Plantain Soap Recipe with Date Sugar & Frankincense
Nourish dry skin and promote skin health with this natural plantain soap recipe with date sugar and frankincense. This natural plantain soap recipe is handmade using the cold process soapmaking method and is perfect for dry or problem skin. Formulated to produce a low cleansing, super nourishing soap with an exceptional lather, this homemade plantain soap is also palm free.
Last summer I made a wonderful plantain herbal oil infusion with dried wild harvested plantain leaves and olive oil. As I still had some of my plantain infused olive oil leftover from my last project for vegan solid lotion bars, I decided to put the rest of it to good use!
What are the Skin Care Benefits of Plantain?
Plantain is often times considered a weed. However, in actuality, this plant is a powerful medicinal herb with strong anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-microbial properties. As such plantain is commonly used as a topical home remedy to promote healing, soothe insect bites and reduce the appearance of scars. You can learn more about plantain here.
My homemade plantain soap recipe produces a low cleansing, super nourishing soap with a wonderful lather that your entire family will love. Made with a few fun ingredients like date sugar and French green clay, this palm free soap is formulated specifically for dry skin and scented with frankincense essential oil.
Learn about the different types of frankincense essential oil here.
You will need to make your own plantain infused olive oil for this plantain soap recipe. If you aren’t able to harvest wild plantain in your area, you can purchase plantain leaves online. Alternately you can also purchase solar infused plantain herbal oil. I highly recommend shopping with Mountain Rose Herbs for quality organic options.
How to Make Plantain Infused Olive Oil
To make your plantain infused olive oil, you’ll first need to harvest and dry your plantain leaves. Once dry, fill a small mason jar three-fourths of the way full with plantain leaves. Then cover the leaves with olive oil. You want the oil to come about an inch higher than the plantain leaves. (You can use either pomace olive oil or virgin olive oil for this plantain soap recipe.)
Now place the mason jar in a sunny window for 2-3 weeks. You’ll also want to shake the herbal infusion at least once a day. After 2-3 weeks have passed, use cheesecloth or a mesh strainer to drain the oil from the plantain leaves. For a more detailed explanation on creating herbal infused oils, be sure to check out this blog post for making DIY herbal infused oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. You’ll also find a quick method for infusing herbs in oils using heat.
Natural Plantain Soap Recipe
Ingredients:
6.4 oz. plantain infused olive oil (40%)
.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
4 oz. refined coconut oil (25%)
.8 oz. refined shea butter (5%)
4 oz. safflower oil (25%)
4.8 fl. oz. distilled water
2.2 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide
1 Tablespoon French green clay
2 Tablespoons natural date sugar
.25 oz. frankincense essential oil
How to Make Cold Process Plantain Soap
Before you begin, you’ll need to make sure you take all necessary safety precautions when working with lye. This includes wearing eye protection and gloves as well as ensuring none of your containers or utensils are made from aluminum.
You will follow my cold process soapmaking tutorial in order to make this soap. (If you’ve never made homemade soap, I recommend starting with a beginner’s soap recipe which you can find here.)
My plantain soap recipe has a 30.5% water discount and 6% superfat. It will yield six homemade soap bars when using this rectangle silicone mold.
Begin my measuring out the distilled water in fluid ounces into a heat safe container. Then using a digital scale (I recommend this Bakers Math Scale) weigh out the lye. Slowly pour the lye into the water and stir until it has completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Next, weigh out the soapmaking oils and combine in a stainless steel pot or heat safe container. Heat on the stove top or at reduced power in a microwave or crock pot until melted. Remove from heat, then set aside to cool.
Once the lye-water and soapmaking oils reach about 90°-95°F, you’re ready to make soap!
Measure out the French green clay and date sugar, then mix them into the soapmaking oils using an immersion or stick blender.
Then slowly pour the lye-water into the soapmaking oils and mix with your stick blender until you reach a light trace.
Weigh out the frankincense essential oil and add to the soap batter. Then continue mixing to fully incorporate the scent. Once you reach a medium to heavy trace, pour the soap batter into your soap mold.
Cover the mold with plastic cling wrap if desired, then set aside in a safe location where it won’t be disturbed.
Your plantain soaps should be ready to unmold 24-48 hours later.
Once you’ve unmolded your homemade soaps, set them aside in a cool location for a minimum of four weeks to cure. These soaps do smell a little funky at first, but after curing the scent of the frankincense does come back out in the soap.
Now all that’s left is to wrap and label as desired for personal use or gifting.
How to Sell Homemade Soap
If you’re planning to sell your plantain soaps, you’ll need to label them according to FDA guidelines. The book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, by Marie Gale instructs you in layman’s terms on how to properly label your homemade soaps for sale.
Love my plantain soap recipe with date sugar and frankincense? Then you may also like my other recent palm free soap recipes for making ginger mint soap and orange spice tea soap. Or check out my entire collection of both melt and pour and cold process homemade soap recipes here.
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Also, don’t forget. If you make homemade soaps or bath & body products I’d love to see them! Simply add the hashtag #soapdelishowoff to your instagram posts!
