6 Original Ways of Making Soap at Home
Nowadays, many people prefer to make their own shampoos, creams, and makeup in order to reduce the use of beauty products with chemicals that could be harmful to the skin. 5-Minute Crafts is showing you how to make soaps at home in a simple way and with natural elements. We also wrote a bonus at the end of the article that will show you how to make a scrub for your hands.
1. Shaped like a cinnamon roll
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of melted white glycerin
- 4 drops of brown vegetable coloring
- 1 tsp of vanilla essence
- 2 tbsp of cinnamon powder
- 1 rectangular silicone mold
1. In a glass container, mix the liquid glycerin with the food coloring and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Pour the liquid into a silicone mold — it should be a very thin layer, approximately 1/4 of an inch (0.5 centimeters).
2. Sprinkle the cinnamon powder over the entire surface. Allow it to solidify for at least 1 minute. It’s important that before unmolding, the consistency becomes soft.
3. Unmold it and cut it in half with a knife, or you can use a pizza cutter.
4. Carefully roll up each layer of soap.
5. Combine the vanilla essence with a little cinnamon, and with the help of a thin brush, decorate the surface of the soap.
6. Pour a little white glycerin over the soap, as if it were the icing on a cinnamon roll.
2. Shaped like honey
What you’ll need:
- 1 small rectangular glass container
- 1 piece of bubble wrap (the size of the glass container)
- 1 ½ cups of melted clear glycerin
- ½ cup of honey
- Cover the inside of the glass container with bubble wrap.
- Pour in the melted clear glycerin. You can add a few drops of vanilla essence or almond oil.
- Stir in the honey and mix it with a wooden spoon. Let it sit until it solidifies. This will take at least 24 hours.
- Remove the bar of soap from the mold and gently remove the plastic. Cut it into rectangles or in any shape you desire.
3. With whole rose buttons
What you’ll need:
- 1 cylindrical cardboard container
- 1-2 cups of whole rosebuds
- 2 cups of melted clear glycerin
- Fill the cardboard container with the rosebuds. For a more intense fragrance, you can add a few drops of rose, vanilla, or jasmine essence to the flowers.
- Pour the liquid glycerin inside. Let it solidify for at least 24 hours.
- Remove the solidified bar of soap. Cut it into slices of about 1/2 of an inch wide (1 centimeter).
4. With rose petals
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of coconut oil
- 1 cup of beeswax
- 1 cup of shea butter
- 4-5 drops of rose essence oil
- Rose petals
- 1 silicone mold in the shape of roses
- In a saucepan, heat the oil, wax, and butter over low heat.
- When it has a liquid consistency, add the drops of rose essence. Mix all the ingredients and remove the pan from the heat.
- Pour the liquid into the silicone mold.
- Before unmolding, allow the soap bars to solidify for at least 6 hours.
5. With dried lavender leaves
What you’ll need:
- 1 bar of ivory soap
- 2 tbsp of dried lavender leaves
- 1 tbsp of water
- 3 drops of blue vegetable oil
- Silicone molds
1. Place the ivory soap in the microwave for 3 minutes.
2. Wait a few minutes before taking it out. You will notice that its shape has changed and that it has the appearance of a fluffy cloud.
3. Chop the soap into small pieces in a medium bowl.
4. Add the dried lavender leaves, water, and food coloring. Mix it well — you can use a hand blender.
5. Use a spoon to place the dough in the silicone molds.
6. Try to make a very compact dough. You can do this by pressing it with a spoon or with your fingers until the mold is full. In a couple of hours, you will be able to unmold it and use the soaps.
6. With mint, lavender, and poppy seeds
What you’ll need:
- 3 cups of melted white glycerin
- 1 tsp of peppermint oil
- 1 tsp of lavender oil
- 1 tsp of green vegetable coloring
- 1 tsp of purple vegetable coloring
- 1 tbsp of poppy seeds
- Plastic soap molds
- 2 medium glass containers
1. Divide the glycerin into equal parts and place it in 2 separate containers. In the first container, mix the green coloring with the peppermint oil.
2. Pour it into the molds until they’re half full. Let them sit for at least 1 hour to harden.
3. In the second container with glycerin, combine the lavender oil and the purple coloring.
4. Add the poppy seeds. Mix all the elements together.
5. Pour the mix in the molds over the previously solidified soap.
6. Allow the soaps to harden for at least a couple of hours before removing them from their molds.
Bonus 1: making your own hand scrub
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of kosher salt
- 1 ⅓ cups of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of orange zest
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice
- ½ tsp of tea tree oil
- ½ tsp of peppermint oil
- 1 empty glass container with an airtight lid
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In a glass bowl, mix all the ingredients. Stir until all the elements are combined.
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Place the mixture in a clean glass container and cover it. Keep it in your bathroom, near the sink.
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You can use this natural exfoliant to treat your hands. Apply a small amount and massage in circular motions for 30 seconds. Rinse with warm water. When your hands are completely dry, moisturize them with cream.
Bonus 2: hand-shaped soap
- Make a mold out of your hand (you can do this by using kinetic sand or any other way you see fit).
- Fill it with melted soap.
- Let it cool off.