aromatherapy recipes
homemade soap recipes

Homemade Soap Recipes

How to make homemade soap and use essential oils to scent them



I haven't spent too much time on the trickier methods of making homemade soap yet. That said, I have made a LOT of homemade liquid soap as well as many, many melt & pour soap bars.


I've also done a lot of research on soapmaking, and I found a really excellent resource that gives step-by-step instructions on how to make homemade soap, answers all your soapmaking questions, and provides a ton of homemade soap recipes.


But before I get into that, here's a bit of basic information:

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There are three general methods for making homemade soap. (This ebook gives instructions for a fourth method, which you can use to fix all your mistakes - but more on that later...)

  • Melt and Pour
  • Cold Process
  • Hot Process

Melt & Pour Soap

Melt & Pour is by far the easiest and safest kind of homemade soap you can make. To make Melt & Pour soap, you simply buy a soap base, melt it down and add your essential oils, herbs or other goodies.


recipes for homemade soap Candlewic.com has an excellent selection of melt and pour soap bases at very reasonable prices (under $4, but they all have sodium laureth sulfate in them, so you'll have to find another source or make your own cold/hot process soap to avoid it.) Their soap bases include aloe vera, goat's milk, hemp, shea, mango and cocoa butter, olive oil and oatmeal to name a few. To get details on each variety, click on the "Order Now" button - it takes you to a page with a description of the soap, plus sizes and prices.


Cold Process Soap (Making Homemade Lye Soap)

Stated very simply, the cold process method combines lye and oil and uses a process called "saponification" which creates bars of soap. For whatever type of oil you use, there's a relative amount of lye you need. There are tables available which give you this data, but you need to be able to interpret it.


You also need to know how to safely use lye, since it's caustic (it eats through stuff - like skin!)


One final point: cold process soap takes 2 to 4 weeks to cure between the time you make it and the time it's ready to use.


Hot Process Soap

This is similar to the cold process method for making homemade lye soap, but it involves cooking the soap ingredients to speed the process up. It's faster, a bit less messy, and the curing time is reduced, but the same safety precautions are necessary for hot process homemade soap recipes.


So... with those basics covered, I'm going to hand this whole topic off to an expert.


how to make homemade soap

The Super Soap Making Book

In the course of my research, I came across a really excellent ebook called The Super Soap Making Book. It covers everything you need to know about making homemade soap, it's easy to understand, it gives you a whole bunch of homemade soap recipes (including for bath bombs - also on my list!) And it's affordable - DEFINITELY good value for the money. Here's some of the stuff it covers:


  • Clear step-by-step instructions for each method for making homemade soap, plus pros and cons for each method.
  • Equipment & ingredients - what to use and what to avoid.
  • How to use lye and oils safely.
  • Saponification tables and how to understand them.
  • Understanding 'trace' (and 'false trace' - no more mistakes!)
  • Choosing oils and additives.
  • Using essential oils in soap making.
  • Techniques for coloring soap.
  • Soap making tips and tricks, plus a troubleshooting guide.

There's also a whole section with homemade soap recipes for kids, plus a huge selection of recipes for every kind of soap, including men's soaps, beauty soaps with oatmeal, olive oil, tea tree, aloe and other healing ingredients.


There's even a section on how to expand your soap making hobby into a business, with information on how to price, market and package your soaps.


All of ths in an easy to read 97 page ebook, which is only $17.00. Amazing value for the money, and it can save you from making some expensive mistakes!


I'm so happy I bought it. Now that we have this ebook, my mom and I are branching out into making cold process soaps for holiday gift giving. We're testing all the homemade soap recipes in the book... and then we're going to play with rebatching (you'll have to read the ebook to find out what that is!)


Buying Ready-Made Organic Soap

I found a great company called Just Natural that makes really good organic skin care products, including some beautiful organic soaps for men and women. Check these out...


What Next?

There's so much more than just homemade soap recipes to play with! Why not create your own complete skincare routine with these other easy, natural, fun to make aromatherapy recipes. Your skin will love them!


Body Scrub Recipes

Lotion Recipes

Body Butter Recipes

Aromatherapy Recipes Homepage from Homemade Soap Recipes

Get Organic Soap To Go

Soap For Women
citrus organic soap
Citrus Fresh		 vanilla organic soap
Bliss (Vanilla)
natural soap bar
Paradise		 lemongrass natural soap
Thai
Lemongrass



Soap For Men
mens natural soap
Jack Black		 organic mens soap
Navarra
handmade soap
Island Breeze		 natural soap bars
Rocky Bay


Acne Soap
adult acne soap
Adult Facial		 acne body soap
Body
boy acne soap
Boy's		 natural soap bars
Girl's

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