also try this soap recipe using other cookie cutter shapes.
Rosemary Lemon Soap-on-a-Rope Video
Watch this video for a quick overview of how easy this project is, then follow the step-by-step instructions in the rest of this post so you can make these at home.
How to Make Lemon Rosemary Soap Bars
Now on to the recipe!
Materials
This recipe requires both a “clear” soap base and an “opaque” one.
Make it!
Cut up the shea butter soap base into 1-inch cubes and add it to the Pyrex measuring cup.
Soap will melt quickly in the microwave.
Melt the soap base in a microwave or in a double boiler so that it is just melted. You want the soap base to melt but not cook. Remove the soap base from the microwave or the double boiler before it starts to steam.
There may be a few chunks left, but that is just fine. Those will melt if you keep stirring the soap base for a few minutes after removing it from the heat.
Check your soap every 30 seconds in the microwave.
When the soap base has melted, add in half of your herbs, lemon zest, and essential oils to the soap mix. Reserve the other ingredients.
Pour the soap base into the cookie sheet and move the cookie sheet around quickly so that it fills up the entire space. It should be approximately 1 inch thick.
Sprinkle the remaining herbs and lemon zest on the top of the soap. Leave it to set on a level surface. Spray the surface with isopropyl alcohol. Note: work quickly as the soap will dry fast.
Work quickly, as the soap will cool fast.
When the soap is dry—in only about a half hour—use the cookie cutter to cut out star shapes.
Use a screw to create the hole for the twine.
Make the stars into the soap-on-a-rope by using a screw to create a hole and then tying a piece of cotton twine through the hole. The soap-on-a-rope can now be given as a gift or hung in the shower.
The finished soap-on-a-rope bars.
Now, I’ll show you how to make the bars! Melt the glycerin soap base in the microwave or double boiler as you did with the previous batch. Add the remaining essential oils and stir well.
Want more yellow colouring? Add a hint of turmeric!
Spray the surface of the star cutout soap with isopropyl alcohol to encourage the layers to stick. Pour the melted soap slowly and evenly over the star cut-out soap in the cookie sheet. The glycerin soap will fill in the stars and add another layer of thickness to the soap. Spray the surface with isopropyl alcohol again.
Make sure to evenly spread the soap to fill in all the stars.
When the cookie sheet of soap has dried, you can use a knife to gently lift the corner of the soap and pull the sheet up.
Place the soap on a cutting board and cut out rectangles or squares of soap to create soap bars. These can be used as is, or you can punch a hole in them and hang them from a rope just as you did with the stars.
Use as bars or also attach twine to make it a soap-on-a-rope.
I like the idea of wrapping them up and giving them as stocking stuffers or even tying them to the outside of a present. No matter how you decide to give them, this is a fun project to make any time of year.
If you are looking for more gift ideas, be sure to check out my melt and pour soap book, Good Clean Fun!
Good Clean Fun is filled with super simple techniques for crafting artisan soaps at home. You’ll learn how to use botanicals, essential oils, and even wild animals to spice up your soap, giving you finished projects that don’t look nearly as easy to make as they are.
More Easy Soap Recipes
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
If you are getting started with melt and pour soap (or are searching out the best supplies for soap-making projects), you have come to the right place! This comprehensive guide covers the melt and pour soap supplies you will need to make fantastic soap projects.
Melt and pour soap is a great way to get started in the soap world, ideal for those who are intimidated by lye and making cold process soap.
I’ve made many soap recipes, both melt and pour and cold process soap. Both are wonderful options for making beautiful, artisan-inspired soap bars that you can use for yourself or to gift.
Let me show you everything you need to get started!
Jump ahead to…
If you don’t yet have a copy of Good Clean Fun, what are you waiting for?! It’s a whole lot of inspiration and ideas for making perfect looking melt and pour soap projects with ease. Read more about Good Clean Fun here and grab your copy today!
This resource guide lists all of the melt and pour soap supplies that were used in the book, along with some other fun materials that would make even more lovely projects.
Melt and Pour Soap Supplies and Resource Guide
Melt and Pour Soap Base
There is a wide variety of soap bases, some scented, some unscented, some clear, some white, but they can all be split into two main categories: opaque and clear.
Opaque soap bases will give you solid-coloured soaps that are not translucent. The base will be white or off-white. Here are some good opaque bases:
Clear soap bases are translucent. Clear soap bases are best to use for projects that add decorative imbeds that you want to be able to see through the soap. To get a truly clear soap, there are not many options without chemicals. There is an option for SLES & SLS free soap, which can be used in the recipes calling for clear soap base. Here are some clear bases:
Soap bases are cut into small chunks before being melted.
Colour
Here is a list of natural pigments to try:
And here are some soap dyes
Turmeric powder
Essential Oils
The best way to get started with essential oils is to purchase a starter pack and start using them. You will quickly learn which scents you love and which you don’t.
Essential Oil Sets:
Individual Essential Oils:
I prefer to use essential oils over artificial fragrances.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is very handy to have when making melt and pour soap. Keep some in a small spray-top bottle while making soap projects as it will be noted in some of the recipes.
Botanicals
You can choose botanicals from your garden or pick up some online.
Equipment
To start making melt and pour soap projects, you will need a few pieces of equipment. Many of these are commonly available in your kitchen. The other, more specialized equipment can be easy to find in craft stores and online.
Heatproof containers are essential.
Soap Molds
You can use any silicone or hard mold you like for melt and pour soap. Here are some that are used in the book and a few others I love:
Metal molds such as cupcake and cake pans as well as hard plastic soap and candy molds can also be used but they can be difficult to remove the soap from. Tip: Shrink soap by placing it in the freezer and it will release from the mold more easily.
Your soap mould should always be washed and fully dry before you use it.
Soap Making Accessories
There is a DIY Soap Cutting Guide Box in the Projects chapters of Good Clean Fun. If you would like to purchase one instead, you can look at these:
Soap Stamps / Embossing
Soap stamps and rubber embossing plates can add a lot of personality to the projects. I love these ones:
That’s it! Whew! With all of these supplies, you are sure to have some Good Clean Fun in your future. Have fun out there.
Melt and Pour Soap Recipes to Try
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
This lavender oatmeal soap is soothing and calming for your skin. And any recipe that uses my garden-grown lavender rates especially high in my books! Using melt and pour, this recipe is super easy to make for beginner soap makers.
Lavender is my favourite ingredient, especially when it comes to natural beauty recipes, a slight addiction which can be seen in a simple search for lavender crafts. But along with being one of my favourite scents, dried lavender buds make this soap as beautiful to look at as it feels when you lather up.
To make this soap as a gift for holiday gift-giving or for someone special, make it in cupcake moulds and then wrap it in a cupcake wrapper.
Who wouldn’t want to get a lavender oatmeal soap cupcake as a gift? I can imagine even the burliest person out there would want to suds up with these!
This post will cover…
Dried lavender buds are used to decorate the soap.
How to Make Lavender Oatmeal Soap Cupcakes
Making these lavender oatmeal soap cupcakes can work with both cold process recipes and with melt and pour. If you choose to make cold process soap, please follow the recipes and the instructions in this article on how to make cold process soap. Cold-process soap is my go-to skincare bar, but it does take a long time and a lot of equipment to make.
Today, I’ll demonstrate a speedier soap-making project using melt and pour soap. Melt and pour soap kits are very easy to work with and simply require you to cut up the block into cubes, melt it, add your scents, and pour it into moulds.
Materials
I used melt and pour to create the soap pictured in this post.
Make It!
The melt and pour soap base should come as a block and have a list of the ingredients. You can choose from a number of different formulations, such as glycerin soap, milk soap, and fat and/or butter-based soaps.
I chose a natural soap base that had shea butter and oatmeal in it. If you would like to add oatmeal separately, then grind a few teaspoons of organic oats and add them to the melted mixture when you add the lavender buds.
Cut your soap into small chunks to make it easier to melt.
Use a sharp knife to cut your soap base into 1-inch cubes or smaller. Put the cubes in a heatproof container like a Pyrex measuring cup and put that in the microwave.
Stir your soap mixture every minute in the microwave until fully melted.
Melt the soap base on medium-high in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Stop the microwave occasionally and check the soap base. It should be melting but not steaming. Take the soap base out of the microwave before it’s completely melted and use a metal spoon to stir it until it has no lumps.
Use dried, not fresh lavender buds.
Add one teaspoon of lavender essential oil and 1-2 tablespoons of dried lavender buds.
Pour your soap into 12 equal “cupcakes.”
Stir the ingredients well and pour the soap into silicone cupcake moulds. I chose a cupcake mould that was quite tall, but I only filled each cupcake section halfway so that the soap was a nice, manageable size when finished.
Use a sprig of lavender when wrapping your soap cupcakes for a little extra pizazz.
Add a few extra lavender buds on the top of the soap if you think it needs it, and allow the soap to dry undisturbed for at least an hour. When the soap is hard, you can unmold it and use it right away or wrap it up for gifts.
A simple parchment paper cupcake liner makes a great wrapper for these lavender oatmeal soap cupcakes. I like the natural look of parchment paper, but you can use any cupcake liner that you think would add to the presentation. Use a bit of garden twine to tie it up, and if you have a stem of lavender, add that as well.
Use a parchment paper cupcake liner and twine to wrap these soaps as a gift.
Lavender Soap FAQ
Should I use dried or fresh lavender buds for soap?
Use dried lavender buds only. Fresh lavender buds are more likely to spoil in the soap and may turn brown or mould.
What kind of lavender should I use?
English lavender is typically used for crafting since it holds its colour and scent well. Some of my favourite varieties for crafting include Purple Bouquet, Royal Purple, and Folgate lavender.
Won’t the lavender turn brown in the soap?
Yes, the lavender buds will eventually turn brown after a few months. To prevent this, you can add some purple dye to the soap so the brown discolouration doesn’t show as much. I like to use ratanjot as a natural deep purple colour, and if you add it as a swirl it will work with the brown and lavender buds. You can also try swapping the lavender buds for centaurea (cornflower) petals.
For more beautiful recipes inspired by the garden, pick up a copy of my Natural Beauty Recipe Book. It comes as an instant download that is filled with 5 chapters of over 40 natural beauty recipes for the whole family.
More Soap Recipes to Try
A city girl who learned to garden and it changed everything. Author, artist, Master Gardener. Better living through plants.
Whether it’s the dead of winter or a crisp fall day, you can have a little piece of sunshine with you with this orange slice soap! Infused with the bright scent of tangerine and grapefruit and dried orange slices, this orange soap will quickly become one of your favourite soap recipes for gifting.
Did you know that the smell of orange is scientifically proven to boost your mood? Just by smelling the deliciousness of this orange soap, you’re already reaping the benefits. Every time you lather up in the shower, you’ll notice a smile creeping on your face. Just like sunshine, this citrus soap lifts your spirits no matter the forecast outside.
I’m not usually one to toot my own horn, but gosh darn this soap is a beauty! I used a combination of soap-making techniques (which I have shared down below), essential oils and mica for colour, and topped them off with dried calendula.
For the wrapping, I added in a dried orange slice to make this the ultimate soap for gifting. The beauty combined with the smell will have everyone you gift this orange bar soap to smile.
Here’s how to make this liquid sunshine soap for yourself!
Not into oranges? Try lemon or lime instead!
How to Cut Orange Slices for Soap
These are not the typical cut oranges you would find at a children’s soccer game. When it comes to dried orange slices, you need to cut them a specific way. But before you get chopping away, give your oranges a good wash.
Scrub them to ensure that any pesticides, wax, and dirt are gone with a natural fruit wash. After all, this will be a beauty product that goes on the skin!
When cutting, first remove the two ends of the orange. Slice it so that the center of the orange is in the middle of the slice. You will want to keep the slices as thin as you can manage with your knife or use a mandolin slicer to get thin and even slices.
The thinner the slices, the quicker the orange slices will dry out.
How to Dry Orange Slices
Once they’re nice and even, set the orange slices on a rack or piece of parchment paper. Set your oven to 200°F and place your oranges inside. Depending on how thick the slices are, leave them in there for 4-6 hours. Slow and steady wins the orange race!
Turn your oranges every hour while baking in the oven.
Set the timer to remind yourself to turn the oranges every hour. This helps them to dry evenly. Once they’re completely dry, you can store them in a jar or use them right away for your citrus soap.
Store in an airtight jar until you’re ready to use your orange slices.
How to Use Orange Slices in Orange Soap
Use as Packaging
When I use dried orange slices, I primarily use them to wrap my soap. This makes this orange soap bar ideal for gifting, adding a visual pop that looks straight off the artisanal shelf.
Add Directly to Soap
However, some people like to add dried orange slices directly into the bars of soap. This step would take place at trace.
In this case, you add the dried orange slices right into the soap batter before it quantifies. This is usually halfway into the soap in the middle of where it would be sliced so that half of the orange is sticking over the top of each bar.
Use twine to secure your dried orange slice to your soap.
It’s important to note that the slices are an organic material that will get wet, grow bacteria, and rot as the bar of soap is used. If you decide to put the orange directly in the soap, instruct whoever you give the bar of soap to that they will need to remove that orange from the soap bar or use the bar quickly.
All in all, I don’t find it that nice of an experience to use a dried orange in the soap, so I like to use it as wrapping instead. This is a really beautiful way to present the orange soap as a gift, and it smells fantastic. Simply wrap a dried slice around the orange soap bar with a piece of garden twine. You can then add a tag with a gift message or with a variety of soaps.
I like to add dried flower petals to the top of my soap for decoration rather than put an orange slice in the soap.
How to Make Orange Bar Soap
This orange slice soap recipe makes 2 lbs of soap. Made with a mixture of moisturizing oils, you’ll be surprised how much it lathers while keeping the skin soft and subtle.
Ingredients
For exact measurements, please see the recipe card at the end of this post.
Materials
Make It!
The instructions down below are intended for those who have made soap before. If this is your first time making soap, you can find more detailed instructions here. Check that post out first then come back here for the specifics all about this orange bar soap!
Once your soap batter has reached trace, split your soap batter so that 2/3 is in one bowl and the other 1/3 is in another. Also, scoop up a little bit of the soap and put it to the side.
Add the essential oils to the 2/3 of soap and blend again with your immersion blender. The essential oils will not only provide a citrusy scent but will colour the soap a light orange.
Split your soap into two different batters to get this swirl soap effect.
Pour the scented soap into the bottom of the soap batter. Next, pour the unscented soap on top.
With the little bit of soap you put to the side, add in some gold mica powder and mix well. Pour this gold soap across the top of the soap.
Using the chopstick, make swirls with the soap by pulling through the soap.
On one side of the soap, I also used whole heads of dried calendula flowers for decoration. Combined with the dried orange slices, it’s just stunning!
Cut into equal slices. Here are some bars with and without calendula petals for comparison.
Your orange soap bar can be cut after 48 hours. Once cut, it will need to cure for 6 weeks before use. After the three weeks, you can go ahead and dry your orange slices and start packaging up your citrus soap for gifting.
If you have any questions about this soap, drop them in the comments down below and I’d be happy to answer them. Happy soap-making!
Orange Soap FAQ
Can I use orange soap on my face?
Some essential oils are phototoxic, meaning they will cause a skin reaction when exposed to UV light. Many citrus oils are on this list, but it also depends on how they are extracted.
This orange soap recipe uses tangerine essential oil and grapefruit essential oil. While tangerine is generally considered safe, there is some debate over whether or not grapefruit is considered phototoxic. For this reason, I would recommend not using this particular soap recipe on your face.
How do you use orange peel in cold process soap?
Dried orange peels can be used as packaging decoration or as a topping for soap. If you place them in the soap, just remember that they will breakdown and grow bacteria as they get wet and should be removed from the bar quickly afterward.
You can also use orange peel powder, which is used for a light orange colour, to add antioxidants to the soap, and as a natural exfoliant.
How long will dried orange slices last?
Orange slices will last at least two years and longer if stored properly. When used for decoration, you don’t have to worry much about their longevity since you’re not eating them or using them for scenting.
More Soap-Making Recipes
Liquid Sunshine Orange Soap With Dried Orange Slices
This orange soap recipe makes 2 lbs of soap. A beautiful swirled orange colour, add dried orange slices before gifting them to friends and family.
Use your kitchen scale to measure out all your ingredients.
Melt your oils together in the double boiler until they reach 115°F.
Meanwhile, combine your water and lye together in a Pyrex cup. Stir until fully dissolved and then cool in an ice bath until 115°F.
Using the immersion blender, combine your lye water and oils until it reaches trace.
Separate your soap batter into 3 bowls. One bowl should hold 2/3, another 1/3, and the third a scoop.
Add the essential oils to 2/3 of the soap batter. Mix with the immersion blender. Pour into the soap mold.
Top off with the 1/3 unscented soap.
Mix your gold mica with the remaining scoop of soap. Pour over the top of the soap mold. Use a chopstick to pull through the soap and create swirls.
Decorate one side of the soap with whole dried calendula flowers.
Let the soap sit somewhere warm for 48 hours.
Cut soap into equal sections. Let sit in a cool, dark place for 6 weeks in order to cure.
Decorate by wrapping a dried orange slice around the bar of soap with garden twine. Add a gift tag with the variety of soap.
If you have ever been curious about the world of handmade soap, chances are you have heard of cold process soap. This type of soap making produces an artisanal-looking handmade soap that can be scented with natural essential oils and botanical elements. Grab a few friends and learn how to make soap!
I’ve been making cold-process soap for many many years. You’ll find a gazillion soap recipes on the blog for all the soap creations I’ve made over the years. Just call me the soap lady.
Cold-process soap is part science and part art. You certainly will need to follow the step-by-step directions carefully, but if you do, you can produce the most lovely bars scented with essential oils and coloured with botanical elements.
These handmade soap bars are a project you can make at home that looks like it came from an artist’s gallery. Plus, cold-process soap has no additives that are bad for the earth and it is gentle on sensitive skin.
If this is your first time making soap, I’ve provided plenty of detail. Once you understand the basics, you can try some of my other recipes for different variations!
Let’s get into it.
I make my soap in big batches to hold onto and gift.
How to Make Soap for Sensitive Skin
Many bath and body “soaps” that are commonly sold are not actually soap. You will notice that they are called a beauty bar or body wash. These are detergents, not soap.
Real soap (such as the cold process soap in this tutorial) goes through the saponification process. This is a fancy term for converting fats, oils, lye, and water into soap and glycerin. After the chemical process has been completed, the soap is completely safe and gentle on the skin.
Even better, the glycerin coats the skin and gives skin a silky, soft feeling.
Handmade Soap Methods
There are many methods to making handmade soap such as melt and pour, cold process, hot process, milk soap, and rebatching.
There are pros and cons to each of these methods. I have made soap all of these ways, and each produces a very different type of soap.
Personally, I like the hot process method for making beer, wine, and tea soaps. I melt and pour for quickly making fun, decorative soaps which you can see some examples of in my melt and pour soap idea book, Good Clean Fun.
How to Make Cold Process Soap
I like cold-process soap the most as my everyday soap. I usually make soap in big batches every year, so I have plenty to choose from throughout the year and plenty more to give away.
Cold-process soap makes a wonderful gift for yourself and others, but it does require following the instructions to the letter. If you are a first-time soap maker, partner with a friend and make handmade soap together—it helps to have a buddy system, and it’s a lot of fun!
If you are an experienced soaper, there are three recipes down at the end for the soap shown in this post:
Lemongrass Ginger Coffee Kitchen Soap
Rosemary Spearmint Energizing Shower Soap
Orange Vanilla Cinnamon Soap
All are made with natural vegetable ingredients, pure essential oils, natural colours, and herbs from the garden. You can feel good about taking care of those who use your handmade soap.
Natural botanicals and colourants can create some seriously stunning soaps.
Ingredients for Cold Process Soap
All cold process soap will have fats and lye ingredients. Start with a basic soap-making recipe such as this moisturizing olive oil soap.
Mix temp 115°F
Oils
Lye mixture
Step-by-Step Soap Making Instructions
If you are not using a kit, the first and most crucial step in cold-process soap making is to weigh the raw ingredients (fats, lye, water) precisely. Prep everything that you will need and lay it out accessibly before you begin.
Soapmaking measurements are done in weight, not volume, so be sure to get a good kitchen scale and weigh out the ingredients.
I weigh everything in grams for my recipes.
Safety reminder: It’s best to wear protection when making soap as lye can burn your skin. Until the oils and lye have turned into soap (48 hours after making the recipe) it’s best to protect yourself. Always wear rubber gloves, safety goggles, and keep your work area free from kids and pets.
Heat the Oils
Gently (slowly) heat oils in a stainless steel pot on the stove. Alternatively, use a microwave and heat for two minutes on high, and then at shorter intervals until you reach the temperature listed in the recipe.
Using a double boiler can be useful to help retain the oil’s healing properties.
Prepare Lye Ingredients
Using room-temperature distilled water, weigh the amount specified by the formula into a heat-resistant glass bowl or large Pyrex measuring cup. While stirring, slowly add the measured amount of lye. I repeat, SLOWLY.
It’s important to note that you add the lye to the water, not the water to the lye.
Stir until dissolved. This mixture will get super hot quickly so be mindful of that. Also, the fumes are terrible, so if you can stir from below the fumes (with lye on the counter and you crouching below as you stir) outdoors or at least with windows open, that would be best.
Place glass container in an ice-water bath and cool to the required temperature. For this basic recipe, it’s 115 degrees. Get accurate temperature readings with a candy thermometer in the middle of the solution.
When both oils and lye/water are at the required temperatures (as stated in your recipe), slowly pour lye/water into the oils while rapidly stirring in small circles. Always add lye/water to oil, not the other way around.
Mix first with a spatula, then an immersion blender.
Thicken the Mixture
Continue to rapidly stir the mixture until it thickens to the consistency of pudding (called “tracing”). The mixture is ready to be molded when a drizzle mark from the spatula remains for a few seconds on the top of the mixture.
Speed up the tracing process by using a hand blender to mix. Be careful not to over mix.
An immersion blender will help you get to trace much quicker. Otherwise, you’ll be stirring a LONG time.
Add Essential Oils and Colourants
Add essential oils, natural colourants, and herbs or exfoliants at this stage (see recipes below). Work fast as the mixture will quickly start to thicken.
There are many options for colouring and scenting soap, but I avoid perfumes, fragrances, and artificial colours. I like handmade natural soap scented with pure essential oils and coloured with natural dyes.
As you can see by these three recipes, it looks beautiful and it smells even better!
Pour into Mould
As someone who has been soapmaking for years, I use 42 oz soap moulds and they make things super simple.
For a beginner, you can also use milk cartons. Pour mixture into 1L milk cartons and staple the tops shut.
Wrap the mould (or cartons) in a large towel and set it somewhere warm for 48 hours, like the top of the fridge. The moulds will feel warm and will get hot as the mixture neutralizes and turns into soap.
Make sure your milk cartons are clean and dry before using.
Unmould and Cut
For my moulds, it’s easy to remove the inner silicone and flip the soap out. I then cut the soap into equal pieces.
To unmould your soap in cartons, peel off the milk cartons and cut each full 1-litre carton lengthwise into 3 equal sections for shower soap, and 4 equal sections for hand soap. Flip each section so that it appears to be a square from the top, and cut into 3 equal sections.
Sometimes using a wavy cutter can produce fun rectangular bars.
Cure
Place each bar on a wire rack in a cool, dark place to cure for six weeks. After six weeks, soap can be buffed with a cotton cloth and wrapped for gifts.
Curing allows for the water to evaporate and the soap to become more firm.
Cold Process Soap Recipe to Try
Once you master the basic recipe, you will discover that it’s incredibly versatile! Here are just a few ways you can “dress up” cold-process soap.
Lemongrass, Ginger, and Coffee Kitchen Soap
Add 1 tablespoon dry, finely ground coffee at trace
To get the two-toned look in this soap, I filled half of the milk carton with one color and topped it with another. This makes each of the bars unique. The purple in the above soap was lavender-scented soap coloured with ratan jot and mixed with dried lavender buds.
Don’t be scared to get creative with your colouring and add-ins.
Rosemary and Spearmint Energizing Shower Soap
To get the two-toned look in this soap, I filled half of the milk carton with one colour and topped it with another. This makes each of the bars unique.
Sprinkle dried flowers or herbs on top of your soap to easily elevate their appearance.
Orange Vanilla Cinnamon Soap
There are many natural colourants in your kitchen, like the cinnamon and cocoa powder in this soap.
Even More Handmade Soap Recipes to Try
How to Make Cold Process Soap
This handmade soap recipe will show you exactly how to make a batch of cold process soap at home.
Weigh and measure every ingredient ahead of time. It is imperative that items are weighted and measured precisely.
Wear gloves and safety goggles, and keep your workspace clean – lye can burn skin.
Heat the oil ingredients slowly in a stainless steel pot until you reach a temperature of 115 degrees.
Pour the room-temperature water into a large pyrex measuring cup. Stir, and SLOWLY add the pre-weighed lye. It’s important to note that you will add lye to the water, not the other way around.
Stir until dissolved. Then place the glass container in an ice bath and cool to 115 degrees.
When the oils and lye mixtures are both at 115 degrees, slowly pour the lye into the oil mixture while rapidly stirring in circles.
Stir until the mixture becomes thick, and similar to the texture of pudding.
Add in the botanicals and/or essential oils – see the blog post for ideas.
Pour the mixture into molds (I use 1L milk cartons), and staple the tops shut. Then, wrap the molds in a towel and set on top of the fridge for 48 hours.
Unmold the soap and cut into even sections. Then, place the bars on a wire rack and let them cure for 6 weeks.
Buff with a cotton cloth, and wrap to give as gifts or use yourself!
Made from the mighty cedar tree, cedarwood essential oil creates a relaxing aroma that can’t be ignored. Once combined with the sweet yet tart fragrance of lime, you have a slightly masculine and refreshing soap. Delicately speckled with spirulina powder for colour, add this lime and cedarwood soap recipe to your winter crafting list.
If you’re looking for a masculine essential oil blend for soap, you can’t go wrong with the combination of cedarwood and lime. It’s got the bright and fresh scent of lime coupled with the earthy, deep, and woodsy scent of cedarwood.
The blend creates a nice scent for the fall and winter months and makes a great gift for those who like those earthy masculine scents. This is a very clean and fresh soap that is good for deodorizing but also cozy and nourishing.
Let’s get into it!
This soap is really great for anyone who loves woodsy smells.
What Does Cedarwood Soap Smell Like?
When I think of cedarwood essential oil, my mind goes to a newly built deck, a fresh layer of mulch, an antique cedarwood chest, and perhaps most of all, pencils! Cedar trees have one of the strongest scents in nature and once it’s cut, you can smell it from many feet away.
Over the years, cedarwood has turned into a more masculine scent as it is used in many aftershaves, deodorants, and other products tailored to men. While some may consider this a manly soap, I adore the scent and will use it any day of the week on myself.
The best way I can describe the scent of cedarwood would be the feeling of a deep walk through the wood. Sweet and woody, it has balsamic undertones and smells a little spicier than other wood oils. Keep in mind, there are many different types of cedarwood trees and each oil will smell a little different.
I can’t get enough of cedarwood. In fact, I have another cedarwood-inspired winter forest soap perfect for the holiday season.
The lime essential oils also help to brighten up the woody top notes.
What is Cedarwood Soap Good For?
We can put a big checkmark next to the scent of cedarwood soap, but what exactly is it good for? The cedarwood essential oil plays double duty in this recipe, providing both a refreshing scent as well as plenty of skin benefits.
The scent itself is extremely strong and works well for deodorizing. You can use the soap to refresh after the gym or a long day working outside in the garden. Your skin will carry a lighter version of the scent and leave you smelling like a walk in the woods.
The antibacterial properties of cedarwood essential oil also help to improve acne and other skin irritations by reducing pain, swelling, and inflammation.
Some people also use the scent for meditation. It is said to have metaphysical properties that can help increase a spiritual connection. The oil is known for being a sedative, working to decrease anxiety and encourage a night of better sleep.
The scent carries lightly on the skin after use.
The Benefits of Lime Soap
Now we can’t forget about the other half of this super duo! Much like its taste, lime has a zesty and slightly sour scent. And just like lemon, it’s packed full of antioxidants that certainly can’t hurt to apply to the skin.
A relatively affordable essential oil, lime is known most for its astringent and antiseptic properties. Many use it to purify and cleanse, as it’s known for treating skin irritations such as acne and soothe inflamed surfaces.
While you can use this soap any time of the year, I especially like it for use in the winter.
This recipe is a very moisturizing lime soap that will help to keep your hands from drying out. After all, winter has a nasty habit of sucking out every ounce of moisture from our skin. This can result in cracking skin, which can fill with unwanted bacteria and create more skin problems.
But in comes the cleansing lime to save the day! Your winter skin will be more than happy to soak in the lather of this lime and cedarwood soap.
The blend of oils in this soap is super moisturizing and ideal for dry skin.
Lime and Cedarwood Soap Recipe
Delight the senses with this lime and cedar soap, perfect for mimicking the freshness of the cool season. This is one of the many soap recipes I have on Garden Therapy! For more detailed instructions, be sure to check out my basic cold process soap recipe.
This cedar soap is coloured with spirulina powder. Spirulina powder is dried algae that has a deep blue-green colour. However, the colour fades over time.
Add it generously (I use 1 tsp), knowing that the colour will become less prominent the older the soap gets. I also topped it with calendula petals and dried parsley, both of which hold their colour really well in soap!
Calendula petals and parsley flakes are used as toppers for the soap.
Ingredients
This recipe makes 2 lbs of soap. See the recipe card for exact measurements.
Add a swirl with the spirulina powder for extra pretty soap.
Make It!
Before you get started, measure out all your ingredients beforehand with a kitchen scale.
Melt all your oils and cocoa butter together over low heat. You want a temperature of 115° F.
While your oils are heating, make your lye water in the heatproof glass. Stir continuously in a well-ventilated area until completely dissolved. Move the glass to an ice bath until it also cools to a temperature of 115° F.
Calendula petals offer a nice contrast to the green.
Ensure your oil and lye water are at the same temperature, and then slowly add the water to the oils in a large bowl. Use the immersion blender and blend until it reaches a light trace. Add in your essential oils and blend in well.
Next, I add a teaspoon of spirulina to one side of the bowl and use my spatula in small circles just along the edge of the bowl. This mixes the spirulina with the soap without spreading it throughout the entire mixture. Once the powder is mixed into a dark green circle at the edge of the bowl, I pull it through the soap once or twice before pouring it into the soap mould.
Sprinkle the top with calendula petals and dried parsley. Move the soap somewhere warm for 48 hours before unmolding the soap. You can then cut it into sections and let it cure in a cool dark place for 6 weeks before lathering up.
FAQ For Cedarwood Soap
Is there a substitute for rice bran oil?
Yes, you can replace it with macadamia nut oil, grapeseed oil, shea butter, or sweet almond oil.
Is cedarwood the same as sandalwood?
Sandalwood is a different kind of tree variety, though they’re often found in the same forests as cedars. They have similar fragrances, though may differ slightly in scent. Sandalwood will be more likely to have a sweet, smoky scent.
What is the colour of spirulina soap?
Spirulina powder is a type of blue-green algae that is ground up. It has a dark bluish, green colour. It’s a great natural colourant for soap, and doesn’t fade much over time.
More Soap-Making Posts
Lime and Cedarwood Soap
Take a walk through the woods with this sweetly masculine lime and cedarwood soap recipe. This recipe makes 2 lbs of soap.
Measure out your ingredients on the scale.
Melt oils and cocoa butter to 115°F over low heat.
Make your lye water by combining lye and water in a heatproof glass. Stir until dissolved and then cool in an ice bath to 115°F.
Slowly add lye water to oils in a large bowl. Blend until it reaches a light trace.
Add in essential oils and blend again.
Add the spirulina powder to one side of the bowl. Use a spatula to make small circles along the edge of the bowl until the powder creates a dark green circle around the edge of the bowl. Pull the dark green through the soap once or twice.
Sprinkle dried calendula and parsley on top.
Pour into soap mold and move somewhere warm for 48 hours.
Cut into equal sections and let soap cure for 6 weeks before use in a cool, dark place.
Bring in the warm tones of fall with this cheery sunflower turmeric soap recipe. Made with sunflower oil for ultimate moisture and turmeric for colour, both the ingredients also contain amazing health benefits for the skin. Join me in making a soap to celebrate the season!
This sunflower turmeric soap just gives me all the cozy feelings. Sunflowers begin their blooming season mid-summer, with the cheery stalks lasting into the beginning of fall. I always picture their heads at country fairs, with many local gardeners trying to grow the biggest sunflower out of their neighbours.
Of course, it was about time I made a soap that featured this beautiful flower. While I sometimes use sunflower oil in my other recipes, this soap lets it take center stage. It’s a powerful ingredient chalked with tons of benefits for soapmaking.
To make the recipe even more moisturizing, I added some rice bran oil and cocoa butter, along with my usual blend of oils.
And of course, to get that extra pop of cheer we associate with the sunflower, I added in some trusty turmeric for colour and litsea essential oil for fragrance.
Talk about a killer combo! Here’s what we’ll be covering today…
Top off the soap with calendula petals for the same cheery effect of sunflowers.
What are the Benefits of Sunflower Oil for Skin?
To make sunflower oil, producers process the seeds of the Helianthus Annuus plant. Many of us are familiar with sunflower oil in the kitchen, but it can also be a great ingredient for the skin. Considered a non-comedogenic carrier oil, it’s highly absorbent and won’t clog pores. Get ready to lock in a ton of moisture!
The oil also contains four components that we love to see in skincare:
High in vitamin E, it acts as an antioxidant for the skin.
The linoleic acid helps to protect the skin’s barrier and retain moisture.
Oleic acid is beneficial for wound care.
Sesamol helps to neutralize the harmful oxidizing effects from UV rays. All in all, it’s a great ingredient that is good for all skin types.
When shopping for sunflower oil to use in this sunflower soap recipe, you want something high-quality, that’s safe for the skin. Opt for an organic, cold-pressed variety. You want to avoid any additives to the oil that can arise from other extraction processes.
Sunflower oil comes from the seeds of the plant.
Sunflower Oil for Soap
Good for skin and good for soapmaking, sunflower oil is a match made in heaven for skincare enthusiasts. Since making a ton of soap can get pricey, I love incorporating sunflower oil into the recipe as it’s an economical option. Every little bit helps when batching!
Sunflower oil is best for creating a moisturizing soap. The linoleic acid makes it great for dry skin that doesn’t like anything too stripping. The soap is softer to the touch and feels amazing when rubbed against your skin.
Because it’s so soft, you don’t want to include too much sunflower oil in your recipe. Otherwise, the soap won’t hold its shape or fully solidify. Too much of the ingredients means the soap will be slow to saponify, essentially the act of the oils and fats turning into soap.
Instead, use it as a supplementary oil that makes up approximately 5-15% of the recipe. In this sunflower oil soap, I use 142 grams of sunflower oil in addition to calendula-infused oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and rice bran oil. And to make it extra gorgeous of course, you can sprinkle some dried flowers on top.
Teddy sunflowers could also be dried and sprinkled on top for decoration.
What are the Benefits of Turmeric for Skin?
The other special component to this recipe, turmeric also boasts quite a few amazing health benefits and has a long history in traditional medicine. Cultivated from the roots of the flowering plant Curcuma longa in India and Southeast Asia, it is known most for giving curry that vibrant yellow colour. I incorporated turmeric in this sunflower soap recipe for the very same reason!
Curcumin is the active component and the reason behind the colour. It’s responsible for most of the health benefits of turmeric, acting as a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Ingesting turmeric is best to get these benefits, but it’s also lovely to have topically on the skin.
Lots of studies show the potential possibilities of turmeric in skincare. In addition to reducing inflammation and providing antioxidants, it also has antimicrobial properties that make it well-suited for treating skin conditions. Those with acne, eczema, photoaging, and psoriasis may benefit from using turmeric topically. The curcumin in turmeric is safe even at high doses.
Because of the bright colour’s possibility to stain and pour solubility, you won’t find it in many beauty products despite all its health benefits. However, in this soap, those two issues don’t pose a problem. Instead, it adds cheer and brightens up the recipe.
The turmeric is in such a small amount in this recipe that it won’t cause any staining.
What About Litsea Essential Oil?
Another one of my secret ingredients for this sunflower turmeric soap, litsea essential oil comes from the evergreen shrub Litsea cubeba.
While the oil can be extracted from the leaf, the best quality essential oil comes from the fruit. It produces a lemony scent with light woody undertones that the indigenous people of Taiwan have traditionally been using for centuries.
Like many citrus scents, it uplifts the spirits and adds a rejuvenating quality to this soap. Because it has high levels of geranial and neral (the components of citral in citrus fruits), it has amazing cleansing power to deodorize and is often used topically.
The scent is known for lifting the spirits, adding to the cheery element of this soap. A morning shower will be enhanced just by the aromatherapy this oil provides.
Litsea essential oil provides an uplifting scent to the soap.
How to Make Sunflower Turmeric Soap
The sunflower oil combined with the rice bran and cocoa butter make this recipe super moisturizing. This soap is best for those who want a soap that is gentle on the skin and hydrating.
The instructions below are meant for those who have made cold process soap before. If this is your first time, check out this post for more detailed instructions to get started.
This recipe makes 3lbs or 1.4kg of soap. I often double the recipe to fill 3 2lbs molds. This recipe fills 2 x 1.5lbs molds or 1 2lb mold with a few extra bars in cupcake size molds.
I used a loaf soap mould for my soap, but you can also put them in special silicone bar moulds.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact measurements.
Materials
Kitchen scale
Infrared thermometer
Stainless steel double boiler, soap making pitcher, and a pot of water
Heatproof measuring cup (such as Pyrex)
Immersion blender
Safety gear, including gloves, apron, eye protection, etc.
Loaf soap mould
The dried petals are just for decoration on top of the soap, so get creative with them!
Make It!
Using a scale, measure out all of your ingredients beforehand. Be as exact as possible in order to get the perfect soap!
Over low height, melt together your oils. Stir continuously until your oils reach a temperature of 115°F with the thermometer.
Set your oils aside and make your lye water in the heatproof cup. Be sure to mix this mixture in a well-ventilated area as the odour is strong and irritating. Once the lye is completely dissolved, let the mixture cool in an ice bath until it reaches the temperature of 115° F.
When both your oils and lye water is 115° F, slowly add the lye water to the oil mixture in a large bowl. Using the immersion blender, blend until it reaches a light trace.
Add in your turmeric powder for that cheery pop of colour and blend until well mixed. Next, add in your litsea essential oil for fragrance and blend again.
Pour your mixture into your soap moulds. Sprinkle dried sunflower or calendula petals on top. Let the soap sit somewhere warm for 48 hours. Afterward, unmold the soap and cut it into your soap sections.
This recipe needs to be cured for six weeks in a cool, dark place. Then moisturize away!
FAQ About Making Soap
What does turmeric soap smell like?
The turmeric smell isn’t strong in this recipe since we only use a small amount for colouring. Whichever essential oil you add will be the primary scent. In my soap, I used litsea oil for a light, lemony-woody fragrance.
What essential oil for turmeric soap?
I like to play in with the colour and choose a scent that will match the orange, cheery colouring. Most citrus-like scents would be a good pair. In addition to the litsea oil for this soap, you can also try grapefruit, tangerine, sweet orange, lemongrass, lemon, cinnamon leaf, or bergamot essential oils as a substitute.
Is sunflower oil good in soap?
Yes! I often use sunflower oil in my soap because it’s highly moisturizing, full of linoleic acid, and economical to use in large batches. Sunflower oil should comprise a maximum of 15-20% of your soap; otherwise, it might get too soft.
Sunflower Turmeric Soap
Ultra moisturizing, this soap brings a pop of cheer to your morning routine. This recipe fills 2 1.5lb soap molds.
Measure out your ingredients on your scale.
Melt your oils together slowly until they reach a temperature of 115°F.
While your oils heat, combine your lye and water together in the Pyrex cup in a well-ventilated area. Once fully dissvoled, transfer the container to an ice bath to cool to 115°F.
Slowly combine your lye water and oils in a large bowl using an immersion blender.
Once it reaches trace, add in your turmeric for colour and blend until well mixed.
Add in your litsea essential oil and blend again.
Pour in your soap molds. Sprinkle sunflower petals on top for decoration. Let sit somewhere warm for 48 hours.
Cut soap into equal sections. Let sit and cure for 6 weeks in a cool, dark location.
Making your own all-natural foaming hand soap costs a fraction of store-bought options, takes mere seconds to make, is healthy for your skin, and you can customize the scent to be whatever you choose. All that should be enough to get you excited, but making your own dispenser also reduces unnecessary waste! In this post, I’m going to show you how to make an easy foaming soap dispenser and give you my favourite recipe for a luxurious and eco-friendly foaming soap.
If you follow along on Garden Therapy you know that I scrapped the store-bought beauty products and make all of my own natural skincare products.
Somehow along the way, I became addicted to foaming hand soap. At first, I thought that I was cheating on my homemade soap bars. All-natural homemade soap is so much better for my skin than store-bought liquid soap. But the foam. Oh, the foam. It’s so luxurious!
This post will cover…
I made my own dispenser out of a Mason Jar.
How to Make a Foaming Soap Dispenser
I set upon the task to make a homemade foaming hand soap recipe and came up with some fun and foamy soap that I’m proud to wash with.
Of course, I needed a stylish container and pump that I could refill, so I made one from a Mason jar and a foam soap pump from a disposable bottle.
I’ve shared how to make one today so you can reduce the waste of buying disposable foam soap dispensers by replacing them with a reusable DIY version.
First, I’ll show you how to make the Mason jar foaming soap dispenser, and then I’ll share my basic foaming hand soap recipe.
There are a number of options for a permanent foaming soap dispenser. You could certainly just buy one, as there are some pretty nice ones out there on Amazon like this one, this one, and these ones. You could also just refill the disposable foam soap bottle with my foam soap recipe below.
Or you can make one inexpensively using an attractive mason jar and the pump from the disposable ones.
That’s what I did. Here’s how you can, too.
Materials
Any plastic foaming dispenser should work for this project.
Make it!
First, look for a disposable foaming hand soap bottle. I chose a Method one because I liked the look of it. You only need the nozzle and foaming mechanism, so remove that from the bottle.
Next, cut a hole in the middle of the snap lid to fit the soap pump into. The easiest way to do this is to use a hammer and nail to pierce a few holes in the center of the snap lid. Then, squeeze the metal snips in to cut out a hole.
Your circle doesn’t need to be perfect. It will be covered by the pump.
Cut the hole large enough that the thinner bottom part of the pump fits into the hole, but small enough that the top of the pump sits above it.
Trim the straw length is necessary.
Insert the pump into the snap lid, top the Mason jar, and twist on the ring to see how it fits. Trim the length of the straw to fit if necessary.
I didn’t need to glue down my dispenser, it fit just right.
How to Make Foam Soap
Make your own foaming hand soap by using this recipe:
60% water
20% prepared liquid soap*
20% air
*I use this liquid castile soap, which comes concentrated and needs to be diluted. I prepare the castile soap according to the instructions on the package and use that for my 20%. If you like it a bit more creamy, use a bit less water. You can replace 5% of the water with more soap.
If you are using unscented castile soap, add 5-6 drops of essential oils to the recipe for a personalized scent. I like these scents in my DIY foaming hand soap:
I have also made this recipe with herbal tea. As it has botanical elements, it doesn’t last as long. Make it in small batches and it’s a wonderful way to change up and infuse your foam soap.
You can also think of it as 3 parts water, 1 part air, and 1 part soap.
FAQs About Foaming Hand Soap
How does the pump work?
The pump is made of two parts, one for soap and one for air. It injects air into the soap when it goes through the pump, making it lather.
What are the benefits of foaming soap?
I wrote at the beginning that making your own foaming soap is both less expensive and less wasteful than buying pre-made foaming hand soap. It’s very easy to make as you simply dilute liquid soap and water at the appropriate ratio. You can also reduce waste by refilling a container as opposed to buying a new one each time.
Finally, if you use natural Castile (olive oil) soap as the basis of the recipe, it’s very gentle on the skin and all-natural.
Will regular soap work in the foaming dispenser?
No, regular soap is too thick for a foaming dispenser, you need to reduce the viscosity by diluting it in water.
Is foaming soap less effective than regular soap?
Yes, if not used properly. Dirt and germs are removed from skin in the process of lathering up with soap so if that lathering is already done for you, it can be less effective at cleaning to use foaming soap.
That being said, proper hand washing is the variable. If you apply any soap and lather for 20 seconds, rinse well, dry your hands, and then apply hand cream, you will have clean, soft, well-cared-for hands no matter which soap format you choose.
Do you need to add a preservative?
Despite adding water, I don’t add any preservatives. When I make my soap, I do a small batch that lasts me about a month or so, but I’ve had it last over six months.
It’s important that when you’re making it, you ensure that the container and all the tools used have been sterilized so that you’re not inviting any additional bacteria into the container once it’s sealed off.
Do the Mason jar lids rust after being cut?
They do. When I refill the soap, I just wash off the rust with a nail brush. I need to sterilize the container to prevent bacteria anyway before the next batch, so it’s not a big deal.
If the rust bothers you, you can also seal it with spray paint.
More Soap Recipes to Try
If you are also interested in bar soap, check out these recipes:
Foaming Hand Soap
How to make all-natural foaming hand soap with Castile (olive oil) soap
60%water
20%prepared Castile soap
20% air
5-6dropsessential oil
Prepare a clean jar with a foam soap pump. Measure out the percentages of the space inside the jar to determine amounts.
Fill the jar 60% of the way with water.
Prepare Castile soap according to the instructions on the package – it comes undiluted so this prepared soap mixture is what you use to fill up 20% of the jar. If you like it a bit more creamy, replace 5% of the water with more soap.
Leave the top 20% for air.
Add essential oils of your choice.
Add the soap pump and shake to combine.
Shake regularly to ensure the essential oils are dispersed before using.
This aloe vera soap recipe contains plant-based, skin-soothing herbs that help to repair and protect skin when hand washing. It is simple to make at home and can be customized to any scent that you like to use. As an added bonus, aloe is great for both the hardworking skin on your hands and the delicate skin on your face.
I have seen so many bars of aloe vera soap around. I’ve always wondered how beneficial they are to your skin.
After digging in and doing a bit of research, I’m happy to say that I was rather impressed by the benefits. So much so that I decided to make a batch of my own.
But for my version, I wanted to make a liquid soap! This soap is super easy to make up and is amazing for your hands.
So don’t be shy, and let’s lather up with this aloe vera soap recipe!
Put your soap in smaller containers to make them easily portable for trips.
Benefits of Aloe Vera
Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) is one of the oldest plants on record to be noted for healing properties. It has been cultivated around the world due to its highly adaptable nature and usefulness as a skin-healing herb.
Aloe is naturally anti-bacterial and contains antiseptics that help clean cuts and wounds by killing bacteria and fungi. Aloe’s pH level closely matches our skin, enabling it to gently (but thoroughly) cleanse our skin while also closing pores. Its anti-inflammatory qualities can calm inflamed skin.
I wanted to take this wonderful skin-healing herb and add it to soap. Just adding this one extra element can really help the drying and cracking that happens from washing hands so regularly.
This aloe vera soap only requires 5 ingredients!
We know that aloe vera is amazing for skin. It has been used throughout history to treat burns, rashes, wounds, and other forms of skin problems. It can also be taken internally as a laxative to aid in digestion and to help with inflammation.
But it’s usually prepared as a juice or gel for both internal consumption and external application. So when it’s added to a soap recipe, I wondered if the beneficial properties of the aloe gel added are minimized by the hot temperatures that this aloe vera soap recipe requires.
Thankfully, the answer is yes—the benefits of aloe vera seemed to be mostly intact.
I always recommend having an aloe plant in your home or garden as part of your herbal first aid kit. I have a lot of great info in my herbal guide to aloe vera about how to harvest the gel. Plus it shows you how to use it to calm down sunburns and other skin irritation.
Aloe vera is a powerful anti-inflammatory and is great for healing skin.
Fresh Aloe Vera vs Aloe Vera Gel
In this recipe, I’m using a pre-packaged gel because of the shelf life. However, as with many herbal products, there is a lot of confusion as to what is actually inside the bottle of aloe gel that you’re purchasing. If the fresh gel only lasts for a week or so in the fridge, then can the store-bought gel have the same properties and last for a year to two years?
The answer is certainly not, but it doesn’t mean that the gel that you buy from the store doesn’t have any beneficial properties. It just means that there’s a trade-off between the benefits and the shelf life. Any amount of processing of aloe reduces its effectiveness.
The best way to get the most potent aloe vera is to grow a plant in your home or garden. But a suitable alternative is to find a high-quality aloe vera gel that can be used in recipes like this liquid hand soap.
How to Make Soap with Fresh Aloe
You can certainly make this recipe with fresh aloe gel. However, you will need to keep the liquid soap in the fridge and discard it after one week. It is certainly possible to make a weekly batch as it’s quite easy to make.
But, if you want one that lasts for a bit longer then I suggest doing some research to find the best aloe vera gel with the least amount of processing.
I like using Lily of the Desert aloe gelas it claims to be harvested from the inner filet of aloe, processed minimally in their own facilities, and certified USDA organic.
Lily of the Desert aloe gel is food grade and contains over 99% organic aloe vera juice with a few other ingredients such as carrageenan (thickening agent), citric acid (pH stabilizer), and potassium sorbate (mold inhibitor).
By the way, they have not sponsored this post. I just have used the brand for years and haven’t had any problems with it.
For ease of use, I recommend making this with aloe vera gel.
How to Make Aloe Vera Soap
The base of this recipe is Castile soap, which is the name for the olive oil soap formulation that comes from Castile, Spain. I purchase liquid Castile soap from a local soap dispensary or Dr. Bronner’s brand online, and with these “Castile” refers to a plant-based liquid soap. It can be made from olive, coconut, avocado, or other plant oils.
This biodegradable, non-toxic soap comes concentrated so it should be diluted at different concentrations for various purposes. I always choose an unscented soap as my base, and add my own essential oils to the final recipe.
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact measurements.
I scented my soap with lavender and lime, but you can substitute it with any essential oil scents you prefer.
Make It!
Once you have your ingredients, making the aloe vera soap is quite simple.
First, whisk together water and aloe vera gel until it’s homogenous. Then, add in your castile soap and stir again to combine well. Add the essential oils of your choice—I used lavender and lime which is a lovely combination.
Thoroughly mix your soap in a container before putting it in the soap pump.
Then, pour it into a glass soap bottle and shake it well. I find it easiest to do this with a funnel.
A funnel will make it much easier to get into the soap pump!
Before using the soap, shake the bottle. A batch will last you for up to three months, but if you notice any discoloration or strange scent, discard it.
Replace any unused soap after three months.
FAQ About Aloe Vera Soap
Can I make this into foaming soap?
As this aloe vera soap recipe stands, it is too thick to work in a foaming dispenser. By adding more water, you can make it less thick. I go through how you can make your own foaming soap in this post, so feel free to adapt this recipe according to the instructions to make your own foaming aloe vera soap.
Can I use this recipe as a body wash?
You sure can! I personally like making my own bar soap for the shower as it’s even more moisturizing, but I recommend giving both a try and seeing which you prefer.
Is it safe to use aloe vera gel daily?
Yes, unless you’re allergic to it. Aloe is very good for sensitive skin, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, that make it very helpful for healing and soothing skin.
More Projects with Aloe Vera Gel
If you are looking for more ways to use aloe vera gel, give one (or more) of these projects a try.
DIY Aloe Vera Soap
If your hands are rough and raw thanks to an increase in washing and sanitizing, give them soothing relief with this DIY aloe vera soap.
Whisk together one cup of the water with the aloe gel until mixed.
Then add in the rest of the water and which well.
Add the Castile soap and stir to combine.
Add in essential oils and stir to combine.
Pour in a glass bottle using a funnel.
Cap the bottle and shake well to combine.
Shake well before each use for the first few days. Over time, the ingredients will combine permanently and shaking will not be necessary.
How to Use: Apply one or two pumps of soap to wet hands and lather for 20 seconds. Use a nail brush to get the dirt that hides under your nails as well. Rinse well and dry with a clean towel. Shelf Life: This soap will last for up to three months. Discard if it becomes discolored or smells unpleasant.
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Soap dishes have come a long way. Once upon a time, most of them sported the same basic design, which essentially mimicked a small bowl or plate. Fortunately, the designs then started including drainage holes — in fact, draining dishes made of silicone are particularly popular now thanks to their relative affordability and easy-to-clean material. As someone who has one of these in her own bathroom, however, I can tell you it’s not the most stylish thing in the world. Even if the rest of your sink vanity is tidy and visually pleasing, the wrong dish can single-handedly cheapen the entire aesthetic. And really, there’s no reason why you should have to choose between form and function. There are so many cute sinkside accessories out there, and we came across one that’ll instantly lend a trendy, artistic vibe to your bathroom or kitchen counter. The Zig Zag soap dish from Uncommon Goods is perfect for just about any aesthetic, and at $20, it’s not too bad price-wise, either.
What is the Zig Zag soap dish?
This bathroom and kitchen must-have isn’t so much a dish as it is a piece of decor with a useful function. You’ll notice that it’s made of beige-colored clay and boasts a subtle yet eye-catching speckled finish. This gives the dish an earthy look and makes it easy to match with other items in the room. If you place it in your bathroom, this piece will definitely add a calm, spa-like appeal to your sink area. But if we’re talking about the star feature of the dish, that’s easily its geometric zig-zag silhouette. Not only does it just look cool, but the divoted surface also allows water to run off the soap, preventing your bar from becoming soggy and crumbling before you can use it up. You’ll also find that the dish’s glaze makes the stoneware material easy to wipe clean. Really, adding this piece to your sink setup is a no-brainer.
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What’s more, the dish will serve as a conversation-starter every time you have guests over, so if you’re looking to impress with your decor, this is the perfect pick for that. You’ll quickly come to find that it’s eye-catching, timeless, and totally practical.
For as long as I can remember, I have been that friend—the one who, from May to November, gets invited to every outdoor soiree. It’s not because I make the best desserts, even though I do. It’s because, with me around, the shoes can come off and the DEET can stay sheathed: No one else need fear for their blood when the mosquitoes are all busy biting me.
Explanations abound for why people like me just can’t stop getting nipped—blood type, diet, the particular funk of the acids that emanate from our skin. Mosquitoes are nothing if not expert sniffers, evolving over millennia to detect the body’s many emissions, including the carbon dioxide we exhale and the heat we radiate.
But to focus only on a mosquito’s hankering for flesh is to leave a whole chapter of the pests’ scent-seeking saga “largely overlooked,” Clément Vinauger, a chemical ecologist at Virginia Tech, told me. Mosquitoes are omnivores, tuned to sniff out blood and plants. And nowadays, most humans, especially those in the Western world, tend to smell a bit like both, thanks to all the floral, citrusy lotions and potions that so many of us slather atop our musky flesh.
That medley of scents, Vinauger and his colleagues have discovered, may be an underappreciated part of what makes people like me smell so darn good to pests. The findings are from a small study with just five volunteers, four brands of soap, and one mosquito species, and still need to be confirmed outside the lab. But they’re a reminder that, as good or as bad as some of us might inherently smell to a mosquito, the insects experience us as dietarily diverse smorgasbords—not just as our animal selves.
Researchers have also long known that “everything we use on our skin will affect mosquitoes’ behavior or attraction toward us,” says Ali Afify, a mosquito researcher at Drexel University. That includes extracts from plants—among them, chemicals such as citronella and limonene, which have both been found to repel the bloodsucking insects in at least some contexts. Something about encountering floral and faunal cues together seems to bamboozle mosquitoes, as if they’re “seeing an organism that doesn’t exist,” says Baldwyn Torto, a chemical ecologist and mosquito expert at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology. After all, female mosquitoes, the only ones that bite, spend their lives toggling between seeking nectar and hunting for blood, but never both at the same time. That’s part of why Vinauger initially figured that soap might deter mosquitoes from flying in for a sip.
The story ended up being a bit more complicated. The researchers, led by Morgen VanderGiessen and Anaïs Tallon, collected chemicals from their volunteers’ arms—one scrubbed with soap, the other left aromatically bare—and offered them to the mosquitoes. One body wash, a coconut-and-vanilla-scented number made by Native, seemed to make a subset of people less appetizing, probably in part, Vinauger told me, because mosquitoes and other insects are not into coconut. (Duly noted.) But two other cleansers, made by Dove and Simple Truth, bumped up the attractiveness of several of their volunteers—even though all of the soaps in the study contained plenty of limonene. (None of the manufacturers of the body washes used in the study responded to a request for comment.)
No single product was a universal attractant or repellent, which probably says more about us than it does about body wash. A bevy of lifestyle choices and environmental influences can tweak an individual’s unique odor profile; even identical twins, Torto told me, won’t smell the same to a mosquito on the prowl. Soaped up or no, some people will remain stubbornly magnetic to mosquitoes; others will continue to disgust them. This makes it “hard to say, ‘Hey, this soap will make you really attractive’ or ‘That soap will keep mosquitoes completely away from you,’” says Seyed Mahmood Nikbakht Zadeh, a chemical ecologist and medical entomologist at CSU San Bernardino, who wasn’t involved in the study. Plus, soap is hardly the only scented product that people use: Whatever enticing ingredients your body wash might contain, Tallon told me, could easily be counteracted by the contents of your lotion or deodorant.
The point of the study isn’t to demonize or extol any particular products—especially considering how few soaps were tested and how many factors dictate each individual’s odor profile. The five volunteers in the study can’t possibly capture the entire range of human-soap interactions, though the researchers hope to expand their findings with a lot of follow-up. “I wouldn’t want the public to be alarmed about what type of soap they’re using,” Torto told me.
But just knowing that personal-care products can alter a person’s appeal could kick-start more research. Scientists could design better baits to lure skeeters away from us, or develop a new generation of repellents using gentle, plant-based ingredients that are already found in our soaps. “DEET is really efficient, but it’s a chemical that melts plastic,” Vinauger told me. “Could we do better?”
The researchers behind the study are already trying. After analyzing the specific chemicals in each of the soaps they tested, they blended some of the most alluring and aversive substances into two new concoctions—a flowery, fruity attractant and a nuttier repellent—and offered them to the insects. The repellent was “as strong as applying DEET on your skin,” Vinauger told me, “but it’s all coming from those soap chemicals.”
What’s not yet clear, though, is how long those powers of repulsion last. Most people don’t manage more than a daily scrub; meanwhile, “the odors coming out of your pores are continuously coming out, so in the long run, those might win out,” says Maria Elena De Obaldia, a neurogeneticist who previously studied mosquito attraction at Rockefeller University. And it’s a lot less practical to ask someone to shower every few hours than to simply reapply bug spray.
I’m certainly not ready to blame my mosquito magnetism on my body wash (which, for what it’s worth, contains a lot of “coconut-based cleanser”) or anything else in my hygiene repertoire. Part of the problem is undoubtedly just me—the tastiest of human meat sticks. But the next time I shop for anything scented, I’ll at least know that whatever wafts out of that product won’t just be for me. Some pest somewhere is always catching a stray whiff.
