How to Make Natural Cream Bath Soap
Making your own homemade soaps can be a fun and natural way to keep clean. The type of soap you make will be different depending on what ingredients you add to the soap mixture. Many ingredients can be be moisturizing, which can create a rich, cream bath soap helpful for people with dry or chapped skin.
Things You'll Need
- 16 oz. of olive oil 16 oz. of Shea butter 16 oz. of coconut oil 16 oz. of distilled water 7 oz. of lye 1 tsp. of essential oil Glass measuring cup 2 glass candy thermometers Double boiler Wooden spoon Soap molds Safety goggles Rubber gloves
Instructions
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Combine the oils and the butters into the top of a double boiler. Fill the bottom of the double boiler 1/2 full of water. Heat gradually over medium heat. Insert a glass candy thermometer, and carefully watch the temperature of the mixture. When the temperature reaches 110 degrees F, it is ready to combine with a lye water mixture.
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Put on safety goggles and rubber gloves. In a well-ventilated room, combine the lye and the water in a glass measuring cup. Insert a glass candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the lye mixture. The temperature should reach 110 degrees F.
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Carefully pour the lye mixture into the oil/butter mixture when they both reach 110 degrees F. Pour in 1 tsp. of an essential oil of your choice. Stir the mixture vigorously until the mixture begins to thicken to the consistency of pudding. This is called "tracing." Once the mixtures "traces," it is ready to be poured into soap molds.
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Carefully pour the soap mixture into soap molds, and place them into a room that is cool and dark. The soaps will need to "cure" for at least 6 weeks. This "curing" process allows the ingredients in the cream soaps to combine chemically, creating a rich, lathery soap that will hold up well in a bath. Once the natural cream soaps have "cured," they will be ready to use in a bath or shower.
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Tips & Warnings
Always wear safety goggles and rubber gloves when handling lye. Do not breathe in the lye mixture. Keep lye fumes away from eyes. Keep all soap making ingredients away from children.
References
- Photo Credit Images Courtesy of Fotosearch
