There’s something so satisfying about doing a cheeky bit of DIY. Recently I decided to experiment with making my own soaps and despite sounding like a bit of an undertaking, it’s actually really easy and you can mix it up and experiment with hundreds of different combinations.
Here’s what you need:
1 x block of soap mix – I used half of this one and have saved the rest of the batch for another session of soap making
1 x sharp knife to cut up into 1cm chunks
1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon
Soap moulds – again lots of options online but here is a good starting point
Now you just need your ingredients. I love the calming properties of lavender – not only does it remind me of Provence but it’s also a great option for a soap to use in a calming Sunday night bath session. I read that teabags are a great way to get some interesting flavour combos so first up I tried some of my Lavender oil with a couple of teabags of Lavender & Echinacea tea.
Method:
Cut up all of your soap and put in a bowl in small chunks.
Pop in the microwave and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring with a wooden spoon each time.
Once all of your chunks have melted, mix in your ingredients – you’ll be able to smell the fragrance instantly so add as much or as little as you like depending how strong you want the soap to be.
I used about 10 drops of Lavender and then opened up the tea bags into a large teaspoon and added in (this was about 2 tablespoons in total). Again though, I don’t think there is any right or wrong with this, so just keep adding to make it as strong or as subtle as you like.
Do this all quite quickly so that the mixture stays liquid and doesn’t start to harden – as it’s liquid pour it immediately into the moulds.
Then you simply set it aside in a room (normal room temp) and leave for around 3 – 4 hours until it sets. Et voila! Lavender and Echinacea Tea soap.
I also whipped up some Rose and Poppyseed soap bars too in a Queen Bee soap mould with additional rose petals (just use again as many drops of rose oil as you want and then I used about 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds). These turned out great too after about 3 – 4 hours of setting and smell delicious when using in the bath. The poppy seed adds an element of exfoliation for the skin which is a nice additional benefit.
There are literally hundreds of combinations you could try, each with a different benefit and so I’d love to hear if you’ve made your own soaps before and if there are any other recipes I should try. These would make a great personalized unique gifts too, where you can personalise the scents used for the soaps to the person you’re gifting to – a lovely thoughtful present idea. Hope this has inspired you to perhaps start experimenting and creating your own beauty products – next up I think I might try with some homemade face masks, which I’ve also heard are relatively easy and cheap to do!
LMNH x
