These mild unscented soap recipes are extra gentle and can be made especially for loved ones who have allergies, eczema, or are going through cancer treatments and have sensitive and more fragile skin. The goal here is to especially avoid irritants such as fragrances, overly cleansing ingredients, or scratchy exfoliants. Choose a Recipe: Extra Gentle…
Pencil lines in soap are thin horizontal lines that are created by lightly dusting a powdered colorant over a layer of freshly poured cold process soap batter, before adding the next layer on top. They’re a fun and relatively easy way to add visual interest to your soap recipes. While micas or charcoal, or my…
Traditional castile soap is a gentle mild soap made with 100% olive oil, with a low creamy lather. By adding a small amount of castor oil to the recipe, we boost the bubbles while still retaining the mildness that makes castile perfect for those with super sensitive skin. I chose chamomile for this recipe because…
This fall favorite soap is made with real pumpkin puree and features a spiced layer that’s deliciously scented with coffee, cinnamon and clove essential oils, and highlighted by two contrasting pencil lines made of cocoa powder. It’s a brand new addition to my Soapmaking Success e-course, but was so well received by local friends and…
Before you can begin making soap at home, you need to gather some specific pieces of essential equipment. Below, I’ve assembled a list of must-have tools for soapmaking, followed by a couple of extras that are also useful to have on hand. 1. Scale This doesn’t have to be super expensive. Check the kitchen supplies…
After my new book, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, came out, I started getting a lot of questions asking where I bought the variety of molds used to make the soaps in the book. So this week, I rounded up a list of 15+ soap molds that I’ve personally purchased, used, and found to be both…
This soap recipe was inspired by a trip to my local apple orchard on a beautiful fall day. It features freshly pressed apple cider (unsweetened apple juice could work well too), along with the subtle warm spicy scent of essential oils. While the scent of the apple cider won’t make it through to the final…
This herbal shampoo bar recipe combines the simple goodness of chamomile tea with nourishing honey to create a wonderful lathering experience for your hair. (Directions are included for both hot process and cold process soap methods.) Fresh chamomile from my garden, along with a jar of honey from our beehives inspired this herbal shampoo bar…
This classic gentle soap contains finely ground oatmeal and nourishing honey. Its creamy mildness makes it perfect for everyday use by those with sensitive skin. Hot Process Oatmeal Honey Soap Oils, liquid and lye should all be measured by weight. You must use an accurate scale to make soap. Notes & Substitution Ideas: *Yield of…
Every spring, I look forward to making one of my all-time favorite soaps – Dandelion & Honey. I’ve been making some version of it for about 14 years or so now, changing up the recipe here and there for variety. This year, I decided to switch things up and turn it into a liquid soap, instead…
This simple natural soap features: According to my favorite reference for essential oils (The Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness), cedarwood “Atlas” (Cedrus atlantica) is mildly astringent, antibacterial & antifungal, making it a good addition to products for acne, eczema, psoriasis and oily skin. (Though if you sell soap, you can’t make…
Are you confused about which essential oils can be used when making cold process soap? Wondering how much of an essential oil should you put in a batch of soap? If so, this article and printable chart should help! It can be downloaded and printed out, so you’ll always have it for easy reference when making…
Here’s how to use dandelion flowers to make homemade shampoo bars! Some unseasonably warm spring-like weather, along with an extra jar of dandelion-infused olive oil I had on hand, inspired this shampoo bar recipe. Keeping in theme with the happy sunny feelings that I associate with dandelions, I scented the soap with a cheerful blend…
This natural soap recipe features rose clay, powdered milk (optional), and cocoa butter. The overlapping ingredient list and heart shapes coordinate nicely with the rose milk bath bombs in my previous recipe. The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day present a wonderful opportunity to find and stock up on a variety of inexpensive heart shaped molds at…
These cheerful little sunflower soaps are made with sunflower-infused oil and naturally colored with lemon peel powder. I scented mine with a bright blend of mostly citrus essential oils, but feel free to use other scents in their place, or leave them completely unscented. How to Add Sunflowers to Soap Because I have lots of sunflowers…
This simple natural soap tutorial was created for those seeking an uncomplicated basic recipe, making it perfect for beginning soap makers and those with multiple skin sensitivities. It features: For this project, I used a small 4-inch silicone loaf mold that yields 4 bars of soap, so it’s sized smaller than most of the other…
Dandelion flowers, which are wonderful for treating rough, dry skin, are infused into skin-softening olive oil, then combined with bubbly coconut and nourishing sunflower oil to make this soap. This dandelion soap is perfect for scrubbing away dirt and grime from hands, making it a wonderful gift for the gardener or farmer in your life! It…
Aleppo Soap is an ancient Syrian soap recipe made from just olive oil, laurel berry fruit oil, water and lye. It’s reported to be beneficial for those with skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne and rashes. For more information about the rich history of Aleppo soap, check out this article from Montreal Gazette. True Aleppo soap…
Have you heard of the Soap Challenge Club? It’s a monthly challenge that you can join to learn new techniques and have fun with your soap making. (Plus, you can win some pretty great prizes!) I’ve been following Amy Warden’s Great Cakes Soapworks blog for a few months now and loved seeing how everyone interpreted the challenge…
This pretty herbal soap features goldenrod infused oil and tea, plus a design imprint created by using a fondant mat. In September, I wrote a post on using goldenrod, and in it, I mentioned making goldenrod soap. So in this article, I’m going to show how I use two goldenrod infusions to make soap: a water…
