How to make homemade lavender soap

"But can soap be made at home?", He will have asked more than one. Others, however, will remember their mothers or grandmothers turning around those oils and tallow that magically ended up turning into soap.

Recover that tradition, but modernizing the recipes to get a cosmetic that pampers our skin and that provides the benefits of our wonderful olive oil, far removed from that rough soap of our grandmothers, is one of the objectives of this wonderful craft that always It is very interesting to do with children at home, provided that due precautions are taken.

Precautions when making soap with soda and children

First of all, we must be aware of the responsibility with our own and other people's safety when making soap. Follow carefully the security measures indicated. The soda burns the skin and, although when the soap is finished it will have disappeared completely, during the elaboration it is necessary to be very cautious.


It is important that you do not vary any of the ingredients of the recipe or its proportions. You can make more quantity by multiplying everything by two, or less quantity by dividing all the ingredients in half.

Ingredients to make homemade lavender soap

- A digital scale (not the traditional kitchen ones that have a needle, because it should weigh the gram).
- A large glass, glass or stainless steel salad bowl (Do not use any aluminum or copper utensils).
- A rectangular plastic container with lid to use as a mold, must have more or less 1 liter capacity. It would also be worth a wooden box or thick cardboard, lined with plastic film. Aluminum or Teflon molds do not work.
- A jar of thick glass or plastic that holds the temperature.
- Mixer and stainless steel spoons.
- Plastic film of kitchen.
- 500 grams of virgin or refined olive oil (note that everything is measured in grams, even liquids, this is important to facilitate accuracy).
- 60 grams of soda powder or flakes (always better in powder).
- 150 grams of water.
- 15 grams of essential oil of lavender (for sale in herbalists, they are not worth those for burners).
Ready? Let's start.


This is done. Development of homemade lavender soap

This is a great soap for all skin types. Keep in mind that olive oil alone produces little foam. We are used to soaps and sparkling gels and we think that a soap with little foam does not clean, and that is not true. Surely if you try this soap you will fall in love with it.

1. Put on gloves and goggles and do not take them off until you have completed the entire process. Also make sure there are no children or pets around.

2. In a ventilated room, near a window, mix the soda powder with the water at room temperature in the plastic or glass jar, since the mixture produces heat. Do not breathe the vapors that occur, better if you use a mask. Remove a little and check that all the soda has dissolved. The mixture should be transparent and without pimples at the bottom. Let this mixture cool a bit in a safe place where no one can touch it, as it is caustic, until it is around 40/50 ºC.


3. Put the oil in a salad bowl or jug ​​where you can beat without splashing and little by little, add the mixture of water and soda while stirring with the spoon.

4. Once you have put all the mixture in the oils, you can beat with the blender at low speed for a while, until you see that it begins to thicken like mayonnaise or custard claritas, as it appears in the photo, even something less thick, we are worth.
This point is called a "trace" and it can take more or less between 5 and 15 minutes if you do it with a blender, and up to two hours if you do it by hand. In this case you can stop and rest every 15 minutes.

5. Add the 15 gr. of lavender essential oil just when you have it at this point, which is already clearly thicker. Natural essential oils do not usually give allergy, but if you are allergic or have very sensitive skin, it is better not to put aroma.

6. Re-mix and you can put it in the plastic container We had prepared it as a mold, and covered it with its own lid or with plastic film (never with silver paper) and left it covered and wrapped in an old blanket or towel until the next day so that it does not lose heat. You will see that it can get quite warm the next few hours, that is normal and favors the quality of the soap.

7. Use dish soap or detergent to clean the utensils you have used, with gloves on. The blender should be washed with special care, and again washed the next day, so if there were any remains, the next day it would have been transformed into soap and cleaned safely.

8. Between 24 and 48 hours after making the soap, you will see that it has a hard consistency (more or less like tender manchego cheese) and you can cut it into pills. Now leave your bars of soap in a ventilated and dry place for four weeks, turning them every week so that they dry everywhere. During that time the chemical reaction that occurs ends up neutralizing all the soda, and in addition the soap loses water and gains consistency. The more time you spend drying, the better the soap is. After these four weeks, the soap can now be used. Handmade soap is more soluble than industrial soap, so you need a soap dish with a grid or good water drainage. Enjoy your first handmade soap. You will see how your skin thanks you.

Safety measures to make homemade lavender soap

- Always wear protective gloves and goggles, During all the process. A mask may also be necessary.
- A lot of caution with soda especially with children.
- You have to be exact with the measurements, Everything, including water, must be weighed accurately, measuring jars and kitchen scales that are not digital are not worth it.
- Work with the soda in a ventilated place.
- Always use cosmetic ingredients, the essential oils must be natural, the aromas for burner or similar are not valid.
- Avoid any contact of soda or soap with aluminum or copper utensils, including silver paper.
- In case of splash, wash immediately with plenty of running water.

Mª Isabel Zuazúa. Artesana soap dish and teaches handmade soap courses in Madrid. Author of the blog Mucha espumita.

Video: How to Make Lavender Honey Lemon Melt and Pour Soap


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