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Natural Gardeners Soap Recipe That’s Not Just for Gardeners

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

May 22, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

It doesn’t have to be gardening season for you to enjoy this natural gardeners soap recipe. In fact, you don’t need to be a gardener at all! Formulated to quickly and easily wash away tough dirt and grime, you’ll find that this natural gardeners soap is also a great option for mechanics, artists and kindergarten teachers. So if you know how to get good and dirty, then this soap is for you.

One of my favorite things about spring is that sense of revival, hope and growth. I love strolling through our local farmer’s market and choosing plants for my garden or new flowers for my yard. This year however I won’t have the opportunity to grow a garden.

While I’m sure my roommate wouldn’t object to me putting a garden her yard, it’s simply not practical. Her home’s backyard is wooded and incredibly shady. The front yard on the other hand, while it does get full sun most of the day, is literally only about the size of small garden.

So this year I think I’ll create a container garden for growing herbs instead. With limited real estate, it makes more sense. And as we are always cooking with fresh herbs, it also has a positive impact on our grocery budget.

One of our favorite herbs is cilantro. Not only is it easy to grow, but it’s one of my favorite toppings for tacos. Luckily for me, I am not part of that percentage of the population that thinks cilantro tastes like soap. We’re also huge fans of fresh sage, basil, mint and thyme.

As such, I’ve found that this Indoor/Outdoor Herb Garden Kit is perfect for starting an herb container garden. It’s small size makes it perfect for apartment dwellers as well as anyone else, who like me, just doesn’t have the right conditions for a traditional outdoor garden.

Alternately, if you have woodworking tools, give this DIY indoor herb garden a try!

Check out these spring gardening tips & tricks!

Whether you’re planning to grow a garden this year or not, my natural gardeners soap recipe is a must for your next weekend project. It’s made using a combination of naturally exfoliating ingredients like flax seed powder, shredded loofah, calendula flower powder, poppy seeds and fine ground pumice.

However, you don’t have to use the same exfoliants as I did for scrubbing power. If you’re on a budget, I recommend the Exfoliant Sampler from Bramble Berry. It contains 1 oz. each of eight different natural exfoliants for just $15.

Or simply sift through your own cache of soapmaking supplies to see what other ingredients you can use. (You can even make an inventory list while you’re at it so you know just what you have on hand and accidentally order supplies you already have.)

In addition to the exfoliants used to remove tough caked on dirt, paint or motor oil – dealer’s choice! – this homemade soap is highly cleansing to help rinse away stuck on grease, grime and sweat.

To balance out those cleansing suds, I did give my natural gardeners soap recipe a higher super fat. It also ranks pretty high as a conditioning soap as well due to the addition of baobab oil, mango butter and fractionated shea oil.

Finally, I rounded off my natural gardeners soap recipe with an earthy essential oil blend of ylang ylang, patchouli and blood orange. But feel free to swap out my essential oil blend recipe with your own favorite essential oil blend.

Get started with essential oils with classic essential oil kit!

Or try a garden themed fragrance oil for a more budget friendly scented option. I like this garden dirt fragrance oil. While garden mint is also another one of my favorite scents.

Natural Gardeners Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

.8 oz. baobab oil (5%)
.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
4.8 oz. refined coconut oil (30%)
1.6 oz. mango butter (10%)
3.2 oz. pomace olive oil (20%)
1.6 oz. safflower oil
3.2 oz. fractionated shea oil

4 fl. oz. distilled or filtered water
2.15 oz. sodium hydroxide/lye

1/2 teaspoon fine ground pumice
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon flax seed powder
1/2 teaspoon calendula flower powder
1/2 teaspoon shredded loofah
.35 oz. ylang ylang essential oil
.25 oz. patchouli essential oil
.15 oz. blood orange essential oil
.025 oz. bergamot essential oil
.025 oz. petitgrain essential oil
soap colorant, as desired

Soap Notes:

As my natural gardeners soap recipe yields a somewhat softer soap bars, I used a steep water discount. The water weight for this recipe is 25% of the oil weight. Additionally the super fat is 8%.

You can use this information, if desired, to resize my natural gardeners soap recipe using a lye calculator. It’s also useful if you’re wanting to make changes to the super fat or water percentage.

Learn more about using a lye calculator to adjust a homemade soap recipe or to craft your own custom cold process soap recipes with the information found in this tutorial.

For an extra, extra super scrubby soap, you can double the amount of exfoliants called for in the recipe to 1 teaspoon each.

My natural gardeners soap recipe yields six bars of handmade artisan soap when using this round silicone mold.

Getting Started:

Begin by gathering the materials you’ll need for this soapmaking project. You will need a digital scale, a digital thermometer, an immersion blender and a 6-cavity round silicone soap mold. (I used this mold for my natural gardeners soap recipe.) Additionally, you’ll also need aluminum free, heat safe containers and utensils for mixing your soap.

You should also take all necessary safety precautions when working with lye. If you are unfamiliar with making cold process soap from scratch, I recommend this soapmaking tutorial to get you started. I also offer several beginner soap recipes to try before attempting this soap including this beginner soap recipe and my palm free olive & babassu soap recipe.

Instructions:

Begin by preparing the lye solution for my natural gardeners soap recipe. To do this, measure out the distilled water into a heat safe container. In a separate container, weigh out the lye called for in the recipe. Then pour the lye into the water – I recommend a well ventilated area – and mix until the lye has completely dissolved. Now set the lye-water solution aside in a safe location to cool.

While the lye solution cools, weigh out the carrier oils and butters called for in the recipe. Combine in a stainless steel pot. Then gently heat the soapmaking oils on the stove over low heat just until the solids have melted.

Remove the soapmaking oils from heat and allow to cool.

In the meantime, if you’d like to color your natural gardener soaps, measure out the colorant. (The usage rate for micas is typically 1 teaspoon per pound.) Then weigh out the essential oils and combine in a small glass beaker.

Once the oils have reached 90°-95°F you are ready to make soap.

Check the temperature of both the soapmaking oils and the lye solution before you begin. Both of these ingredients should be within ten degrees of one another.

Discover more natural essential oil skin care recipes here.

Now add your choice of colorant, if using, to the soapmaking oils. Mix briefly with an immersion blender to incorporate the colorant throughout the oils.

Next, pour the lye solution into the soapmaking oils and mix with the immersion blender until you reach a light trace. You’ll know you’ve reached trace when you drag the blender through the soap batter and it leaves a visible trail behind. It’s a little like pudding.

Add the essential oils to the soap batter, then continue mixing until thoroughly combined.

Once you bring the soap to a medium trace, pour the soap evenly into six of the cavities of your round silicone mold. Then gently cover the soap with plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Set the soap aside for 24-48 hours. After this time you can unmold your natural gardeners soap bars.

Allow your soap to cure for four to six weeks in a cool, dry location. After that, your homemade soaps are ready to use.

More Natural Soap Recipes with Essential Oils

If you love my natural gardeners soap recipe, then you may want to also try these other natural soap recipes scented with natural essential oils.

Or find more homemade soap recipes by way of my DIY Bath & Body Pinterest board and my Simply Soapmaking Pinterest board. Alternately, you can explore all my cold process soap recipes here. Or, if you prefer melt and pour soapmaking, you can find my melt and pour soap recipes here.

Discover my favorite handmade artisan soaps on Etsy here.

Get more from Soap Deli New blog!

For even more homemade soap recipes, natural skin care recipes, bath and beauty DIY’s, you can follow Soap Deli News across all of your favorite social media platforms. I’m on G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram. Or you can simply subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Gardening, Lifestyle, Soapmaking Tagged With: baobab oil, blood orange, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, essential oil recipes, gardener's soap, mango butter, natural soap, patchouli essential oil, soap recipe, soap tutorial, soapmaking, spring, summer, ylang ylang

Summer Citrus Soap Recipe with a Natural Essential Oil Blend

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

May 10, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This homemade summer citrus soap recipe contains a citrus inspired natural essential oil blend of peppermint, orange and lemongrass. Formulated to be both cleansing and conditioning, this natural soap works great at tackling sweat and grime without over drying skin.

Because I have hard water and dry skin throughout the winter months, I’ve been formulating a lot of high conditioning/low cleansing soap recipes. However with the arrival of spring and the heat of summer on the way, I thought I’d create a new soap recipe with extra cleansing power. After all, real women sweat – even if we don’t like people to know about it.

Recently I’ve been dating a guy originally from the deep South. His name is Greg. He found his way to Roanoke by way of Florida on to Georgia then South Carolina. Now he’s here. He’s a carpenter now by trade. So he tends to get dirty. As such, he was super psyched about me making a homemade soap that tackles tough grit, grime and sweat. Me? well I’m psyched he actually uses homemade soap and not some surfactant infused body wash. (If you’re a soapmaker then you understand my dilemma entirely.)

Greg calls this homemade soap recipe the Florida Gators soap. To be quite frank, I don’t follow sports. And I have absolutely no idea what sport the Gators play. What I do know is that orange is their color. And seeing as how Florida is the sunshine state, Greg thought it fitting to scent this homemade soap with a blend of orange and citrus.

Where my sports education is lacking however, I was properly schooled on Jacksonville, where Greg attended college. The culture of which was all readily explained via a Katt Williams comedy show at the Florida Theater.

Shop for Handmade Artisan Soaps on Etsy.

But I digress. I made a sweet summer citrus soap recipe with natural essential oils – which is the point of this entire post. Greg helped me make it and rather enjoyed the process. (Hooray! It’s always nice to have a new partner in crime, isn’t it? Also my dog loves Greg and to me, that kind of says everything.)

So, as they like to say, without further ado, here is my summer citrus soap recipe for your soapmaking pleasure. I hope you enjoy it!

Summer Citrus Soap Recipe with Natural Essential Oils

Ingredients:

.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
4.8 oz. refined coconut oil (30%)
2.4 oz. jojoba oil (15%)
2.4 oz. mango butter (15%)
5.6 oz. pomace olive oil (35%)

4 fl. oz. distilled (or filtered) water
2 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide

1/8 teaspoon red iron oxide powder
1/8 teaspoon yellow oxide powder
.15 oz. peppermint essential oil
.15 oz. 5-fold orange essential oil
.25 oz. blood orange essential oil
.35 oz. lemongrass essential oil
Dash of petitgrain essential oil

Soap Notes:

As my summer citrus soap recipe doesn’t yield a particularly hard bar, I used a steep water discount. The water weight for this recipe is 25% of the oil weight. Additionally the super fat is 6%. While the essential oil weight is 5% of the oil weight in this recipe (based on recommended usage for these essential oils in cold process soap.)

You can use this information, if desired, to resize my summer citrus soap recipe using a lye calculator. Or to make changes to the super fat or water percentage. Learn more about using a lye calculator to adjust a homemade soap recipe or to craft your own custom homemade soap recipes with the information found in this tutorial.

Getting Started:

Begin by gathering the materials you’ll need for this soapmaking project. You will need a digital scale, a digital thermometer, an immersion blender and this 6-cavity silicone mold. Additionally, you’ll also need aluminum free, heat safe containers and utensils for mixing your soap.

You should also take necessary safety precautions when working with lye. If you are unfamiliar with making cold process soap, I recommend this soapmaking tutorial to get you started. I also offer several beginner soap recipes to try before attempting this soap including this beginner soap recipe and my palm free olive & babassu soap recipe.

Instructions:

Begin by preparing the lye solution for my summer citrus soap recipe. To do this, measure out the distilled water into a heat safe container. In a separate container, weigh out the lye called for in the recipe. Then pour the lye into the water – I recommend a well ventilated area – and mix until the lye has completely dissolved. Now set the lye-water solution aside in a safe location to cool.

While the lye solution cools, weigh out the soapmaking oils and the mango butter. Combine in a stainless steel pot. Then gently heat the oils and mango butter on the stove over low heat just until the mango butter has melted.

Remove the soapmaking oils from heat and allow to cool.

In the meantime, measure out the colorants for my summer citrus soap recipe. Then weigh out the essential oils and combine in a small glass beaker.

Once the oils have reached 90°-95°F you are ready to make soap.

Check the temperature of both the soapmaking oils and the lye solution before you begin. Both of these ingredients should be within ten degrees of one another.

Now add the red iron and yellow oxide colorants to the soapmaking oils. Mix briefly with an immersion blender to incorporate the colorant throughout the oils.

Add the essential oils to the soap batter, then continue mixing until thoroughly combined.

Once you bring the soap to a medium trace, pour the soap into each of the cavities of your mold. Then gently cover the soap with plastic wrap or parchment paper.

Set the soap aside for 24-48 hours. After this time you can unmold your summer citrus soap bars.

Allow your soap to cure for four to six weeks in a cool, dry location. After that, your homemade soaps are ready to use.

Get Creative with My Summer Citrus Soap Recipe

Once your cold process summer citrus soaps have cured, you can get creative! I was able to use one bar of my summer citrus soap to make three round orange slice soaps.

To create your own round soaps that resemble orange slices, cut one bar of the summer citrus soap in half lengthwise. Then cut each half into triangles. Set aside.

Now cut a block of clear melt and pour soap base into chunks. (The amount you use will depend on how many soaps you plan to make as well as the size of your mold’s cavities.) Combine in a Pyrex measuring cup or another heat safe container. Melt in the microwave in 20-30 second increments, stirring after each heating.

Once the clear soap base has completely melted, add a yellow liquid soap colorant to the base until you reach the desired color. (Or you could also use a liquid blue soap colorant. Go Gators!)

If desired, add a fragrance or essential oil of your choice. (I used blood orange essential oil for this step at 2% of the soap weight.) Then stir the soap to incorporate the fragrance evenly throughout the soap.

Now pour a small amount of the melt and pour soap into three cavities of a round silicone mold. Then spray the soap with isopropyl alcohol to remove any air bubbles.

Next, place the triangle soap embeds you made from the summer citrus soap into the soap you just poured. Arrange the embeds as desired.

Once the melt and pour soap base is firm – you don’t want your embeds to shift – spray the soap again with isopropyl alcohol. Then pour the remaining melt and pour soap base into the same three cavities of the mold. Fill the cavities to the top of the mold, then spray again with isopropyl alcohol to remove any air bubbles.

Once the soap has fully hardened, remove the soap slices from the mold. Then, if desired, you can bevel the edges of the soap using a potato peeler. Now simply wrap your soaps tightly in food service film to store until use.

More Homemade Soap Recipes

If you like my summer citrus soap recipe with natural essential oils, then you may also want to try my homemade blood orange soap recipe. Made using blood orange essential oil and orange powder, this summer inspired soap is painted with mica for a fun, fresh appearance.

Some of my other favorite homemade soap recipes include the following:

Or simply explore all my cold process soap recipes here. Alternately, you can find my melt and pour soap recipes here.

You can also find more homemade soap recipes by way of my DIY Bath & Body Pinterest board and my Simply Soapmaking Pinterest board. Or, if you’d rather purchase handmade soaps, you can discover a collection of my favorite handmade artisan soaps on Etsy here.

Don’t forget to stay in touch!

For more homemade bath, body, beauty and soap recipes, be sure to find and follow Soap Deli News across all of your favorite social media platforms including G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram as well as subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: blood orange, citrus, cold process recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, gift idea, palm free soap, soap recipe, soapmaking, summer

Natural Calendula Soap Recipe for Healthy Looking Skin After 40

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

February 6, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

This natural calendula soap recipe is handcrafted with skin nourishing ingredients that promote skin health. Calendula hydrosol, calendula powder and chia seed oil are key ingredients for healthy looking skin. Natural shredded loofah is also included for its gentle exfoliation that leads to brighter, smoother skin.

I had the unfortunate realization today, while reading an article on another blog, that I am a mid-lifer. I mean, mid-lifers are my parents right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. My parents, who are in fact baby boomers, are well into retirement. Which I guess means I am ~~old~~ awesome.

I remember being in high school thinking that my parents were terribly old. That middle age was something you shrunk away from rather than revered. And I had this insane misguided notion that I would die by 28, tragically perhaps, like a rockstar stolen from life in her prime. And I would never. Ever. Grow old.

These days I’m thrilled that I’ve made it to 42. And that all my body parts appear to still be intact. However, my body and mind are having quite the disagreement over how old I REALLY am. And if you’re over 40, then you know exactly what I mean.

While I’m still put together physically speaking, mechanically not everything is running quite as smoothly as it once did. And of course nothing looks quite the same either. My skin especially requires constant upkeep that wasn’t required during my youth.

Not only is my skin drier throughout the year (not just in the winter,) but there are of course those devilish fine lines, wrinkles and the occasional age spots. And skin tags. Maybe. (I exfoliate those suckers off with a hefty dose of scrubs and Retinol.)

So in addition to moisturizing my skin on a regular basis, I also use a low cleansing homemade soap. So instead of stripped my skin like commercial bar soap, it nourishes and replenishes it instead. But being a soapmaker, I hate to use the same soap over and over again. So I mix it up with new recipes one after another. (I’m convinced each bar is somehow in silent competition with the other while I sleep. However I love something unique about each one. They are my children after all.)

My natural calendula soap is the latest to be added to this series of soap recipes. Formulated to be both low cleansing and gentle, my natural calendula soap recipe also has high skin conditioning properties so it’s perfect for maturing and/or dry skin. (Now my only problem is to remember where I left it. And how the heck did my car keys end up in the refrigerator?!)

Calendula Skin Care Benefits

Calendula, also known as pot marigold, is a popular herb that grows annually throughout most of the world. It is renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties as well as its antimicrobial and antiviral effects which help to promote healing.

When used in skin care applications, calendula can not only soothes sore, inflamed and itchy skin, but it also speeds healing time for minor wounds. Additionally, calendula infused oil works wonders for dry, chapped skin.

Not only does it moisture and soothe dry skin, but it’s also helpful when used on many problematic skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. (You can learn more about calendula here.)

Natural Calendula Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

4 oz. refined coconut oil (25%)
6.4 oz. pomace olive oil (40%)
2.4 oz. safflower oil (15%)
1.6 oz. shea nut oil (10%)
1.6 oz. chia seed oil (10%)

4.8 fl. oz. calendula hydrosol
2.2 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide

2 Tablespoons calendula flower powder
2 Tablespoons shredded loofah
.5 oz. essential oil (or 1 oz. fragrance oil)

Instructions:

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 natural calendula 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 calendula hydrosol 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 hydrosol 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-hydrosol and soapmaking oils reach about 90°-95°F, you’re ready to make soap!

Measure out the calendula flower powder and shredded loofah, then mix them into the soapmaking oils using an immersion or stick blender.

Then slowly pour the lye-hydrosol into the soapmaking oils and mix with your stick blender until you reach a light trace.

Weigh out the essential oil (or fragrance oil) of your choice and add to the soap batter. Then continue mixing to fully incorporate the scent. Once you reach a medium 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 natural calendula 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. Then wrap and label as desired for personal use of gifting.

More Natural Skin Care Recipes

Did you enjoy my natural calendula soap recipe? Then you’ll also love my natural calendula herbal balm recipe. This natural skin care recipe promotes healing with the power of calendula when used on minor cuts, bruises & insect stings. Find the recipe here.

Like my natural calendula soap recipe, my soothing moisture whip recipe is another great skin care product for nourishing and moisturizing dry or mature skin.

Crafted using natural ingredients, this ultra luxe moisturizer has a fluffy, cloud like texture that melts instantly into skin when applied. Skin soothing butters, aloe vera and witch hazel extract offer rich moisture that promotes skin health while a calming essential oil blend lends its aromatherapeutic properties. Get the recipe here.

Naturally Clean Your Home Not Just Your Skin

Looking for more affordable, convenient and natural ways to clean your home? Then you must check out Grove Collaborative! I recently became a member and have been super impressed with their service, natural products selections, prices and shipping times. Plus their products help to make it easier for families to make the switch to healthy, non-toxic home and personal care products.

Right now you can receive a free Mrs. Meyer’s Trio + Grove Walnut Scrubber Sponges when you sign up for the Grove Collaborative! They’re currently in gear for spring and are putting together some of the cleanest and greenest sets dedicated to making your home healthy and beautiful! I promise you will absolutely LOVE them! Learn more here.

Don’t Miss A Single Post!

Be sure to follow me across all of your favorite social media platforms! You can find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram as well as subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

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!

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Soapmaking Tagged With: anti-aging, calendula, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, moisturizing, natural soap, palm free soap, skin care, soap for dry skin, soap recipe, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Plantain Soap Recipe with Date Sugar & Frankincense

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

January 22, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Nourish dry skin and promote skin health with this natural plantain soap recipe with date sugar and frankincense.

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’s the Story with 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

Instructions:

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.

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.

Want to Sell Your Homemade Soaps?

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.

Don’t Miss A Single Post!

Be sure to follow me across all of your favorite social media platforms! You can find me on Pinterest, G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram as well as subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

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!

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: cold process recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, frankincense essential oil, moisturizing, natural, palm free soap, plantain, skin care, soap recipe, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Orange Spice Tea Soap Recipe for Seasonal Homemade Winter Gifts

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

January 1, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

If hot orange spice tea is one of your favorite winter luxuries, then this orange spice tea soap recipe should be on your weekend to do list! Scented with a blend of juicy seasonal oranges and zesty spices, this moisturizing homemade soap recipe nourishes dry winter skin while enveloping you with its warm, enticing fragrance.

Oranges. The Seasonal Winter Fruit.

Oranges are a common gift throughout the holiday season. They’re also the most affordable during the winter months. The reason? Oranges are actually a seasonal winter fruit. Everything from blood oranges to kumquats to clementines are picked during the winter months when they are both the sweetest and the juiciest.

So why not add some warm and cozy spices for the perfect cold weather comfort scent? Following is my orange spice tea soap recipe. Made with nourishing soapmaking oils and butters, like walnut oil and cocoa butter, this homemade soap recipe is scented with an orange spice tea fragrance oil from Symphony Scents. While the rustic color is derived from natural turmeric powder.

Keep reading to learn how to make your own homemade soaps for your family this winter or to give as seasonal or hostess gifts.

Orange Spice Tea Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
1.6 oz. cocoa butter (10%)
3.2 oz. refined coconut oil (20%)
6.4 oz. pomace olive oil (40%)
4 oz. walnut oil (25%)

5.25 fl. oz. distilled water
2.15 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide

.4 oz. orange spice tea fragrance oil
.2 oz. (1 Tablespoon) turmeric powder

Instructions:

You should always take 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. If you’ve never made cold process soap, I recommend starting with a beginner cold process soap recipe. Otherwise, you’ll follow my basic cold process soapmaking tutorial when making my orange spice tea soap recipe.

This homemade soap recipe has a 33% water discount and 6% superfat and creates six low cleansing, high conditioning soap bars.

Begin my measuring out the distilled water in fluid ounces in 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.

Once the lye-water and soapmaking oils reach about 90°-95°F, you’re ready to make soap!

Weigh out the turmeric powder and mix 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 fragrance 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 a silicone mold of your choice. (I used this gingerbread man mold.)

Cover the mold with plastic cling wrap if desired, then set aside in a safe location where it won’t be disturbed.

Your orange spice tea 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. Then wrap and label as desired for personal use or gifting.

If you’re planning to sell your orange spice tea soaps, you’ll need to label them according to FDA guidelines. If you’re not sure how to label your homemade soaps, I highly recommend the book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, by Marie Gale.

If you liked my orange spice tea soap recipe, then you may also like my basic Bastille soap recipe with essential oils that I shared at Everything Pretty blog as well as my lavender bergamot salt bar recipe that I shared at The Nourished Life blog.

Or discover more of my homemade soap recipes and tutorials, be sure to follow my Simply Soapmaking Pinterest board and my DIY Bath and Body Pinterest board. You can also find and follow me on G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram. Or subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.

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 and twitter posts!

Filed Under: Holiday DIY, Homemade Gift Ideas, Soapmaking Tagged With: Christmas gift, cold process soap, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, gift idea, orange, palm free soap, skin care, soap recipe, soapmaking, winter