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Summer Citrus Soap Recipe with a Natural Essential Oil Blend

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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.

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 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

Sea Salt Shampoo Bar Recipe with Milk & Egg

March 26, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Free of sulfates and surfactants, this sea salt shampoo bar recipe is made with simple ingredients for a healthy, natural hair care solution.

I first discovered and used a salt shampoo from Etsy many many years back. While that particular shop is no longer in business, I always loved the extra volume and texture it gave my hair. Having fine, typically limp hair, the salt brought out my hair’s natural waves that I’d forgotten I have, and made it more lush, thick and luxurious.

I recently rediscovered salt shampoo with Pacifica’s Salty Waves hair care line. This in turn inspired me to create my own milk and egg sea salt shampoo bar infused with ginger and sea kelp.

Formulated using coconut oil for strong, shiny hair, this natural sea salt shampoo bar recipe also contains milk and egg to moisturize and condition hair. In addition I also added ginger essential oil and sea kelp for their hair care benefits.

Sea kelp, which is a natural source of iodine, treats dandruff while also strengthening and nourishing both your hair and scalp. Like sea kelp, ginger essential oil also treats dandruff. Additionally, ginger essential oil can boost hair growth and diminish hair loss. It also makes hair soft and shiny. (Not to mention it smells AMAZING!)

Not only will your hair love the combination of ingredients found in my natural sea salt shampoo bar recipe, but you’ll also love how long it lasts! Just one bar should last about the same amount of time as two to three bottles of a similar shampoo in liquid form.

My sea salt shampoo bar recipe contains 75% sea salt and 30% superfat. While salt bars typically make incredibly hard bars of soap, I reduced the water to 30% of the oil in this recipe to compensate for the addition of the egg. You can use either one whole egg for my salt shampoo bar or two egg yolks as desired.

Learn more about the benefits of egg soap here.

Milk & Egg Sea Salt Shampoo Bar Recipe

Ingredients:

14 oz. coconut oil

4.2 fl. oz. half and half
1.8 oz. sodium hydroxide/lye

10.5 oz. fine sea salt
one egg (or two egg yolks)
1 Tablespoon kelp powder
.5 oz. fresh ginger essential oil
1 teaspoon alpine green mica (optional)

Instructions:

My sea salt shampoo bar recipe yields six soap bars weighing about 5 oz. each. I used this silicone chrysanthemum mold for this soap recipe.

Begin by measuring out the half and half in fluid ounces. Place the half and half in your freezer until it is slushy with a thin layer of ice on top. In the meantime, remove the egg (or eggs) from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

While you are waiting, collect all of the other ingredients and equipment you’ll need for making my sea salt shampoo bar recipe. This includes proper eye protection, long sleeved clothing and gloves.

You should also double check any containers you are using to be sure they are heat safe. None of your containers or your utensils used for soapmaking should be aluminum. Stick to stainless steel, Type 5 polypropylene plastic and tempered glass to avoid a potential disaster.

If you’ve never made homemade soap before, I recommend reviewing my cold process soapmaking tutorial before getting started. This will help you gain a better understanding of the process as well as help you determine if my milk & egg sea salt shampoo bar recipe is the best recipe to start with.

Once your egg or egg yolks reach room temperature and your half and half is icy cold, you are ready to get started!

Using a digital scale weigh out the coconut oil into a heat safe container. Then, depending on the container used, either heat the coconut oil until melted at reduced power in the microwave, in a double boiler or over medium-low heat on the stovetop. Once melted, remove the coconut oil from heat, then set aside to cool.

In a separate container, weigh out the lye called for in the recipe. Pour the lye into the half and half and then stir until all the lye has dissolved. Set aside.

In the interim, measure out the kelp powder and mica (for color if desired) and weigh out the ginger essential oil and sea salt.

Once your coconut oil has cooled to around 90°F, remove about a cup of the oil from the container. Add the egg (to temper it so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs) and whisk until combined.

Now slowly pour the half and half and lye mixture into the main container of melted coconut oil. Mix briefly using an immersion blender, then add the remaining coconut oil and egg.

Mix again using the immersion blender until combined, then add the salt, kelp powder, essential oil and mica. Continue mixing until you reach trace, then pour evenly into each of your mold’s six cavities.

Lightly cover the mold with parchment paper or foodservice film and set aside overnight. You can unmold your sea salt shampoo bars the next day.

All that’s left now is to allow your shampoo bars to cure for four to six weeks prior to use. Once cured, simply massage your shampoo bar onto your wet hair and scalp as desired. Then rinse out and follow with an apple cider vinegar rinse or my homemade scalp tonic recipe.

More Natural Soap Recipes to Try

If you like my sea salt shampoo bar recipe, then you may also enjoy some of my other homemade soap recipes.

Not Quite Ready to Tackle This DIY?

If you’re not quite ready to give my milk & egg sea salt shampoo bar recipe a try but still want to experiment with salt shampoo, here are some of my favorite handmade salty shampoos from Etsy artisans.

Discover more from Soap Deli News!

To be informed of future soapmaking recipes and projects, be sure to follow Soap Deli News 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: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Lifestyle, Soapmaking Tagged With: coconut oil, cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, essential oils, ginger essential oil, hair care, health and wellness, milk soap, natural alternative, salt bar soap, sea salt, shampoo bar, shampoo recipe, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Homemade Apple Donut Soaps for Natural Anti-Aging Skin Care

February 28, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Donuts continue to be on trend. And while your waistline may not agree with this particular trend, you can enjoy my homemade apple donut soaps without worry.

Naturally sugar free, these DIY donut soaps are made with natural apple powder to gently exfoliate and rejuvenate skin. All without any calories for your waist to worry about.

In addition, this homemade soap recipe also contains moisture rich kokum butter and shea oil making these homemade apple donut soaps a must have staple for your morning skin care routine.

Why Use Apple Powder?

Apples are naturally rich in alpha-hydroxy acids. Specifically, apples contain malic acid. Used in skin care products to reduce the visible signs of aging, malic acid exfoliates skin to remove dead skin cells, promotes skin hydration and helps keep skin clear and acne free.

Additionally, some studies suggest that using a skin care product containing both malic acid and vitamin C can help with hyperpigmentation that also comes with aging. (Source.)

I also used French green clay in the recipe for my homemade apple donut soaps in addition to the apple powder. French green clay not only gives this homemade soap its natural color, but it’s also rich in nutrients. It’s believed that this natural clay can also tone and detox skin. Clay also adds an extra creaminess to the lather.

Because aging skin tends to be dry, I carefully formulated this soap recipe so that it won’t strip your skin of all its natural oils. As it’s a low cleansing and high conditioning soap, your skin won’t feel tight or dry after use.

However you can add an extra layer of moisture to your skin after you shower if desired. If you have exceedingly dry skin I recommend applying my soothing moisture whip after bathing. (You can find my favorite moisturizer recipe here.)

If my homemade apple donut soaps sound like something your skin can benefit from, keep reading to learn how to make them yourself!

Homemade Apple Donut Soaps

Ingredients:

.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
3.2 oz. refined coconut oil (20%)
1.6 oz. kokum butter (10%)
6.4 oz. pomace olive oil (40%)
1.6 oz. safflower oil (10%)
2.4 oz. shea nut oil (15%)

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

2 Tablespoons apple powder
1 Tablespoon French green clay
1 teaspoon alpine green mica, optional
1 oz. donut or apple fragrance oil (optional) or .5 oz. essential oil of choice

Getting Started:

You’ll need to take safety precautions when making my homemade apple donut soaps. This includes wearing proper eye protection, long sleeve clothing and gloves.

Additionally, you should double check any containers you are using to be sure they are heat safe. And none of your containers or your utensils used for soapmaking should be aluminum. Stick to stainless steel, Type 5 polypropylene plastic and tempered glass to avoid a potential disaster. Also be sure to check your soapmaking equipment regularly for signs of wear and etching and replace as needed.

My recipe for homemade apple donut soaps is made using the cold process soapmaking method. If you’ve never made cold process soap, please check out my tutorial on how to make cold process soap. If this recipe then seems a little daunting to you, then I strongly encourage you to start with a beginner’s cold process soap recipe.

Instructions:

Begin by preparing the lye solution for your homemade apple soap donuts. To do this, measure out the distilled water in fluid ounces into a heat safe, non-aluminum container. Then, in a separate container, use a digital scale to weigh out the lye. Pour the lye into the container of water then mix until all of the lye has dissolved. Set aside.

Next, weigh out the carrier oils and kokum butter. Combine in a separate heat safe container or stainless steel pot. Heat either in the microwave (for non-metal containers) at 50% power or over medium-low to medium heat on the stove top. Once melted remove the soapmaking oils from heat and set aside to cool.

While you are waiting for the lye-water and the soapmaking oils for your homemade apple donut soaps to cool, weigh out the (optional) fragrance or essential oil and set aside. You should also use a measuring spoon to measure out the apple powder, French green clay and (optional) green mica powder.

When both the lye-water and the soapmaking oils have cooled to around 90°-95°F, you’re ready to make soap.

Start by adding the apple powder, clay and mica to the soapmaking oils. Mix briefly with an immersion blender until the powders are evenly distributed throughout the oils.

Then carefully pour the lye-water into the soapmaking oils. Mix with with your immersion blender until the soap reaches a light trace. Then add the fragrance oil. Continue mixing until the fragrance oil is fully incorporated into the soap batter.

Once the soap has again reached a light to medium trace, pour the soap into a donut silicone mold.

Cover the mold with plastic cling wrap or parchment paper if desired, then set aside in a safe location where it won’t be disturbed. Your homemade apple donut soaps should be ready to unmold 24-48 hours later.

Once removed from the mold, allow your soaps to cure for four weeks. After your homemade donut apples soaps have cured, you can add the melt and pour soap “icing.”

Adding Icing to Your Homemade Apple Donut Soaps

Now that your homemade apple donut soaps have cured and the excess moisture has evaporated you can add the decorative icing! For the icing I used a combination of both clear and white melt and pour soap bases. However, you can use one or the other as it suits you.

To achieve the look of my iced homemade apple donut soaps, you will need both a clear and white melt and pour soap base, sparkle pink mica and a mauvey gem or purple mica powder. You will also need a container of rainbow nonpareils candy sprinkles.

Cut a large chunk of both the clear and melt and pour soap bases into smaller cubes. Then place the clear melt and pour soap base into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and the white melt and pour soap base into a 1-cup glass measuring cup. Heat each base separately in the microwave in 20-30 second increments until melted. Then remove from heat.

Stir the sparkle pink mica to suit into the clear melt and pour soap base. Then stir the purple mica to suit into the white melt and pour soap base (for a pastel accent.) Allow to cool. When the soap starts to form a skin on the top, restir.

Now turn each of the homemade apple donut soaps upside down and dip the tops into the pink melt and pour soap base one at a time. If the color of the icing isn’t dark enough, you can add a bit more mica and/or dip the soaps into the melted soap a second time until desired look is achieved.

Once all of the soaps have pink icing, you can add a drizzle of purple icing and candies to your soaps. Simply remix the purple melt and pour soap and drizzle over the top of each of your homemade apple donut soaps.

After drizzling purple soap onto each of your donut soaps, sprinkle the rainbow nonpareils candy sprinkles into the freshly poured soap before it cools completely.

Once the melt and pour soap has cooled completely your homemade apple donut soaps are complete! Simply wrap each of your homemade soaps tightly in foodservice film for personal use or gifting.

If you enjoyed my soapmaking tutorial for crafting your own homemade apple donut soaps, then you may also like my other skin care recipes for making my homemade green apple soaps with apricot kernel oil, my homemade donut soaps with watermelon powder and my solid salt scrub donuts.

Or check out this collection of 22 homemade soap recipes you can make and gift via Pinterest! (Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest here.)

Buy Homemade Donut Soaps & Bath Bombs

Not 100% certain about making my homemade apple donut soaps? No worries. There are a lot of wonderful artisan soapmakers you can purchase both homemade donut soaps and bath bombs from on Etsy. Following is a collection of my favorite donut bath and body products.

Apple Donut Bath Bombs from Wick and Lather (pictured above)
Chocolate Sprinkle Donut Soap from LoveLee Soaps
Chocolate Mini Donut Soap Soap from AJ Sweet Soap
Chocolate Cherry Donut Bath Bomb from The Little Soap Store
Donut Lovers Soap Gift Set from Sassy Muggins
Lavender Mint Bath Bomb Donut from Blue Violet Soaps

Mermaid Bath Donut from Happy Hippie Soul (pictured above)
Unicorn Donut Bath Bomb from L’apothicaire Plush Co.
Donut Bath Bomb with Soap Frosting from Orange Door Gifts & More
Donuts & Coffee Mineral Mud Soap Bar from Urban Whip
Strawberry Vanilla Donut Bakery Soap from Heritage House Co.
Sweet Treats Donut Bath Bomb from Wildwood Bath Co.

More Bath & Beauty Recipes You May Enjoy

Homemade Bath Melts Recipe via Lia Griffith (pictured above)
Homemade Rosemary Lotion Recipe via Lia Griffith
Non-Greasy Matcha Green Tea Body Butter Recipe via Everything Pretty
Basic Bastille Soap Recipe with Essential Oils via Everything Pretty
Natural Strawberry Banana Soap Recipe via The Nourished Life
Foaming Ginger & Turmeric Face Polish Recipe via Soap Deli News

Discover more from Soap Deli News!

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 soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, donut, gift idea, melt and pour soapmaking, palm free soap, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Natural Shaving Soap Recipe for an Eco-friendly Shave

February 25, 2018 By Rebecca D. Dillon

Many modern day shaving creams don’t deliver a close shave like traditional shaving soaps. Even worse, their aerosol based packaging is bad for the environment. Making the switch to a homemade shaving soap is a more environmentally friendly choice. My natural shaving soap recipe is not only a great green alternative, but it’s also budget conscience so you save money in the long run over purchasing a commercial product.

Shaving soaps have been around since the 1800’s and, of course, were exclusively used by men. However, as conventions changed and women began shaving as well, we were eventually introduced to shaving creams.

Why Use a Homemade Shaving Soap?

While traditional shaving soaps are still used by a smaller part of the population, they are making a comeback. And with good reason. Not only do shaving soaps allow for increased hydration and a closer shave, they are also more environmentally friendly than shaving cream. So if you’re ready to start making greener changes to your lifestyle, homemade shaving soaps are an easy adjustment and a great way to make a small, but cumulative difference.

In addition to reducing packaging and aerosols, my natural shaving soap recipe is eco-friendly in another way. Because this natural shaving soap recipe is palm free, it doesn’t contribute to the deforestation of the rainforests. In addition to the environmental effects this has on the earth, it also threatens the habitats of endangered animals like orangutans and Sumatran tigers.

Learn more about the use of palm oil in soapmaking.

Ingredients that I do include in my homemade shaving soap recipe are lanolin and neem oil. I use lanolin for its moisturizing properties. Not only does lanolin prevent skin from drying out with repeated shavings, it also lends to a rich, creamy lather that helps prevent knicks and razor burn.

Learn more about the benefits of lanolin in skin care.

Neem oil on the other hand helps to promote skin health and speed up healing times should irritation or knicks occur.

Learn about the skin care benefits of neem oil.

Ready to give my natural shaving soap a try to see the difference it can make for your skin? Find my cold process soap recipe and instructions below!

Natural Shaving Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

.8 oz. castor oil (5%)
4.8 oz. refined coconut oil (30%)
.8 oz. lanolin (5%)
6.4 oz. pomace olive oil (40%)
1.6 oz. shea butter (10%)
1.6 oz. neem oil (10%)

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

1 oz. patchouli essential oil
.5 oz. lavender essential oil

Instructions:

You’ll need to take safety precautions when making my natural shaving soap recipe. This includes wearing proper eye protection and gloves as well as long sleeves. Additionally, you should use only heat safe containers. None of your containers or your utensils used for soapmaking should be aluminum as when aluminum comes into contact with lye it produces a toxic gas.

My natural shaving soap recipe is made using the cold process soapmaking method. If you’ve never made cold process soap, be sure to check out my tutorial on how to make cold process soap. If this recipe then seems a little daunting to you, then I encourage you to start with a beginner’s cold process soap recipe.

Begin by preparing your lye solution. To do this, measure out the distilled water in fluid ounces into a heat safe, non-aluminum container. Then, in a separate container, use a digital scale to weigh out the lye. Pour the lye into the container of water then mix until all of the lye has dissolved. Set aside.

Next, weigh out the carrier oils, lanolin and shea butter and combine in a separate heat safe container or stainless steel pot. Heat either in the microwave (for non-metal containers) at 50% power or over medium-low to medium heat on the stove top. Alternately you may also use a crockpot. Once melted remove the soapmaking oils from heat and set aside to cool.

While you are waiting for the lye-water and the soapmaking oils for this natural shaving soap recipe to cool, weigh out the (optional) essential oils and set aside.

When both the aloe-lye mixture and the soapmaking oils have cooled to around 90°-95°F, you’re ready to make soap!

Pour the lye-water into the soapmaking oils then mix with an immersion blender until the soap reaches a light trace. Add the essential oils, then continue mixing until the essential oils are fully incorporated into the soap batter.

Then, once the soap has again reached a light to medium trace, pour the soap into a round silicone soap mold of your choice. Cover the mold with plastic cling wrap or parchment paper if desired, then set aside in a safe location where it won’t be disturbed.

Your natural shaving soap should be ready to unmold 24-48 hours later. Once removed from the mold, allow your shaving soaps to cure for 4-6 weeks prior to use.

More Natural Soap Recipes

If you like my natural shaving soap recipe, then you may also enjoy some of my other natural – and palm free! – cold process soap recipes that focus on promoting skin health. Here are some of my favorites.

Alternately, you may also want try my homemade shaving cream recipe with skin soothing witch hazel. I created this natural shaving cream recipe as a guest post for The Nourished Life blog. You can learn how to make it here.

Discover more from Soap Deli News!

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: Lifestyle, Soapmaking Tagged With: cold process soap recipe, cold process soapmaking, crafts, diy, eco-friendly, green, lanolin, moisturizing, neem oil, palm free soap, shaving soap, skin care, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Raspberry Lemonade Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

February 16, 2018 By Cari Dunn

This raspberry lemonade melt and pour soap recipe takes just 10 minutes to make, making it quick, easy, and inexpensive craft.

Rebecca’s soap recipes always amaze me. I love how she adds so many unique ingredients to her bars to make new recipes. She definitely has a talent.

Over a decade ago, I wanted to make handmade soap. My kids were babies, and I didn’t have a lot of room for supplies. I didn’t want to use lye since my kids could interrupt me at any time, so I decided to try making melt and pour soap.

Also called glycerin soap, melt and pour soap is a great alternative to making handmade soap. It’s relatively inexpensive to make and doesn’t take as long to make or cure. You can also add several ingredients to it to make a custom bar of soap.

I’ve used Rebecca’s handmade soap, and it’s amazing for the skin as well as being beautiful. Melt and pour soap is probably better suited to a hand soap because it’s not as moisturizing as traditional soap, but it can be used on the body.

Melt and pour soap gives you a chance to be creative. There are many molds that you can use to make different shapes. You can make animal soaps, flower soaps, or a basic rectangle bar. You can also add several different additives to make your bar unique.

Melt and Pour Additives

You can add most of the same additives to melt and pour soap that you can to traditional soap, but you can not add anything that has any water. Unlike with traditional soap, you cannot add any fruit or vegetables or fruit powders because they can grow mold.

You can add:

Chamomile
Caleundula
Coffee beans or grounds
Green tea
Matcha green tea
Lavender
Orange peel
Lemon peel
Ginger
Rose hips
Peppermint
Almonds
Cinnamon
Clove
Paprika
Honey
Milk powder
Pumice
Ground walnuts
Cornmeal
Clay
Aloe Vera Gel
Oatmeal
Sea Salt
Wheat Bran
Glycerin

As a general rule, you want to add 1 tablespoon per pound of soap. You can also mix two or more of these additives together for even more combinations, just make sure that you adjust the amount so that you’re adding 1 tablespoon.

Some heavy additives may sink to the bottom. You can buy what is called a suspension base. This helps keep additives suspended evenly throughout the bar.

If you don’t have a suspension base, you can still add things to your soap. I wait until the soap starts to form a scum on the top, quickly add it and stir, and then pour.

Other Ways to Customize Melt and Pour Soap

You can add carrier oils or nut butters to your melt and pour soap, too. Again, you can add 1 tablespoon per pound of soap base. These help the soap be more moisturizing for your skin. I generally add shea butter, but you can also add a liquid carrier oil.

I also use infused oils in my soaps so I can have the benefits of whatever I infused it with without adding it to the soap. I like to infuse oils with chamomile for my eczema, so I will add that for the skin benefits of chamomile and benefits of the oil that I used to infuse it with.

For color, it’s best to use soap colorants. You can use food coloring, but I find that the color fades and will be uneven within a few days of pouring the soap. If you’re making it for yourself, you may not care. If you’re selling it, it’s best to leave it natural or use a proper soap colorant.

You can add the color and stir before you pour for all over color. You can also make designs by adding a drop or two after you pour and using a toothpick to swirl the color.

You can also add mica for some shimmer.

To scent your soap, use either a fragrance oil or an essential oil. You can add 1-1.5 teaspoons per pound of soap. It’s best to start with about half of a teaspoon and add more as needed. Some scents are very strong and don’t need much added. For this soap, I used half each of a fragrance oil and essential oil.

Raspberry Lemonade Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound melt and pour soap base
1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil
1/2 teaspoon raspberry fragrance oil
1 tablespoon shea butter
Rubbing alcohol (optional)

Directions:

Step #1

To make this raspberry lemonade melt and pour soap recipe, you’ll begin by cutting the soap base into 1 inch cubes.

Step #2

Place the soap cubes in a heat safe container. I use a Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave on high at 30 second intervals, stirring at each interval, until the soap is completely melted.

Step #3

Add the shea butter and stir until melted. I don’t heat the shea butter in the microwave because it can get grainy when heated. It should melt quickly.

Step #4

Add soap colorant until you get the desired color.

Step #5

Let the soap cool slightly until it is no longer steaming. Adding the essential oil and fragrance oil too soon can cause them to burn off. I generally wait until a scum forms on the top to add them and then stir well.

Step #6

Pour into your mold.

Step #7

Spray with rubbing alcohol to remove air bubbles. This is optional. If you don’t mind bubbles on the bottom of your soap, you can skip this step.

Step #8

Let the raspberry lemonade melt and pour soap cool completely before you try to remove it from the mold. If the soap doesn’t pop out of the mold, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes and try again. If you leave the soap in for too long, it can sweat. Let it sit on a cooking rack for a few days. If you wrap it too soon, it can sweat.

You can use your raspberry lemonade melt and pour soap immediately after you unmold it. It does last longer if you let it cure for a few days, but you don’t have to wait like you do with traditional soaps.

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial for making raspberry lemonade melt and pour soap and learned how to make your own custom bar of melt and pour soap!

Visit my Everything Pretty DIY bath and beauty recipe page for more recipes like this one. Never miss a post from Everything Pretty by subscribing to my newsletter.

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