How to Make DIY Milled Soap
Hand-mill basic white, unscented soap to transform it into fragrant, silky-hard, luxury soap with excellent emollient characteristics. Also known as rebatched or French-milled soap, hand-milled soap is made by adding fragrance, color, oil, and filler to grated soap, then cooking it on the stove top. Honey and Oatmeal in a Luffa is a luxurious, vanilla-scented treat for the skin that polishes as it cleanses; it is just one of hundreds of recipes you can whip up in an afternoon. Hand-milled soaps are considered the finest soaps in the world, and making your own opens the door to an aromatic world of creativity that knows no bounds.
Things You'll Need
- White or transparent, unscented, hypo-allergenic baby soap, pure vegetable soap bars or pre-grated soap flakes
- Luffa (also known as loofah) sponge
- Serrated knife
- Sharp scissors
- Plastic wrap
- 4 thick elastic bands
- Hand grater
- Large saucepan
- 4 small heat-resistant glass bowls
- Glass measuring cup, 4-cup size
- Glass measuring cup, 2-cup size
- 2 tablespoons
- Wooden spoon
- Wooden or metal drying rack
- Glass dropper
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 25 drops vanilla essential oil or fragrance oil
- 1 tablespoon powdered skim milk
- 1 tablespoon liquid honey
- 1 tablespoon toasted, finely-ground rolled oats
Instructions
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Make soap molds using slices of luffa sponge. Cut a luffa into 2-1/2-inch slices. A regular-size luffa sponge yields about four slices. Remove the inner core of each slice. Wrap each of the luffa slices with four layers of plastic wrap, making sure to cover the bottom and bringing the wrap right up to the lip of the top opening. Secure with an elastic band. Cut any excess that sits above the opening of the mold.
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2
Grate enough soap, about four or five bars depending on the bar size, with a hand grater to fill a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Process the grated soap in a blender for a finer textured soap. Toast the oats on a cookie sheet in a 250-degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Grind the toasted oats to a fine flour-like consistency in a blender set to "Grind." Premeasure the honey, skim milk powder and ground oats and place into small glass bowls. Measure the fragrance oil with a glass dropper and place it into a small glass bowl.
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Place 2 cups grated soap, 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup water into a glass 4-cup measuring cup or other heat-resistant glass container. Set inside a large saucepan. Add 2 inches of water to the saucepan. Place on the stove and set the burner to medium-high. Turn the heat down to low as soon as the water starts to boil, using only enough heat to keep the water simmering. Mix gently with a wooden spoon during the 10- to 15-minute melting process to break up clumps and incorporate the water into the soap. Continue stirring the soap until it looks like lumpy marshmallow cream. This is the string or rope stage and indicates that all the water has combined with the soap. Remove the glass cup or container from the saucepan.
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4
Add the fragrance, honey, powdered milk and ground oats to your soap mixture. Stir the mixture thoroughly to completely infuse the additives. Spoon the mixture into the luffa molds. Tap gently to remove air bubbles. Place the soap-filled luffas on a drying rack for 4 or 5 hours. Cure for up to 3 weeks for a harder soap.
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Tips & Warnings
Experiment with botanical additives such as lavender, peppermint and chamomile.
Blend two or more essential oils together to create your own signature scents.
Buy only high quality fragrance oils.
Color your soaps with natural powder colorants such as paprika, tumeric, oxides and dried calendula blossoms.
Experiment with fillers and other ingredients such as cornmeal, bananas, glycerine and beeswax.
Consider using distilled bottled water if your tap water is hard.
Rosewater is a soothing, emollient liquid that can be used instead of water for its skin-softening and fragrance properties.
Many household items can be used for a mold, including empty toilet tissue or paper towel rolls, milk cartons and plastic storage tubs, or you can purchase full-size or guest soap size designer molds.
Melted soap is hot. Avoid contact with your skin.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit spa in winter holiday image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
