10 Easy homemade soap recipes with natural ingredients

Homemade soap recipes allow you to have a product made with ingredients of your choice and with a scent of your choice. Soap is sold in every store and this is product that we use daily. However, few of the many soap bars in the stores contain natural ingredients. Have you noticed how your skin gets dry? Some types of soap can cause allergic reactions as well. Allergy sufferers are generally advised to use baby soap.

When making at home, you can only use natural ingredients that are appropriate for your skin type. And if now it is just a hobby, with time it can become a profitable business. So we say “goodbye” to chemicals and opt for a 100% natural and healthy skincare.

What ingredients can you use for homemade soap?

Before talking about ingredients, let’s see the methods for making soap at home. There are two methods. One of them is based on using fats and lye. Lye is a chemical and should be handled with great caution. Lye is caustic and can cause burns on your skin.

The second one is the melt and pour method which is great for handmade soaps and perfect for beginners. This method is based on pre-made soap base which can be bought online. If you are a beginner, then it is important to know that there are different types of soap base. Some contains more glycerin which helps moisturize and hydrate your skin. It is important to read the description, as some bases may contain preservatives or other chemicals. Avoid bases with parabens as these are toxic for environment and can have a negative effect on your skin as well. You can choose a clear soap base if you want to add ingredients that will be visible after your soap is set, for example herbs like lavender. White base is great for coloring. The market also offers natural, organic, goat milk, etc. soap base varieties.

So, what ingredients can you use for homemade soap recipes? The good news is that you can use numerous organic and natural ingredients like beeswax, dried herbs, essential oils, colors, etc. For example – lavender, chamomile, lemongrass, essential or fragrance oils of any plant and natural colorants like cocoa, coffee, turmeric, beetroot, etc. You can add dried fruit and spices to your homemade soap. For example, lemon or orange slices, cinnamon sticks, star anise, etc. For soap making you can use a variety of fats and oils – coconut oil, cocoa butter, olive oil, almond oil, shea butter, etc. As you see – there is no limit to creativity and imagination and you will know exactly what your handmade soap consists of!

What tools and equipment do you need to make homemade soap? Once you have decided to make your own soap, you will need some tools and equipment. Here is a short list:

• Soap base
• Glass measuring jug
• Wooden or stainless steel spoon
• Stainless steel pot
• Plastic spatula
• Digital scale
• Thermometer
• Soap molds, you can use silicone cake molds in any shape
• Wax paper to line mold if necessary
• Essential oils and ingredients

The melt and pour method for making soap at home can be summarized in several simple steps.

• Cut the base into small chunks.
• Melt the base in a heat-resistant bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave.
• Add fragrance, color or other additives.
• Pour into your molds and leave to harden.

Easy homemade soap recipes and ideas – DIY milk and honey soap

Ingredients:

2 lb/900 g Goat milk soap base

5 tbsp honey

gold soap colorant

91% Isopropyl Alcohol, in a spray bottle

Microwave-safe measuring cup

12 – inch/30 cm silicone mold

Instructions:

Cut the goat’s milk soap base into small cubes and place into a microwave-safe measuring cup. Melt in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well after each session, to ensure that the soap is completely melted.

Carefully stir in gold soap colorant and honey. Pour the melted soap into the mold and spritz with isopropyl alcohol to remove any air bubbles.

Allow the soaps to sit for about 60-90 minutes until completely firm.

Umold.

Homemade soap recipes – Lavender soap

Ingredients:

3.5oz/100g melt-and-pour soap base

1.5 tbsp ground lavender buds

10-30 drops of lavender essential oil

Instructions:

Cut off 3.5oz/100g of soap base from the block and chop it into small pieces. Place in microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir. Place back into microwave for 20 seconds at a time stirring in-between until soap is liquefied.

Meanwhile, grind some lavender for mixing into the soap. Stir in lavender oil and add dried lavender.

 Pour into molds and let set for a couple of hours.

Remove from molds.

Homemade soap recipes – Vanilla and Coffee Soap

Ingredients:

1 lb/453 g. goat’s milk melt and pour base

1/4 cup ground coffee

20 drops vanilla scent

Instructions:

Cut Goat’s milk soap base into 1 inch/ 2,5 cm cubes and add them to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave 10 seconds and stir. Continue to microwave at 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted.

Stir in coffee grounds and vanilla soap scent.

Pour into a silicone mold.

Let sit at room temperature for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until hardened.

Unmold carefully by pushing on the bottom to release the soap.

DIY Coconut soap

Ingredients:

30 oz/850 g. coconut oil

3 oz/85 g. castor oil

4.7 oz /133 g. lye

10.9 oz/310 g water

2 oz/56 g. fragrance oil (or 1 oz/28 g. essential oil)

Directions:

Weigh castor oil, lye, and water in separate containers.

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan and add castor oil. Let cool to room temperature, or about 80°F/26°C

Mix the lye solution, adding the lye to the water and mixing to dissolve. Let cool to about 80°F/26°C.

Slowly add the lye solution to the oils and mix with a stick blender. Both the oils and the lye solution should be warm but not hot. Continue mixing until a thin pudding-like consistency and when the mixture is dribbled onto the surface it leaves a visible trail, or “trace.”

Add fragrance, stir and pour into the molds.

Let the finished soap harden overnight. You can unmold after 12-18 hours.

Use a sharp stainless-steel knife to cut it into bars.

DIY Orange slice soap recipe

Ingredients:

Goat’s milk melt and pour base

Orange essential oil

Dried orange slices, you can use lemons or limes instead

Instructions:

Dry the citrus slices. Cut thin slices of orange. Make sure that they will fit into your mold. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Arrange the slices on a wire rack on top of a pan and place in the oven until dry, about 2-3 hours. Time will depend on the thickness of the slices. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Cut the soap base into chunks and place in a microwave safe container. Microwave on 20-30 second intervals, stirring to make sure it is smooth and melted.

Add a few drops of essential oils to the melted soap base and stir.

Place 1-2 dried orange slices inside the molds and pour the soap base.

Allow the soap to harden and remove from mold.

Homemade Rose Bud Soap recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound/450 g. Shea butter glycerin melt and pour soap base

7-8 drops rose essential oil

dried rose buds and petals

Directions:

Roughly chop the soap into cubes. Divide in two and set half of the cubes aside. Melt the soap on high in your microwave, in 30-second intervals, stirring each time until completely melted.

Add 7 – 8 drops of essential oil and gently stir.

Pour a little of the melted soap in each of the cavities of the mold.

Place a few rose buds and petals on top. Repeat.

Melt the remaining soap as above.

Let the soap set until firm and remove from the molds.

Pink Himalayan Salt and Grapefruit Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound/450 g. goat’s milk soap base

1/4 cup Pink Himalayan Salt

20 drops Grapefruit essential oil

Instructions:

Melt soap base in a double boiler or in microwave oven stirring every 30 seconds.

Remove soap from heat and stir in grapefruit essential oil.

Add pink Himalayan salt to melted soap and immediately pour into molds.

Allow soap to harden for at least 2 hours before removing from soap mold.

Chamomile and shea butter soap recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb./450 g. Shea butter melt and pour soap base

1 tablespoon chamomile powder (or contents of 3 chamomile tea bags)

Spritz bottle with rubbing alcohol

Directions:

Cut the shea butter soap base into chunks.

Melt the base in a microwave oven, at 30-seconds intervals or on low heat, stirring, until melted.

When the soap base is completely melted, pour in the chamomile and stir gently until thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat.

Pour into the soap mold and spritz with rubbing alcohol to remove any air bubbles.

Let set until soap is completely cooled before unmolding.