Cleaning Tip Tuesday: DIY Lavender & Oat Hand Soap

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How many times do you wash your hands every day? Lots. Right? I tend to buy cheap liquid hand soap off the shelf and call it good, but what I’m really drawn to are those pretty soaps in their fancy wrapping with little specks of vanilla bean or lemon peel or coffee beans. I pick them up and breath in their aroma… then I look at the price tag and quietly set them back down. I just can’t justify spending $10 on a bar of soap.

Last week I was, once again, sniffing bars of soap at World Market (I’m not the only one that smells stuff at the store, right?), and in a moment of weakness, I almost bought a bar, when my daughter says, “Mom. Why don’t you just make some?” Lightbulb moment. I actually have soap-making supplies in my basement. I bought them a l-o-n-g time ago. I made, like, 4 bars as Christmas gifts, and forgot all about it… until now. So, let’s make some pretty soap, shall we?

Here’s What You’ll Need

Soap Base– There are many different soap bases to choose from including goat’s milk, shea butter, glycerin, etc.
Soap Mold
Lavender Essential Oil– Not sure where to buy essential oils? Check out this post.
Dried Lavender
Dried Oats
Wooden Craft Stick
Liquid Measuring Cup

Directions

The soap base comes scored, so you will need to break apart the pieces and place them into a glass measuring cup (you may need to use a knife). Place this into the microwave and heat, on high, for approximately 30 seconds. Stir with a wooden craft stick, and continue to microwave, on high, in 10 second increments; stirring in between. This stuff melts pretty quickly, so don’t overdo it.

Quickly add in the lavender essential oil and stir it in with the craft stick. (I ended up using up the rest of my bottle, so I didn’t get enough. I’d go with 20-30 drops.) The soap begins to harden right away, so you need to move fast.

Pour the liquid into your soap mold.

Sprinkle on a small handful of oats and a small handful of dried lavender, and stir it in. Remember: Move fast.

Allow the soap to cool and harden in the mold, and then pop it out. That’s all there is to it. You now have pretty soap.

Depending on the size of your soap mold, the amount you can make will vary. I used 14 soap base cubes and was able to make 4 moderately sized bars of soap.

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