How to Make Homemade Soap & Shampoo

Create homemade soap and shampoo with simple ingredients.

Rather than buying commercially prepared soaps and shampoos, you can easily make these same items at home inexpensively with just a few supplies. Make your own soap and shampoo at home to control the additives, colorants and fragrances in the soap. In this manner, you can be as creative or as conservative as you like, customizing the soaps and shampoos to your preferred colors, shapes, sizes and scents. Most of the supplies for homemade soaps and shampoos can be purchased at your local craft store.

Things You'll Need

• 1 lb. clear soap base
• Knife
• Glass measuring cup
• Microwave
• Colorant
• 1 tsp. of fragrance or essential oil
• Wooden spoon
• Rubbing alcohol
• Spray bottle
• Soap mold
• 4 peppermint tea bags
• 1½ cups of water
• Pan
• 4 tbsp. pure soap flakes
• 1½ tbsp. glycerin
• Lemon verbana essential oil
• Plastic shampoo bottle

Instructions

Homemade Soap

1. Cut the casting soap into 1-inch squares. Place the soap in a glass measuring cup.

2. Place the glass measuring cup in the microwave and melt the soap in one-minute increments until the cubes are thoroughly melted. Do not overheat the soap to the boiling point.

3. Stir in the desired amount of colorant. Specific soap dyes are available at craft stores. Stir in 1 tsp. of fragrance oil.

4. Place the soap mold on a flat surface and pour in the melted soap. Put some rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle. Spritz the surface of the soap with the rubbing alcohol to remove any bubbles.

5. Let the soap cool and harden for at least an hour. Hasten the process if you like by placing the soap in the freezer for a while.

6. Remove the soap from the molds and wrap in decorative paper. These soaps keep well for 6 to 9 months.

Homemade Shampoo

1. Put the teabags in a pan, and fill with 1½ cups of water. Boil the 1½ cups of water for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Add 1 tsp. of lemon verbana essential oil to the water and stir it well.

2. Add 4 tbsp. of soap flakes into the peppermint and lemon verbana-scented water. Let stand until the soap softens.

3. Stir in the glycerin until the mixture is thoroughly mixed. Pour into a plastic bottle, cap and store in a cool, dark place.

Tips & Warnings

• Homemade soaps and shampoos can be stored between six to nine months.

• Be careful when handling the soap mixture, it can become very hot.

References

• The Everything Soapmaking Book; Alicia Grosso; F & W Publications; 2007
• Pioneer Thinking: Homemade Shampoo