Herbal Soap Making

For ages, herbs have been prized for their fragrant and therapeutic qualities. Rather than spending your hard-earned money on expensive bars of herbal soap, why not make your own? Here are basic instructions for making herbal soap using the melt and pour method, the easiest of all soap making methods.

How much soap base to purchase will depend on how much soap you want to make. When it comes to the type of soap base you want to use, you have several choices. You could use a creamy white soap such as castile. Ivory soap works well also because it’s very pure and basic. Or, you could use a glycerine soap for your base. Clear glycerine soap is great for sensitive or oily skin.

Next, you’ll need to gather some dried herbs. There are so many different types of herbs you can use. For a wonderfully fragranced soap that works for the whole family, try chamomile and lavender. Oily skin can benefit from mint, and sensitive skin can be soothed with comfrey and calendula. Grind or break the dried herbs into tiny pieces so it can be incorporated easily into the soap.

You may also want to add other ingredients to the soap depending on your skin type. Olive oil is especially soothing, as are other oils like sweet almond and jojoba. If you desire additional fragrance for your soap, try essential oils. For example, if you’re making lavender soap, a few drops of lavender essential oil can add a stronger fragrance.

Prior to preparing your soap, spray your soap molds with rubbing alcohol to prevent unsightly bubbles from forming. Next, gently melt the soap base using a double boiler. After the soap has melted, slowly stir in your herbs and oils until well blended.

Finally, gently pour the mixture into your soap molds. To prevent bubbles from forming on the surface of the soap, spray the top lightly with the alcohol. The only thing left to do is allow the soap to harden. To speed the process, place the molds in the freezer after allowing them to sit at room temperature for an hour. After about 40 minutes in the freezer, the soap will easily pop out of the molds.