Christmas time is here! It’s one of my favorite times of the year. I love the true meaning of Christmas – JESUS- and the whole spirit of those around me. It’s such a magical time. What’s I don’t really care for is stressing over what to get someone and finding that “perfect” gift. This year we’re going back to basics and giving simple homemade gifts. What can show you really care and put love into picking out a gift like making it yourself?!
Today I want to share my simple semi-homemade recipe for making soap! Yes, soap! Forget the lye and gloves and fumes, we’re making soap the easy way by buying a readymade soap base and adding ingredients to it to make it special. (and affordable!)
Making soap couldn’t be easier and it really doesn’t take much time at all. First you need to buy a quality soap base. I bought a 5lb block of a shea butter base. It doesn’t have additives or extra chemicals that aren’t needed, so it should be allergy friendly to most people.
The first step is to cut off a bunch of 2 inch chunks and put them in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on medium high for only 20 secs at a time and stir each time until melted. That’s it!
Once it’s melted, let it sit out on the counter until it’s thickened up a bit if you want to add in ingredients. That way they don’t all just sink to the bottom of the bowl and soap mold you’ll be pouring the soap into.
I added coconut oil – because everything is better with coconut oil, vegetable glycerin – because coconut oil cuts down on the lather in the soap and I like a good lather and vegetable glycerin provides that, vitamin E oil as a preservative and for it’s moisturizing properties, essential oils for smell and healing properties and ground up oatmeal for an added “scrub” benefit. (just give your oatmeal a whirl in the blender to grind it up a bit – it will mix into the soap easier)
You can add all these things, just some or none at all! It’s really up to you to personalize the way YOU want to!
So, once the soap has cooled and thickened a bit, you mix in your add-ins and pour into a mold of your choice. It can be as simple as a bread pan lined with parchment paper or as “fancy” as a silicone mold. I chose to go with an aluminum cake bar pan from Wilton and it worked great! I greased my pan with a little coconut oil before putting the soap in, just to make sure it didn’t stick. I didn’t have any trouble getting it out though!
Once the soap has hardened for about 45 minutes, you can pop your soap right out by turning over you mold and gently tapping on the bottom. If it doesn’t come out easily, stick the whole pan in the freezer for about 5-8 minutes and it will shrink up a bit and come right out!
That’s it! See how easy it was?! Now you’re ready to package it up in a pretty cellophane bag, mini tins, or wrap it with pretty festive paper right around it!
Homemade soap is sure to be a welcomed and loved gift by anyone you chose to give it to!
Note: Check out my Amazon widget in the sidebar – there’s lots of items there for you to make this soap with! (affiliate link, also!)
Omg I REALLLLY want to try this recipe. If you don’t mind can you please post a picture of Shea butter and gylecerin. I typically shop Amazon or my local store called Sprouts. As yu can tell I’m a novice in this, just want to make it right the first time. Thank you so much.
Merry Christmas.
I really want to make my own soap now even though I hate bars of soap lol.
LOL! I like to use bar soap for my hands mostly. It’s great by the kitchen sink.