NOTE: This article is a handmade soap recipe made with plant ingredients that help enhance circulation and therefore may help with cellulite. It also smells amazing and helps get rid of dead skin cells so your skin can glow! Homemade body care products are the best! Cellulite is just something th
By: Dinah Wulf Soap making is a creative art that has been around for thousands of years. The beauty of crafting your own soap is that you can choose the scent, color, and size, and it’s much more cost-effective than buying soap at the store. The soap-making process takes about an hour; however, the cooling and curing process takes around four weeks. So, if you are making a batch for yourself or for gift giving, take that time into consideration. Here is some basic information on soap making and how to make scented bar soap using the cold process. The cold process is the most common, basic soap-making process. You can make soaps in a variety of different shapes thanks to the abundance of molds available on the market today. Flowers, ovals, shells – if you can name it, there’s a soap mold for it. Wooden molds are ideal for cold-process soap making. You can not only play with the shape but also customize your soap by adding dried flower petals, dried herbs, and fragrance or essential oils. With a few ingredients and the proper equipment, you can make your own handmade bar soap. Working with Lye Before you begin, it’s important to know a little bit about working with lye. You can’t make soap without it. Lye is also known as sodium hydroxide. The chemical reaction between lye and fats produces a solid soap, also known as the saponification process. Therefore, you have to be careful and protect yourself during projects like this. Wear rubber gloves, goggles, and an apron to help protect your skin. Some fumes may rise when mixing lye with water, so be sure to move your face away. The fumes will only last one to two minutes. You cannot typically buy lye in a grocery store anymore, but you can find it online or in a hardware store near the drain cleaning supplies. When you purchase it, make sure it is 100 percent sodium hydroxide. Source: Fix.com Blog Procedure: ♣ 1. Protect your work area with newspaper, put on your protective gear, and measure your water and lye. ♣ 2. Combine the coconut oil and palm oil, and place them in a preheated pot until they melt. You can use different types of oils; however, remember that for this step, the two oils you choose must be solids. ♣ 3. While the oil is melting, pour water into a bowl, and then slowly pour the lye in the water. Don’t forget, there will be some fumes and heat! Stir the mixture for about five minutes to ensure that it is mixed well. ♣ 4. Now it’s time to add your liquid form oil. Measure your olive oil and then add it to the melted solid oils. You want the temperature to be about 110–120 degrees F. ♣ 5. Once both the lye mixture and oil mixture reach about 110–120 degrees, pour the lye mixture into the pot with the oil mixture. Blend with a hand blender for a full five minutes. ♣ 6. Add about a teaspoon of the essential oils of your choice. You can also add colorant and/or herbs if you’d like. ♣ 7. Carefully pour your mixture into your mold. ♣ 8. Cover your mold with plastic wrap, and then put a towel over it to keep the heat in. Source: Fix.com Blog Curing Handmade Soap Allow your mold to set for at least 24 hours. When you check on it, the soap will be hard and opaque. If the soap is still warm, allow it to cool for a few more hours. Once the soap is completely cool, remove the mold. Cut the soap into thick bars. Allow it to cure for about one month in a dust-free area before you use it. You can turn the bars over frequently during curation. Storing Handmade Soap You can store it in a shoebox. Be sure to place a space in between each bar standing them up to allow them to breath. Shoeboxes work well because they allow your soap to breathe, unlike a sealed plastic container. Keep them out of direct sunlight in a cool place. Handmade soap should store up to 12 months, some longer. Depending on the type of essential oil you use, the scent may fade after several months. Be sure to store similar scents together if you are making it in bulk. For example, store citrus scents in one shoebox and minty scents in another shoebox. More about Additives Once you get the process down, you can play around with different additives, such as coffee grinds, oatmeal, or cocoa powder; herbs such as lemongrass or mint; and spices such as ginger, cinnamon, or cloves. You can also use different oils and butters. To scent your soap, you can use essential oils and fragrant oils. They both work well if you choose good-quality oil. The main difference between the two is that essential oils are natural, whereas fragrant oils have chemical components. For an interesting look, you can get creative and mix colors to swirl your soaps in different color combinations, stamp your soap, color block it, or even infuse it. Source: Fix.com Blog As you can see, numerous possibilities and combinations of oils, butters, and additives are out there for soap making. The finished product, handmade bars of soap, make great DIY gifts because soap is an inexpensive craft that you can make in bulk and personalize. You can wrap your bars in textured papers, tie it up with twine, and add a tag for a special touch. Dinah Wulf is a DIY expert. She runs a successful home décor, crafting, and DIY blog that has been recognized by Parenting.com, Circle of Moms, and Mashable. She holds a Masters of Arts in Speech Communications from California State University Fullerton. Fix.com
Here are some homemade soap recipes that contain all natural and skin friendly ingredients like turmeric, honey, shea butter, aloe gel etc.
Do you have writer's block? Don't worry, because there's a soap for that. Are you a morning person? Then there's a soap for you too. There's even a soap for internet trolls that smells like living in your mom's basement.
Beldi-type soft soaps—sometimes called paste or gel soaps—are easy to make and wonderful for your skin. Here is my own recipe for a luxurious version.
Know how to increase soap business profit margin with simple hacks. Also get a free checklist to start a successful soap business.
This recipe is from The Natural Soapmaking Book for Beginners by Kelly Cable.Equipment list:Large stainless steel potlarge spoonkitchen scalebowls for measuring ingredientsthermometerstick blendersmall zip top bagglass or plastic bowl for lye watersoap moldparchment paperrubber spatula
44 natural soap colorants reveal many ways to color your homemade soap naturally, along with ideas for exfoliation, antioxidants, and more!
Cold process soap making is not only fun but also a great way to use your creativity and create a beautiful, skin loving practical product.
A great soap for your first time! Simple easy to find ingredients that you may already have in your stash. A nice hard moisturizing bar of soap!
We had great fun today teaching eight eager ladies the basics of cold process soap making at Melton South Community Centre, Victoria. Our beginners soap making course is one of my personal favourites to teach because I do most of the instruction. We teach a minimum of four with a maximum of eight students per class. [...]
Natural chamomile soap recipe using cocoa butter, chamomile essential oil, and a strong chamomile tea. This is a small batch that makes about 5-6 bars. Technical information: 1lb / 454g batch -- 6% superfat -- 33% lye solution
Waiting for soap to cure. Ugh. It's like waiting for paint to dry but even more painfully slow. I'm sure every single soapmaker out there has wondered how to get soap to cure quicker at least once, if not a million times.
The Whiskey River Soap Co. handmade a colorful collection of snarky scented soaps that are each named after the type of person or the occasion they are
This is the easiest way to make soap without using lye--and it's safe to do with kids. Customize your homemade soap with any scents or colors you like!
This homemade deodorant is my absolute favorite and perfect for sensitive skin. Plus it's easy to make and super effective it. Try it!
Do you have writer's block? Don't worry, because there's a soap for that. Are you a morning person? Then there's a soap for you too. There's even a soap for internet trolls that smells like living in your mom's basement.
A nourishing mango butter soap recipe enriched with lots of shea butter, coconut milk and an exotic blend of essential oils. Such a delight!
Learn how to make aloe vera soap using fresh aloe and natural ingredients. Also included is a cold process soap recipe for gentle aloe vera facial soap bars.
Easy and delicious date loaf with Weetbix as the not-so-secret ingredient.
If you’ve set a goal to start selling your soaps at craft fairs, farmer’s markets or online this year, this labeling information is valuable. Knowing how to label your items for sale is not only part of selling best practices, it’s also required by law! Marie Gale, a blogger friend and cosmetic labeling guru, has …
Along with dozens of natural colorants that give your soap brilliant hues, there are many natural exfoliants that will provide a scrub factor.
The Whiskey River Soap co. has created some of the best bar soap around. They have hilarious names and even funnier scent profiles.
Make your own soap - easy and fantastic! This basic cold process soap is a good starting point. Learn soap-making basics with this tutorial
Learn how to make soap from scratch. This guide to cold process soap making for beginners will teach you everything you need to get started. Do you want to learn how to make soap from scratch? Cold process soap making method is what you're looking for, friend! I'm super excited to introduce you to soap
The Whiskey River Soap co. has created some of the best bar soap around. They have hilarious names and even funnier scent profiles.
Do you have writer's block? Don't worry, because there's a soap for that. Are you a morning person? Then there's a soap for you too. There's even a soap for internet trolls that smells like living in your mom's basement.
Do you have writer's block? Don't worry, because there's a soap for that. Are you a morning person? Then there's a soap for you too. There's even a soap for internet trolls that smells like living in your mom's basement.
These handmade soap recipes are mild & gentle, making them suitable for those with sensitive skin or conditions requiring the use of fragrance-free products (such as cancer treatments or allergies.)
Ever wished to have your own successful soap making business? Then, you need to read the 11 points included in this article.
A 100% natural solid deodorant, which is mild on your skin and contains no skin-irritating aluminium or baking soda.
Affordable finds they'll actually love.
Soap making is a fun craft that's easy to master, provided you have good attention to detail and know-how to carefully follow directions. Once you learn how to make soap, you can begin experimenting with
Pure Castile soap is so simple to make and is used in several natural cleaner formulas. Making your own takes very little time and you can b...
This pink clay soap recipe is my new favorite. I love everything about it, the gorgeous smell, the pretty pink color, the way it makes my skin feel.
How about making soap with baking soda instead of lye? This is another way to go about making DIY homemade cleaning agents without too much
Are you one of those people who wants to learn how to make homemade soap bars but are intimidated by the process? Years ago I felt the same way. I wanted to make bar soap, but the thought of working with lye terrified me. All I had heard was how caustic and dangerous it was,
This is Jan Berry's recipe for Calendula Soap from Natural Soap Making.Please see more detailed instructions below this printable recipe, or in Jan's book, especially if you are new to making homemade soap.Jan suggests substituting sweet almond oil for the sunflower oil, so that's what I did. I used lye from Essential Depot. You will also need dried calendula flowers for this recipe, to make the calendula tea.
