Poppy Seed & Lavender Soap Recipe
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Lavender soap recipe with an earthy base note and decorated with dried flowers and poppy seeds. Includes full DIY instructions.
Don’t let this soap’s pretty looks fool you — she’s got a complex modern scent that’s a twist on a classic lavender soap. Though some people aren’t big fans of patchouli oil on its own, when blended with lavender it becomes something else. A deep and earthy base that highlights, rather than detracts, from the floral aroma. It’s a scent that makes lavender less traditional and even appeals to the guys.
In this simple soap recipe, you’ll make six bars of what I like to think of as lavender spice soap. It’s colored with a purple mineral and speckled throughout with tiny poppy seeds. It’s a great recipe to get you started making soap and there are even more recipes for you to try at the end.
Using Lavender Buds in Soap Recipes
Many herbs and flowers can be used to decorate handmade soap but can turn brown over time. Lavender buds are one of them. If you mix them into your soap base, expect them to turn a rusty brown within days. Maybe not the look you were going for.
Even decorating the tops of wet soap can cause them to brown pretty quickly. In this recipe I quite like the contrast of brown against the lavender soap color. If you’re not a fan, don’t worry, there’s a way to avoid this.
In the recipe I give the directions to sprinkle the lavender buds on top of the soap right after you make it. Avoid any chance of discoloration by first making and curing the soap completely. When that month has passed, spray the tops of your bars with witch hazel or alcohol and sprinkle the lavender buds on. As the liquid dries, it causes the lavender to stick on top.
Soap Making Equipment
Much of the soap-making equipment you need could already be in your kitchen. Rubber washing-up gloves, bowls, and even silicone molds. If you don’t have everything, you can purchase it online relatively inexpensively. Also, make sure to check out second-hand shops for pots and other items.
To protect yourself from the lye solution you should always wear eye protection (goggles) and rubber gloves. Here’s more of what you’ll need:
- Digital Thermometer gun
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Stick (Immersion) Blender
- Stainless steel pan for melting the solid oils
- Heat-proof jug for the lye-solution
- A large bowl for measuring the liquid oils into
- Rubber spatula for stirring and scraping
- A small dish for mixing the color in
- Small sieve (strainer)
- Mixing color is a whizz with a milk frother
- A standard take-out container as a soap mold. Line it in baking/grease-proof paper
Simple Soap Recipe Series
This is the second recipe that I’m sharing as part of simple soap-making series. All the recipes shared have the same base oils and are customized by changing the scent, color, and dried herbs and flowers.
Soap making can be an expensive hobby. If you use the same base recipe, you can cut down on costs by using the same main ingredients. That means less investment in loads of other types of oils. Also, making the same base recipe will help you become proficient in natural soap making.
- Zesty Citrus & Calendula soap recipe
- Rose Geranium soap recipe
- Herbal soap recipe
- Get the Lovely Greens Guide to Natural Soapmaking
Poppy Seed & Lavender Soap recipe
Equipment
- Stainless steel pan for melting the solid oils
- A large bowl for measuring the liquid oils into
- A small dish for mixing the color in
Ingredients
Lye water
- 64 g Sodium hydroxide (2.27 oz)
- 115 g Distilled water (4.06 oz)
Solid oils
- 146 g Coconut oil (refined) ( 5.15 oz)
- 52 g Shea butter (1.83 oz)
Liquid oils
- 123 g Olive oil (4.34 oz (light colored olive oil))
- 51 g Sunflower oil (1.8 oz)
- 45 g Sweet almond oil (1.59 oz)
- 37 g Castor oil ( 1.31 oz)
- 1/4+1/8 tsp Ultramarine Violet ((optional))
Add after Trace
- 9.33 g Lavender essential oil (1 tsp)
- 4 g Patchouli essential oil (1/2 tsp)
- 1/8 tsp Poppy seeds
To decorate
Instructions
- Pre-mix the Ultramarine violet in about a Tablespoon of the olive oil. Prepare your soap mold(s) now too. The one I'm using is a clean take-out container lined with two strips of baking paper. One laid lengthwise, and the other one across. Leaving overlapping paper will help you get the soap out when it's ready.
- Next, dissolve the lye (Sodium hydroxide) crystals in water. Gear up with eye protection, gloves, and wear a long sleeved top. In an airy place, outdoors is best, pour the lye crystals into the water and stir well. There will be a lot of heat and steam so be careful. Try not to breath it in. Leave outside in a safe place, or in a shallow basin of water to cool.
- Melt the solid oils in a stainless steel pan on very low heat. When melted, remove from the heat and set on a pot holder. Pour in the liquid oils including the colored oil.
- Measure the temperatures of the lye-water and the oils. You should aim to cool them both to be about 120°F / 49°C.
- Pour the lye-solution into the pan of oils. I tend to always pour the liquid through a sieve to catch any potential undissolved lye or bits.
- Dip your immersion blender into the pan and with it turned off, stir the mixture. Next, bring it to the center of the pan and with both your hands, hold it on the bottom of the pan and blitz it for just a couple seconds. Turn it off and stir the soap batter, using the blender as a spoon. Repeat until the mixture thickens up to ‘Trace’. This is when the batter leaves a distinguishable trail on the surface. The consistency will be like thin custard.
- With your spatula, stir in the essential oils. When mixed in, sprinkle in the poppy seeds and stir well. Working quickly, pour the soap into the mold(s). Sprinkle the top with dried lavender buds.
- Turn your oven on to very low and heat for just a minute or two until it's 100°F / 38°C. Then turn your oven off, and pop your soap mold(s) inside. Leave overnight. Oven-processing the soap like this intensifies the color.
- The next day, take the soap out of the oven and set someplace to rest for another day. Once 48 hours have passed, you can take the soap out of the mold(s). Cure it for 28 days before using. Curing means leaving the bars spaced out on a protected surface out of direct sunlight and in an airy place. This allows the extra water content to fully evaporate out.
- Once made, your soap will have a shelf-life of up to two years. Check the oil bottles that you’re using though — the closest best-by date is the best-by date of your soap.
Notes
Hello,
If I am using your Basic Soap Recipe (without almond & sunflower oils), can I just use a coloured clay and the same amounts of essential oils in the batch? I am just starting out making soaps and just wanted to stick to your basic recipe right now. Please let me know if it’s possible. Thanks!! Love your recipes!! :)
Hi Berta, first of all, please do not leave out any oils in a soap recipe. The lye amount included is calculated on all of the oils being present and if you leave oils out the soap will be very harsh. I have pieces sharing how to naturally color soap with clay and using essential oil in soap recipes that will answer your other questions. Good luck!
Hi, can you use just one kind of oil instead of 3 or 4 different kinds?
Thanks ?
Hi Brooke, you could use a 1-oil soap recipe like my castile soap recipe or the coconut oil soap recipe, and customize it with the color, scent, and poppyseeds from this one.
Hi
Can I mix the ultramarine with a little bit of water instead?
thanks xx
Yes, that works as well and is what I tend to do in my in-person soapmaking workshops
Hi I have a question as I am new to soap making – and love your site! I input your recipe for natural lavender to soap calc as I was learning how to use it. I was wondering why the water and lye on the soap cal would generate a different amount than in your recipe with the same amount of oils inputted. I hope this makes sense. I am trying to understand soap calc so I can get creative and I thought the lye and water amount generated by this calc was what is supposed to be used. Thanks
Hi Michele, and ignore the water amount in the SoapCalc :) Water is a variable ingredient and not well understood by beginners. The full water amount in the SoapCalc is also for hot-process soap, rather than cold-process.
Thanks so much for the reply. Still a newbie but wanted to know why as I always check with soapcalc and love this recipe. I did try it with a fragrance oil and my soap cracked when cutting it ? Could it be censuses if the titanium dioxide. ?
Water amount in soap recipes is variable, and as you gain more experience you’ll understand it better. Water amount affects how quickly the soap traces, if it’s more likely to gel (or partial gel), if your soap gets soda ash, if your bars shrink during curing, and other variables. The amount I list in my beginner soap recipes is there for your ensured success. Please ignore the water amount in the SoapCalc since it often gives you far too much. Remember that the SoapCalc is used to calculate recipes for both cold-process and hot (which needs far more water). As far as your optional ingredients, titanium dioxide is the likely culprit for the cracking.
Is it possible to substitute this particular pigment with something else? I can’t seem to find it anywhere.. would a pearlescent pigment do the work?
Yes, and you can leave the pigment out of this recipe if you wish too :) Here’s a list of natural colorants you can use instead.
Hello Tanya, can I use goats milk in place of the water for this recipe? Thank you.
Yes, you may, but ensure that you use a method that keeps it from overheating and discoloring. I have a tip you might find useful in my goat’s milk soap recipe
Hi, I’m confused, with the measurements of the ingredients, I do not understand. You say 438 g of Coconut oil are 5.15 ounces. how is tath if the ounce has 28 g. Please sre you using another measurement system. Thank you.
This recipe, and the two others in the series, use 146g coconut oil which is 5.15oz. I’m not sure where you’re getting the 438g but it’s not an error in this recipe.
Hi Tanya!
I’m gonna try this lavender recipe but without sweet almond oil and with unrefined shea butter as I want to keep its properties. I was wondering if the unrefind shea butter could change the violet color expected.
Have a nice day
Chloe
Hi Chloe, if you’re new to soap making you should know that you can’t replace/swap/omit oils without recalculating the lye amount. Have a read of this https://lovelygreens.com/change-customize-soap-recipe/
Hi, I love your recipes! I wondered if its ok just to double the ingredients for a bigger 800g batch, or do I have to use the SoapCalc? Thanks:)
Yes, feel free to double it.
Hi Tanya Thanks for all your help and information. I’m always tempted by your recipes. I haven’t tried this one yet ( hence no rating ). Could you clarify something for me? I see that you are using 115 g water. When I run the recipe through a soap calculator ( to get an idea of the resulting features and qualities of that combination of oils ) I get between 140g and 170g of water recommended. How would that alter the overall character of the soap ?
Water amount controls how quickly the soap traces (thickens up) and the more water, the slower it goes. I always ignore the water amounts in the SoapCalc because they are usually far too much. Too much water can also cause soda ash which is a powdery residue on the tops of your soap. If you’d like to learn more about water in soap recipes, jump to the section on ‘Creating Lye Solutions’ in this piece: https://lovelygreens.com/change-customize-soap-recipe/
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I will try to add the lavender after curing as you suggest. Hate when soap turns brown if it isn’t brown from the start.
Happy Soaping!