Simple Flower Soap Recipe
Use this recipe to customize your own handmade flower soap using lavender, rose geranium, ylang ylang, and other floral essential oils. You can add flower petals to decorate your soap too! Detailed soapmaking instructions are available in the next part of this series. Technical information: 1lb / 454g batch -- 6% superfat -- 33% water discount
Servings 6 bars
Cost $10
Equipment
- Containers to measure liquid oils, clay, and dry lye granules/pellets.
Ingredients
Lye solution
- 1 tsp French pink clay
- 124 g distilled water 4.37 oz
- 62 g sodium hydroxide 2.19 oz
Solid oils
- 114 g coconut oil (refined) 4.02 oz
- 68 g shea butter (refined) 2.4 oz
- 45 g cocoa butter 1.59 oz
Liquid oils
- 204 g olive oil (light colored or pomace) 7.2 oz
- 23 g castor oil 0.81 oz
Add after Trace
- 14 g essential oil** 3 tsp
To decorate
- 1 TBSP dried flower petals***
Instructions
- Mix the clay into the distilled water.
- Create the lye solution by pouring the sodium hydroxide into the colored water. Stir well and leave the jug to cool in a shallow basin or sink of water.
- Melt the solid oils in a small saucepan on low heat until just melted, no longer. Take off the hob and place it on a pot holder.
- Pour the liquid oils into the pan. Stir to mix, and make sure to scrape every last drop from the container. Take the temperature - you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- Take the temperature of the lye solution - you're aiming for around 100°F (38°C).
- When the oils and the lye solution temperatures are around 100°F (38°C) and within ten degrees of one another, it's time to mix.
- Use an immersion blender to emulsify the ingredients. Mix until you reach a light trace.
- Stir the essential oils in, ensuring they're well-mixed in, and no streaks remain.
- Pour soap batter into the soap mold.
- Decorate with dried flower petals and herbs, if desired.
- Leave it on the counter to cool and harden or insulate it to force gelling.
- Leave the soap for two days before unmolding, cutting into bars (if applicable), and curing for one month. After a month, the soap is ready to use and has a shelf life of up to two years.
Notes
* You may use a maximum of 3 tsp of essential oil total in your soap choosing from these scents: chamomile (Anthemis nobilis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), neroli, palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini), rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), or ylang ylang (Cananga odorata).
** Decorate your soap with rose petals, lavender buds, calendula petals, dried chamomile, and other skin-safe dried flowers and leaves. All will lose a bit of their vibrancy over time but should remain lovely for months.