Dandelion Soap Recipe: An Easy Melt and Pour Soap Recipe for Natural Skin Care

This dandelion soap recipe is an easy melt and pour soap beginners can make using dandelion infused oil. It’s a simple way to learn how to infuse botanicals into carrier oils to incorporate into a natural skin care routine. Plus learn about the health and skin care benefits of dandelions! Read on for more.

Health and Skin Care Benefits of Dandelion

Dandelions are more than just a weed. This common flower is actually a member of the daisy family with a number of nutritional benefits. Like many herbs, its flowers, leaves and root all have nutritional value. Often used as an herbal supplement in teas, tinctures and capsules, dandelion root is praised as a diuretic. The components of dandelions are also used to help regulate blood sugar levels, high blood pressure and cholesterol. A source of powerful antioxidants, dandelions also contain vitamins A, C and K as well as seven minerals. From helping to maintain healthy bacteria flora in your intestinal tract to reducing lung inflammation, boosting immunity and supporting weight loss, dandelion has so much to offer our bodies when consumed. Learn more here.

In addition to their nutritional benefits, dandelions also have a number of skin care benefits. So, while you may not be sold on adding dandelion leaves to your salads just yet, they are an easy and affordable way to enhance your natural skin care routine.

Perfect for all skin types, including acne prone and sensitive skin, dandelions yield a number of natural care properties. They not only help tone skin, but also nourish it. Thereby helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. While the naturally occuring vitamin C helps to promote healing and reduce the appearance of scars and skin inflammation. Further, they are also believed to help detox skin by removing toxins that clog pores and can lead to acne.

How to Make Dandelion Infused Oil for Dandelion Soap & Other Natural Skin Care Recipes

You can infuse dried dandelions in oil for topical applications in order to take advantage of the skin care benefits of dandelion. Oil infusions are really easy to make. In the past I’ve infused foraged herbs such as plantain and violet leaves, as well as ones I’ve purchased like arnica, in order to reap the benefits of their inherent skin care properties. Now, I’ve finally, FINALLY, gotten around to infusing dandelions!

I really wanted to make a melt and pour soap recipe using dandelion infused oil. However, as you only need one teaspoon of dandelion infused oil per pound of melt and pour soap base, you’ll have enough oil leftover for other dandelion skin care recipes. 

Foraging for Dandelions to Make A Dandelion Soap Recipe

To make my dandelion soap recipe, you’ll first need to forage for some dandelions. As you don’t want to expose your skin to pesticides or weed killer, make sure you hunt for your dandelions in a place you know isn’t being treated with chemicals. Gather the blooms, then rinse them with water. Next, dry them.

How to Dry Dandelions for Oil Infusions

There are a number of ways to dry foraged herbs, such as dandelions, plantain leaves and violet leaves. You can air dry them. Or you can also dry them in the oven at 180°F for 2-4 hours. My favorite way to dry herbs when the weather is warm, however, is in the trunk of my car. It’s basically like drying them in the oven, but you aren’t using any energy — or unnecessarily heating up your kitchen.

To dry your dandelions, or other herbs in your car trunk, simply arrange the herbs in a cardboard box. Then place the box in your car trunk on a sunny day until dry or overnight.

Once your herbs have dried, they are ready to be infused in your oil of choice. I chose to use hemp seed oil for my dandelion oil infusion. Hemp seed oil is amazing for dry skin and my go to when my sensitive skin is easily irritated by lotions or in the midst of an eczema breakout. It’s great for all kinds of applications, which is why I’ve used it to make soaps, body scrubs, dry body oils, beauty balms and even an eczema relief salve.

Making Your Dandelion Infused Oil

To make a dandelion infused oil, first add your dried dandelions to a glass jar, such as a mason jar. (I used my cold brew coffee jar as I’m no longer able to find refills locally.) Then fill the container with oil so it just covers the dried dandelions. In this case, you would use hemp seed oil.

Now, screw the lid onto the jar and shake well to combine.

Set the jar in a warm, dark location. You should allow your dandelions to infuse in the oil for four to six weeks. Simply turn or shake the infusion once a day during this period.

After four to six weeks has passed, strain the dandelions from the hemp seed oil using a cloth lined strainer, such as cheesecloth. Alternately, you may also use a fine mesh strainer for this purpose. It’s now ready to use in your favorite natural skin care recipes, as well as my easy dandelion soap recipe, which can be found below.

How to Use Dandelion Infused Oil in Melt and Pour Soap

Before you get started on my dandelion soap recipe, there are some soap making notes I want to share. When making melt and pour soap you don’t want to add too many extras. I know it seems like a good idea, but trust me, it’s not. I once made a cocoa butter soap in which I added a LOT of additional cocoa butter to a melt and pour soap base. It didn’t lather. In fact, it didn’t do much of anything at all. It did smell nice though. 

So basically, you don’t want to add more than one teaspoon of dandelion infused oil (or any oil for that matter) to one pound of melt and pour soap base.

Additionally, most flowers will turn brown in soap. I also learned this the hard way when I first started making melt and pour soaps in the way back. (Or maybe it’s the way way back now? I don’t know. It was about fifteen years ago, so you be the judge.) I used a lot of lavender buds in a clear melt and pour soap base. They looked like literal poo a few weeks in. Mouse poo. Sooo…. if you want to use flowers in your melt and pour soap recipes, stick to calendula and cornflower petals. These herbs both keep their color and won’t look like mushy brown snot down the road.

In addition, if you prefer not to make a dandelion oil infusion, you can put pre-made herbal infusions online. This organic dandelion oil infusion makes a great substitute, although it’s infused in sunflower oil rather than hemp seed oil.

Additional Soap Making Notes for My Dandelion Soap Recipe

I originally tried my dandelion soap recipe using only a clear melt and pour soap base. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the final version of this soap was aesthetically pleasing. It just didn’t pop for me. So I remelted the base, filled the mold cavities about 3/4th of the way with clear base, then added a white melt and pour soap base to the bottoms of the bars. 

You can see the difference the addition of the white soap base makes in the photograph above. You could also utilize this technique with a color, or multiple colors, on the bottom. Simply add a liquid soap colorant or mica powder, per manufacturer’s guidelines to the base for pastel colored bottoms.

Alternate Natural Soap Making Colorants

I chose to stick with simply the white soap base for my dandelion soap recipe as I didn’t want to use any artificial colorants. Therefore, in order to tint the clear melt and pour soap base a yellow color, I used orange essential oil as part of the fragrance blend. If you prefer an unscented soap, or would like to use another fragrance option, then try one of these other natural colorant options for your melt and pour soap base:

• 2 teaspoons lemon peel powder per 16 oz. clear soap base
• 1 teaspoon grapefruit peel powder per 16 oz. clear soap base
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron powder per 16 oz. clear soap base
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric root powder per 16 oz. clear soap base
• 1 teaspoon orange peel powder per 16 oz. clear soap base 
• 1/2 teaspoon safflower powder per 16 oz. clear soap base

For more ideas on using natural soap colorants, their characteristics and usage rates, be sure to check out the soap making book, Easy Melt & Pour Soaps, by Jan Berry.

Finally, I used Crafter’s Choice Extra Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base for my dandelion soap recipe. However, you may use any clear soap base of your choice, as desired. Just keep in mind that different brands of melt and pour soap tend to react differently during the soap making process. Stephensons soap bases tend to melt slower and harden more quickly than Crafter’s Choice. While Crafter’s Choice bases melt quickly and solidify more slowly. Both are great brands with many pros, but each base is also better suited for different applications in some areas. I prefer Crafter’s Choice for making embeds, for example, and Stephensons for swirling.

Ready to get started? You can learn how to make an easy dandelion soap recipe below!

Dandelion Soap Recipe

© Rebecca D. Dillon

Ingredients:

11.2 oz. extra clear melt and pour soap
4.8 oz. white melt and pour soap base
1 teaspoon dandelion infused hemp seed oil
.3 oz. orange essential oil
.1 oz. lavender essential oil
dried cornflowers, optional

Tools & Materials:

digital scale
cutting board
large Pyrex measuring cup or glass bowl
microwave
silicone soap mold (smaller of the two)
utensils for mixing
digital or laser thermometer, optional
spray bottle with 91%-99% isopropyl alcohol, optional but recommended

Directions:

Using a digital scale, weigh out the clear melt and pour soap base called for in my dandelion soap recipe. (If using only a clear soap base, use 16 oz. of soap.) Cut the soap base into chunks and combine in a glass container.

Now heat the base in the microwave in 20-30 second increments until melted. Be sure to keep an eye on the soap. You don’t want it to overheat as this can cause excess air bubbles.

Once melted, remove the soap base from the microwave and allow to cool. While the soap cools, weigh out the orange essential oil.

When the melted base reaches 120°F-125°F, stir in a pinch of corn flowers as desired, along with the orange essential oil and 70% of the dandelion infused oil. Mix well to combine, then pour evenly into each of the mold cavities. (I used the smaller of these two flower silicone soap molds.)

Spritz the tops of the dandelion soap you just poured with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to remove any air bubbles. Then allow the soap to fully cool and harden.

Once the clear melt and pour soap base has hardened, weigh out the white melt and pour soap base called for in my dandelion soap recipe. Cut the soap base into chunks and heat in the microwave in 15-20 second increments until melted.

Allow the white soap base to cool to 125°F. Then weigh out and stir in the lavender essential oil, as well as the remaining dandelion infused oil. Mix well.

Now spritz the tops of the cooled, clear soap base with isopropyl alcohol.

Pour the melted white soap base on top of the previously poured soap, and spritz with alcohol once poured. Allow to harden.

Finally, remove your finished dandelion soaps, from the mold. Then wrap your homemade soaps tightly in foodservice film to store, until ready for use.

Yield: Six 2.75 oz. soap bars

Melt and Pour Dandelion Soap Recipe

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This melt and pour dandelion soap recipe is easy enough for beginners and is a fun way to incorporate dandelion infused oil into your everyday, natural skin care routine. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Active Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

• 11.2 oz. extra clear melt and pour soap
• 4.8 oz. white melt and pour soap base
• 1 teaspoon dandelion infused hemp seed oil
• .3 oz. orange essential oil
• .1 oz. lavender essential oil
• pinch dried cornflowers

Tools

• digital scale
• cutting board
• large Pyrex measuring cup or glass bowl
• microwave
• silicone soap mold
• utensils for mixing
• digital or laser thermometer
• spray bottle with 99% isopropyl alcohol

Instructions

1. Weigh out the clear melt and pour soap base. Cut the soap base into chunks and combine in a glass container.
2. Heat the base in the microwave in 30 second increments, mixing after each heating until melted. Don't allow to overheat.
3. Remove the melted soap base from the microwave. Set aside.
4. Weigh out the orange essential oil while the soap cools.
5. When the melted base reaches 120°F-125°F, stir in the corn flowers, orange essential oil and 70% of the dandelion infused oil. Mix well to combine, then pour evenly into each of the mold cavities.
6. Spritz the tops of the soap isopropyl alcohol to remove any air bubbles. Allow the soap to harden.
7. Weigh out the white melt and pour soap base. Cut the soap base into chunks and heat in the microwave in 15 second increments until melted.
8. Allow the white soap base to cool to 125°F. Weigh out and stir in the lavender essential oil and remaining dandelion infused oil. Mix well.
9. Spritz the tops of the clear soap base in the mold with isopropyl alcohol.
10. Pour the melted white soap base on top of the clear soap. Spritz with alcohol. Allow the soap to harden.
11. Remove the soaps from the mold. Wrap tightly in foodservice film until ready for use.

Love my dandelion soap recipe with dandelion infused hemp seed oil? Then make sure you pin this natural skin care recipe to Pinterest for later! Or check out more of my easy melt and pour soap recipes here.

More Ways to Use Dandelion Infused Oil

There are lots of other great ways you can use your dandelion infused oil, including my dandelion cleansing balm recipe. You can also use this herbal oil infusion in lieu of the plantain infused oil in my vegan solid lotion bar recipe or my simple plantain salve recipe. Or try substituting this oil in place of another carrier oil in your own favorite natural skin care recipes. 

Don’t forget to follow me on facebook, twitter and instagram for more great soap making ideas. You can also find me on Blog Lovin‘.