Things You'll Need:
- 100% glycerin (available at the pharmacy)
- water
- fragrance (optional)
- mold (optional)
- Fresh herbs- chamomile, lavender, sweet woodruff or anything you like
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Step 1
A ROUND OF OATMEAL SOAPThere are many ways to make your own soap, you can use herbs, spices, vegetables, oils, milk, vitamin oil and fragrances to name a few. I love homemade soap with oatmeal or coffee, some hardened in a pretty mold or some just cut in squares. And who doesn't love a bar of hand soap that smells of lavender or rose or any of the other hundreds of fragrances you can add. The problem is that many of us are sensitive to fragrances, they can be very irritating to the skin so I don't use them. The natural fragrance of the herbs is so much gentler on skin and a soft, gentle smell is more appealing to me. I have found a recipe for soap that only contains what I want it to have, and for me, the more natural the better.
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Step 2
THIS GYLCERIN SOAP HAS BEEN DYED WITH FABRIC DYEA very simple way to make soap is to start with glycerin. This product is a sweet, syrupy, color-less by-product of commercial soap making and is a soothing skin emollient. You will need to grate the block of glycerin into a saucepan and cover it with water. You may add scent to the water if desired, many like to use rose water. You will need to buy a pure rose oil and then add it to the water as strong as you like. You may also at this point add coloring. Remember that it is not necessary to add color and in fact the addition of herbs will add plenty of color to your soap. The dyes that are generally used are candle dye, liquid fabric dye and to a lesser extent, food coloring. Remember that soap will look more natural if it is a lighter color. Dark, primary colored soap usually does not look as nice as you'd like.
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Step 3
HOMEMADE SOAP BALLS ARE EASY TO MAKE AND TO USEOnce your water is all scented and colored, if desired, pour over the grated glycerin and melt over a slow heat. Stir every once in awhile until the glycerin is totally melted. Remove from heat and stir in your chopped herbs, set aside until the mixture begins to thicken. If you want to shape your soap into bars, have a container ready to spoon the soap into. You could use a cardboard milk carton (Qt. size) or any small container such as those wilton candy molds you've never used to make candy with! Spoon the soap into the mold and set aside to harden. An easier way is to pour a small amount of water (scented) on your hands and scoop a spoonful into your palm. Roll the mixture into a ball and again set aside to harden.
Comments
luv2blog said
on 12/19/2008 We use to make lye soap when I was younger.
tris said
on 10/8/2008 The process of real soapmaking turns lye and oils into soap. The glycerine you use in your article also was made with lye. But the process of soapmaking, which makes glycerine, causes the lye and oils to saponify and turn into soap. At which time the lye no longer exists in the soap. The article writer accuses lye of being the ingredient that causes breakouts saying it is the cleaner in the product. This just isn't so. Most likely the ingredient in your commercial soap that makes your skin break out is either detergent or sodium lural/laureth sulfate or some other harmful ingredient that should not be put on the skin. Lye is very caustic, yes. But the soap making process changes the chemical nature of it to make it one of the most gentle and cleansing soaps you could use on your skin. Do some research on cold process soapmaking and you will soon understand that the process chemically rem
tris said
on 10/8/2008 lye is not in soap once it is processed
krazigirl79 said
on 8/20/2008 Great tips, thank you for sharing!
heatherschulte said
on 8/13/2008 Wonderful article. I want to try this!