A few years ago I made it a point to start taking anything I considered an “unnecessary chemical” out of my life, diet, and beauty regimen. It started by switching to natural toothpastes, natural shampoos, and natural dish soap. I now make my own house cleaners, don’t use ANY shampoo or conditioner, and make all my own soaps and lotions.
So why did I (as well as thousands of other people) choose to switch to natural soap? The first reason is to avoid harmful chemicals. Many commercial soaps contain parabens, sulfates, dioxane, synthetic fragrances, and a bunch of other chemicals that I can’t pronounce and don’t know what they mean. Manos Soap Co. wrote a very informative article that included 10 chemicals you will find in soaps and why they are harmful.
Now I’m not saying all commercial soaps are bad. There are many out there that I’m sure are good for your skin. However, I encourage you to read the ingredients! In my opinion, if you are putting something on or in your body, you should know and approve of all the ingredients inside.
Even though I could have done my research and found natural soaps, there were a few other reasons I decided to start making my own soap.
Cost was definitely a factor. I have saved so much money since I started making my own soap bars. One pound of soap base can make me more than 30 bars, depending on the size. I also have a collection of essential oils built up, as well as plants that I can use the leaves from.
The environmental impact was the other factor. Although it doesn’t seem like a lot of waste being produced, almost every soap bar in the store has a cardboard box and plastic around it. This garbage waste on top of the energy required to actually manufacture the soaps, leaves a much higher carbon footprint than making your own.
What are some of the benefits of using natural homemade soap?
- !00% pure essential oils
- You know all of the ingredients
- No artificial fragrances, detergents, or toxic chemicals
- Good for your skin’s complexity (Makes it soft and smooth)
- Maintain your skin’s natural pH level (4.7 to 5.5)
- Cruelty-free (A lot of commercial soap companies test on animals, as well as have dangerous and unfair working environments for their employees)
- Smells good (Natural essential oils have a strong, wonderful aroma that actually stay on you!)
- Environmentally Friendly
- Offers additional healing properties (different essential oils offer different healing properties; such as anti-inflammatory, immune system booster, cold & flu symptom relief, headache relief, and much more)
So when I first started researching how to make my own natural soaps, a lot of recipes I stumbled upon included lye. Now I wasn’t sure what lye was, which meant I wanted to look it up before deciding to use it.
According to Dictionary.com, lye is actually “a strongly alkaline solution, especially of potassium hydroxide, used for washing or cleansing.”
In order to make soap, you must create a chemical reaction between lye and oil molecules. In the process of saponification, the combination chemically changes the ingredients into soap and glycerin. If made properly, the lye is used up in this process and there is none left in your soap.
However, there are many warnings associated with making your own soap with lye. You have to get just the right ratio of everything to make sure the chemical reaction occurs properly. You also have to worry about not getting it on your skin, pets, clothes, or in eyes while using the lye. You have to worry about where to store it, what to put it in, and so much more.
So I decided to use the Melt and Pour Method. This allows you to use a glycerin or goat milk soap base, that has already gone through the saponification process. You simply need a soap base, soap molds, essential oils, and any additional add-ins you would like!
STEP 1:
Cut up soap base into smaller square pieces.
STEP 2:
Microwave some chunks of soap. Stir every 10 seconds, to keep the soap from burning. Make sure you use a microwave safe dish, I use Pyrex.
STEP 3:
Add desired oils and colorants, while stirring it evenly.
STEP 4:
Pour into molds.
Make sure you use molds that can handle the hot melted soap. Silicone and plastic molds tend to be the best option for these! You can find these in almost any craft store, I got mine at Michael’s.
STEP 5:
You can add your extra additives after. Depending on what you are adding will determine how hard you want the soap to be before adding.
For example, I like adding oatmeal to my soaps for exfoliation. However, I usually wait until it is almost hardened, so it sticks to the top instead of floating to the bottom.
When I add flower petals or fresh rosemary sprigs, I add a little bit at a time. Add some petals, let it harden almost all the way, add some more melted soap and petals, let it harden again. Do it layer by layer.
Necessary Ingredients:
- Natural Soap Base. I use either a white, creamy natural goat milk soap base or a clear, natural glycerin soap.
- Oils. Some of my favorite oils to use are coconut, rose hip, tea tree, lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, avocado, vitamin E, hemp seed oil, grapeseed oil, castor oil, and many more.
Optional Ingredients:
- Colorants. Make sure you get colored dye that is natural and safe for your skin. Some people use food coloring, but I don’t like using them. I like using ones that are specifically for your face.
- Extra Add-ons. Oatmeal and coffee grinds are great add-ons for exfoliation. Some of my other favorite additions are rose petals, dried flowers, dried flower petals, rosemary, dried mint leaves, and honey.
I hope you enjoyed this article! If you do decide to start making your own soaps, please share them with me! I’d love to get other ideas.
And if you don’t feel like making your own soaps, I sell ones that I make for very, very cheap. Please check out my Etsy shop, JessitheDreamer, for tons of different soap options!