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. 17 oz (482 g) olive oil…
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: oatmeal, for visual texture and to soften skin as it gently exfoliates, French green clay, for a natural green color and mild cleansing properties, along with cedarwood “Atlas” essential oil for a clean woodsy scent. According to my favorite reference for essential oils (The Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook…
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…
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 of citrus essential oils, but you can use another scent, like lavender,…
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. (Found HERE, if you missed it!) The weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day present a wonderful opportunity to find and stock up on a variety…
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: lots of olive oil, for its gentle, skin-conditioning properties coconut oil (or babassu oil – if allergic), to add hardness and bubbles castor oil, to help…
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…
This cooling creamy palm free cucumber soap recipe is naturally colored with powerful French green clay and is perfect for those with overheated, itchy, or sweaty skin! This cold process cucumber soap is a palm-free alternative to my original Cucumber Borage Soap. When creating this recipe, I started with my standard base of skin loving olive…
This recipe is a terrific way to use up extra homemade kombucha. (If you’re not sure what the heck “kombucha” is or how you’d go about making it, check out my friend Teri’s article to learn all about it.) Besides its possible health benefits, kombucha (a fermented tea drink) is reportedly great for your skin too….
I can’t wait to share this recipe with you today! I’m so in love with these little shampoo bars. Not only do they leave my hair soft and shiny, but they work perfectly for hands and body too. (Bonus: they’re also working great for bathing my dogs!) For this recipe, I started with my usual…
I often get questions on my milk soap making posts as to whether it’s possible to hot process soap with milk in it. The short answer is: Yes, with some care taken, you can hot process milk soap. For the longer answer, I’m going to take you step-by-step as I make this Milk and Honey…
While Honey & Dandelion Soap is one of the most popular cold process recipes on my blog, I’ve often gotten questions about how to make it using a crock pot (hot process) instead. Since dandelions are popping out like crazy around here (hooray!), I thought this would be a good time to make some up…
