Every year I look for new things to give friends and family members as gifts not only at Christmastime, but also other occasions or just because. This is how I discovered the art of making my own soap!
Making soap has been one of the most fun and rewarding activities that I've ever done. I haven't tried any recipes with lye yet, but I'm hoping to accomplish that this coming holiday season. Instead, this blog post will focus on melt and pour soap making. It's a very simple activity that you can personalize in almost limitless ways.
The most recent batch of soap I made contained natural citrus scents and fresh herbs gathered from my garden. I used a 1/2 round bar soap mold and clear glycerin soap base (Click Here to view the soap base).
The first batch I made contained lavender I collected and dried from my garden. I added the dried lavender to my food processor along with a few teaspoons of water to create a puree. Then I mixed it into the melted soap base along with a few drops of color. It turned out beautiful and smelled heavenly.
The second batch I made contained lemon and orange peel. I simply peeled a lemon and orange (I added the fruit to a fresh pitcher of water for my consumption while I was making soap) placed them into my food processor and blended until they were fine particles. Then I added them to my melted soap base along with some color. Again the soap smelled amazing and turned out great!
I ended up giving some to my neighbor, my parents and in-laws and sending some to work with my husband for his co-workers. I still have a bar sitting on my bathroom sink that my son is slowly but surely diminishing! The entire process took less time than making the 10-15 minute drive to the mall and purchasing soap. It is so easy and is a gift that comes from the heart!
We have a complete soap making kit at Make Your Own that has everything you need to get started. ( Click Here to view the kit) We also have a wide variety of scents, colors and soap molds. ( Click Here to view our entire soap making inventory)
I hope you try your hand at soap making! I'm so glad I did! If you do decide to try it out - post your recipes, tips or tricks below in the comments sections!! I'm always looking for new stuff to add to my soap or new recipes to try!
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