Want to hear candid views on products? You have come to the right place!

I really love using body scrubs every now and then. But I always feel that the problem with good scrubs is that often they are too expensive. Am I the only one who feels that? There are many scrubs available in the market these days. This time I was looking for a scrub which is not only affordable but also gives good results on use.

While browsing the internet, I came across this product from Dove. Keeping aside my personal thoughts on Dove as a brand, I decided to give it a try. It had some great reviews too. I had to check it on for myself, if those reviews were telling the truth. Also, the combination of crushed macadamia and rice milk felt very intriguing. Personally, I have not come across this variant in any other brand.

About Dove

Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever. The brand started in the year 1957 with the introduction of its famous beauty cleansing bar. Today, the product portfolio includes cleansing bars, shampoos, body washes, deodorants, lotions, moisturizers and other products. It has become famous for its unconventional advertisements and focus on ‘real beauty’ that celebrates women.

About Dove Exfoliating Body Polish

The product is a body scrub that nourishes and restores the skin’s natural nutrients. The product also provides gentle exfoliation and has a relaxing fragrance. According to the claims, macadamia fights skin-aging and moisturizes the skin, and the rice milk lightens and brightens the skin tone.

The product comes in 3 variants -

• Pomegranate Seeds and Shea Butter
• Crushed Macadamia and Rice Milk
• Kiwi Seeds and Cool Aloe

I think all the combinations are very interesting, and I would love to try the other two variants in the near future.

The Product

The product has a rich creamy texture with red beads. The scrub has a thick liquid consistency so it is easy to spread on the body. It has a sweet vanilla smell which is not that overpowering. The fragrance is actually quite relaxing. The scrub isn’t very harsh on my skin either unlike other scrubs. It has a perfect gritty texture. On application, the product feels very luxe and indulgent. I think the product lives up to its claims. It leaves the skin very smooth, clean and moisturized. It is easy to rinse out while you are in the shower, which is also great.

Price and Packaging

The product is priced at USD 5.94 (in India it retails for INR 699) for 298 g. It comes in a clear plastic tub with a blue lid. It fits easily in the palm of your hand. The packaging is quite sturdy. It is not a travel size but you can certainly carry it while traveling. The packaging is quite well made, so the product will not spill while travelling. I also like the fact that you can take out the product easily. There wouldn’t be any wastage as you can take out the product till the very end unlike when the scrubs come in a tube and towards the end you cannot take out the last bit of it, so you end up using the scissors to cut the tube and take it out. You know what I mean? Dove has really come up with a good packaging for this product.

Ingredients

How to Use The Product

Just apply some scrub on the body, gently rub it on the skin and wash the area.

Pros of Dove Exfoliating Body Scrub Review

• I love the sturdy packaging of the product.
• The scrub is hydrating.
• It has micro scrub particles which I generally don’t find in other scrubs. This makes it less abrasive on the skin which I really enjoyed in this body scrub.
• People with all skin types can use this scrub.
• The fragrance is luxurious.
• Affordable and pocket friendly.
• A small quantity of the product also goes a long way.

Honestly, I could not find any cons of using this body scrub. Some people with really sensitive skin can find the scrub a little harsh.

My Personal Review

I have tried body scrubs from a myriad of brands. I was not expecting anything from this body scrub when I ordered it. But I was pleasantly surprised by this scrub’s performance. I don’t recall when I was so happy with a body scrub. I generally am not a fan of using Dove products because of the ingredients that they use in the products especially fragrance.

We often use body scrubs for a couple of minutes. We do not allow it to absorb into our skin. So I really do not mind the fragrance in my body scrub. Rather I enjoy having a luxe fragrance in such products. This is definitely one of the products from Dove that I have really enjoyed. It fulfils all the claims that it does. I would like to give it a 5 out of 5 and I would love to try more variants of this scrub very soon. This would definitely be a repeat purchase for me.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2021 PGupta0919

Comments

PGupta0919 (author) on April 26, 2021:

Thank you Amara :)

Amara from Pakistan on April 26, 2021:

Well written hub.. :-)

Krystal is a working mother of two teenagers who enjoys "spa days" at home whenever she can get them.

As a busy mother of two, I take any opportunity that I can find to indulge in a bit of "me" time. Usually, that time comes in the form of a glass of wine, a chapter or two (or four) of a good book, and a nice, long, soak in the bathtub.

I had seen a lot of advertisements recently for bath bombs from two, of what I am guessing, are the biggest names in the game at the moment. Bubbly Belle and Fragrant Jewels. And I decided, why not try them both?

Bubbly Belle Bath Bombs

When you first visit the Bubbly Belle website, you are greeted with the chance to get a bath bomb, with a ring inside, for one dollar. I decided to take them up on their generous offer and purchased three additional bath bombs from them as well. Unfortunately, I used all three before I decided to write this review (fun fact—this review initially was going to go in a whole different direction).

The bombs themselves were of a decent size, and the smell was amazing! Seriously, you could smell them the moment you opened the box.

Sadly enough, I used all three within the same week. It wasn't that I couldn't get enough of the surprise rings (quite the opposite, but I will get to that in a few minutes), but the way my bathwater smelled, and how soft my skin felt after. Bubbly Belle seemed like a dream come true!

Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting high-quality rings when I bought these bath bombs. I did expect them to look a bit less like costume jewelry (which to me is what these two pieces looked like), but heck I wasn't going to complain.

But when the stone fell out of not one, but BOTH of the other rings? Yeah, I'm no longer going to waste my money on these. Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the second ring this happened to, because when I lost two large stones within three days of each other? I was so dang irritated that I threw the entire thing in the trash. Especially when the second ring was one of those "fake diamond" rings that the one stone was the only stone.

Fragrant Jewels Bath Bombs

And so, I went to visit Fragrant Jewels. Immediately upon visiting their site, I was informed that if I purchased items from a specific collection that a portion of the proceeds would be donated to a charity. But then, I was burned before. So I chose the safe route and purchased one bath bomb from them.

The one I received from Fragrant Jewels not only looked a bit bigger than the ones offered by Bubble Belle, but it was also much easier to open. The Fragrant Jewels Bombs have an easy-open tear line where Bubbly Belle ones needed to be cut open.

And while my bathwater didn't have the same strong odor that it did when using a Bubbly Belle bath bomb, my skin still achieved the same desired level of softness.

As for the quality of the ring? This one not only looks like it is a higher level of quality than the ones from Bubbly Belle, but I have been wearing it for over two weeks with no issues (knock on wood, my Bubbly Belle rings only lasted about a week or less before the stones fell out).

Fragrant Jewels Is the Winner!

Consider me a Fragrant Jewels fan! I will pay a bit extra for a bigger bomb with (thus far) better-looking, and more durable, jewelry.

© 2019 Krystal Marie

Comments

Luz Rosado on August 18, 2020:

I am a monthly bubbly belle suscriber and git over 20 rings and I dont see an issue with their rings to be honest for me the rings are a bonus and they do not look cheap and none of broken on me and I have gotten for over 3 months I havent tried fragant jewels and I will to see but again maybe it was you bombs but mine all my rings look good and durable

Cindra Harding on July 26, 2020:

Wish i would have read this before i ordered too much on bubbly belle

Sarah on April 23, 2020:

Appreciated this review. I have purchased from fragrant jewels before and like the product and rings but was curious which of these two companies was better. I wont bother to try bubbly belle's, thank you.

I have worked hard to stay fit and understand the complex relationship between aging, nutrition, and exercise.

Unique Specialty Soap, Especially for Men

My first experience with specialty bar soap was literally an eye-opener -- a citric wave of orange peel and cedar that had me looking at the bar of soap in my hand like a dog looks at a new squeaky toy. What is this? Is soap allowed to smell like this?

Since then I have come to appreciate the world of specialty soap for men, small world though it may be. There are a (literal) handful of specialty soaps out there that are designed for men like me -- a little older, a little disgusted by the smell of Axe -- and this quick guide will discuss the most interesting ones. Cedar oil, Dead Sea mud, and even pine tar have a role in these unique men's bar soaps, and pioneering brands like Viking and Dr. Squatch also get their due. So let's unpack a crate of high-end bar soap for men, and talk about what to expect when you lather up.

1. Dr. Squatch Men's Cedar Citrus Soap

This bar is my top choice for men's specialty bar soap. The top notes of this soap are citrus and cedar, with a base note of rosemary. The effect is sharp but pleasant—a serious departure from your usual perfumed soap. I actually feel like Dr. Squatch understands men like me.

This perfectly balanced, just-intense-enough specialty soap has me looking forward to my morning shower. A good men's bar soap should remind you that it's there throughout the day but never intrude on your peace of mind. Dr. Squatch has this figured out.

Details:

• Refreshing and energizing blend of rustic cedar and zesty orange oils
• Naturally made using the cold process method.
• Full body soap for the shower
• Support small business: all of their soap is handmade in the USA
• Made in small batches
• Perfect for exfoliating, shaving, and manly activities such as bathing in the woods

Another cool thing about Dr. Squatch is their refusal to use cheap glycerin like bigger companies. Overall, this is just a great bar of soap to pick up first thing in the morning.

2. Brickell Men's Purifying Charcoal Soap Bar for Men

Charcoal soap is a relatively new thing, but like charcoal toothpaste, it's quickly becoming a stand-by in a man's shower routine. Brickell's charcoal bar soap is one of the better and more popular brands on the shelves. While it may look like a black chunk of coal, Brickell's bar soap is actually a gently, frothing soap that smells of mint and tea tree oils. While I still prefer Dr. Squatch's cedar and citrus bar (above), Brickell's charcoal is a close second. I love the way it goes from a black chink to a sweet-smelling froth in the shower, and I can carry that good aroma with me throughout the day.

Details:

• Frothy lather deeply cleanses without drying out the skin
• Mint and tea tree oils
• Natural and organic
• Uses activated charcoal to cleanse and purify skin
• Organic coconut and olive oil
• Peppermint and tea tree oil
• 100% natural, 85% organic

This company was founded in 2014 by two men who wanted to create men's skin products that used natural ingredients and would be affordable for regular men to use every day. They began their business in one partner's garage, and five years later sell their products in over 20 countries.

3. Viking Revolution Activated Charcoal Soap for Men w/Dead Sea Mud

I wouldn't normally rush to clean my face with mud, especially from the Dead Sea, but this activated charcoal bar soap gets stellar reviews and is much more than the sum of its parts, which are, you know, dredged up from the bottom of an inland sea known for its kill count. Like all of many new charcoal bar soaps out there, it's jet-black and looks something like a chunk of coal—but magically produced a clean, fragrant froth. Not mud. Were you expecting mud?

If you're a fan of sharp, clean combinations like this bar's eucalyptus and peppermint profile, then this "new-wave" men's bar soap may light up your receptors. At the very least, it will give your house guests a moment's pause.

Details:

• Suitable for facial skincare as well as cleansing your whole body.
• Clears pores without tightening and drying facial skin.
• Essence of eucalyptus and peppermint
• Activated charcoal creates a great lather.
• Natural, organic, and clean
• 100% satisfaction guarantee

4. Crate 61 6-Pack Box Set

If you're going to get adventurous with your bar soap, then you might want to invest in one of the very good multi-packs out there. Maximize your bar-soap dollar by sampling a range of fragrance combinations without going all in on a ten-dollar bar of soap. I got lucky right off the bat with Dr. Squatch, but you never know. It's very possible to invest good money in a bar of quality specialty soap, get it home, get it in the shower get it wet, and discover that it smells like a dryer sheet.

A variety box like this one from Crate 61 is a good way to start figuring out what works for you. I got lucky right off the bat when I realized that sharper, more acidic fragrances were what I needed to almost literally lift me up in the morning. My wife's sweet-smelling botanical products are all well and good, but for me, they're no competition for cedar and bitter orange.

Crate 61's 6-pack features a range of bar soaps for men and women and will give you an opportunity to see what's new. I can't personally vouch for all of these combinations, but there's a good chance you'll find the bar that speaks to you.

Details:

• 100% natural; vegan
• Cold process
• Essential oils; no artificial fragrances
• No synthetic chemicals
• Made by hand in small batches
• Includes Activated Charcoal, Oatmeal Shea, Eucamint, Alpine Spice, Tango Mango, and Patchouli Lime.
• Perfect gift at a great value

5. Marlowe No. 102 Men's Body Scrub

I like the look of this men's bar soap by Marlowe—simple, to-the-point, and very masculine. It's an exfoliating bar, which means it's intended more as a face wash than as a shower bar, but it would work for either. If you're a man who could use a good face scrub to get the day's grit out of your pores, then Marlowe's no.102 has got you. If you're a fan of green tea extract, then even better–it's going to be somewhat less astringent than some of the other oil-based bars in this article, which for some of us is perfectly fine.

Details:

• Exfoliating body soap for men deep-cleans skin scrubbing away dryness for smooth, clean skin.
• Crafted with a unique natural formulation of passionflower fruit, green tea, and willow bark
• Extracts designed to nourish, smooth, and revitalize skin.
• Paraben and phthalate-free
• Glycerin-based
• Cruelty-free (not tested on animals)
• Made in the USA
• For every Marlowe. item purchased, soap is distributed to people at risk for hygiene-related illnesses in partnership with Clean the World.

6. The Yellow Bird Dead Sea Mud Soap Bar

Like Viking's charcoal bar soap (above), Yellow Bird's Dead Sea men's bar soap is part of a new wave of counter-intuitive products that include elements generally associated with getting dirty rather than clean. Even the name of this product —"The Yellow Bird Dead Sea Mud Soap Bar"—sounds something like a prank. But these are serious, high-end men's care products that give us something we may have not even known we needed: masculine, high-quality soaps and shower products that don't smell like a department store perfume counter.

Details:

• Skin cleansing power of dead sea mud
• "Detoxifying" charcoal
• Exfoliating pumice bar
• Made with organic ingredients—great for acne, psoriasis, and eczema.
• No perfumes or synthetic fragrances
• Antimicrobial essential oils
• Handmade in the USA
• No sulfates, parabens, or synthetic dyes.

7. 360 Feel Men's Handmade Natural Soap Bar

So I know this is Amazon's house brand, and I know that house brands usually mean "knock off," but I have included 360's men's soap here because it's such a good value and may be a good entry-point for those of us who can't see spending $10 on a bar of soap they may not even like.

If you're thinking about investing in high-end men's bar soap as a gift for someone, then steer clear of this bar. It won't light up many smiles once they realize it's the Amazon brand. One the other hand, if you just want to see what's new and possible in the world of hyper-modern men's bath products, then go for it. Any product that includes pine-tar soap can't be all bad.

Details:

• Masculine fragrances: Bay Rum, Pine Tar, Patchouli, Citrus Soaps
• Organic ingredients
• Handmade in USA
• Amazon Best Sellers
• Essential-oil-based traditional lye soap. No Sodium Laureth Sulfate, palm oil, Phthalate, or paraben
• Vegan - Gluten-Free - Cruelty-Free
• Good for acne treatment
• Cold Processed, low-temperature formulation

Find Your Bar...

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• Designer Fragrance Samplers for Men
  You can get sample-size designer cologne for men for a fraction of the cost.

Geri McClymont is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle which includes using organic products in her home.

A Multipurpose Cleaner

I had heard of Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap off and on for years but never paid much attention to it until recently.

Once I became aware of the toxic chemicals found in most soaps, shampoos, laundry detergents and household cleaning products, I started exploring products with organic ingredients.

I remembered Dr. Bronner's Soap, took a closer look, and especially liked that it was described as a multipurpose cleaner. In fact, this soap claims to wash everything from your skin to your floors.

Although I was somewhat skeptical, I decided to give it a go. After all, as a minimalist, this product could take minimalism to a whole new level for me!

This review is based on my personal experiences using Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 liquid Hemp Peppermint Pure Castile Soap to wash my skin, hair, clothing, and dishes.

Who Was Dr. Bronner?

Dr. Bronner was born Emanuel Heilbronner in Germany in 1908 to Jewish-German parents who were later killed during the Holocaust. His family began making soap in 1858 and began making and selling their first liquid castile soap in the late 1800s under the "Madaform" brand.

In 1929, Emil emigrated to the U.S. and shortly thereafter, he dropped "Heil" from his last name. A decade later, he adopted the title "Dr."—hence the name "Dr. Bronner." In 1948, he founded Dr. Bronner's and the production of liquid Peppermint castile soap began.

What Does 18-in-1 Mean?

18-in-1 refers to using one soap for 18 different purposes. The specific uses of this product were rather hard to locate on the bottle because the label is completely saturated in fine print.

Here's what I found on the bottle:

• washing hands, face, body and hair
• washing dishes, laundry, and mopping floor
• bathing dog
• removing residue from fruits and vegetables
• keeping bugs off plants
• shaving face, underarms, and legs
• degreasing
• all purpose cleaner
• washing shower and tub

This video better explains the 18 specific uses of this product:

Ingredients in Dr. Bronner's Liquid Hemp Peppermint Pure Castile Soap (in the order listed on the bottle)

The Ingredients

In case you were wondering, castile soap is an olive-oil-based soap made in a way similar to that originating in the Castile region of Spain.

Most of the ingredients in this soap appear to be truly organic.

The second ingredient listed on the bottle, potassium hydroxide, raised a red flag for me when I discovered that Wikipedia describes it as "dangerously corrosive" and states that "potassium hydroxide and its solutions are severe irritants to skin and other tissue."

However, the label on the bottle of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap reads, "None (of the potassium hydroxide) remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin." This appears to indicate that the saponifying process, which is basically the process of making soap, cancels out any corrosive effects of the potassium hydroxide.

How to Dilute Dr. Bronner's Liquid Hemp Peppermint Pure Castile Soap (based on directions on the bottle)

Benefits of Peppermint Oil

My Experiences and Results

I Used Dr. Bronner's Soap To:

• wash my skin and hair
• do my laundry
• wash my dishes

As of today, I have used this product for a period of two months.

Skin

I kept a small squirt bottle of the undiluted soap by my bathroom sink and used one squirt each time I washed my hands. I also used a squirt bottle in the shower and squirted the undiluted soap directly onto my washcloth.

The invigorating peppermint aroma alone made this soap very pleasant to use. My hands and body felt clean after washing with this product. It did not irritate my skin or cause any adverse effects on it.

I found that the cap on my squirt bottle clogged easily, so I ended up pouring the undiluted soap into a pump bottle, which worked much better for both washing my hands and showering.

Hair

I confess I was quite reluctant to use this product for my hair, but I gave it a shot.

I can't say it worked for me as a shampoo. I used the recommended soap-to-water ratio, lathered as well as I could, and found that my hair ended up looking and feeling somewhat greasy.

I tried using more soap, and although I did get more of a lather this way, it did not seem to help in terms of the greasy appearance and sensation.

I did not use Dr. Bronners's Citrus Organic Hair Rinse, as recommended on the bottle of this product.

I think I will stick to my own shampoo for my hair, and possibly use this product as a shampoo for future camping trips only.

Laundry

I used 1/4 cup of soap for each medium size load I washed, and slightly less for smaller loads. I added vinegar to my wash as recommended (something I used to do anyway).

My clothes, towels, and sheets smelled fresh and clean, and the peppermint scent was so soothing as I removed my laundry from the washer and from the dryer. This made doing my laundry slightly more enjoyable.

Dishes

Rather than prepare a solution with a 1:10 ratio of soap-to-water as recommended, I decided to simply use a squirt bottle with the undiluted soap and use one squirt at a time on my kitchen washcloth as I washed my dishes by hand.

I replaced the squirt bottle with a pump bottle shortly thereafter.

I found that this soap lathered and washed my dishes easily, leaving them looking and smelling fresh and clean. I loved the refreshing peppermint aroma, which also made washing my dishes more relaxing and pleasant.

Is It Cost-Effective?

I purchased a 40 oz. bottle on Amazon for $18.99 two months ago and currently have a little less than a quarter of the bottle left.

I wash about two medium sized loads of laundry per week, and I shower and wash dishes daily.

I find this product to be highly cost-effective, especially based on the ingredients and the results I have experienced.

Conclusion

Overall, Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure Castile Soap was a winner for me.

I Intend to Continue to Use This Soap To:

• wash my hands and body
• do my laundry
• wash my dishes

What I like Most About This Product:

• It has all organic ingredients.
• I love the invigorating peppermint scent.
• I can control the soap-to-water ratio.
• I can use the same soap for my laundry, dishes and skin.

Dr. Bronner's Factory Tour: Liquid Soap Production

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: Can I use Dr. Bronner's hemp castile soap to clean glass or windows?

Answer: I have personally never used it to clean glass or windows, but according to the video I posted, you can. I would follow the recommended soap-to-water ratio for an all-purpose cleaner which is 1/4 cup soap to 1 quart water, in a spray bottle.

© 2019 Geri McClymont

Comments

Wesley williamson on March 28, 2020:

Help save the planet.save money

c on October 24, 2019:

All soap must contain a highly corrosive and high pH ingredient, either caustic soda or caustic potash, because it is required for the chemical reaction to turn a fat/oil into a chemical that can dissolve both oil and water. There was no reason to be concerned about this ingredient.

I have an interest in handmade bath and body products, so I am continually experimenting with new soap-making recipes and techniques.

What Is Soleseife Soap?

A while back, a “new” kind of German brine soap was all the rage on soap making forums, so of course, I had to try it out, too. It was called soleseife (zo•luh zigh•fuh). People spelled it all different ways and many were mistakenly treating this soap like a regular salt bar, even though the outcome is very different.

Soleseife is different from a salt bar because the salt is dissolved in the water instead of stirred into the soap batter; so you get the benefits of bathing with salt water without the exfoliating dimension of using undissolved salt. I personally think salt is too scratchy for soap, and prefer to use sugar scrubs instead, but I was intrigued by the idea of a different kind of spa bar.

I developed my own soleseife soap recipe after dissecting two others that I found online:

• Soleseife or Brine/Salt Water Soap Recipe by David Fisher
• Naturseife – Soleseife “Lavendel” by Stefanie (Steffi)

Both of these seemed just like any other soap recipe, except for the sea salt dissolved into the lye water and that the coconut oil was on the higher end, at 25-30% (my usual recipe is only 15-20%).

Saltwater and sea salt soaps tend to have less lather, so that is why these recipes have more coconut oil. I couldn’t find any resource that told me how to know how much salt to use, so I just did some math to figure it out. If you divide the ounces of salt by the ounces of water, both of the above recipes used what came to 25% of their water amount for salt concentration. So that is what I went with.

I used cavity molds for my soleseife soaps because this type of soap hardens rather quickly and I didn't want to miss the window for the proper balance of firmness/softness for cutting a soap loaf.

Tip:

Don’t try to use the hot process method to make this soap recipe. The salt in the water causes it to dry out and harden up very quickly, so you will have a tough time molding it.

Soleseife Soap Recipe

Yield: 36 oz

Oils

• 9 oz Olive Oil (25%)
• 9 oz Coconut Oil (25%)
• 5.4 oz Avocado oil (15%)
• 4.7 oz Shea butter (13%)
• 5.4 oz Canola Oil (15%)
• 2.5 oz Castor Oil (7%)
• 2 Tbls Goat Milk Powder (not required)

Lye Solution

• 13 oz Water (36%) Unless your city has great tap water, use distilled.
• 4.804 oz Lye (8% superfat)
• 3.25 oz pink Himalayan sea salt (25% of water amount)

Note: Make sure to fully dissolve the salt in the water before adding the lye to the mix.

Fragrance

• 2.25 oz Essential or Fragrance oil

I scented mine with a mix of peppermint, lavender, tea tree, and Himalayan cedarwood essential oils. As you can see, it turned out very white. The soaps developed a thick layer of soda ash as they cured. I don't know if it was from the recipe or the fragrance, but it's something to be aware of.

It was really fun to try a soap recipe from another country—I wish they were easier to find! While I’ve only made this recipe twice, I have started using brine water in my Dead Sea mud facial bar recipe. I use a lot less salt, just over 3% for this purpose, but my skin absolutely loves it.

Questions & Answers

Question: Just wondering why you say in the recipe "Make sure to fully dissolve the salt in the water before adding the lye to the mix." What happens in this soap recipe if the salt is added after lye?

Answer: Because after you add the lye, the salt will no longer dissolve.

© 2018 Katie Adams

Comments

RTalloni on December 22, 2018:

Thanks much for this info on German brine soap. I've been trying to decide whether to try my hand at soap making and am glad to add this to my list of possibilities.

Victoria is a stay-at-home mom, author, and blogger. She loves sharing her experience making natural bath and body products.

I couldn't resist trying out this recipe. I don't think it's possible to have a bigger fan of the fall season on the face of the Earth than me. I decorate with leaves and pinecones all year round, my favorite scents are cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and I love anything fall related, any time of the year.

We were getting low on soap in the house, especially as I use it for making all of my various soap products, and I couldn't make just regular soap at the end of August. This is going to be the soap that flavors every shower and every soap experience for the next handful of months. I've never tried using herbs and seasonings in my soaps before. However, with a little research into the proper way to incorporate them, by the way, there really isn't one, I was ready!

I knew that I wanted to use pumpkin spice for this batch, and I would have preferred to color the whole bar of soap a little darker, but I am very happy with how it turned out. I even thought to use coconut sugar over the top of the bar at the last second. Not only do they smell delicious, and I can't wait to use the very first bar this morning, but I had to stop my toddler from eating one several times last night. That tells you how amazing they smell. He thought they were cookies.

If you're ready to get this fall season started off on the right foot, why not make some soap and bathe yourself in it for the next few months. Have I told you how amazing this soap smells?! I plan on making a few more scents, because why not? Chocolate, pumpkin, cinnamon, apple pie, and coconut are definitely in my future. Let me show you how I did it!

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 33 ounces coconut oil
• 12.54 ounces water
• 4.83 ounces lye
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin spice
• Pinch coconut sugar

Instructions

1. Start by measuring out all of your ingredients. You are going to need a food scale measuring ounces, an immersion blender, and a crockpot for this recipe. You'll also want to put the water in a big bowl.
2. Pour your coconut oil into your crockpot, cover it, and turn the heat to low to let your coconut oil melt. If you can't wait, melt it in the microwave or on the stove first.
3. Once your coconut oil is going, take your lye and water outside. A couple of cautions here: Lye is caustic and can burn your skin. Be careful not to touch it with your bare hands. And when you mix it, there will be fumes that you do not want to breathe in or get in your eyes. It's best to wear kitchen gloves and goggles when mixing this stuff up. Finally, you'll be leaving it outside for 10 minutes to cool, so you'll want a safe place to leave it where kids and pets cannot get it. I did ours on the front porch.
4. Carefully pour the lye into the water, standing as far back as possible and averting your face. Stir a few times to mix it in and then leave it to cool for 10 minutes.
5. This is when I when in and mixed up the coconut oil in my crockpot to get it to melt faster, and pulled out my desired spices. I have a homemade pumpkin spice mix that you can find with all of my other recipes.
6. After 10 minutes go out and get your lye mixture. Now you're going to carefully pour the lye mixture into the melted coconut oil in the crockpot, being careful not to splash. All of the dishes you used that touched the lye need to go together in the sink to be cleaned with vinegar later.
7. Using your immersion blender, carefully blend up your mixture for about 5 minutes until it turns into a pudding-like consistency. This is called the trace phase.
8. This is the time to mix in your spices if you want them throughout your bar of soap. I sprinkled about 2-3 teaspoons of pumpkin spice right over my soap and then mixed it in with the immersion blender.
9. Now put the top on your crockpot and let it cook for about an hour. During this time the soap will boil over the outside and fold back in like waves. If the waves get too high that they threaten to boil over, just stir it really quick and they'll go back down.
10. While your soap is cooking, line a loaf pan with parchment paper ready for your soap.
11. The end product you're looking for is a semi-transparent, waxy look without any creaminess left. When it gets there, it's time to spoon it into your prepared loaf pan.
12. Once you've got it all spooned in, dust the top of your soap, if you'd like, with even more spices. I also added a pinch of coconut sugar over the top. Smooth it in gently with you spoon or spatula and then let it cool for about 4 hours.
13. You want to cut it as soon as it cools when it is still semi-soft and easy to cut. If you leave it overnight, you'll have a heck of a time cutting into it. And the parchment paper makes it easy to pull out of your loaf pan.
14. I would then leave it to dry overnight, although you can use the first bar right away if you'd like. Store them spread out on a towel for the next few weeks or so in order to fully dry out. The longer they sit, the more moisturizing they will become. They should last you indefinitely if stored in a cool dry place.

Making soap really isn't that hard. I know it sounds intimidating, especially with all of the warnings about lye. However, once you've done it at least once, you'll be a pro at it. I don't have to tell you the benefits of using your own homemade soap versus using the store-bought stuff. I'm sure you already know or can figure it out.

Even the commercial organic products with minimal ingredients still have some risky fillers in them. They have to be able to package them in a factory, ship them long distances, and ensure that they arrive in pristine condition, only to sit on the shelf, or in a warehouse, for long periods of time before you take it home. But you can avoid all of that unnecessary tax on your body, and save money by simply making your own at home.

And just like you see in this recipe, you can customize your bars of soap exactly to your liking. I'm currently learning how to integrate fresh and dried herbs into my soap, and even use natural dyes (like fruits and veggies) to make them different colors and fragrances. You can make them seasonal, or simply your favorite colors and aromas, all without having to worry about what is available on the store shelves, how expensive they may be, or even what they have hiding in the ingredient list.

I can't possibly recommend making your own bath products more. I obviously consider the safety of my kids and other family members when making them, and boy does it take a load off of our monthly budget, but I also really enjoy making them and knowing that I'm providing a quality product to those that I love. What more can you ask for in your bath products? Health, safety, saving money, and mental and emotional well-being.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2018 Victoria Van Ness

Comments

Victoria Van Ness (author) from Fountain, CO on September 05, 2018:

So I just searched Google Shauna and this is what I found...

"Dove. It is true that the words "lye" or "sodium hydroxide" do not appear on the Dove ingredient label. But, the first ingredients listed were sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and sodium palm kernelate. ... Yes, Dove is made with lye!"

"Neutrogena contains Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerin (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soy bean protein (conditioner)" -Sodium Hydroxide is a fancy way of saying lye, and Glycerin in lye with tallow mixed in.

Many people that make their own soaps avoid handling lye by purchasing premixed soap melts from the internet. But all of these simply already have the lye mixed in. That's probably what your friend uses, but maybe not. There's nothing dangerous about lye as long as it all converts over during the saponification process. Lye is what makes soap. You simply cannot make even castile soap without lye.

Amazon list potassium hydroxide and glycerin as ingredients in castile soap. But they make it a point to say that after the saponification process, there is no longer any potassium hydroxide, because the lye has converted to soap and is no longer dangerous.

I hope this helps. There's absolutely nothing to worry about with lye, and I make sure to take the necessary precautions to stay safe and insure that all of the lye has converted before using it. :)

Victoria Van Ness (author) from Fountain, CO on September 05, 2018:

So I just searched Google Shauna and this is what I found...

"Dove. It is true that the words "lye" or "sodium hydroxide" do not appear on the Dove ingredient label. But, the first ingredients listed were sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and sodium palm kernelate. ... Yes, Dove is made with lye!"

"Neutrogena contains Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerin (kosher, of vegetable origin), Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), Soy bean protein (conditioner)" -Sodium Hydroxide is a fancy way of saying lye, and Glycerin in lye with tallow mixed in.

Many people that make their own soaps avoid handling lye by purchasing premixed soap melts from the internet. But all of these simply already have the lye mixed in. That's probably what your friend uses, but maybe not. There's nothing dangerous about lye as long as it all converts over during the saponification process. Lye is what makes soap. You simply cannot make even castile soap without lye.

Amazon list potassium hydroxide and glycerin as ingredients in castile soap. But they make it a point to say that after the saponification process, there is no longer any potassium hydroxide, because the lye has converted to soap and is no longer dangerous.

I hope this helps. There's absolutely nothing to worry about with lye, and I make sure to take the necessary precautions to stay safe and insure that all of the lye has converted before using it. :)

Shauna L Bowling from Central Florida on September 05, 2018:

Victoria, I use Dove bar soap. It does not contain lye, nor does Neutrogena. Additionally, I have a co-worker who makes natural, organic, vegan beauty products (my parents and I use her body butters), including soap. She does not put lye in her soaps. She adds a small amount of castile to her blends or glycerin.

Not all soap is made from lye. Certainly not any I'd put on my skin!

Victoria Van Ness (author) from Fountain, CO on September 04, 2018:

lol Lye is what soap is made from. Lye comes with its fair share of warnings and with good reason, but that doesn’t mean that the finished soap product is in any way dangerous.

Soap by definition is an alkali mixed with fats. When combined, a process called saponification happens, creating soap. This not only allows the liquid and oils to mix, but also creates the action by which soap has its cleansing properties.

In other words, without Lye, you just have a bucket of chunky, fatty oils floating in water. I hope this helps.

Shauna L Bowling from Central Florida on August 31, 2018:

Victoria, it's my understanding that lye is a caustic substance. Why would you want to put that on your skin?

I enjoy giving tips on how to make soap that can help individuals with acne.

Rising concern in regard to the potential effects of manufactured consumer goods has, over the past few years, lead to an increase of homemade and organically sourced merchandise. People want to know what goes into what they put in or on their bodies, and for good reason—everyone's got different needs, so figuring out which products work best for you is easier when you know what you're working with.

If you can go to the store, pick up your favorite brand of soap, and have it cleanse but not dry out your skin, then that's great! For those with acne due to oily skin, that might not work. Whether you want to buy premade soap made with oil-based breakouts in mind, or make your own soap formulated specifically for your skin, you need to know the essentials of what makes soap effective.

Soap is made from two basic components: lye and oil. There are different types of each which imbue unique properties upon the soap.

Simple and Natural Soap

Soap has been around since the eve of civilization when modern forms of manufacture didn't exist. So what did pre-modern people use in their soaps? The rendered fat would've been relatively common, but what about sodium hydroxide—otherwise known as lye?

Why, lye is just processed ash! There's sodium hydroxide, which is made from the remains of hardwoods, and potassium hydroxide, which comes from softer woods. Depending on which is used, the soap could be either solid or liquid. With a bit of finagling and dedication, you could conceivably refine wood ash in your own backyard.

Buff and Moisturize

Washing yourself with oils—which are essentially fat—seems counterproductive to keep your skin oil free, right? Well, if you know anything about lye, you know that, by itself, it's extremely caustic. That's why it's always important to use proper safety equipment when making your own soap—lye that hasn't yet mixed properly with the oils can burn!

That's where the oils come in. They react with the lye in a process called saponification and act as a buffer between your skin and the lye. This allows the soap to cleanse the surface of your skin without being too harsh.

This is why what oils are used in the soap are so important—they all have different properties. There are two types of oils: hard oils, and soft oils. Hard oils tend to be solid at room temperature, while soft oils are liquid.

Which Is Good for Acne-Prone Skin?

Most soap recipes have a couple of different types of oils to offset or enhance the others; most hard oils—like coconut oil—are good at cleansing but often don't provide much moisture. On the other hand, soft oils—like olive oil, rosehip oil, and meadowfoam oil—typically don't cleanse on their own, and are incredibly moisturizing. As would a soap made of hard oils likely be too harsh on any but the most hardy of epidermises, one made wholly of soft oils would leave you feeling greasier getting out of the wash than when you first entered.

If your acne is caused by skin that produces too much oil (as opposed to, say, overproducing oil in response to harsh cleansers), then you want a soap with a coconut oil base. Coconut oil is, in my personal experience, the most cleansing oil readily available by soap makers worldwide.

Making Your Own Homemade Soap

If you're interested in making your own soap, here's one of my personal favorite recipes formulated for oily skin. It's made to be very cleansing while also being moisturizing, and makes a hard, long-lasting bar.

Ingredients

• 136 grams Lye (sodium hydroxide)
• 344 grams Water
• 317 grams Coconut Oil
• 226 grams Olive Oil
• 90 grams Aloe Butter
• 272 grams Lard
• 10 drops tea tree essential oil
• 1 gram activated charcoal powder

Instructions

1. Measure out your lye into one container and your water into another. Make sure neither of these containers are degradable materials like plastic or silicone; I'd recommend stainless steel, as this next part can get really hot and glass might shatter.
2. If you're not already in a ventilated area (ie, next to an open window or a fan), relocate. Make sure you're wearing proper safety equipment, gloves and goggles are a requirement, but I'd personally recommend making sure you're wearing a long sleeve shirt, full-length pants, and no open-toe shoes.
3. Slowly add the lye to the water—not the water to the lye—while stirring. While mixing, don't lean directly over the bowl. You don't have to pour the lye consistently; it's fine to pour some, stir, and then repeat. The mixture will turn cloudy; mix it until it's clear. Set it aside.
4. Combine your oils into one cooking unit big enough to hold the complete yield and heat it up until they're melted.
5. Now you can take your lye solution (the mixed lye and water) and slowly mix it into the melted oils.
6. From here, you can choose to make hot process or cold process soap. The difference between these two is how long you have to wait to use the soap. The hot process can be used immediately but doesn't look nearly as nice, whereas cold process can't be used for at least two weeks, but preferably up to a month.
7. If you want to use it right away, keep stirring until the mixture is the consistency of a really thick pudding. If you want a pretty soap and don't mind waiting, stir until the soap is just thick enough that you can drizzle a bit over the top without it settling back into the mixture right away. Add the charcoal powder and tea tree oil when you've got the right consistency and make sure it's mixed in uniformly.
8. Now you can take your soap and pour it into whatever mold you have prepared; you can use any kind of molds for your mixture except for tin. If you chose the immediate route, you can use your soap as soon as it hardens, which should be in a few hours. The other kind requires at least 24-48 hours to harden completely before you can take it out of the mold, and then it has to sit out and cure for an additional 2-4 weeks.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2018 Elizabeth Harp

Comments

Melanie on August 18, 2020:

Coconut oil is highly comedogenic and will clog pores for most people. How can the title of this be that it’s for acne prone skin?!

Christ on April 10, 2019:

You can use shea butter or cocoa butter any superfat will work

Joyce Rucha on April 03, 2019:

Hey,

Awesome recipe that I look forward to try. However here I can't get the aloe butter what would you recommend as a substitute.

I enjoy sharing DIY recipes for beauty and hygiene products, including toothpaste, bath scrubs and bath bars.

The idea behind this bar is not so much to cleanse your body (although the Himalayan salt does offer this); it is more to moisturise your skin whilst producing the wonderfully relaxing aroma of lavender as you use it. I used dried lavender in this recipe because it just looks extra pretty and helps to create a really strong scent when combined with the steam from your bath.

As you will see below, the simplicity of making this bar is just unreal considering the benefits it gives to your body and your mind. Have you got the hot water running and your candles lit? Then I guess you better start following the instructions below quickly!

Ingredients:

(Makes 2 x bars in large moulds.)

• 120 g Organic Raw Shea Butter
• 60 g Pink Himalayan Salt
• 5 g Dried Lavender
• 1 x Tsp Vitamin E Oil

Instructions:

1. Melt the shea butter in a bowl above a boiling pan of water.
2. Transfer the melted shea butter to a pouring jug.
3. Add the vitamin E oil to the pouring jug.
4. Add the Himalayan salt to the jug.
5. Remove the Himalayan salt from the jug using a spoon & divide equally between your moulds.
6. Add the dried lavender to the mould, trying your best to get equal amounts between your moulds.
7. Pour the remaining melted shea butter from your pouring jug into your moulds, once again trying your best to ensure it is evenly spread. At this stage, your Himalayan salt will remain at the bottom whilst your lavender begins to rise, this is perfectly normal.
8. Place your moulds in the fridge or a cool dry place for 2 to 3 hours until they are set.
9. Remove the Himalayan and lavender bath bars from your moulds and enjoy.

I wish I had the above essential oils on hand! That would have made my next soak in the tub even more tranquil. Who knows, I may have even lit a few candles. After all, if you are going to do it, you may as well do it right.

Every ingredient in this bath bar serves its purpose by offering many wonderful benefits for your skin as you can see below:

Ingredients and Their Benefits

• Shea Butter is rich in oleic acid and stearic acid, which are known to reduce inflammation whilst helping to protect the skin from free radicals. It is also packed full of vitamin A and vitamin E, which are great antioxidants and help to nourish your skin, reducing the signs of aging as well as stretch marks.
• Vitamin E Oil is full of antioxidants that help moisturise your skin and to retain the moisture.
• Lavender is known for its soothing properties, helping you to relax both physically and mentally.
• Himalayan Salt has strong antimicrobial properties, which help to cleanse the skin naturally whilst removing dead skin cells through exfoliation at the same time.

I told you this recipe was simple! These looks fantastic in a nice airtight container as you can see above, or they can make fantastic little gifts for your friends and family. After all, why not share the wealth!

These Himalayan and lavender bath bars should keep if it sits unused in an airtight container for approximately six months. You must store them in a cool, dry place to ensure that they stay as bars and not little puddles in your bathroom!

If you have made these bars or even made them with the additional essential oils, please let me know in the comments box below. If you have different bath bar recipes, give me a shout! I love trying new nasty-free, natural toiletries.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

John Brotherton (author) from United Kingdom on February 16, 2018:

Hi Jennifer, I know it is such a versatile salt! Please definitely let me know how you get on making and using this, I would love to see what you think of it. Salt lamps? that is new to me, I am intrigued, what are they exactly? without stating the obvious! I think a good old google search is in order.

jennifer on February 16, 2018:

Well I have been using Himalayan salt in cooking for quite a long time now but I didn't know about using it in soap. I am definitely gonna try this and will tell you the results. Recently I have also bought Himalayan salt lamps as well and I am in love with this amazing thing. These lamps are as good as the edible salt. I got them from ittefaqco.

I enjoy sharing DIY recipes for beauty and hygiene products, including toothpaste, bath scrubs and bath bars.

The reason I say that this body scrub is created predominantly for males is simply because of the almighty bergamot essential oil. Sandalwood and cedarwood aside, to me, this is the next most masculine fragrance in the essential oil world!

Now, don't get me wrong—there are plenty of wonderful body scrub ideas out there, as you will have probably noticed from this site; however, I personally got fed up with smelling like a flower blossom every time I needed to exfoliate in the shower! I felt like one of those Snapchat filters with the bunny eyes and daisy crown every morning!

I can sense that you are now screaming, "Hurry up and get to the recipe. I have one foot in the shower waiting to be rejuvenated!"

Well, here you have it:

Ingredients

• 4 x tbsp Sugar
• 1 x tsp Himalayan Salt
• 2 x tbsp Raw Organic Coconut Oil
• 2 x tsp Raw Organic Honey
• 1 x tsp Vitamin E Oil
• 10 x drops Bergamot Essential Oil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine the sugar and Himalayan salt.
2. Add the coconut oil and honey.
3. Mix the ingredients together until there is no loose sugar or Himalayan salt.
4. Add the vitamin E oil and bergamot essential oil, and mix again.
5. Transfer mixture to an airtight container and store in a cool, dry place.

Why These Particular Ingredients?

Good question to ask! Well, individually, as you can see below, all of these ingredients have wonderful health benefits, which surely means combining them will do wonders for your skin right through to your soul.

The Benefits

• Sugar—This helps to lightly exfoliate the skin, whilst helping hydrate the skin as it is a natural humectant.
• Coconut Oil—Well, where do you start with this one? There are far too many benefits to mention! For this scrub, the coconut oil offers strong anti-microbial properties whilst at the same time moisturising your skin.
• Raw Honey—This ingredient is one of nature's anti-microbial wonders. It helps to not only cleanse your skin, but it also helps you to lock in the moisturising properties of the other ingredients, keeping your skin supple and fresh.
• Himalayan Salt—This type of salt offers a more natural approach to exfoliating your skin compared to white sugar. It also helps to detoxify and cleanse your skin due to its anti-microbial properties.
• Vitamin E Oil—This wonder oil is packed full of antioxidants waiting to soak into and moisturise your skin.
• Bergamot Essential Oil—This oil helps to relieve tension in your muscles and has also been known to assist in lifting your mood.

That is it in a nutshell. It is super easy to make, and best of all, it contains no nasty ingredients, only beneficial ones! It is simple to use as well; just mix a small amount in your hands and apply to your body in a circular motion. I know there is a way to do this so that you are improving blood flow; however, I've still yet to master the art of this.

Please be sure to let me know if you have tried this body scrub and what you thought of it in the comments box below. At current, I must admit it is my favourite. Maybe it will be yours, too?

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Brenda on January 15, 2018:

Will be trying this for myself

I'm a fan of DIY. I have tested this bath bomb recipe many times, as well as fun variations of it.

This version of how to make bath bombs doesn't use cornstarch, as it can cause infections and other possible health problems. My recipe includes instructions on how to use food colouring on the mold. I hope it inspires you to try different finishing styles and looks.

Items Needed

• Mixing Bowl
• Measuring Cups (1/2 and 1 Cup)
• Measuring Spoon (1 Teaspoon)
• Whisk/Spoon
• Form/Mold

Ingredients Needed

Instructions

1. Measure out 1/2 cup of Epsom salt, 1/2 cup of citric acid, and 1 cup of sodium bicarbonate.

2. Mix the dry ingredients.

3. Add 2 teaspoons of essential oil or scent.

4. Add 3 teaspoons of olive oil and water. Don't worry if it starts to fizz when adding the water. This means that there is enough citric acid and that the mixture is going well.

5. Add a few drops of food colouring with the water if you want the colour to be more even.

6. Mix well.

7. Add a few drops of food colouring. When adding the food colouring separately, it will create a speckled design.

8. Check to make sure the mixture feels like damp sand. If not, then add another teaspoon of water.

9. Put a tiny bit of olive oil in your form or mold. The form or mold can be a silicon form, an ice cube tray, or a special bath bomb mold.

10. Put some food colouring on your form and swirl it around with your finger. This will create a unique finish.

11. Pack the mixture into a mold or form.

12. Compress the mold or form.

13. Leave it to dry out for a few days or for 5 hours in the fridge.

14. Carefully remove the bath bomb.

15. Enjoy!

If you had some trouble following the instructions, then try this quick video that goes through the steps!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: I am new to making bath bombs and I am trying to get some experience before my granddaughters arrive for the weekend. We had attempted a different recipe, but that had so much oil the bombs after being wrapped in plastic, became bath blobs. We still loved them. I went to Hobby Lobby & bought the plastic bath bomb forms and made last night. Out of 5 bombs, 3 came apart after they came out of the freezer and thawed a bit. Is this a lack of moisture or what else I might do?

Answer: It is due to a lack of moisture. However, I caution you when adding more water. If they get too wet, they expand in the form and are very hard to come out. The finished bath bombs are also denser and have more air bubbles. I suggest adding probably a teaspoon of water for the bath bombs.

I hope this helps and that your granddaughters enjoy the bath bombs.

© 2017 Monique K-G

Comments

Anonymous on December 06, 2017:

Love it - great product.

Monique K-G (author) from Switzerland on December 06, 2017:

This is a really fun pin and a great recipe for bath bombs that I tested multiple times, and learnt to make different and unique variations of. I hope you enjoy it!

Rebecca loves sharing what she knows about alternative medicine, health, frugal living, fun, animals, and how to live a better life!

What Is True Soap?

True soap is very basic. It consists of oils, lye, and water. Glycerin is created during the process of making handmade soap, also called saponification. That's all that is needed to cleanse the body properly without disrupting the PH levels of the skin.

Store-bought or artificial soap has a plethora of chemicals and detergents. Glycerin is removed for its monetary value and sold to other companies to be placed in more expensive skincare products. Other chemicals are then added to replace glycerin being removed. What you end up buying is a bar of chemicals that irritate and disrupt the skin's natural balance. It's not soap at all! And all of those chemicals get passed on to your liver to process in an attempt to eliminate them from your body.

5 Benefits of Using Natural Soap

1. You Know What You Are Putting on Your Skin
2. It Can Be Cruelty-Free
3. It Contains Glycerin
4. You Support Local Businesses
5. It Has More Variety

1. You Know What You Are Putting on Your Skin!

More and more people are opting for cleaner, eco-friendly skin care options. We want to know and control what we are putting on our bodies. Skin is our largest organ, and everything that touches it gets filtered through our liver. Almost all or most of homemade soap ingredients can be read in one breath, and you'll know exactly how the product is sourced, how it is made, and what you are absorbing.

• Homemade soap consists of base oils, butters, lye, and additives that are usually from a natural source. Almost any natural additive can be added to homemade soap to treat various skin conditions and complaints while reducing unnecessary chemical intake, resulting in beautiful skin. Natural soap actually relieves irritated skin, many times improving psoriasis and eczema.
• Mass-produced soap is full of chemical cocktails and harsh detergents that usually leave the skin irritated, overly cleansed, and dry. Some chemicals are shown to cause cancer, such as triclosan.

Homemade soap is just a better choice when it comes to cleansing your skin.

More on Triclosan

• FDA Bans Triclosan And 18 Other Chemicals From Soaps : Shots - Health News : NPR
  Manufacturers didn't provide data showing the chemicals are safe and effective, the FDA says. It says there's no evidence that they do a better job at preventing illness than plain soap and water.

2. It Can Be Cruelty-Free

Since homemade soap is often crafted in small kitchens or small shops, ingredients are most often sourced and disposed of responsibly and not tested on animals. Even if you have to ask how it is made, you'll get a good honest answer.

Why would you want to support a company that mistreats and tortures innocent animals? Especially when those tests are inconclusive. Do you really need to know that soap squirted into a rabbit's eye hurts? Of course that would hurt. Tests like that teach us nothing other than to hurt another living creature. If you want to buy handmade soap that is also vegan-friendly, look for soaps that don't contain tallow.

Nothing beats natural soap that’s 100% handcrafted, made with love and care in small batches, chemical-free, cruelty-free, and vegan!

3. It Contains Glycerin

Glycerin is a compound that naturally occurs during the saponification process of making homemade soap. It is retained in the finished product. Glycerin, like honey, is a natural humectant. It helps retain moisture in the skin. There is lots of glycerin in handmade soap, which makes it naturally hydrating. Glycerin is responsible for keeping your skin plump and moist for long periods of time.

Mass-produced chemical-based soap removes glycerin during the production process and sells that off to other manufacturers to be put into skin lotions.

4. You Support Local Businesses

Thousands of people love to make soap, myself included. As with any craft or trade, we take great pride in our products and creations. We put a lot of research and work into the final recipe. When you buy soap from a local maker, you are supporting a local business—in many cases, a woman-owned local business! And it's easy to find a local maker online, at a craft fair, or at a farmer's market.

5. It Has More Variety

You will never get bored with homemade soap options. Ever. It's not possible. There are no limitations to the recipes that can be created, and most soap makers will be willing to make custom blends if asked. No matter your skin type or preferences, someone out there is making a soap with your name written all over it.

Almost anything can be added to create the perfect bar of soap for your skin:

• Clays, which help detox and remove excess oil
• Fruit juices
• Kinds of milk
• Various kinds of butter
• Herbs
• Natural micas for color
• Exfoliants, such as oats, coffee, and seeds
• Essential oils for natural fragrance
• Artificial fragrances. (Even when artificial fragrances are added, your handmade bar of soap is 5x less toxic then store brands.)

There literally is no end to what can be created, and that will be much more gentle and nourishing for your skin and health.

The Process Matters

Handmade soap can be made 3 ways:

1. Melt and Pour: This is not the type of soap you want to buy. Melt & Pour soaps are obtainable by buying prepackaged materials at craft stores or suppliers heavily laden with chemicals. Then put into molds. They are still better than store bought soaps, but not the best option.
2. Hot Process: This way of making soap utilizes heat after the saponification process has taken place.
3. Cold Process: Cold process is the slowest most time-consuming way to make soap but this is the most favored way to craft excellent bars of soap. Back when everyone had to make their own soap, this was the traditional way to make it.

My Story

I started a small home-based business in 2017 making soap. I always wanted to learn and had made many changes in my lifestyle, diet, and skincare regimen before making soap. I was fortunate enough to find an experienced brilliant soap maker that taught me how to make it.

After that, all my views on skincare changed again. I became much more aware of what I put on my skin for any reason. Animal cruelty products have been eliminated from my home. I craft my soap with almost 95% natural ingredients and add additives that can nourish the body, mind, and spirit.

This is the type of hobby that can change your life and the lives of people you care about. If you ask anyone that is involved in this craft, they will tell you how much they love it!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on October 31, 2017:

Homemade soap is a healthy one.

Rebecca (author) from USA on October 30, 2017:

That's interesting & kinda gross!! lol I've only used plant based milks.

Thanks for your comments.

peachy from Home Sweet Home on October 30, 2017:

do you know that my best friend used her excess breast milk to make soap, she is very clever indeed

Rachel is a soap-making, wine-brewing homesteader and gardener in Minnesota.

Soap vs. Detergent

Most stores that sell products designed for cleaning clothes sell laundry detergent, but laundry detergent is not soap. So what's the difference?

Detergent is similar to soap in that it is a surfactant, which is a very formal way of describing a compound that can clean grease and oil. Soap and detergent aren't exactly the same and react differently with water.

Common laundry detergents are also likely to include other chemical cleaning agents such as bleach, other compounds that enhance the cleaning action of the detergent, and other ingredients that help to remove the detergent from the clothing. Laundry detergents may also contain dyes and fragrances that some people believe to be the cause of skin irritation.

Personally, I appreciate a greater measure of simplicity than store-bought laundry detergents can offer. I like homemade, and I like all-natural. I also have sensitive skin, so I try to avoid potential problems wherever I can.

Whether you prefer laundry detergent or not, you might have noticed that it isn't exactly cheap. You'll easily spend five to eight dollars on a bottle of detergent that claims to wash 32 loads of laundry. These products probably have five to eight or more ingredients in them as well.

You can take one of your empty laundry detergent bottles and fill it with homemade laundry soap for a fraction of the cost of the same bottle. In fact, you can probably do the same amount of laundry for less than one dollar. Instead of dealing with a bunch of ingredients you're unfamiliar with, you can use just four things (or just two) that are all natural to make homemade laundry soap.

The Ingredients

This is a recipe that I adapted from several recipes for dry laundry soap, and then I tinkered with the ratios and figured out how to add water until it worked for me. There are, at most, four ingredients (that I know of) for making homemade laundry soap. In truth, only the first two ingredients are absolutely necessary.

1. Soap, about eight ounces (I prefer homemade lard bars)
2. Water, enough to fill your largest pot and then more to almost fill a five-gallon bucket
3. Borax (sodium borate, not boric acid!), 1/2 cup
4. Washing soda (sodium carbonate), 1/2 cup

You can also add a couple ounces of essential oil if you want scented laundry soap! If you don't want to make 4.5 - 5 gallons of laundry soap your first time around, feel free to halve or quarter this recipe; just keep the ratios the same. And before we go any further, let's get to know these ingredients a little bit better.

Soap is, well, soap. I would hazard a guess that most people reading this article have a pretty good idea about what soap is. It's used to clean things, because it's a surfactant, which just means that with a little friction it can lift particles of stuff off of skin and fabric. Basically, it's a salt formed when sodium hydroxide (lye) mixes with water and fat/oil.

If you want a really unique and totally natural laundry soap, you can make your own soap. I like to "superfat" my laundry soap bars at 0%, but that's just me—and if you have no idea what I meant by that, then either go check out the article I linked or move right along with this recipe we're working on, no worries!

If you're not using homemade bar soap, buy whatever bar soap you think is best. I hear that there are still several good commercially produced laundry bars to be found in most box stores, in the laundry detergent aisle. Just make sure that what you're buying is actually soap, and not just detergent in the shape of a bar of soap, which would defeat the purpose of this entire process. Lye, caustic soda, or sodium hydroxide must be listed on the bar soap ingredients in some form, or the product is not actually soap. Beware of the "Idea of Soap" parading itself around as the real thing!

What Are Sodium Borate and Sodium Carbonate?

When I decided I wanted to make my own laundry soap, I looked for recipes on the internet (like most other people probably would!). When I found 20 Mule Team Borax, a popular brand name of sodium borate, listed as one of the ingredients in just about every recipe I could find, I started to get a little nervous.

What Is Borax? Is That a Natural or Synthesized Product? And Why Do I Need It to Clean My Clothes?

Borax is just a natural mineral that has many different uses. A simple Google search will tell you all kinds of cool things about sodium borate. It acts as a water softener and a mild cleaning agent - for both of those reasons, it's a great additive to laundry soap. It is also anti-fungal, so if you have issues with your washing machine getting funky, it could be helpful there as well.

What Is Washing Soda?

Washing soda is sodium carbonate, also called soda ash or soda crystals, and is a highly alkaline compound, which means that it's great for removing stains. It's a water soluble salt, just another fancy way to say another crystallized sodium compound that can dissolve in water. Which is, again, why it's great for washing clothes. It also acts as a water softener and is especially good at lifting oil, grease, and wine from fabrics.

Washing soda, like Borax, occurs as a natural mineral and can be mined.

Instructions: How to Make Natural, Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

1. In your largest nonreactive metal pot, boil water. While you wait for the water to boil, grate all your soap with a cheese grater. The finer the soap pieces, the better.
2. When the water comes to a boil, add all the grated soap at once and stir to dissolve.
3. After all the soap pieces are dissolved in the boiling water, you can pour the mixture into a five-gallon bucket. At this point, quickly add the Borax and Washing Soda, if you are using them. Stir briskly to dissolve all the crystals.
4. Now take hot water from your faucet and carefully add to the soap mixture in the bucket. Add water until you have between four and five gallons of liquid laundry soap. Stir very well.
5. Once all ingredients look well incorporated, cover the bucket with plastic cling wrap or another tight-sealing cover, and let it stand for about twelve hours.
6. After the soap has stood for about twelve hours, remove the cover and stir. Some separation is to be expected, as we have not used any ingredients that would act as emollients or conditioners. Stir the thicker portions of the soap mixture back into the thinner portions, and then you can bottle or jar all of your soap as you see fit!

Storing and Using Your Homemade, All-Natural Liquid Laundry Soap

For storage, I like to use old laundry detergent bottles. These make stirring (shaking) and measuring soap when I do laundry a breeze. I also use large one-gallon glass jars that I came across somewhere in my travels, and pint sized glass mason jars as well. It's entirely up to you! I would recommend that what you store your soap in be able to close tightly with a lid to prevent bugs from getting in (weird, I know), and water evaporation.

All homemade soaps will be subject to a shelf life unless you used some sort of extra preservative. As a general rule, most folks say homemade soap is stable for one year, but I, needing always to be contrary, say two.

I use the same amount of homemade liquid laundry soap to do a large load of laundry as I used to use of store-bought detergent. I could probably get away with using less, but I have extremely hard water so I like to make sure I am getting the water softening benefits each time I wash clothes! Do some experimenting and see what works best for you!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2017 Rachel Koski Nielsen

Comments

Sharon Vile from Odessa, MO on October 24, 2017:

Homemade laundry soap is great stuff! I've been using it for years, but made with 100% coconut oil soap, zero superfat. I always add a fragrance, even though it doesn't survive the dryer. My daughter asked me if it was possible to purchase the Tide fragrance--and lo and behold it is!

Sharon has been making and selling soaps and personal care products for about five years.

Beldi soaps have enjoyed renewed interest and popularity in recent years. These are soft "paste" or "gel" type soaps that owe their softness to the use of potassium hydroxide (KOH) rather than sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the soapmaking process. KOH and NaOH are two different types of lye. In soapmaking, lye—a strong base—reacts with the weak fatty acids that make up fats and oils to become soap.

Many of the ancient and traditional soaps were soft soaps made with KOH because the most common source of lye in the past was from wood ashes or the ashes of other plant materials. The type of lye found in these ashes is KOH. Our American grandmothers made soap using lye made from wood ashes, usually combined with tallow or lard, and these soaps were often hardened by adding salt.

Beldi type soaps are KOH soaps believed to have originated in the Levant many centuries ago. Beldi is also sometimes called Moroccan black soap, or "Savon Noir." Like our American grandmothers' old-fashioned lye soap, this soap was made with potassium hydroxide (KOH) derived from wood ashes and is a soft paste, rather than a hard bar-type soap.

Traditional Beldi soaps were made with olive oil--the material most readily available for soap making in the Middle East. Crushed olives are often incorporated into traditional Beldi soaps. These soaps were—and still are—traditionally used in Turkish baths, or hammams, though they are now a specialty of Morroco. They are applied to damp skin, left on the skin for ten minutes or so in the steam room, and then scrubbed off with a kessa hammam, a coarse glove used for exfoliation.

Modern soap makers have embraced these soft "paste" soaps and begun making their own adaptations of them, making use of the nearly endless variety of fats and oils available to today's soap maker.

It may be a misnomer to call these modern soft soaps "Beldi." You certainly wouldn't call your grandmother's soft lye soap Beldi—even though it was a soft KOH soap unless salt was added.

But whatever you call it, the modern innovations surrounding Beldi-type soaps are exciting! So many of the fats and oils available to the modern soapmaker provide special skin benefits, nourishing and healing the skin with vitamins and other nutrients. If it is, in fact, Beldi that we are making, we're making it better!

Are Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) Soaps Better for the Skin Than Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) Soaps?

Some soapmakers prefer KOH soaps—especially for facial soaps—because they seem to better for the skin.

When I began using my own version of Beldi as a facial soap, I noticed that it reduced acne and blackheads and gave my skin a finer texture, due to reducing the size of pores. Many soapmakers report similar results.

Naturally, a person can't help but wonder is there is a reason for this.

Potassium hydroxide produces a soap whose chemistry is different than sodium hydroxide soaps. The soap that results is composed of potassium salts of fatty acids. (Soap is a kind of "salt" from the standpoint of chemistry--the result of the chemical reaction between an acid and a base. Fats and oils are weak acids--composed of what are called "fatty acids.") The more common bar soaps are sodium salts of fatty acids.

Another compound that is produced by the chemical reaction between either type of lye, whether NaOH or KOH, is glycerin. The glycerin produced by KOH is chemically identical to the glycerin produced by NaOH.

Why should KOH soaps seem to perform better than NaOH soaps?

The main difference between KOH soaps and NaOH soaps is that KOH soaps have greater solubility. But even this relatively minor change in a soap changes how fats feel on the skin and how they interact. KOH soaps may have less of an ability to form micelles, resulting in a less harsh soap. Or it may be that the milder and gentler nature of KOH soaps is entirely due to their greater solubility in water. KOH soaps are less irritating to the skin than NaOH soaps.

These soap qualities are a definite plus for those with sensitive and delicate skin!

Besides, have you ever seen a photo from the 1800s of a woman with acne?

My "Beldi" Body Soap Recipe

After two or three experiments with making Beldi soap, it finally dawned on me that Beldi needs no specialized recipe. It is just a soap using KOH lye, instead of NaOH lye. Why not make Beldi using my favorite bar soap recipe?

Most soapmakers take quite a bit of pride in their personal (and often secret) recipe. It is often the result of years of research and experimentation. Some of us are more puffed up about this than others. I myself am very puffed up about my soap recipe.

I decided it should make a helluva Beldi, and I feel it did! You could try it yourself and see what you think.

The Recipe

This recipe has been fancied up with what turned out to be a nice combination of superfats. Choose others, if you prefer, using a total of 6.5 ounces of superfats.

The recipe was further fancied up by the addition of DL-Panthenol (pro-Vitamin B-5), which is super good for skin but, when using the soap, needs to be left on the skin for 5 or 10 minutes to absorb. It's also fancied up with Honeyquat--a powerful moisturizer than resists being washed off. These ingredients are optional.

Sugar is often added to soaps to enhance lather. When I was making this recipe for the first time, I was out of sugar, so I used agave nectar instead. My impression is that it is a much more effective lather-enhancer than sugar. DO NOT MIX AGAVE WITH THE LYE WATER! I did this and got a minor explosion. Add the agave to the cool-down phase.

I've divided this recipe into Oil Phase, Water Phase, Superfats to Be Added after Cook, and Cool-Down Phase, for simplicity.

OIL PHASE

• 3.5 ounces Sunflower Oil
• 2.5 ounces Avocado Oil
• 1.5 ounces Canola Oil
• 3.5 ounces Coconut Oil
• 4.5 ounces Beef Tallow
• 1.5 ounces Castor Oil
• 1 ounce Cocoa Butter
• 1 ounce Mango Butter
• 1 ounce Shea Butter
• 0.4 ounces Flaxseed Oil

WATER PHASE
If you don't have agave nectar or don't want to use it, sugar can be added here. Dissolve sugar in ACV and then add KOH.

6 ounces Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) You can substitute water for ACV.
4.6 ounces KOH

SUPERFATS TO BE ADDED AFTER COOK

• 2 ounces Grapeseed Oil
• 2 ounces Hempseed Oil
• 2 ounces Avocado Oil
• 0.5 Pomegranate Oil

COOL DOWN PHASE

• 1.7 ounces DL-Panthenol (about 3.7%) optional
• 1.7 ounces Honeyquat (about 3.7%) optional--and I'll be omitting this in the future, since it smells bad in this product
• 4 Tablespoons Agave Nectar
• 2 ounces Cedarwood Essential Oil (or your choice of fragrance)
• 1 ounce Patchouli Essential Oil (or your choice of fragrance)

Soap weight is 33 ounces, plus 6.5 ounces superfats, 3 ounces essential oils, and 3.4 ounces panthenol and honeyquat, for a total of total will be 45.9 ounces.

This recipe gives a richly emollient soap.

If water is used for the lye liquid, the soap will have a 16% superfat. If ACV is substituted for water, the superfat, according to my calculations, is 20%:

6 ounces ACV contains 5% acetic acid. 6 X .05 = 0.3.

This (I think) should effectively reduce the KOH amount to 5 - 0.3 = 4.7, which would increase the total superfat to 20%.

When this recipe is input into SoapCalc, it gives a Conditioning number of 63 and a Cleansing number of 10--super good numbers. Linoleic acid is 23%, and linolenic acid is 5%. These numbers are probably enhanced by so large a portion of oils being used as superfats.

Curing Beldi Soaps

As with bar soaps, KOH soaps benefit immensely from being left to cure, or "rot," for at least a month. As with bar soaps, Beldi may feel harsh if it is used before it is cured. Beldi soap will continue to improve in mildness and skin feel for many months.

How to Use Beldi Bath Soap

Since I myself do not have a home steam room or a membership in a gym with a sauna, I make do. I warm up the bathroom to about 85 F. Then I get wet in the shower and then get out of the shower with a long-handled bath puff and a container of hot water. I apply Beldi all over and scrub all over with the bath puff. Then I let the soap sit on my skin while I shave my legs and pumice my feet—which probably takes at least ten minutes. Since there is room for a comfortable chair in my bathroom, I do this sitting down. Then I scrub all over with the bath puff a second time and jump back in the shower to rinse off.

All this could of course be done in the tub—or in the shower, which would be made easier if you have a shower chair.

This soap can, of course, be used as you would any other soap—that is, without leaving it on the skin for 5–10 minutes. You would lose some of the benefits of the panthenol by washing off immediately, but the panthenol, though a valuable addition, is optional.

Either way, I think you'll find this a wonderful soap. No other soap leaves skin feeling so soft, moisturized, and refreshed!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: I made a Beldi soap recently and all batches I made were perfectly gelled, only for them to turn out so hard after a day in their containers. Can you help with what you think might have gone wrong please?

Answer: The Beldi recipes I have provided have very large amounts of superfat, and in some cases other liquid ingredients. Without the large amount of superfats, my recipes would also become quite hard.

I actually made a batch of facial soap a few days ago, and since I was very tired I decided to take a nap while the soap was cooking in the crock pot on low. When I woke up, the soap was quite hard. I broke it up into smaller chunks and added the superfats and EOs and stick-blended till all the lumps were smoothed out. (This took some doing.) I then added the ingredients that go into the cool-down phase: In this case, Honeyquat, Panthenol, and agave nectar. After quite a bit of diligent stick-blending over a period of several hours, I got a nice smooth Beldi soap of just the right consistency.

Have a look at the two Beldi soaps I have posted to my blog and calculate the percentage of superfats needed to get this consistency, and add that amount of superfats to your Beldi, and it should be fine--with a lot of stick-blending. Maybe also add an ounce or so of agave nectar.

One of the advantages of Beldi IMHO is that you can add some pretty impressive amounts of superfat to it.

© 2017 Sharon Vile

Comments

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on April 16, 2018:

Shirley, I'm thinking I will try a Beldi with mostly olive oil next. I'm curious to see how it will turn out!

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on April 16, 2018:

Beldi is hot-process soap, so you can add the lye-water (without cooling) to the melted oils. I make Beldi in a crock pot, so once the oils and lye are in the pot, I cook the soap till it reaches vaseline stage. So it doesn't matter if you start out with oils and lye water on the warm side; you're just going to heat them some more.

Shirley on April 16, 2018:

What are your temperatures for the oils and the ACV/KOH, please? I just returned from Morocco with Black Olive Soap and mitts and would like to make my own Beld.i

Sharon Vile on January 28, 2018:

Gaby, thank you for catching that! I have edited to fix this error. (I don't know how this happened!)

Gaby on January 28, 2018:

Hello, I'm wondering if there is a typo concerning the amount of oils, they don't add up to 33 ounces

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on October 16, 2017:

I love these soaps!

Rebecca Graf from Wisconsin on October 12, 2017:

I have never heard of them. Thank you for informing me. I'll check this out more.

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on September 28, 2017:

I hope you like it! You can use your favorite soap recipe, if you'd rather, with your preferred superfats. (You'd have to be a pretty hard-core soaper to have all the ingredients on hand!) I love the feel of this recipe, though, and I think the superfats in this version are especially nice. I love a high superfat in all soaps, but in Beldi you get the mildness and gentleness of a KOH soap as well as all the extra emollients the superfat oils provide.

Marlene Bertrand from USA on September 28, 2017:

I just started looking into making soap and this Beldi-Type Soap article caught my attention. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on September 24, 2017:

Yes, this is HP. You can make a Beldi-type soap just by using KOH instead of NaOH. Now, purists will tell you it's not Beldi unless it's made with olive oil and crushed olives. My real opinion is that it is that this recipe (and many other such adaptations) are probably better than traditional Beldi. We modern soapmakers have endless possibilities in the way of oils and butters--not to mention botanicals--that could be included.

Bing on September 24, 2017:

Hi Sharon,

So this HP not CP? Also, can I use my go to recipe but just change the lye type?

Thanks

Bing

Sharon is a largely self-taught herbalist who has been growing and studying herbs and making herbal preparations for several decades.

I have two daughters with dry and sensitive skin, and from the time I first began making soaps and body care products, my focus was on formulating products that would help relieve dry, itchy skin and eczema, and help keep delicate skin look youthful and dewy.

One of my daughters runs the family farmette and is outdoors in all kinds of weather: rain or shine, heat or cold. She grows a garden, milks goats, feeds the critters, keeps bees, and works on fencing and building sheds, chicken tractors, and automatic hog feeders.

When she told me she was worried that she'd start looking like a "weathered old farm woman," I decided to develop a facial soap that would preserve her delicate complexion. To be honest, she looks a lot less like a "weathered old farm woman" than she does like proof of the words to the old folk song, "It's dabblin' in the dew makes the milk-maid fair." But I wanted to make my contribution to keeping it that way--plus maybe try to come up with something that would improve the appearance of my aging face.

What Is a Facial Soap and How Is It Different from a Body Soap?

When a person sets out to develop a formula for facial soap, the first step is to decide on the special properties it should have, as distinct from a body soap.

• Facial soaps usually have a high superfat percentage, so that the soap does not strip oils from the complexion, but replenishes them. Most soap makers feel that a facial soap should be at least 8% superfat--and that is a minimum.
• Many soap makers feel that care should be taken to use oils with a low comedogenicity--that is, oils that are believed to be less likely to clog pores and thus promote acne. There is some controversy as to whether comedogenicity is a "real thing." I am on the fence about comedogenicity. If this is a concern for you, you might want to choose a recipe that uses little or no coconut oil, which has a moderately high comedogenicity rating. (For example, you could make a traditional Beldi using 100% olive oil.) Eliminating coconut oil from a recipe is problematic, in that soaps made without coconut oil will generally lather poorly. Another ingredient commonly used in soap making that has a moderately high comedogenicty rating is cocoa butter--a butter that I consider essential in bar soaps, because it gives them "substance" and a pleasing texture. Salt is thought to be highly comedogenic. While I'm not sure I believe this, I would suggest adding sugar, rather than salt, if you'd like to include an exfoliant in scrubs and facial soaps like the one below. My recipe below is a soft, gooey soap, and you can easily mix a little sugar with it for exfoliation.
• Oils used as superfats should offer special skin benefits. It's nice if some of the more expensive "luxury" oils can be used, but it's not really necessary. Some oils contain natural antioxidants, skin-nourishing vitamins like A, E, or C, skin-healing fatty acids like gamma-linolenic acid, and many other components. Some oils, such as grapeseed, are slightly astringent, making it good for acne-prone skin. Researching and choosing superfatting oils is the most interesting aspect of developing a facial soap.
• The fragrances used in facial soap should be essential oils that benefit skin. Fragrance oils should be avoided in both facial soaps and shampoos. I know from experience that fragrance oils are "double-plus-ungood" in shampoos. I've only used them a couple of times, when I first started making shampoos, and they resulted in "scalp crud." This leads me to believe that some--and perhaps all--fragrance oils are damaging to the more delicate areas of the skin, and this would include the face. Several essential oils, on the other hand, have special healing properties and/or are thought to rejuvenate skin, or benefit skin in other ways.
• Some additives are popular in facial soaps for acne. Activated charcoal is often used in soaps for acne, as is tea tree oil. Other types of additives have other benefits. Honey is sometimes added to soap, and if added to the cool-down phase, it will retain its benefits--and will also help improve lather. While some botanicals or botanical extracts offer specific skin benefits, my opinion is that the active principles are probably destroyed by contact with lye. Very finely ground dry botanical extracts of your choice could be incorporated into the recipe below, and should not result in spoilage--but if you add dry botanicals you might also want to add a preservative. Botanical extracts made with glycerin extraction could also be added in the cool-down phase, and should not result in spoilage of the product. You should probably not add water based extracts or herbal teas to this product, since you would be creating a partially diluted liquid soap (or maybe a fully diluted liquid soap, if you added enough water). Botanicals in water will create preservation problems. There are many commercially available additives that are nice additions to luxury soaps, such as Honeyquat, panthenol, or even sodium PCA. (You don't want to add sodium lactate, or you'll wind up with a bar soap.) Additive possibilities are nearly endless.
• Should a facial soap be made with oils that are very low in unsaponifiables? I am inclined to think this may be the best approach. Unsaponifiable residues of the oils in soaps might clog pores. So maybe it's is best to select oils that are low in unsaponifiables, when formulating a facial soap.
• In my opinion, a facial soap should be high in linoleic and linolenic acids--the fatty acids that are very beneficial to skin.

KOH Soaps versus NaOH Soaps

Besides my interest in making a really luxurious soap for my daughter's delicate skin, another reason I wanted to develop a facial soap was because I thought I was already onto something.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) soaps are the typical bar soaps that are now available almost everywhere (as distinct from "detergent bars" or syndet bars that have been more commonly sold in stores for the past fifty-plus years). NaOH soaps are the real bar soaps made by artisan soap makers, which have a lovely "feel" on the skin and are much less harsh than commercial "detergent bars." Many soap makers produce bars with a high amount of "superfat"--fats and oils that are not consumed during saponification, and which remain incorporated in the bar of soap, to moisturize skin as well as clean it. My own recipe for NaOH bar soaps has about a 20% superfat, which is very high. Remember, I formulated my soaps for dry and delicate skin. This recipe still does a wonderful job of cleansing skin, and many soap makers would consider a soap with such a high percentage of superfat to be a good facial soap.

But one year before Christmas I decided to make a batch of the very ancient--but newly stylish--Beldi soaps for Christmas presents. Beldi type soaps are believed to have originated in the Levant, many centuries ago. It is also sometimes called Moroccan black soap, or "Savon Noir." Like our American grandmothers' old-fashioned lye soap, thos soap was made with potassium hydroxide (KOH) derived from wood ashes, and is a soft soap that is a paste (or in some instances a goo), rather than a hard bar-type soap. Our American grandmothers usually hardened their lye soaps to make them into bars by adding salt, and the American version was most often made with lard or tallow that was readily available for soap making.

Traditional Beldi soaps, on the other hand, were made with olive oil--the material most readily available for soap making in the Middle East. Crushed olives are often incorporated into traditional Beldi soaps. These soaps were--and still are--traditionally used in Turkish baths, or hammams, though they are now a specialty of Morroco, rather than Turkey. They are applied to damp skin, left on the skin for ten minutes or so in the steam room, and then scrubbed of with a kessel, a coarse glove used for exfoliation.

Modern soap makers have embraced these soft "paste" or "goo" soaps and begun making their own adaptations of them, making use of the nearly endless variety of fats and oils available to today's soap maker. Deveoping interesting new formulas is what modern soap makers love to do. They also often like to give their creations as gifts--which was my plan, with this first batch. So everybody got some, plus I had quite a bit left over for myself.

My first venture into making Beldi was a fairly simple recipe, superfatted with a few luxury oils and scented with a nice fragrance oil (Brambleberry's Tahitian Vanilla, to be exact). It quickly became my preferred bath soap, giving skin an unusually nice "feel."

Eventually I began using it as a facial soap--and immediately noticed a marked improvement in my skin.

Even at my advanced age, I sill get blackheads and even occasional zits. These almost completely disappeared.

Is Beldi Soap Made with Potassium Hydroxide Better for Skin than Sodium Hydroxide Bar Soaps?

Many soap makers feel that soft soaps made with potassium hydroxide are more beneficial to skin than bar soaps made with sodium hydroxide, based on their experience in using such soaps. I did quite a bit of online research to try to find out if there is any known chemistry-related reason why this should be true, but came up empty.

I've noticed a huge difference in my skin from using Beldi soap, but thought this might be because even my first version was heavily superfatted with "luxury" oils. While my bar soap recipe is also heavily superfatted, the actual superfats that remain in the soap are some unknown combination of the oils included in the recipe, since I make cold-process soap--which means you can't choose your superfats. With hot-process soaps, superfats are added after saponification is complete, which means that the superfats will consist of the oils you have specifically chosen. These may be anything from sunflower oil, to hempseed oil, to some of the more exotic oils like borage oil, perilla seed oil, argan oil, or dozens of others.

Since Beldi is a hot-process soap, I revelled in the prospect of being able to choose the superfats I would incorporate into this soap, and I chose some pretty nice ones, even for the first batch. It thought this might be the only reason why using Beldi as a facial soap improved my skin so much.

Potassium hydroxide produces a soap whose chemistry is different than sodium hydroxide soaps. The the soap that results is composed of potassium salts of fatty acids. (Soap is a kind of "salt" from the standpoint of chemistry--the result of the chemical reaction between an acid and a base. Fats and oils are weak acids--composed of what are called "fatty acids.") The more common bar soaps result in sodium salts of fatty acids.

Another compound that is produced by the chemical reaction between either type of lye, whether NaOH or KOH, is glycerin. But the glycerin produced by KOH is chemically identical to the glycerin produced by NaOH.

According to one chemist I spoke with about this, the main difference between KOH soaps and NaOH soaps is that KOH soaps have greater solubility. But even this seemingly insignificant change in solubility changes how fats feel on the skin and how they interact. KOH soaps may have less of an ability to form micelles, resulting in a less harsh soap.

Also, NaOH soaps form a much stronger crystalline structure than KOH soaps--which is why NaOH soaps form a hard bar, and KOH soaps remain relatively fluid. NaOH bars soaps are usually composed of a combination of "more soluble" soap molecules and "less soluble" soap molecules. The "more soluble" soap molecules in bar soaps are at first largely bound within the soap's crystalline structure. That is, these "more soluble" soap molecules are mostly not present during use; they are tied up in the soap's crystalline structure. After a long cure--much longer than the recommended 4-6 week curing period for bars soaps--these "more soluble" soap molecules migrate out of the soap's crystalline structure. (This happens because water evaporation eventually results in "salting out" of the "more soluble" molecules.) So, with NaOH bar soaps, it takes quite a long time for them to cure sufficiently for the "more soluble" soap molecules to migrate out of the predominant crystalline structure (and into the "liquid phase" of the soap) to become available when the soap is used. It takes quite a long cure time for bar soaps to reach this point--probably 3 months to a year. Once this migration has taken place, the soap lathers better, lasts longer, and is milder to the skin.

KOH soaps have only a very weak crystalline structure, so that the "more soluble" soap molecules are immediately available during use. In other words, with KOH soaps you get the same effects you would by using a bar soap that has cured for a year or more, or long enough for the "more soluble" soap molecules to have largely completed their migration out of the soap's predominant crystalline structure and into the soap's "liquid phase."

Hence, with KOH soaps you get the "lathers better, milder to skin" effect from the get-go. Thus the well-known property of KOH soaps to be less irritating to the skin than NaOH soaps.

So there are some reasons to believe that the chemically different Beldi KOH type soaps are "better stuff" for skin. I do know that my skin responds better to Beldi soaps. Other soapmakers have mentioned the same results and some, like me, use only Beldi-type soaps for facial soaps.

My Beldi Recipe

I chose this recipe because it lathers well, even with a very high superfat--plus this is the recipe I use to make liquid soap shampoo, so I am very familiar with working with it. It is actually Liz Ardlady's shampoo bar recipe, which you can read about here: http://lizardladysoapinfo.blogspot.com/2014/06/so-you-want-to-make-bar-of-shampoo.html

Also, part of my thinking in selecting this recipe for a facial soap is that Liz formulated it to be very low in unsaponifiables--components of fatty acids that do not turn into soap, and are thus left on the skin. It seemed to me that unsaponifiable residues in soap might clog pores.

Liz's shampoo bar recipe is also very high in linoleic and linolenic acids, which are the "super good for skin" fatty acids.

As you can see, I went a little bit nuts with this recipe, including quite an array of rather fancy skin-loving essential oils. This is partly because I had already collected a bunch of luxury oils, over time, for use in lotions. You may not want to purchase eleven different expensive oils to make this--nor do you need to, to produce a very fine soap.

Any oils of your choice can be substituted for the superfats that are added after the cook. Just use 6.5 ounces of the oil or oils of your choice. For example, you could use 6.5 ounces of grapeseed oil, 6.5 ounces sunflower oil, or 6.5 ounces of hempseed oil. Or you could use a combination of more readily available oils of your choice, totaling 6.5 ounces. You will notice when you add the superfat oils that this is a LOT of oil! You will likely feel that the amount of oil is excessive. It isn't--just looks like it. This soap will still lather well, despite the very high superfat.

It's also perfectly okay to select fragrances of your choice. I chose specific essential oils for specific skin benefits. You may prefer others. I included litsea cubeba mainly to mask slightly unpleasant scent of the carrot seed oil, though litsea too has skin benefits.

Substituting apple cider vinegar (ACV) for the water to be mixed with lye is an idiosyncrasy of mine. ACV is said to improve lather and make a milder soap. It is perfectly okay to use water for this recipe, rather than ACV. This will lower the superfat slightly, but even when made with water, the superfat in this recipe is about 22%--very high. When made with ACV, the superfat is about 30%. (This is why it looks like such a huge amount when you add the superfats. It is a huge amount!) But even with this very high superfat, this soap gets skin squeaky clean.

I've divided the recipe into four stages: Oil Phase, Water Phase, After Cook, and Cool-Down, for the sake of simplicity.

Beldi Soap Recipe

OIL PHASE

• 8 ounces Canola
• 5.3 ounces Coconut Oil
• 1.1 ounces Castor Oil
• 0.8 ounces Mango Butter
• 0.8 ounces Sunflower Oil
• 4 ounces Glycerin

WATER PHASE

• 7.2 ounces ACV (apple cider vinegar)
• 3.9 ounces KOH

SUPERFATS TO BE ADDED AFTER COOK
You can substitute any oils of your choice for these. The oils you select should add up to a total of 6.5 ounces.

• 0.5 ounce Argan Oil
• 0.5 ounce Borage Oil
• 0.5 ounce Black Cumin Seed Oil
• 0.5 ounce Perilla Seed Oil
• 1 ounce Safflower Oil
• 0.5 ounce Tamanu Oil, after cook
• 0.5 ounce Flaxseed Oil, after cook
• 0.5 ounce Meadowfoam oil
• 0.5 ounce Hempseed oil
• 0.5 ounce Sea Buckthorn Oil
• 1 ounce Pomegrante Oil

TOTAL SUPERFATS = 6.5 OUNCES

COOL-DOWN PHASE

• 1.8 ounces Honeyqaut ( = 4.9%)
• 1.8 ounces DL-Panthenol ( = 4.9%)

2 Ounces of Fragrance:

• 1 ounce Bulgarian Lavender
• 0.5 ounce Geranium
• 0.5 ounce Carrot Seed
• 0.5 ounce Patchouli
• 0.5 ounce Litsea cubeba

METHOD

• Melt the oil phase oils in a crockpot on high.
• Mix ACV and KOH and stir till dissolved. Add to oils in the crockpot and stick blend to trace.
• Leave the crock pot on high and stick blend every ten minutes or so until soap reaches the vaseline stage. (Sometimes this happens fast, and sometimes it seems to take forever--even with the same recipe. So sometimes I just turn off the crock pot, cover it with plastic wrap, and let the soap sit overnight and reheat the next day.)
• Touch your tongue to the soap to see if it zaps. It it doesn't zap (just tastes like soap) use a dab to wash your hands, to check lather. If soap lathers well and doesn't zap, it's done.
• Turn off the crock pot.
• Add the superfats in the "after cook" list. Stir and stick blend to get these well blended into the soap.
• Let the soap cool to about 100°.
• Mix DL-Panthenol and Honeyquat till DL-Panthenol is dissolved. Add this mixture to soap and stick blend till well blended into the soap.
• Add fragrance and stick blend until well blended into the soap.
• Put soap in individual containers of your choice.

This soap will be a pretty intense yellow when you first make it, because of the sea buckthorn oil, which is so highly colored it's almost like adding food coloring. By the time the soap is cured, the color will have changed to a translucent amber.

Beldi soaps also "relax" during the cure--mostly during the first few days--becoming less dense and "tacky" and more gooey.

A Note on What To Do if You Feel this Soap Is Too Gooey or Runny for Your Taste

Most of the online pictures you see of Beldi soaps show soaps that are quite a bit more dense. The thickness of the finished soap is related to the oils used, the amount of liquid used in the lye water, and the amount of oils used for superfatting.

If you would like to make this or some other Beldi recipe thicker, simply add a little beeswax to the oil phase. (I have not actually tried this, so I don't know how much.)

What I have tried successfully is adding sodium lactate (after I complete making the soap and decided to thicken it). Adding 0.5 ounces sodium lactate to the water phase seems to make the thickness about right. Or you can add this in the cool-down phase and see if this gives the thickness you like, and adjust.

Curing Beldi Soaps

As with bar soaps, KOH soaps benefit immensely from being left to cure, or "rot," for at least a month. As with bar soaps, Beldi may feel harsh if it is used before it is cured. Beldi soap will continue to improve in mildness and skin feel for many months.

How To Use Beldi Facial Soap

Easy! Apply it to your skin (avoiding the eye area) and rinse off. Because this soap contains DL-Panthenol (pro-Vitamin B-5), it's best to leave it on your skin for five or ten minutes, if you can. Panthenol needs a little time to absorb into the skin--and you definitely want those benefits! Panthenol does wonders for skin. Your skin may also benefit from allowing time for all these luxury superfatting oils to penetrate skin.

People with very sensitive skin may find it irritating to leave this soap on the skin for too long, since the essential oils could be irritating if left on too long. Test to see if your skin seems sensitive to the essential oils, or--if you have very sensitive skin--use a somewhat lower percentage of these essential oils in making this soap.

Should You Use this Recipe as a Body Soap?

While there is no reason not to use this recipe as a body soap, I doubt if the rest of the body needs this degree of pampering, and I'm not sure it would even benefit much from it. This recipe is probably some serious overkill, for a body soap.

On the other hand, Beldi body soaps are wonderful--and are my preferred soap for bathing.

To convert this recipe to a body soap, simply make the soap as per the directions and substitute 6.5 ounces of more inexpensive superfatting oils of your choice. Choices would include olive oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, almond oil, hempseed oil, and many more--or combinations of these oils. I think 6.5 ounces is a good amount, and I'm inclined to think it would be best not to use more, since lather might be diminished. As best I can calculate this with my poor math skills, the above recipe has about a 29% superfat. It should be high enough.

How To Use Beldi as a Body Soap

Since I myself do not have a home steam room or a membership in a gym with a sauna, I make do. I get wet in the shower and then get out of the shower with a long-handled bath puff and a container of hot water. I apply Beldi all over and scrub all over with the bath puff. Then I let the soap sit on my skin while I shave my legs and pumice my feet--which probably takes at least ten minutes. Since there is room for a comfortable chair in my bathroom, I do this sitting down. Then I scrub all over with the bath puff a second time and jump back in the shower to rinse off.

All this could of course be done in the tub--or in the shower if you have a shower chair.

No other soap leaves skin feeling so soft, moisturized, and refreshed!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: What can I use instead of Honeyquat to make Beldi facial soap? This isn’t easy to find locally.

Answer: I would suggest that you leave out the Honeyquat. I have decided to omit it from my recipe, because of the unpleasant odor. Honeyquat is weird that way. In some products it has no odor at all, but it really stinks up some other products. Overheating it is said to make it stink, but in this recipe, it stinks even though I add it during the cool-down phase. It must be a pH issue.

If you omit the Honeyquat, you probably will not need to adjust the amounts of other additives, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

Question: Does this recipe need a preservative?

Answer: Beli-type soaps are essentially undiluted KOH soap pastes. They are softer than bar soaps made with NaOH, but their innate softness is the chief difference. Hence, in my opinion, Beldi-type soaps do not require a preservative, any more than bar soaps do.

The benchmark rule covering the need for preservatives is whether a product contains water.

Some soapmakers might contend that water would likely be introduced into Beldi-type soaps stored in jars, during use, and this might be a valid argument for using a preservative. On the other hand, bar soaps contain some residual water content as well and also get wet during use, but do not require a preservative. The high pH of both types of soaps protects them from bacterial contamination.

KOH soap pastes are the basis for making liquid soaps, which are made by diluting KOH soap pastes sufficiently to make liquids, and many soapmakers believe that liquid soaps should include a preservative since liquid soaps have very high water content. Personally, I feel that liquid soaps offered for sale should contain a preservative. (I use 5% Liquid Germall Plus.) I do not add a preservative to my Beldi-type soaps that are offered for sale since I feel a preservative is unnecessary--but that is just my opinion.

Beldi soaps that I have made are generally stored for about a year at room temperature before they are used up, and I have never seen or smelled any sign of spoilage or rancidity.

Since many Beldi-type soaps include unusually high levels of super fats, I would say that if you are going to have an issue, it would be rancidity. There are several ways to protect against this. One is to include super fats that protect against rancidity, such as meadowfoam oil. Another is to include Vitamin E blended with the super fats. A third method is to include rosemary oleoresin blended with the super fats.

The bottom line here is that I can't give you a definite answer, and you will have to be guided by your own judgment in this matter.

Comments

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on February 24, 2018:

I've never added clay to Beldi-type soaps, though I have sometimes used them in bar soaps. I have experimented a little with adding extracts to liquid soaps and Beldi-type soaps.

Adding a bit of clay to this particular recipe might be a good way to thicken it a little and give a more opaque appearance--besides offering the benefits of clay. I would add it during the cool-down phase, so I could keep an eye on the way it changed color and consistency. If you added the clay to the oils before the cook, you could find you added too much.

I think there is some debate about when to add botanical extracts. I don't like the idea of adding them before saponification is complete because reaction with lye likely destroys any beneficial properties. But many people would disagree with me on that. (Bottom line: No one really knows.)

I prefer to add powdered extracts after saponification is complete--so either after the cook or during the cool-down phase. (A little heat probably won't hurt them.)

I prefer to use powdered extracts, rather than liquid extracts, first, because suppliers won't reveal the full ingredients in liquid extracts and, second, because powdered extracts are more economical.

If you add powdered extracts to Beldi-type soaps or liquid soaps, you should probably include a preservative. This is because any recipe that contains water (except for bar soaps) needs a preservative.

There is also some debate as to whether liquid soaps or Beldi-type soaps require a preservative at all, even without the addition of extracts.

I am inclined to think that you COULD add extracts to Beldi-type soaps without adding a preservative--even though I know there is some residual water remaining in the product after the cook. I know this because I have weighed the soap before and after the cook, and I've seen that not much of the water cooks out. But this is also true of bar soaps, even after they have cured--and people commonly add botanicals to bar soaps without using a preservative, with no problems.

Here is my opinion, and I would stress that this is just my opinion: I would add a preservative (Liquid Germall Plus is what I use, though some prefer Suttocide) to Beldi-type soaps that include powdered extracts, just to be on the safe side--unless you are making them only for personal use.

I can't really advise you on liquid extracts, as I have never used them. If you would prefer to use liquid extracts, you should contact your supplier to find out when to add them and whether to use a preservative.

Cruz on February 23, 2018:

Have you tried to add clay? Like French Green clay? If so What was the outcome? Also what are your thoughts about extracts? When can you add clay and extracts? Thank you for your recipe.

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on September 19, 2017:

Apple cider vinegar. Oops! I guess I need to edit that!

Donna on September 19, 2017:

Hi

Your recipe sounds so nice and I want to give it a try. I just have a question as to what ACV is?

Thank-You

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on September 18, 2017:

Thank you! I love this stuff, especially as a facial soap!

Alison Welborn on September 18, 2017:

WOW Sharon, this sounds absolutely wonderful and I'm going to give this a try as I've hear so much about Beldi soaps. Thank you so much for posting all the great information about it.

Amber is a single mom on a fixed income, a couponer, a DIYer, and an accounting student who knows the value of her pennies.

Consumerism: The mindset that we need to spend, spend, spend. You "need" body wash for the shower, you need hand soap for the sink, and you need a different bottle or package for everything.

I feel like sales are a distraction, making us "feel" like we're saving money when, in reality, we are needlessly throwing it away.

Bars of Soap

I usually make my own soap. But lately, things have been a little . . . extreme . . . so I've been slacking a little bit and buying bars of soap.

My go-to pack of soap is always either Ivory or Dove because I can usually find a coupon for them, and I'm pretty cheap like that.

I found a coupon to save $.75 off a pack of Ivory bar soap at Save.ca, my favorite coupon site.

Of course, I clipped it, and I purchased my soap at Walmart for $3.96

Then I take my pack of soap, and I make a jar of liquid hand washing soap for the bathroom. I make a bottle of body wash for the shower. And I made some dry laundry soap.

Liquid Castile Soap

Castile soap is named that because it uses olive oil, and is named after a region in Spain where olive oil is life.

It leaves my skin feeling so soft. I have used it in home made shampoo, shower jellies, and hand soap.

I'm actually doing research to learn how to make it myself. Of course. Because it is quite expensive. More on that later.

Liquid Dish Soap

I still always buy my liquid dish soap. I usually use Dawn because that's what I find coupons for. But, a little goes a long way.

Not only for washing dishes, I make my floor cleaner out of it. Can't live without it. I live in probably one of the first apartment buildings ever built in my town, pretty sure the linoleum has been there since the dawn of time.

When I first moved in, it was pretty icky looking. As time went on, my floor cleaner took away that ickiness, and now they're actually getting pretty shiny.

Vinegar

Oh, vinegar, how I love thee.

I use it for everything from laundry softener to floor cleaner to heart burn remedy. And it tastes good on french fries.

I could probably write an article on 1,000 uses for vinegar, but I'll save you from that. Just know that in a frugal girl's world, vinegar is boss.

Baking Soda, Washing Soda

I'll combine these two, because really, they're almost the same thing.

• Baking Soda: NaHCO3 (1 sodium, 1 hydrogen, 1 carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules)
• Washing Soda: Na2CO3 (2 sodium, 1 carbon, and 3 oxygen molecules).

So, washing soda is just baking soda on steroids. And it is oh so handy.

Baking soda can be used for everything. Just like the vinegar. I sometimes consider buying it in bulk.

And for more heavy-duty cleaning (laundry, bathrooms), I like the washing soda.

Borax

So borax is making headlines in slime. I know right now the safety of it is up in the air. I've never looked into this; we've never made slime.

But I love borax as a replacement for bleach. The cleaning reaction of it in water creates peroxide but without burning holes through my clothes. Also, it doesn't stink like bleach. Instead, it leaves my bathroom smelling fresh. I like fresh.

I use it in my laundry soap, floor cleaner, bathroom, and as an ant eradicator.

Murphy's Oil Soap

I love this simply for the smell.

I inherited a coffee table that's about as old as I am, and I'm scared to sand and refinish it, but I like to keep the top looking shiny and clean.

Murphy's to the rescue! Also, when I had hardwood floors, I used a tiny bit of Murphy's mixed with vinegar and water. And it was a lovely cleaner.

My Final Thoughts

I just can't get behind the "antibacterial" movement. Unless I'm dealing with open wounds or raw meat on the counter, I prefer to stay away from antibacterial.

Aren't some germs kind of good for us? I ate dirt as a child. I'm mostly ok.

Anyway, I have yet to sit down and figure out exactly how much I save per year by using just a few ingredients for everything in my home, though I might start paying more attention.

I do, however, feel like I'm sticking it to the man when I get to spend my money on more important things, like My Dear Little.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Amber is a single mom on a fixed income, a couponer, a DIYer, and an accounting student who knows the value of her pennies.

I've noticed a huge new trend in shower items: shower jellies!

Of course, being of such frugal nature, I just can't wrap my head around spending $18.00 on a 3.5 oz shower jelly. That's insane.

But, I want my six-year-old to be excited about taking a bath, and, well, I like to feel like I'm spoiling myself in the shower as well.

And thanks to Pinterest, there is literally a do-it-myself version of everything available! So I was super excited to try making my own.

The Research:

So I did my due diligence, researched a few different methods and recipes, and came up with one of my own.

I don't own any pigments, and I have stained my bathtub (and my child, but she thought blue skin was pretty awesome) using food coloring.

So, I thought, why not tea?

I've had some Guava Cadabara tea hanging out in my cupboard for...oh...a year or two anyway, I just can't warm up to the flavor.

Why not use it in my jellies? It smells good, I just don't enjoy drinking it.

The Players:

• 2 packages gelatin, unflavored and clear
• 3/4 C boiling water
• 1/2 C castile soap
• 1 tsp salt
• Molds for your mixture
• Tea leaves

The How To:

1. If you are going to use a silicon mold, I would strongly suggest placing in on a cutting board so you can easily move it to the fridge. We used muffin tins. They worked wonderfully.
2. Next we put our tea into our Pyrex mixing bowl, and poured our water over top.
3. Next we added our gelatin. Whisk it until dissolved.
4. Now it's time for the castile soap and salt. Give it a good stir!
5. If you have air bubbles, spritz with some rubbing alcohol. We did not have any rubbing alcohol, but mommy had some vodka! Sadly, it didn't work. You'll need the rubbing alcohol.
6. Toss them in the fridge until they solidify. This took about three hours for us. BAM! Shower jellies for pennies.

What Didn't Work

Our gelatin was about two years expired. I'm not sure if that's why we had weird chunks. My Dear Little wants to try again tomorrow, but this time with strawberry rhubarb tea. Why not?

I used two teaspoons of leaves for this recipe and put them in the tea ball and didn't take it out until we were ready to pour it into the molds. We did have some color and a wee bit of scent, but not enough to make much of an impression. My Dear Little kept saying it was "kind of a funny color."

When I emptied my tea ball, I found a "special" kind of soap inside the ball, all the leaves and fruits congealed to each other.

We decided next time we're still going to use the expired gelatin, because I'm too cheap to throw that out. But maybe next time we'll use an immersion blender and she can blend while I sprinkle the powder in.

Also, we think maybe we'll nix the tea ball and throw the leaves and fruits into the mixture. I am concerned about the chunks in the tub though. I have however, seen those things that you put in the drain to strain out hair and chunks for bath tubs at the dollar store. Perhaps I'll invest in one of those.

Alternatively, we could throw the leaves into a food processor and grind them up real good.

Thoughts on that?

The End Result

They do have a nice, rich lather and they leave my skin feeling pretty nice, and that's what I like in a soap.

Do not leave them anywhere too warm though, they melt down into a goopy puddle.

My Dear Little took one into the bath. It dissolved in no time. She was pretty disappointed. But I guess when you consider the ingredients, you can't really expect anything else.

And they were fun to make. We will be making them again.

The Cost Breakdown

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2017 Amber Joy

Cynthia is a gardening enthusiast. She has a green thumb and always plants a variety of items for harvesting during gardening season.

As someone who loves natural products with natural ingredients, I was excited when I found Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products. They are not a new company by any means, though I only personally recently discovered them. I decided to try out the new honeysuckle scent moisturizing body wash with essential oils. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products are free from a lot of chemicals that most people are trying to avoid these days. The company packages the products with at least 20% post-consumer plastics, reducing their impact on the environment. The product contents are biodegradable, and you are encouraged to recycle the packaging.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products are also 'Leaping Bunny Certified,' so you can rest assured that these products are cruelty-free and never tested on our furry friends. Now that I got a bit of the basics out of the way, let's move onto my personal experiences.

First Impressions

As with anything we always make first impressions based on overall looks, and any information listed on the packaging

At first glance, I noticed the label was very simple and not overly busy. It was easy to find and read all the information about the product. A nice crisp yellow label with green lettering. Nothing too flashy and very simple. I like it when products do not feel the need to add fluffer to their packaging. When I want to navigate labels for information, I do not want to spend 20 minutes just to find what I was looking for.

The bottle is 16 Fluid ounces, and at first glance, I thought that was a pretty standard size. The cap is very easy to open. Something I also look for in products because I do have issues with my hands. So being easy to open, especially in the shower, is a major plus for me. Then I decided to smell it, after all I had ordered online, so I was in the dark as to how it would actually smell.

Surprisingly the fragrance is not overwhelming at all as sometimes floral scents can be overpowering. It has a very sweet and fresh honeysuckle scent but just the right amount of fragrance. Light enough that it won't muddle any other products you may use after your shower. Yet a nice enough light fragrance that you can skip your perfume for the day if you choose.

After Use

I mentioned thinking that the product was a pretty standard size. My first impression was that perhaps the product was a bit expensive for the amount in the bottle. I originally thought that the product would likely not last as long as some other products. Surprisingly Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Honeysuckle body wash proved me totally wrong!

Even though this is a pretty standard 16-ounce bottle, I have been using it for weeks and barely put a dent in it at all, even with daily use. A little goes a long way with this body wash.

Let's talk about lather and suds for a minute. We all tend to associate the amount of lather with the amount of clean we get out of products. This body wash doesn't lather like your typical ones do. It still foams up, just not like a bubble bath explosion. There is an exceptionally clean feeling despite a lackluster lather.

I also noted that with the addition of the essential oils in this product that my skin is softer directly out of the shower. Even without using a moisturizing lotion after I get out of the shower. It is a very gentle body wash overall, and I experienced no irritation using it. Though I would suggest if you are new to essential oils to testing a small spot as with anything everyone reacts differently.

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Body Wash Ingredients

Final Thoughts

If you notice in the table above, there a lot of natural ingredients to Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day body wash with none of the stuff that can be potentially drying. These ingredients can cause irritation and can be found in many products on the market. So if you ever wondered why no matter what your skin is always dry, check the ingredients of the products you are using.

Overall I am very pleased with my honeysuckle body wash. I get a nice crisp clean feeling while my skin is moisturized in the process. This is a great body wash for those who shower before bed since it contains Chamomile Extract it is naturally calming. A good choice for those needing something to help them relax before bed.

Mrs.Meyer's Clean Day Honeysuckle Body Wash runs under $8, and there are usually some discount options available on major retailer websites. I have been using it just shy of a month and only used about an inch's worth of product, even though I use it daily. In my opinion, since a little goes a long way, this is a great budget buy since it will last for a good while. I will likely not have to consider replacing it for about 3–4 months or so. If I were to guess, I would say based on what amount you (I) would use it work out to me spending just $2 a month on body wash!

A great body wash for someone who loves to feel clean and is looking for a product with more natural ingredients, a more environmentally and animal-friendly product. No complaints as I thoroughly enjoy the fragrance, the price is moderate to low when broken down by how much I am using with daily showers. I also enjoy that my skin is moisturized, and I can skip a daily lotion if I am in a hurry without worrying about my skin appearing less than soft and supple.

On a side note, my husband loves me using this. I think it is important to toss out observations from him from time to time. He has no problems pointing out products I use that he dislikes, so when he is impressed with something I feel like it is worth mentioning! He really loves the honeysuckle fragrance, and that means lots more cuddling on the couch. He loves it so much that watching chick flicks with me does not seem so much of a chore for him.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2017 Cynthia Hoover

Comments

Cynthia Hoover (author) from Newton, West Virginia on April 06, 2018:

Glenn Stok I think I will try other scents in the body wash sometime soon. I do hope the lavendar was a good choice for you and you enjoyed it as much as i did the honeysuckle!

Glenn Stok from Long Island, NY on November 10, 2017:

You convinced me to try this one. I used to use regular bar soap in the shower. But lately I’ve been trying different liquid body washes because the bar soap leaves a grime on the shower walls that is so hard to clean.

So far, many of the liquid body washes I've found contain preservatives such as sodium laurel sulfate—which is a carcinogen. I noticed that the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products do not contain those types of chemicals, so it’s definitely a safer product for long-term use.

I see they also have a lavender version, which is the one I’m going to try. I know you put a lot of emphasis on the honeysuckle, but I feel lavender is better for me. It’s just a personal choice. It’s nice that Mrs. Meyer's provides different scents to choose.

Rachel L Alba from Every Day Cooking and Baking on May 07, 2017:

It's always good to read a review before you buy something you never used before. Thank you for sharing your review, it will certainly help in my decision.

Blessings to you.

Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on May 07, 2017:

Cynthia, that sounds like a good product to buy and try for sure. Your review captured everything a product should be. I've heard of Mrs. Meyers over at Crowdtap, though I never got to be part of any sample missions. Thanks for sharing.

I love bath bombs and I enjoy telling people how they can make them in their home.

Making your own at-home spa products is a great way to save money and have control over the ingredients, so you don't have to worry about any allergic reactions.

Bath bombs are great pampering items that can be customized to almost any scent, shape, or add-in you can think of using. You can buy bath bombs, some as high as $7 or more each or make them for much less. These can even make great craft projects for a party or you can use them as gifts.

A Few Tips & Tricks

The bath bomb basic recipe is a great place to start and you can customize and experiment from there easily to create your own special combinations and favorites.

A few tips before you start:

• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to make sure it is well combined and there are no large clumps or lumps.
• A mason jar, or any other glass jar with lid, is best for mixing the wet ingredients.
• If you add the wet too fast and it starts to fizz, whisk down until the fizzing stops.
• Let these dry! It is best to let them dry overnight and do not try to dry them faster in the oven they will burst and make a huge mess (same for the microwave). Just be patient.

Almost any solid form can be used to mold these. A muffin tin, soap molds, plastic ornament balls, metal meatball maker, ice cream scoop, and even a tennis ball cut in half works. I suggest only solid forms as silicone tends to be more difficult to press the mix into firmly.

Basic Recipe

It's best if you measure these on a kitchen scale for accuracy and best results. You can also use the approximate measurements also provided if necessary.

• 8 oz baking soda (just under 1 cup)
• 4 oz Epsom salt (slightly rounded 1/2 cup scoop)
• 4 oz citric acid (1/2 cup)
• 4 oz cornstarch (3/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3 tablespoons oil (almond, avocado, grapeseed, hempseed, fractionated coconut or olive)
• 20-30 drops essential oils
• 3-5 drops food coloring (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Combine the wet ingredients in mason jar and shake well to combine completely. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry as you mix. When combined the mix should be able to retain some shape when pinched. If necessary you can add a little more oil to get it to this consistency.
2. If the mix is too wet or too dry you will not have a solid and fizzy bath bomb and as you experiment with different oils, mix-ins and additions the amount you need may need to be altered slightly to achieve this consistency.
3. I recommend using the basic recipe with some inexpensive oils for your first try so you can get the perfect texture without wasting expensive oils.

Now that you have the basics and you have been creating some new favorites for yourself, here are a few variations to keep you inspired!

1. Vanilla Lemon Bath Bomb

This will make 1 large ornament, 60mm bath bomb.

Ingredients:

• 0.33 cup baking soda
• 1/6 cup citric acid
• 1/6 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoons Epsom salts
• 1/4 teaspoon water
• 0.67 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
• 5 drops lemon essential oil
• 1/6 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoons dried lemon zest

Instructions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk thoroughly to mix. Set aside.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients: coconut oil (melted), water, essential oil, and vanilla. Stir to mix.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients from step two into the dry ingredients bowl from step one. Mix well until thoroughly combined.
4. Working quickly, test the mixture to see if it will lightly stick together. If it does not hold, spritz very lightly with water and mix. If you add too much water the ingredients will fizz and you will have to start over!
5. Once the mixture lightly holds together, press it into the mold. Pack it tightly, but do not overfill the mold. If you are using round plastic ornament molds, press each half of the mold together until it closes.
6. Let dry for at least six to eight hours or overnight. Unmold and allow to air dry until dry to the touch.

2. Coconut Mango Tropical Bath Bomb

Ingredients:

• 1 cup baking soda
• ½ cup citric acid
• ¼ cup dried coconut milk powder
• 1 tsp aloe vera 200× powder
• 1–4 tbsp. mango powder
• 15 drops lime essential oil
• 1/2 cup Epsom salt
• 1 tbsp oil (olive, grapeseed or your choice)
• Mister with witch hazel

Instructions:

1. Blend the ingredients in the first group in a large bowl and whisk together to combine or mix in food processor.
2. Blend the Epsom salts and oil together transfer to the bowl with the dry mixture, stir to combine.
3. Now it’s time to add just enough liquid to get the mixture to hold together in a mold. Not too much, though, or it will react in the bowl/mold, not in your bath. That’s why we’re using a mister (it’ll spread the moisture better) and witch hazel.
4. So, spread your mixture out in your bowl so you have as much surface area as possible and spritz. Then stir thoroughly. And repeat until you can grab a clump of the mixture and it will hold together after a firm squeeze.
5. Once the mixture will hold together, pack it into a mold of your choice. Let dry overnight.

3. Oatmeal Coconut Bath Bomb

Ingredients:

• Crushed oatmeal – 1/4 cup. You can also crush the oatmeal by hand and control how fine you want your crushed oatmeal.
• Baking soda – 1 cup.
• Citric acid – 1/2 cup.
• Sea salt – 1/2 cup.
• Coconut oil – 2 tablespoons

Instructions:

1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to blend well and remove any clumps.
2. Melt to coconut oil in the microwave. Should only take about 15 seconds. Stir to blend and then mix into the dry ingredients.
3. Mold the completed mixture and let dry overnight!

4. Matcha Green Tea Bath Bomb

Ingredients:

• 1 cup baking sod
• ½ cup citric acid
• ¼ cup Epsom salts
• ¼ cup corn starch
• 2 tablespoons of matcha, (powdered green tea, baking grade is fine)
• 2 tbs almond oil (or oil of your choice)
• 2 tsp water
• ¼ tsp essential oil of choice

Instructions:

1. Mix the citric acid, Epsom salts, corn starch, and matcha powder together.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix very well.
3. Line a standard size muffin/cupcake tin with paper liners.
4. Scoop the bath bomb mixture into the liners, when near the tops, press down with the back of a spoon or your fingers. Then add remaining mixture and press down again. Try to pat the tops relatively smooth.
5. Put the bath bombs aside to dry for at least several hours.
6. Once dry they will be firm. Gently shake or blow off any crumbs.

5. Achy Muscle Soothing Bath Bomb

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/3 cup Epsom salts
• 2 Tablespoon cream of tartar
• 2 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon peppermint oil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

1. Start by combining dry ingredients and chopped rosemary in a medium glass bowl. Whisk to blend. Whisk in coconut oil and peppermint oil.
2. Using a spray bottle, spritz water to moisten mixture as you stir. The mixture should be crumbly, but hold when squeezed.
3. Scoop mixture into bomb molds and press firmly. Allow to set and dry at least 4 hours in a cool, dry area.

6. Golden Touch of Midas Bath Bomb

This is a little more labor intensive but is really a great effect when you are done. This will leave the bather with a golden sparkle on the skin and might have some in the tub but it washes out easily. This will make six to eight bath bombs per recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups baking soda
• 1½ cups citric acid
• 7 mL champagne fragrance oil
• 7 mL orange peel cybilla fragrance oil
• 1.5 oz. meadowfoam oil
• 1 oz. cocoa butter
• Coral Orange La Bomb Colorant
• King’s Gold Mica
• 99% isopropyl alcohol
• Optional: witch hazel

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, add the baking soda and citric acid. Use your hands to break up any clumps.
2. Pour the meadowfoam oil and cocoa butter in a heat safe container and place in the microwave using 30-second bursts until the cocoa butter is completely melted. Add the mixture of melted oils into the dry ingredients. You may want to allow the oils to cool slightly, as you need they could burn your hands during the next step if they are extremely hot.
3. Use your hands to work the oils throughout the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until the oils and dry ingredients are completely combined. This may take several minutes.
4. Add about 10-12 drops of the Coral Orange La Bomb into the mixture and begin working the colorant throughout the mixture. This can take a few minutes, just keep mixing! Add more colorant if you’d like the color to be a little more saturated.
5. Add the Champagne Fragrance Oil and Orange Peel Cybilla Fragrance Oil to the mixture and use your hands to thoroughly mix in the fragrances.
6. Check the moisture of your fizzies. When squeezed with your hand, the mixture should hold its shape. If not, add spritzes of witch hazel into each container, mixing between every couple sprays, until the texture is similar to wet sand. Try to work as quickly as possible!
7. Fill two halves of the bath bomb molds, gently pressing the bath bomb mixture in each to make sure they hold their shape. Mound a little extra mixture in the center of one half of the mold. Match the eyelets of each side up, and press together. To avoid any imperfections on your bath bomb, make sure to direct pressure to the edges of the mold rather than the center.
8. Allow the bath fizzies to harden in the mold for 24 hours. Then, carefully remove them from the package. Fill a bowl with a few tablespoons of King’s Gold Mica.
9. Spritz the outside of one bath bomb lightly with 99% isopropyl alcohol.
10. Gently roll the bath bomb into the King’s Gold Mica until completely covered. Use your fingers to carefully “brush” off any excess mica.
11. Repeat this process for each bath bomb, until all are covered. Carefully place the bath bombs back into the mold and package until ready to use. Before placing them back into the package, you may want to wash the mold for a clean look. Just make sure they are completely dry before placing the fizzy back into the mold!

7. Vaporub Shower Bomb

When you need to clear the sinuses or fight a cold, this is a pampering way to feel better fast by placing on the drain in the shower and inhale while showering.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of baking soda
• 1 cup of cornstarch
• 5 tablespoons of Vicks Vaporub or you can use baby Vicks for a less intense smell.
• 2-3 teaspoons water

Instructions:

1. Add the corn starch and Vicks in a bowl and mix to combine. (Note: This will be strong smelling so maybe wear gloves if your sensitive or open a window.)
2. Add the baking soda and mix well.
3. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture holds together well.
4. Mold the mixture into your ice cube tray or other molding tray.
5. Freeze until solid, 2-3 hours. Store in a jar until needed.

Bath bombs are a great way to pamper yourself, create wonderful gifts or even help you get a better nights sleep with soothing oils for relaxation. This can be a fun and healthy way to help sooth babies and kids in their bath time for a better sleep or for clearing stuffy noses.

The combinations of colors, scents, moisturizers and mix-in are endless and can be shape into almost anything or any theme you desire for holidays, parties or events. Let you creativity run wild and have a pampered bath time!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Shushanik likes trying different DIY products and sharing the best of her findings with her readers.

Sometimes you want to treat yourself and spend a whole day in a spa salon. But why spend money if you can arrange a spa at home? Here are 5 amazing recipes for bath bombs that you can easily make right in your own kitchen.

1. Candy Cane Bath Bomb

Ingredients

• 0.5 cups olive oil, (or coconut, almond, grapeseed oil)
• 0.5 cups corn starch
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup citric acid
• peppermint essential oil
• molds, (muffin, cupcake molds or plastic egg holders)

How to Make

Mix all the dry ingredients. Add 10 drops of peppermint essential oil to a 0.5 cup of olive oil. Stir everything to a wet sand consistency. Use a spoon to fill the molds with the mixture, making sure that the mixture stays put in molds. This amount is enough for about 20 small molds. Leave the molds to dry for 24 hours.

After the bombs are ready, you can pack them in gift bags. But do not forget to leave a couple of pieces for yourself.

2. Lemon Bath Bomb

Ingredients

• 1 cup baking soda
• 0.5 cup citric acid
• 0.5 cup corn starch
• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• ¾ teaspoon water
• 2 teaspoons almond oil
• lemon essential oil
• yellow food coloring
• decor (dried petals, flowers, etc.)
• plastic ball-shaped molds

How to Make

In a large bowl, mix baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, and sea salt. In a small bowl, mix almond oil, water, coloring, and lemon essential oil. Pour the liquid mixture into a dry one. Whisk everything until the ingredients are blended smoothly. Try to roll the mixture into a ball. If the mixture does not hold shape, sprinkle it lightly with water spray. Do not add too much water, otherwise the mixture will fizz and will not crystallize properly.

If the consistency is right, spoon the mixture into molds. Leave to dry for at least 2 hours. Then remove from the molds and leave to dry on a towel for a night.

3. Rose Milk Bath Bomb

Ingredients

• 1 cup baking soda
• 0.5 cup citric acid
• 0.5 cup corn starch
• 0.25 cup milk powder
• 3 teaspoons sea salt
• dried rose petals
• 1 teaspoon water
• 3–4 teaspoons almond oil
• 15-20 drops rose oil
• plastic or silicone molds.

How to Make

In a large bowl, mix baking soda, citric acid, milk powder, and sea salt. Add rose petals previously cut into small pieces. In a small bowl, mix water, almond oil and rose essential oil. Mix together the dry and the wet ingredients. Try to squeeze a handful of mixture in your hand. If the mixture holds its shape, it can be placed in the molds. If the mixture crumbles once you open your fist, lightly spray it 1–2 times with water until you can form a shape. Do not overspray, or the mixture will begin to fizz and will not crystallize properly.

Use plastic or silicon molds to form the bath bombs. It is best to half fill the molds first, then press each one so that the mixture fills the form well. Then fill the remaining half. This recipe makes 2-3 medium bath bombs or 8 small bath bombs.

4. De-stress Bath Bomb

Ingredients

• 2 cups baking soda
• 2 teaspoons dried chamomile leaves or chamomile tea
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• 0.5 cup water (more if necessary)
• essential oil (cedar, bergamot, rosemary, lemon, lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus)

How to Make

Using a spice mortar or a coffee grinder, grind lavender and chamomile leaves into fine crumbs. Mix with baking soda. Add enough water to make a paste, not a liquid mass. Distribute into small molds.

Heat the oven to 430 F (220 C) and bake the molds for 15–20 minutes. Take them out of the oven and leave to cool down. Once the bombs are completely cooled, leave them to dry. Pour essential oils over the bombs and leave until completely absorbed. Put them into small jars and store until use.

Alternatively, you can mix lavender, chamomile, and baking soda. Mix with 10–20 drops of each essential oil. Do not add water. Place into an airtight jar. Before use, put 1–2 teaspoons of the mixture under a hot water jet in the bath.

5. Green Tea Bath Bombs

Ingredients

• 1 cup baking soda
• 0.5 cup corn starch
• 0.5 cupcitric acid
• 0.25 cups sea salt
• 2 tablespoons green tea (ground)
• 2 tablespoons almond oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 0.25 tablespoon olive oilor any other oil

How to Make

Mix citric acid, cornstarch, and pre-ground green tea. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Put a thin paper towel in the muffin or cupcake molds. Distribute the mixture into the molds using your finger or a spoon, and add more mixture if necessary. Smooth the tops of the bombs. Leave the bombs to dry for several hours. Once dried, they will harden. Carefully shake or blow off the crumbs.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2017 Shushanik

I've used my fair share of different bath products over the years, learn from my experiences.

This article describes the advantages and disadvantages of 7 bath products and explains who would be interested in using them and how these products fair.

1. Essential Oils

Who Will Find It Interesting: Those who want a nice fragrance at a cheap price.

Advantages:

• Low price
• A huge number of different smells
• Ability to mix your own fragrance
• Aromatherapy at home

Disadvantages:

• Some may be allergic to certain oils.
• Skin redness is possible due to the high concentration of citrus oils.

Essential oils are one of the simplest and most inexpensive ingredients you can use to infuse your bath. Most oils cost less than 5 dollars per bottle. Because the oil is so concentrated, it doesn't take much to create a strong aroma, so one bottle will last you quite a while. On average, up to 10 drops of oil are used per bath.

Essential Oil Fragrance Combinations

2. Bath Oil Balls

Who Will Find It Interesting: Lovers of everything bright and unusual. Children will also like these.

Advantages:

• Easy to use

• Original

• Suitable for children's games

• Only requires a small dosage

Disadvantage:

• If the dosage is exceeded, the residual oil will be difficult to wash off.

Oil balls are a dissolving, gelatinous shell filled with oil for a bath. It is important not to add too many balls, 2–3 balls will be enough.

These fun little things are most popular in ball form, but you can find them shaped like hearts, stars, or cute animals that children will definitely like. The balls are soft and pleasant to touch and smell wonderful, but they will shoot oil if you squeeze them too hard.

3. Bath Bombs

Who Will Find It Interesting: Those who want to soften their skin or love fizzy and colorful things.

Advantages:

• Variety of colors
• A huge number of different flavors
• Interesting effects (you can add sparkles, create a foaming effect, or make unique designs)
• Can be made at home

Disadvantages:

• Expensive
• Not always available for sale

Bath bombs are effervescent and can be colored with sparkles or have different flavors. The main ingredients are soda, citric acid, dyes, and oils. The soda and citric acid create fizzing when introduced to water. This effect helps to soften the skin.

Bath bombs should be stored in their original packaging or in a dry place because moisture might trigger the reaction of soda and acid. This will cause the bombs to lose their effervescent effect.

4. Herbs

Who Will Find It Interesting: Fans of pure and natural ingredients and those who like to experiment.

Advantages:

• Low sale price
• You can collect or plant them yourself
• Good for your health
• Smells good

Disadvantages:

• Might block your bathtub drain
• Must be prepared before use
• May provoke an allergy

An herbal bath is a great way to spend a relaxing evening. Many herbs have healing and beneficial cosmetic effects. If you use dried herbs directly in the bathtub, they could prick you and also block the drain. You can avoid this problem by brewing the herbs in a saucepan for 15–20 minutes and then adding the concentrated decoction to the bath. However, if you don't want to brew the herbs beforehand, you should wrap them in gauze before dumping them in your bathwater.

Herbs Used for Bathing

5. Bath Salts

Who Will Find It Interesting: Those who love drawing a traditional bath and displaying beautiful bottles of salts on their shelves.

Advantages:

• Can be easily found
• Big selection of different fragrances
• Low price

Disadvantages:

• Must use a lot for product to work
• Some may be allergic to the essential oils in the salts

You will be surprised by the large number of colors and flavors that are available. Coniferous, orange, lavender, and mint are some of the more common bath salt fragrances, but you can also find some unique aromas such as seaweed, blackberries, and green tea.

You can also mix different salts together to create your own custom smell. For example, a combination of orange, cinnamon, and juniper will be very comforting in winter, while mint, green tea, and osmanthus will be refreshing for the summer months. You can pour the mixture into a beautiful vessel to display in your bathroom.

6. Bath Oil in Solid Form

Who Will Find It Interesting: Those who want to moisten the skin.

Advantages:

• Simple to use
• High concentration of oil
• Can be used as a massager
• A great variety of fragrances

Disadvantages:

• Expensive
• Not always available for sale

These solid bath oils are not very popular and are hard to find, but they are very interesting. One of the main advantages is that they are solid. This allows you to break off a little piece for each use.

Do not drop the oil directly into the water. Instead, massage it onto your body while you are sitting in the bath.

7. Bath Pearls

Who Will Find It Interesting: Those who love to try new things.

Advantages:

• Looks beautiful
• A large number of different colors and smells
• Beneficial for the skin
• A little goes a long way
• Cooling effect

Disadvantage: Possible allergic reaction

Bath pearls are not common. They are mainly used for cosmetic purposes because they are said to improve your skin's appearance. They are made of carbamide (a natural moisturizer) and also contain pearl extracts which some people claim can help regenerate skin cells. Some pearls also contain caffeine and plant extracts, which helps to restore the structure of the skin. These pearls can be used to massage your body, and are especially suitable for people with delicate skin.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2017 Dmitrii Vrabie

Kimberly is a 19-year-old jewelry artist, soap maker, and crocheter. She lives happily with her boyfriend in northern Minnesota.

Overview of Shea Butter Soaps

Shea butter is a popular ingredient for making luxury soap bars that your skin will love. Depending on what additives you use or what recipe you follow, these soaps can have all kinds of amazing benefits for your skin. Shea butter creates a wonderful long-lasting bar of soap, with a nice creamy and hydrating lather. It can be used in high or low concentrations in your soap (up to about 25% of your total recipe). This butter is also wonderful for helping in the healing process of stretch marks and for clearing up acne.

Cold Process Safety Measures

When making cold process soaps, you will be using an ingredient called lye. Lye is a very dangerous and caustic chemical that can cause serious injuries if not handled correctly. Below is a basic list of rules you should follow when working with lye.

1. Wear protective gear. You do NOT want this on your skin (gloves that go decently high, an apron is also nice.)
2. Lye releases a gas that you do not want to breathe in, so when making soap, make sure to do so either outside or in a well-ventilated area.
3. Do not do this process around children or pets, breathing in the chemical is very bad for them as well.
4. When mixing your lye and water solution you want to do so in a heat-safe bowl, I personally use a big glass mixing bowl.
5. Work with lye on a heatproof surface. Even if your bowl won't melt, the solution does reach close to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, so the bowl still gets very hot.
6. Wear glasses or protective eyewear.
7. ALWAYS add your lye to your water. If you do so, the other way around it will explode, and you will have lye water on everything.
8. Never use lye in aluminum. The two things chemically react, and it's not pretty.
9. Make sure you allow your soap to cure for at least four weeks though I usually wait for six just to be safe. If you use it to soon and the soap hasn't cured yet, you can get lye burns by using it.

Cold process soap making is a dangerous process if you don't take the proper measures. However, if you follow the rules above (there may be a few extra though most cold process tutorials go over them more in-depth) cold process soap making is a lot of fun and very rewarding.

About the Recipes

All of the recipes below are made using the cold process soaping method, so please follow all safety measures for using lye. Cold process soap making is the oldest and in my opinion, the easiest way of making soap completely from scratch. The recipes below use shea butter in a variety of different concentrations and with a variety of different oils. Each recipe will give your skin different benefits and will be better for different skin types, descriptions of the recipes will be written above the recipe.

Super-Hydrating Shea Butter Soap

This recipe is a real treat that your skin will love you for! The coconut oil makes a nice bubbly lather while shea butter makes a creamy lather. Olive oil and shea butter are also a very nourishing combination that is great for dry and cracking skin. This recipe is a good beginner's recipe as it doesn't use many ingredients and the ones listed are easy to find and affordable.

• 5 oz palm kernel oil
• 4 oz coconut oil
• 6 oz olive oil
• 1 oz shea butter
• 2.37 oz lye
• 6 oz water

Sensitive Skin Shea Butter Soap

This soap recipe is perfect for those with sensitive skin. Avocado oil is extremely soothing and hydrating to keep your skin from drying out, and the coconut oil makes a super bubbly soft lather. For scent, you can use any kind of essential oil or scent oil you enjoy, but lavender oil would be the best for soothing.

• 18.236 oz Avocado oil
• 9.594 oz Palm oil
• 8.148 oz Shea butter
• 8.148 oz Coconut oil
• 4.797 Jojoba oil
• 1.48 oz Essential oil or scent oils
• 6.172 oz Lye
• 18.236 oz water

Simply Soft Shea Butter Soap Recipe

This recipe is another one great for beginners because the ingredients are easy to work with and easy to find. Olive oil and shea butter always make a very hydrating bar of soap, mixed with coconut oil to give it a nice bubbly lather this recipe is a real treat. For scent you can use any kind of essential oil or scent oil that you enjoy, some of my personal favorites are; lavender essential oil, peppermint essential oil, lilac scent oil, or mango scent oil.

• 4.8 oz Olive oil
• 4.8 oz Coconut oil
• 3.2 oz Shea butter
• 3.2 oz Palm oil
• .8 oz Essential or scent oils
• 2.2 oz lye
• 6 oz water

Luxury Soft Skin Soap

This recipe is wonderful for people with sensitive dry skin. The avocado butter is perfect for soothing and hydrating while being paired with sweet almond oil to heal and replenish. This is a perfect recipe for those with acne or stretch marks, and can naturally have a huge impact on the healing process.

• 2 oz Avocado butter
• 1 oz Sweet almond oil
• 1 oz Shea butter
• 7 oz Coconut oil
• 8 oz Olive oil
• 12 oz Palm oil
• 4.2 oz Lye
• 10.2 oz Water

Vegan-Friendly Creamy Soap Recipe

This recipe uses a special ingredient; coconut milk. When making soap with milk you mix it with the water and continue the cold process naturally. Coconut milk makes a super creamy soft bar of soap with lots of nutrients. This bar is wonderful for people with dry or cracked skin, stretch marks, or acne. Milk in soap is always a wonderful addition and since this is coconut milk it's also vegan friendly!

• 4.8 oz Shea butter
• 6.35 oz Coconut oil
• 12.7 oz Olive oil
• 3.175 oz Castor oil
• 4.8 oz Palm oil
• 3.42 oz Coconut milk
• 7.05 oz Water
• 4.34 oz Lye

Cold process soap

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: I don’t like using palm oil, is there an alternative when making soap?

Answer: In most recipes, palm oil and coconut oil can be switched around. However, I'm not 100% in these recipes so I would go to soapqueentv. It's a website and they have a superfatting calculator on there where you can enter these recipes with coconut oil instead and it will tell you if that's an option.

Question: Can I use Crisco instead of palm oil?

Answer: I have never used Crisco in soap making. I've heard it really clogs your pores and makes a greasy bar of soap. I also believe it will saponify differently.

Question: How much soap do these recipes make? Roughly?

Answer: About a pound each! Each one should fill your average sized soap loaf!

Question: Are the oils for the soap measured by weight or volume?

Answer: Weight!

© 2016 TheNaturalRoze

Comments

jessica on August 04, 2020:

hi i was wondering like how do yo actully make it

TheNaturalRoze (author) on July 05, 2016:

I'm sorry I forgot to link my cold process soap tutorial in this one

https://discover.hubpages.com/art/Cold-process-soa

If you have any questions still after reading let me know!

Virginia Kearney from United States on July 05, 2016:

Could you explain how to use these recipes to make soap? I would love to learn to do this.

My interests are eclectic, but I am currently interested in DIY and all-natural beauty.

What Is Black African Soap?

Black African soap is also known as "Ose dudu" in Nigeria and "Alata samina" in Ghana. The name "Ose dudu" is from the Yoruba language and it literally translates to "soap that is black." It's a natural product that has many beneficial properties for the hair and skin. Its main ingredients are Shea butter and the potash of plantain skins. It is produced in many West African countries, including Sierra Leone, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria.

What makes this soap unique is that it doesn't contain sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) as a source of lye. Instead, natural lye, or potassium hydroxide, is formed from the plantain potash.

How Is Black African Soap Made

The process of creating black soap can take from 2–4 weeks.

1. The leaves and skins from bananas, plantains & the Shea nut tree are burnt into a potash.
2. Water is then added to the ash to create a dark liquid, which creates a potassium hydroxide lye.
3. Finally, the resulting liquid is strained & filtered to remove impurities.
4. The mixture is stirred in a large vat and Shea butter is added to the mix.
5. This is the basic soap mixture. It is allowed to sit for a month for the ingredients to bind and set into soap.

It can be bought in a solid form or as a liquid. The colour varies from a rich golden brown to off-black. The colour is dependent on the ingredients used and the country of origin.

The Benefits

It's a natural product that's rich in vitamins A, E & essential fatty acids. It helps to treat eczema, psoriasis, and acne. It can also be used as a shampoo for all types of hair including Afro textured, Bi-racial, Asian, and European.

The Drawbacks

Although it has a lot of benefits, there are some drawbacks:

• It can be drying for some skin types. This is due to the relatively high alkaline content, which cleanses the skin of oils, including natural skin oils. This can be managed by using a cream or oil after use to restore moisture
• It makes my hair dry when I use it in place of shampoo. It can be drying to some hair types because it removes some natural oils. This can be rectified by using a deep or moisturising conditioner Note: The drying properties are lessened when used in a soft water area
• The aroma can be off-putting. It has a mild nutty smell which is fairly neutral, however, this can be off-putting for some. Adding essential oil to the liquid version of the soap can improve the smell
• The soap gets soft when left in a humid environment. It's a natural humectant, this means that it absorbs moisture in the environment. If the soap is left out in a steamy bathroom, it will soften. This can be avoided by keeping it in a container or covered soap dish

How to Make a Deep Exfoliation Treatment

Although African Black Soap is a natural exfoliant that removes dead skin cells, it's scrubbing properties can be further enhanced by creating a deep exfoliation treatment.

The following recipe is for an intensive exfoliator, so it should be used no more than twice a month or weekly on rougher skin types

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon of solid black soap or 3 tablespoons of liquid soap
• Juice of half a squeezed lemon
• 1 and a half 1/2 tablespoons of sea salt
• Your favourite essential oil

Instructions

1. Dilute the solid soap in a small amount of warm water (skip this step if you're using liquid soap)
2. Add the lemon juice
3. Add 2 drops of essential oil
4. Add the sea salt and stir the mixure
5. Rub the mixture all over the body, focussing on rough skin patches such as knees and elbows and avoiding sensitive areas
6. Rinse off with warm water

The scrub leaves the skin silky smooth and removes excess oil and impurities from the skin. It's therefore essential to use a good quality moisturiser or body oil.

A Very Versatile Soap

This soap is a versatile cleanser that has a multitude of uses. It has some minor drawbacks, however, its benefits, purity, and therapeutic properties make it a great soap!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Ayopop on February 10, 2020:

I have tried it and I love it

Zulie (author) on April 08, 2016:

Thanks Threekeys, your're absolutely right!

threekeys on April 08, 2016:

This soap is multifaceted! Can make life easier and I love that!

Zulie (author) on April 07, 2016:

Thanks sparrowlet! It's a great soap, it sounds like it's suitable for your hair and skin type. I'm sure you'll love it!

Katharine L Sparrow from Massachusetts, USA on April 07, 2016:

Wow! Never heard of this soap, and I am a handmade soap connoisseur! Very interesting, you've tempted me to try it! I tend towards oilier hair and skin, so drying may not be a problem for me. Thanks for the great info!

Clive Williams from Jamaica on April 06, 2016:

very good and informative hub. Black African soap...interesting

Elizabeth Yetter is a full-time writer and professional bread baker. She loves to come up with possible solutions for common skin problems.

Bananas are packed with nutrients that are great for your skin and hair. They can help get rid of dark spots and skin blemishes on your face and. They also moisturize, protect against free radicals, and so much more. This makes them a natural choice for home beauty care and recipes.

1. Banana Sugar Body Scrub

With the increasing use of plastic microbeads found in store-bought face and body scrubs, it only makes sense to make your own healthy, skin-nourishing body scrubs at home. Before taking a shower, gather a ripe banana, three tablespoons of either brown sugar or raw sugar, and a 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. Peel the banana and mash the fruit with a fork in a bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix. Take the scrub into the shower with you and gently massage it onto your skin and face, avoiding your eyes and sensitive areas. Rinse off, pat your skin dry, and moisturize.

2. Banana Honey Oat Face Scrub and Mask

For a gentle face scrub and mask all-in-one, you will need two tablespoons mashed banana, two tablespoons ground oats, and one tablespoon honey. Mix the ingredients in a small bowl. Rinse your face with warm water and gently massage the scrub onto your face, avoiding your eyes. Leave the scrub on your face for 10 minutes and then rinse off with warm water. Pat your skin dry. Moisturize your face as you normally do.

3. Face Mask for Dull Skin

Make your skin glow and even out blemishes with this great face mask. All you need is one small, ripe banana (one half of a large banana will also work), two teaspoons honey, and one teaspoon lemon juice. Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork. Add the honey and lemon and mix. To use, wash your face with warm water and a mild soap. Pat dry and massage the banana mask onto your face and neck, avoiding your eyes. Leave the mask on for ten minutes and then rinse off with warm water. Pat your skin dry and moisturize.

4. Face Mask for Aging Skin

Are you ready to battle aging skin? This face mask is said to help prevent wrinkles and tighten your skin pores. All you need is one small, ripe banana or 1/2 of a large banana, one tablespoon plain yogurt, and one teaspoon lemon juice. Mash the banana with a fork in a small bowl. Add the yogurt and lemon juice and mix. Wash your face with warm water and a mild soap. Pat your skin dry. Apply the mask on your face and neck, avoiding your eyes. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes. Rinse it off with warm water, pat your skin dry, and apply your favorite moisturizer.

5. Skin Peel for Psoriasis

A simple home remedy that is said to ease the pain of psoriasis rashes calls for banana skin peel. After you peel a banana, take the skin and rub the inside of the peel onto your psoriasis. It will help soothe your skin, and you'll make good use of the banana peel before you toss it into the compost.

6. Banana Avocado Hair Mask

This easy-to-make hair mask is said to alleviate itchy scalp and moisturize dry hair. To make the mask, put one banana, one half of an avocado, and two tablespoons of plain yogurt in a blender and blend. Massage the mask into your scalp and apply to your hair. If there is any left, apply it to your face, too, avoiding your eyes. Leave the mask on for 20 minutes and then rinse it off with warm water. Dry and style your hair as usual.

7. Hair Mask for Dry Damaged Hair

If you are having problems with dry, flyaway hair, try this hair mask once or twice a week. Put one ripe banana and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into the blender and blend. Apply the hair mask to your hair from root to tip. Cover your hair with a shower cap or plastic wrap. Leave the hair mask on for a half-hour. Rinse the mask out with warm water. Shampoo and condition your hair. Dry and style as usual.

8. Wart Remedy

Do you have an annoying wart on your hand? I had one a few months ago, but I was able to get rid of it with apple cider vinegar. Too bad I didn’t know about the banana skin wart remedy. What you do is cut a piece of banana peel and place it, inside skin down, onto the wart. Tape it in place with duct tape. Replace the banana skin and duct tape once or twice a day until the wart comes off. This is said to kill off warts pretty quickly.

9. Pimple Remedy

The inside of the banana peel is said to reduce or eliminate pimples. To use, rub the inside of the banana peel onto your acne-prone areas before going to bed. In the morning, wash the peel off with warm water and a mild soap. Moisturize your face as usual.

10. Banana Foot Mash

Bananas are so moisturizing that you can use them to treat dry, cracking feet, and have fun while you are at it. Peel two ripe bananas and place them in a basin or small tub large enough for both of your feet. Kick off your shoes and socks and begin mashing the bananas with your feet. If you want extra moisturizing power, drizzle some honey over the bananas and keep on mashing. Leave the mash on your feet for a good 20 minutes before washing your feet off with warm water. Moisturize and put on a pair of socks.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Raye on August 05, 2018:

The most horrible mask ever. 10 rinses and still cant get it out. Hair feels worse tham ever and probably lost 1/2 of it just pulling the banana out. Not sure ill ever recover from the BIG MISTAKE.

Larry Rankin from Oklahoma on November 09, 2015:

A whole list of uses for bananas I wasn't aware of.

Always helpful.

I'm a young freelance writer with a love for DIY all-natural beauty.

Why Make Your Own Body Wash?

This 100%, all-natural homemade body wash recipe works as a face wash, shampoo, and conditioner! I started using this homemade liquid soap last year and I love it. Because of the natural ingredients, it works great as a face wash and sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.

Organic coconut oil is a part of the mixture which makes it great against acne. Coconut oil for hair is even better! It's also great for the skin and is one of the best moisturizers. It and the other ingredients also help get rid of itchy scalp and dandruff.

After using it for a week or so, I stopped having dandruff and have been dandruff-free ever since. This bath and body wash can bring back the natural beauty of your hair and skin. You can add your own essential oil scent to make aromatherapy for your shower or bath.

For more dry environments like deserts, you can add a little more of each type of oil to make your skin perfect so you never have to use lotion again.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Organic Pure Castile Liquid Soap, (I use the unscented one called "baby mild.")
• 1/2 Cup Raw Unfiltered Honey
• 2 Teaspoons Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I use 3 tsp because I live in a dry place
• 2 Teaspoons Organic Coconut Oil, I use 3 tsp because I live in a dry place
• 1 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil, I use 2 tsp because I live in a dry place
• Essential Oil, Peppermint, Lavender, etc.
• 1 Pump Bottle

Instructions

1. Get a mixing bowl to mix your ingredients.
2. Measure all of the ingredients and put them into the mixing bowl.
3. Mix them well and add essential oil if desired for aromatherapy and other benefits. I do not use any essential oils because when I tried the peppermint oil I seemed to be allergic to it and I am happy with unscented.
4. After you have mixed all of the ingredients and dropped in your essential oil if desired, then pour the mixture into the pump bottle and close. Now you are ready to start using your homemade body wash, face wash, and sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.

Essential Oils for Aromatherapy

Favorite Essential Oils Poll

Homemade Body Wash Experience

I have been using this body wash since last year, and it is great! Before I started using it I had extremely dry skin, because I live in the desert in Las Vegas. I also had a really dry scalp, especially in the front.

After a week or so of using this body wash or maybe a couple of weeks, my dry scalp was no longer dry and no longer producing dandruff. Also, many people use lotion here in the desert throughout the whole day. I use to do that too, but now I never need to use lotion. My skin is completely moisturized and healthy now!

I started off using about 20 drops of peppermint oil in my body wash and it smelled so good, but unfortunately, it is too strong for some people and I am one of them. I started getting little red dots on my skin from it being dry. I figured out it was the peppermint oil and now I use this body wash without any essential oils in it at all. I might try lavender one day or geranium, but for now, I am happy with just the smell of coconut oil and honey.

You decide how much of the essential oils you want in your body wash, but a good amount is about 45 drops for lavender oil and 10–20 for peppermint oil. Each oil is different so when it smells strong enough for you then that is when you stop dropping in the essential oil.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: Is there anything you can add that will thicken it up to not be so runny?

Answer: You could add unflavored protein powder, guar gum, coconut flour or powder, cacao powder.

Question: How can I make this body wash recipe if I don't have honey?

Answer: Buy some or substitute with agave, maple syrup, or other natural ingredients healthy for skin.

Question: Why does this recipe use another finished soap as its base? Now I am interested in making your all in one product. How do I get Dr. Bronner's liquid soap?

Answer: Dr. Bronner's is very simple and not many nutrients in it by itself. It is a good base though. All naturally. You can get online or at Whole Foods

Question: What size pump bottle do you use for this shampoo recipe?

Answer: It’s up to you. Mix in a mixing bowl and then fill any size pump you want

Question: Did you use fractionated coconut oil for this conditioner recipe?

Answer: No, I used extra virgin coconut oil.

Question: Does the natural body wash separate out or stay mixed?

Answer: It’s best to shake it once in a while before use.

What Do You Think Are the Best Essential Oils for Body Wash & Why?

Avika on July 13, 2018:

Hi, thanks for sharing. Did you add a preservative? If not does it require refrigeration? Or should I make small frequent batches?

SophiaFaith1983 on December 06, 2017:

Interesting read. I have never tried to make my own soap, shampoo, or conditioner before. I might try this although I am partial to my Molton Brown shampoo, conditioner, and body wash from b-glowing...they just smell so good!

Andy on March 01, 2017:

Great mixture. Can it be used as shampoo too?

Kat on January 13, 2017:

Is it fractioned coconut oil you use?

Tina on December 17, 2016:

I live in a dry area and have very dry hair as well. I think all the honey makes my hair greasy and sticky. I like this as a body wash but not as a hair shampoo and conditioner!

Elizabeth (author) from U.S. on October 07, 2014:

@Shannon Sorry for the late reply. Everybody's hair & skin are different. The humidity in each city is also different, so these things can affect how this recipe works. I live in in the dry desert in Las Vegas so it's very difficult to get greasy hair here.

You could try using less oils in the mix; maybe you could get rid of the Olive Oil altogether and try that for your hair. If the current mix is working good for your skin, then I suggest that you make some smaller separate sample mixes to try on your hair until you find the right mix for your specific hair. Fortunately for me this homemade body wash, shampoo, face wash, conditioner mix works well for my body, face and hair! I hope you can find a way to make it work for your hair. Sounds like to me that you have naturally good moist hair so the oil is too much for your hair, but my hair can be dry in this desert. Peace be upon you.

Shannon on October 06, 2014:

Tried it and love it as body wash, but how do you get your hair to not be greasy when using it. I would love to use it on both hair and body but I can't wear my hair down using it because it looks greasy.

The way you smell often determines how people connect with you in life and in love. Scents arouse emotion in us, and when it comes to you, well, you want to smell your best.

I have carefully curated the list of top 10 body washes below, not because they are similar to what you may already know (e.g. Old Spice), but because they are truly unique products that have something unique to offer you--a body scent that's distinguished, mature, and certain to enhance your interactions with other people.

Most body washes for men are musky, spicy, or soapy smelling. These are very common and homogenous scents--and while some of these may be classics, I think a distinguished man should not aspire to smell like every other man (and his competition) on the planet.

In addition, I think that there is an over-saturation of musky and spicy cosmetic products for men--especially in the American consumer goods market (conversely, I think the female market is overly floral). There is something to be said for light, neutral scents--these little subtle fragrances, can too, also add something truly unique to your personal smell. I dare you try something light and neutral--you may find that it brings your partner's nose closer to you.

However, don't fear, I've got a good mix of both musky, spicy, and neutral scents in this list to accommodate all types of men.

1. Skin Milk

Skin Milk is one of my most favorite body washes--in fact it's the one I use the most. Enriched with real milk proteins and vitamins A, D, E, and you'll find that this body wash is very nourishing for the skin.

The scent of this wash is also very neutral--it's a soft vanilla creme scent. You'll find that this scent is very neutral and works well for men--leaving your skin smelling quite sensual and euphoric. This is, of course, the effect of vanilla--a natural aphrodisiac.

I've had a few companions who've really been turned on by the scent of this product--people just want to smell how yummy you smell. It's a nice break from the homogeneous and expected musky and spicy scented washes most men use.

This wash is also very emollient. I also use it for body shaving in the shower--it works very well for removing hair from anywhere on the body (and I mean anywhere).

You won't easily find this over-the-counter at most stores. In fact, I've only seen it available at Publix. However, you can pick it up on Amazon for about $9; it comes at an incredible value, because, unlike most other body washes, you get 22 ounces of the product.

2. C.O. Bigelow Elixir Black

This is one of the most interesting body washes I've ever smelled--it's truly the embodiment of exotic.

For you guys that tend to go for the musky- or spicy-scented body washes, you might want to give this one a try. I think it's a nice body wash to graduate to--it's incredibly sophisticated and unique.

The key notes are exotic agar wood and tonka bean (a cousin to vanilla bean), with undertones of amber, musk, and vanilla. You'll find this wash to be very aromatic, so you really don't need to wear cologne after bathing with this stuff.

This body wash also doubles as a hair wash as well--though not as nourishing as regular shampoo, it does get the job done.

If you really like this body wash, you'll be glad to know you can get the same scent in a deodorant. Check out my article on the Top 10 Deodorants for Men.

C.O. Bigelow Elixir Black Body Wash retails for about $12 on Amazon.

3. Sephora Collection Creamy Body Wash

Sephora Collection is part of a private label skin care line produced by cosmetic powerhouse--Sephora. I've used many of their skin care products, and have been very pleased with them.

Sephora has introduced a body wash collection that is absolutely divine. What I love about it the most is that the fragrances are simple. Most body washes in the American market are overly floral or musky/spicy. Finding a body wash that's neutral and light is a very rare treasure--so stock up!

In this collection, there are a number of one-note fragrances; the ones that work well for men are the Vanilla and the Coconut scent. You'll also find that the formulation is very high-quality--the cream offers a rich and moist lather, leaving your skin soft and hydrated.

You can pick-up the Sephora Collection Creamy Body Wash for about $7.

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4. Bath & Body Works Twilight Woods Body Wash

I'm not a huge fan of the overly fragrant products that are found at Bath & Body Works, but I will say BBW has upgraded their scent formulations on a variety of products in recent years to attract more distinguished buyers--and it's working.

Few years ago, during the holiday season, they introduced a candle called Twilight Woods--people went crazy over it--myself included. The scent was enchanting, exotic, and smokey. I think the product was to be discontinued after the holidays, but demand was so high, that it's been permanently added back to their fragrance collection, and now expanded into other products--including a body wash for men.

I do use this body wash from time-to-time, and love it. I think it captures the scent of that magical candle, and is a great addition to any man's bathing routine.

The Twilight Woods Body Wash for Men retails for about $12 on Amazon.

5. Anthony Logistics Invigorating Rush Body Wash

Anthony Logistics is a popular skin care line for men--they offer a body wash that's alpine wood scent.

Now, you might think, alpine wood is akin to house cleaner smell, but this stuff is actually awesome. It's a fresh, clean woodsy scent that isn't over powering, and leaves you smelling great.

Similar to the C.O. Bigelow Body Wash above, this product can also be used in your hair. However, like most hair and body wash combos, they can dry out your hair a little--so might be best to stick to just use this on your body. Though, I do think these combo products are great for washing your hair at the gym and locker room.

This product retails for $22 on Amazon.

6. Baxter of California Invigorating Body Wash

If you want something that no other guy is likely to own or smell like, then you definitely want to check out the Baxter of California Body Wash collection.

Baxter is a boutique men's skin care line--they offer some fabulous products, and body washes are some of them.

They offer a trio of body washes in some amazing scents:

• Flora and Cassis Essence
• Italian Lime and Pomegranate Essence
• Bergamot and Pear Essence

With over 100+ positive reviews on Amazon--there's a growing number of men who really appreciate the uniqueness of this product. Toss out the Old Spice!

Baxter of California Body Washes retail for about $17 on Amazon.

7. Jack Black All-Over Wash

Jack Black is another popular men's skin care line, and they offer a body wash that has quite a loyal following among a number of men.

This isn't your average body wash--it's designed for use as not only a body wash, but also for your hair, and as a face cleanser as well. This product is pH balanced, so like some of the other hair + body combo washes, this one won't strip your skin of too much moisture (since it's designed to also be used on the face).

You'll find this wash to be very cleansing with an incredibly rich lather--it's super slick. Plus, the natural botanicals give it a fresh, manly scent.

Jack Black All-Over Body Wash retails for about $15 (6 ounces) on Amazon. If you were one of those guys that likes a super-sized body of body wash (which is hard to find), you need not look any further. Jack Black offers a 33 ounce push-pump bottle for about $45.

8. Designer Fragrance Body Washes

If you have a favorite designer cologne or fragrance, you may want to check to see if that designer also offers a body wash in that scent. Most of the major designers offer body washes in their fragrance--it's a great way to layer on your favorite scent.

These tend to be a little bit more expensive than your average body wash, and you usually don't get a lot for the money--but if you're in love with the scent, it might be worth the splurge.

Designer fragrance body washes run on average between $30 and $50. I find the best place to shop for these is on Amazon. Many of the large cosmetic retailers don't carry a large inventory of these, but you can almost always find on Amazon.

9. Lab Series Active Body Wash

I hate it when Lab Series discontinues good products--and they've discontinued and reformulated a few of their fan favorites. However, this product was recently discontinued, so you can still find online at a number of popular retailers, including Amazon.

Unlike all the other aforementioned body washes, this wash contains small exfoliating granules to help exfoliate your skin. I love this stuff--the smell is amazing; it's light, neutral, with a hint of citrus--it's sweetly exotic.

I found this product to be perfect for guys who get waxed. As hair starts to regrow, you have to exfoliate your skin to prevent ingrown hairs, and this product is perfect for such a task. But, if you work outdoors, I think you'll really like the exfoliation factor.

While supplies last, you can pick this up on Amazon for about $22.

10. Neutrogena Body Clear

No top 10 list would be complete without mention of a body wash that's made with salicylic acid.

For you guys that suffer from body acne on your back, butt, chest, shoulders, etc, then you'll want to work this product into your regimen. If you shave your body, you will also want to use this as well--it will help minimize post-shave breakouts.

The active ingredient, salicylic, is what helps prevent body acne and outbreaks from occurring. I would recommend that you not use this as your sole body wash, but use it in addition to something that you already use and like. I generally like to wash with this ever few days, or wash with it first, and then use my regular body wash.

This product retails for about $11 on Amazon.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

mggs88 on May 26, 2017:

ToppCock All-In-One Shower Gel is my absolute favorite. One product for both hair and body. Keeps me clean and fresh from head to toe and doesn't clutter my shower.

Miriam has been a freelance writer since 2013. Born in Whittier, CA, she now lives in Ontario (California) with her husband and family.

If you are like most Americans, you buy your family the bar soaps, body washes, and face cleansers that are advertised on television commercials. But by using most of these products, you are drying out your skin's pH balance, which leads to a multitude of skin conditions and diseases, including premature lines and wrinkles.

How Acidic Is Your Skin?

Your skin's natural pH is about 5.5. Soaps with that are too basic (have a high pH) remove your natural oils and disrupt your pH balance.

The pH balance of several name-brand soaps and cleansers are provided below. Recommendations are also suggested for pH-balanced facial cleansers and body wash.

What Is My Soap's pH?

Soaps in general have a higher pH than your skin's natural acidity. The higher the pH, the harsher it will be on your skin's acidity levels.

The pH of Common Bar Soaps

The pH of Common Facial Cleansers and Body Washes

Data from Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health.

Testing Your Products

If you don't see your soap in the list above, you can easily test it yourself using a digital pH meter or litmus paper.

With a Digital pH Meter

I do not have any litmus paper (specially treated paper test strips used to evaluate the pH of a liquid), but Jerry (my husband) has a digital pH meter-pen that he uses to test the soil of his garden. I used Jerry’s pH meter-pen to test some Nivea bar soap.

I found that digital pH meter-pens are very easy to use. Here is how I tested the bar soap with the meter, and its resulting pH:

1. I used distilled water for testing the soap, so the water's pH would not affect the soap's pH. (You can find distilled water in any grocery store or market). Pour a cup of distilled water into a pot (if using the stove) or a ceramic cup or dish (if using the microwave). You need to boil the water so it is hot enough to melt some soap shavings.
2. While the water was heating, I shaved some soap chips off a bar of Nivea (green tea) bar soap with a potato peeler, and then added them to a small ceramic Pyrex dish.
3. After that, I poured about an inch of the boiling water over the soap shavings so the water would melt them; then I stirred it.
4. I waited for a little while so the water would cool off enough for me to test it with the meter.
5. Once the soap-water mixture had cooled, I turned on the pH meter and stood it vertically in the dish of soapy water.
6. The digital readout said that Nivea bar soap (touted as good for your face) is 9.9 on the pH scale—very alkaline and bad for your face!
7. Lastly, remember to wash off the probe end of your pH meter with clear water and allow it to dry before storing.

With Litmus Paper

You can buy 100 pH test strips for about 10 dollars online, (and what's more, you can use both ends of each strip).

To test them, you simply have to wet the strip with the soap, wait for it to develop, and then compare the resulting color against a key to read the pH. To wet a strip with bar soap, first use a little water to create a lather. To wet a strip with a liquid soap, wipe off the excess product so that you can get a clear read. The video below demonstrates how.

Find the pH of Soap Using Litmus Paper

What Does pH Balance Mean?

A skincare product that is pH-balanced has roughly the same acidity as your skin so as not to disrupt its protective acid mantle.

The symbol pH stands for "potential of hydrogen" and is a method of measuring the acid or alkaline level of water-soluble liquids. The pH scale starts at 0, which is the most acidic measurement (ex: battery acid is pH 0).

As each number increases (pH 1-6), the acidity decreases tenfold; pH 6 is the lowest acid level.

Then, at 7 pH, liquids are neutral; distilled water has a pH of 7.

After 7 (neutral), pH 8 liquids have the lowest alkalinity, and with each increasing number, the alkalinity increases tenfold. Bleach has a pH of 13, while lye has a pH of 14 and is the most alkaline solution.

Our skin's pH is about 5.5, a little on the acidic side. This thin acidic film is known as the acid mantle and serves to block the entry of harmful bacteria and other environmental harmful things into the body and to retain natural oils for moisture.

When you use soap that is too alkaline, such as any deodorant soap you would buy in the market, that acid mantle is disrupted and your skin dries out, loses important oils, and can begin to crack. Skin is our body's first line of protection, so when it loses its mantle and becomes cracked, pathogens and other undesirable bacteria may enter our systems more easily.

As we continue using harsh soaps on our skin, we notice our skin becomes either dry or oily because it has lost its natural (pH) balance. Many people suffer countless skin ailments because they are using soap that has a pH of 9 or higher. Problems such as dermatitis, eczema, and other rashes could be solved by switching your soap to a pH-correct cleanser.

Soaps advertised on television commercials are touted as "gentle" or "1/4 cleansing cream," but in truth, they are very harsh and will dry out your skin or promote premature signs of aging, fine lines, and wrinkles.

That's why we need to use products that are specifically labeled "pH balanced" to maintain that acidity. pHisoderm, a brand that has been around since I was little, sells nothing but pH-balanced skin care products for all types of skin. Such products preserve both the natural pH balance of our skin and its acid mantle. Using pH-corrective cleansers will improve the condition of your face and can even help dry skin, acne problems, and other skin conditions diminish over time.

So Which Soaps Are pH-Balanced?

Below is a list of a few. There are so many soaps out there that this list is far from comprehensive—if you know of one that is not written below, please add it to the comments along with where you learned that it is pH-balanced.

Bar Soaps With a pH Close to 5.5

• Redken for Men Acid-Balanced Cleansing Bar
• Aveeno Moisturizing Bar With Colloidal Oatmeal for Dry Skin, Fragrance Free

Facial Cleansers and Body Washes With a pH Close to 5.5

• pHisoderm products
• Clarisonic Refreshing Foaming Gel Cleanser
• Alba Botanica Bath and Shower Gel, Honey-Mango
• Body Drench Hand and Body Wash, Purifying

Data from Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health.

Other Tips for Healthy Skin

Besides a balanced pH, here are a few other things you can look for in your products, such as ingredients with beneficial vitamins and antioxidants. Also, correctly removing makeup and applying toner can help maintain your pH.

Beneficial Ingredients

Vitamins C, A, and E are good to use topically on your face (and on your skin, in general). Look for products that use rose hips, citrus fruits, or strawberries—all ingredients high in Vitamin C and antioxidants that are used in face serums to repair and reduce signs of aging.

Berries such as blueberries and strawberries are also extremely high in antioxidants as well, so you will often see them (or derivatives) in facial products because they protect the skin from harmful "free radicals" that age and damage the skin.

Taking Your Make-up off

The most important habit you can get into—removing your make-up every night—is explained here.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: what is the pH of Ultra Olay, CeraVe facial cloths and Simple Foam foaming cleanser?

Answer: I do not know the pH of the products you mentioned, but I searched for information and found this article which might help; here's the link:

https://www.reviews.com/facial-cleanser/.

© 2014 Miriam Parker

Know the pH of a Product Not Listed Here?

Kip on May 02, 2020:

Gabriel Antonio and others, there are lots of nasties and bad synthetic substances in Dove bars, which truly stay aside from other soap bars for good. A simple example: Cocamidopropyl Betaine. You can check EWG Skin Deep for more info...

Gabriel Antonio on April 26, 2020:

Dove a SYNDET (synthetic detergent) was created by Lever House in New York City in and around 1957. It was the world's first syndet beauty bar, I don't understand why there are so many out there with a vendetta against this popular bar when it was actually created in response to consumer reports of dryness and harshness from soap users at the time, that's why it was created. There are formulations of Dove these days however that don't follow the traditional 1950s formula of using Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate exclusively. I find the ones made in Germany tend to follow the traditional formula whilst the rest of the world usually I see Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate. These are gentle surfacts coconut based that are absolutely more ideal than traditional soap.

Suren Naidoo on August 27, 2019:

I realise this is an "old" discussion relating to pH of soap bars, however I just want to point out that Dove is not a "soap", but a syndet bar (synthetic detergent bar) which has a lower pH than traditional tallow or palm based bar soaps.

Bill on August 03, 2019:

As a person who has had skin problems all my life, I can say certain things. It is true that ph isn't everything and that process is important but nothing with a ph greater than 7 is good for you. Also there is a cleansing bar produced by eucerin called Eucerin advanced cleansing that is not cheap but much more moderate than the others such as Sebamed and which has a ph of 5.5. Dove is quite good but it geves me an allergic type reaction. Eucerin in bar form has become quite difficult to find. I would love to know of other brands that won't bankrupt you.The correspnding Eucerin ph 5.5 body wash can be found and it is very good.

Jane on December 15, 2018:

Cetaphil Pro Oil Removing Foam Wash - it’s new. It says on their website that it is ph balanced and I read and article that said they wrote the company and were told the ph was 5.4. I have used it and it is wonderful! It can be drying if you don’t have oily skin, though. I use Vanicream gentle cleansing wash which the company says has a ph of 6.5 - it is sulfate, paraben-free, fragrance free, no citric acid. I just love this cleanser - it removes all makeup, but leaves my skin soft & supple. I’ve always used expensive cleansers from my dermatologist’s office and I much happier with these less expensive cleansers.

David on September 11, 2018:

Redken has came up with a new Mens bar that is ph balanced like baby shampoo (ph 7) they call it Brews, It is not the product that they have had out for 45 years with a ph of 5.54ph . They are trying to pass it off as the same saying ph balanced, not acid balanced.

If your looking for acid balance you best go another product !!!!!

David on August 16, 2018:

From Shikai Naturals customer service:

Moisturizing Shower Gel: pH 5.0-5.1

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on July 29, 2018:

CeraVe lotions are all right. They have an average pH of about 5.5 which is very good.

Sue Fensome on March 20, 2018:

Hi, my husband has a recurring rash and has been td to use a ph neutral soap. I have switch him from imperial leather to a soap made by me from goats milk base with added honey and ground natural oats. Do you think this would be ph neutral?

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on February 20, 2018:

Hi, ganesh: If you want to use a "bar soap" the best one is the Dove Beauty bar; it is pH balanced at 6 on the pH scale. However, you should find a liquid face cleanser because it is made for your face.

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on October 02, 2017:

Hi. Jamal: I appreciate your feedback, but you should really use a facial cleanser on your face rather than any kind of bar soap. Estheticians (skin care specialists) recommend the use of facial cleansers because bar soaps are not made for the face and tend to be too alkaline, which further dries out the skin. There are several inexpensive facial cleansers on the market; you should try one and the condition of your face will quickly improve.

Jamal on September 27, 2017:

Thanks for this very informative article...I am trying to make healthier choices and have been purchasing higher end 100% all natural vegetable soaps and find them way more gentle than any over the counter bar soap. Even more gentle than Dove for Men with my particular extra dry face. Surprisingly, what has worked that I discovered by accident while visiting family is dirt cheap Dial Antioxidant Glycerin Bar Soap. A six pack from the store is less than $3.00. Go figure. I found your article because I was curious about its pH balance and ingredients since it isn't so natural, but the high glycerin contact makes for my less dry face and rinses clean.

Another Freelance writer on July 07, 2017:

To disappointed....

Give the girl a break! Does she claim to be a soap expert? No! She's a writer, like myself and has to write about many different topics. From this post she has clearly researched and backed up her findings on PH levels both from a scientific and a personal point of view (side note: I'm completely with you on the dove soap, it's great for my face) if you are looking to pin point every which way a soaps quality can be determined, find yourself a thesis on it instead of writing a belittling comment about how disappointed you were with her article.

Ahsan Raza on June 16, 2017:

The information you gave above was very useful, further more I want to know the pH value of the lava soaps and the lemon soaps

Disappointed on June 11, 2017:

Miriam,

Farina is right in this case. pH is not the first thing to look at in determining the quality of soap. Even a soap high pH can be mild and moisturizing. It depends very much on the process and ingredients, more so than the pH.

You put forward a blog post based on science, yet you're not taking into consideration all of the scientific facts and leading people to believe a faulty argument. This is very evident in your comment to Farina. Just because you've never itched using Dove isn't a scientific test nor an impartial result.

May on May 15, 2017:

Baby Mild Soap PH and Garnier pure active facial foam?Do they have high PH level?

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on January 25, 2017:

Hi, Rosemary: Thank you for letting us know! I will have to try it soon!

Rosemary on December 10, 2016:

Nu Skin body bar and wash is same pH as skin. We regularly demonstrate the pH of different soaps to our customers.

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on November 29, 2016:

Thanks for that information. Just going by experience, I have never itched after using Dove bar soap-- all other soaps make me itch.

Therefore I think Dove is a good bar soap, mostly because it is pH balanced, and does not dry out my skin.

Farina on November 27, 2016:

Dove may be close to neutral, but that doesn't mean it is good for skin. Nearly always, the process and ingredients used to turn soap into a bar will leave a film on skin and possibly irritate it. Dove has sodium tallowate. http://www.paulaschoice.com/beautypedia-skin-care-...

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on October 24, 2016:

Without more information there is no way to tell the pH of the soaps you mentioned, sorry.

Try Johnson's Baby Shampoo or Baby Wash for your son. They are both pH balanced so they are good for his skin, div.

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on October 24, 2016:

No wonder it's great for babies!

Thanks, RATAN LAL

Joan on October 18, 2016:

What about CeraVe lotion?

div on October 07, 2016:

Hi, really thank u so much for this article.I have a doubt for my baby soap. Initially I have used sebamade soap but after 1yr I changed chicco soap for my son.could u plz tell abt this soap ph

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on September 14, 2016:

Hi, Warren Cross: Yes, acne, dry skin, and so many problems are due to the alkalinity of bar soaps! At least we are finally finding out what the culprit is! Thank you for your comment!

Miriam Parker (author) from Ontario, CA. 91761 on September 14, 2016:

Hi, Manny D: Thank you for this information! I never heard of this cleansing bar, but it sounds like it is similar to Dove (the white bar). It is good to know there are a couple of bars that are neutral, and good for our faces!

Warren Cross on September 11, 2016:

Have been studying facial soaps related to dry eyes, styes, orbital cellulitis, etcin3176 pts and 42 month study. Soaps are very important and current ones have generated a 4 billion$ problem that did not exist 20 years ago

Manny D. on August 31, 2016:

Sebamed cleansing bar pH 5.5

Susan Deppner from Arkansas USA on April 23, 2014:

Interesting! Thanks for the information.

I have worked as a beauty therapist, a freelance makeup artist, and a retail store manager for a fashion, beauty, and crafts store.

Grapefruit is a fruit I think of as a breakfast fruit. Half a grapefruit was something I often had as my start to the day. It was refreshing, though sometimes a bit bitter, but it always gave you that boost for a busy day ahead.

Grapefruits are much more than a breakfast fruit. Many commercial brands now cite grapefruit extract in their ingredients. It is a popular essential oil in aromatherapy and both the oil and the fruit have many benefits.

I have put together two recipes showing how to use all the fruit. No special equipment is needed, and they only take minutes to make up in your kitchen. You are in control and know exactly what ingredients are going into your skin products. No hidden nasties. How cool is that?

The face mask is best suited for an oily or acne prone skin and a bonus body scrub utilizing the beneficial grapefruit peel so let’s get started.

Benefits of Grapefruit

Contains

• Vitamin C
• Lycopen (phytochemical)
• *Contains Naringin (phytochemical)
• Citric Acid

Can be used as

• Astringent
• Antiseptic
• Antibacterial
• Anti-Inflammatory

Can help with

• Headaches
• Jet Lag
• Muscle Fatigue
• Rashes
• Impetigo
• Fatigue
• Acne
• Oily hair
• Oily Skin

Important Info

When on medication, it is best to seek advice from your doctor as to whether or not it is okay for you to take grapefruit as the *naringin can prevent the liver from breaking down aspirin, calcium channel blockers, cholesterol lowering drugs and other forms of medications.

Face Mask Recipe for Oily or Acne-Prone Skin

Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 1–2 tsp grapefruit juice (1 small grapefruit)
• 1 tsp sour cream

Equipment

• 2 small bowls
• Hand whisker
• Fork
• Spoon
• Small airtight container
• Face mask brush (optional)

Method

• Beat or whisk the egg white until fluffy.
• Cut the grapefruit in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl until you have the 1 or 2 teaspoons.
• Add the grapefruit juice and the sour cream to the egg white and stir, whisk or beat well to combine the ingredients to a creamy consistency.

To Use

• Start with a thoroughly cleansed face.
• Apply the mask with fingers or a face mask brush, to the face and neck area, avoiding the eye area.
• Leave for 15–20 minutes and remove with tepid water.
• Do a final splash of cold water and pat the skin dry.
• Follow with your regular moisturizer or face balm.
• Any excess face mask may be stored in the airtight container for up to 2 days in the fridge.
• Use maximum twice a week.

Tips

1. Use any excess grapefruit flesh in a fresh fruit salad, or a side salad of rocket, fennel, grapefruit, and a homemade dressing.
2. Don’t throw out the peel! You can use it in the next recipe!

Grapefruit Peel Body Scrub

Ingredients

• 1 tsp grapefruit juice
• 1 tsp grapefruit zest
• 1/2 cup sea salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 -3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 capsule or 1/2 tsp vitamin e oil (optional)

Materials

• Mixing Bowl
• Airtight Sterilized Container
• Spoon / Spatula

Method

• Combine the sugar, salt and zest together in your bowl.
• Add in the coconut oil and mix together.
• Pierce the vitamin e capsule (if using) and squeeze out the oil into the bowl and mix it in.
• Drizzle over the grapefruit juice into the bowl and mix until fully combined
• Transfer to your container and pop on your lid.

To Apply

• Apply to dampened skin in the shower and massage into the body (not the face, it may be too abrasive), paying particular attention to any excessively dry patches of skin.
• When massaged in well, rinse off.
• Clean, refreshed, rejuvenated, smooth and supple skin will be yours!
• Use this twice a week and store in the fridge in between use for up to 2 weeks approximately.

Tips

1. If you have no fresh grapefruit, use a few drops of grapefruit essential oil.
2. As grapefruit is a citrus fruit avoid using on the skin if going out into the sun for extended periods of time as skin may become irritated. It is best to use this scrub in the evening.
3. Use the peel directly on the face as a cleanser or rub on itchy skin, mosquito bites, inflamed skin or psoriasis to alleviate any itchiness.
4. Have fun experimenting with other citrus recipes (check some out below) by substituting fruit with grapefruit.

Did You Know That Grapefruit Peels . . .

• Contains pectin
• Contains bromelain
• Extracts and essential oils are made from the peel
• Can be candied
• Can be used to make tea
• Can be used in sauces and grapefruit marmalade
• Makes great potpourri or air freshener

"Creating health awareness through homemade beauty solutions"

Grapefruit, Citrus Cleansing Cream

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

ShirleyJCJohnson on November 29, 2014:

I bet these would make great Christmas basket gifts! I just might have to whip some of this up!

Toy Tasting from Mumbai on January 06, 2014:

The Grapefruit face mask is so easy to make. Thanks for making it so simple, I am definitely trying it this weekend. :)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on August 03, 2013:

Hi Rajan,

Lovely to have you visit and I do sincerely appreciate you linking to your own grapefruit hub which I loved! Thanks for all your networking too on the social media sites, votes and pinning, you are so good to do all that!

Rajan Singh Jolly from From Mumbai, presently in Jalandhar, INDIA. on August 02, 2013:

Useful and creative natural cosmetic products' recipes as always, Suzie! And, thanks for including a link to my hub on grapefruit health benefits.

Thanks for sharing theses useful beauty tips and recipes. I'll be including a link to this hub of yours in my aforesaid grapefruit hub.

Voting this up, useful, awesome and shared on FB, hubpages, pinned and tweeted. Also on G+1.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on July 14, 2013:

Hi Carol,

Lovely to see you, thanks so much for stopping by. Hope the book is progressing nicely, i have every faith in you and know you are passionate about its success. Thanks so much for pinning glad you enjoyed the simplicity and ease of this recipe!

carol stanley from Arizona on July 14, 2013:

Miss this one...As you know I haven't been into writing here as of late. Been working on the book...and I like the simplicity of this mask..Pinning of course.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on July 04, 2013:

Hi GTF,

I love the sharpness from Grapefruit and its such a versatile and beneficial fruit in the diet. Glad you enjoyed this recipe and hope you give it a try, always good to see you!

Claudia Mitchell on July 03, 2013:

Grapefruit is such a refreshing fruit and I think that other people think that too. Just like other citrus fruit. Love this mask recipe.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 29, 2013:

Hi erorantes,

Many thanks for popping in and it is good to see you enjoyed this. Hope you give it a try sometime! Appreciate your interest and comment :-)

Ana Maria Orantes from Miami Florida on June 28, 2013:

Hello Miss Suzie HQ ; I like your article on the good benefit from the grapefrui. Than you

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2013:

Hi janshares,

Ah such kind words, I so appreciate that. Lovely to know you enjoyed this so much. Thanks for the votes of confidence and thumbs up!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2013:

Hi Audrey,

Citrus is so refreshing and great for the warm summer days! Thanks Audrey for stopping by!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2013:

Hi Leslie,

LOL . . . you gotta love Bill and the banter, such a riot with my recipes and one of these days I will succeed in getting him to try one!! LOL

I'm with you on Vitamin C on the cheap and cheerful!

Thanks for your lovely words of encouragement and yep, think I will be heading to my own spot, it has been on my agenda believe me!

Delighted to see your blog do so well, it is FANTASTIC, I am such a fan of your writing and love reading your posts as they pop up!!

Thanks Leslie for sharing and pinning and loadsa luvin' :-)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2013:

Hi Janet,

Thanks, I know you will be tuned and who knows where my mind will take me! LOL

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 28, 2013:

Hi Sue,

Ah thanks Sue so much, I am just someone with a curious mind who doesn't know the words "not possible"! LOL

Janis Leslie Evans from Washington, DC on June 28, 2013:

Wow! Beautiful, informative, useful, visually appealing, well-written. What more can one ask for? Voted up, awesome, and useful.

Audrey Howitt from California on June 28, 2013:

Very cool--I would think a cirrus face mask would feel great on a hot day as well--so refreshing!

Karen Silverman on June 28, 2013:

LOL..almost love the Suzie/Bill banter as much as your amazing recipes my friend!

unlike Bill - i ADORE grapefruit - it's in my fridge right now, in fact!

i'm always looking for Vit C on the cheap..lol..(cheap, cheap)

You just keep in this niche, my friend - i think you'll do amazing!

(altho - i do think you should gth off of the hub and branch further out!!!

my blog was doing better than the hub for me the FIRST DAY!

love you much!

sharing,pinning, lovingxx

Janet Giessl from Georgia country on June 28, 2013:

I will definitely stay tuned and I'm really looking forward to your future projects!

Susan Bailey from South Yorkshire, UK on June 28, 2013:

Thanks for that Suzie. You are very talented and keep it up because I just love reading and trying out your recipes.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 27, 2013:

Hi Sue,

many thanks for popping in! It is my mad scientist brain I think! Always trying to think up new or interesting ideas that may appeal to many. Sometimes it is an article, news item, info I see on a TV program, a picture or a suggestion of someones that sparks an idea. I often come upon strange fruit that i may not know so that starts me researching it for benefits, uses etc and availability. I am pretty conscious of keeping ingredients as cost effective as possible as I for one cannot afford to be splashing out big cash so it all sort of comes together!!! LOL Mad scientist!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 27, 2013:

Hi Bill,

Many thanks for your comments! Like you I love eating grapefruit and with beneficial natural fruit acids stemming from fruit it makes sense to use it from the source instead of paying big bucks for the same fruit acids in expensive creams and skin products. Thanks for your lovely comment, so glad you enjoyed. Cheers for all your votes, shares and pin - have a great week!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 27, 2013:

Hi Randi,

LOL, yep at times smells are a real assortment but i never tire of them as I love perfume! Thanks so much for your interest and of course it would be a pleasure to be linked to your coconut oil hub, link away anytime!! Will check it out and definitely link back too!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 27, 2013:

Hi Rose,

So good to see you as always, I love grapefruit and find it great for my combination skin but I equally love it in body and shower products. it is a unisex fragrance and my other half is definitely partial to the citrus "zing" of it and the feel good factor it gives. Cheers for your comments!

Susan Bailey from South Yorkshire, UK on June 27, 2013:

Voted up and shared Suzie. Where do you find all these recipes?

Bill De Giulio from Massachusetts on June 26, 2013:

Hey Suzie. Who knew? I actually love grapefruit but never considered it as anything but something to eat. I love how you take something simple like the grapefruit and find really interesting and helpful uses for it outside the norm. Another great hub. Love that photo at the top, makes me want to go eat a grapefruit right now. Voted up, shared and pinned. Have a great day.

Randi Benlulu from Mesa, AZ on June 26, 2013:

I don't know how you do it! Your house must smell so good! Thank you for another great one! up++and pinning!

Suzie, I am writing a hub on Coconut Oil and would like to link to some of your hub recipes. Which ones would you like me to use?

Randi

Rose Clearfield from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 26, 2013:

As always, great resource! Who knew that there were so many benefits of grapefruit, especially for the skin? I'm sure that this mask smells wonderful!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 26, 2013:

Ah Bill,

A padded cell?? Really?? And there you were telling me to be a niche writer and when the going got tough . . . you bail on me!! What kind of mentor are you??? Firtst you tell me to go with a tagline and now you abandon me! You gotta take the rough with the smooth, go with the flow and read the crap in between the good stuff!! Don't you think?? LOL

As always, you bring a smile, tears (from laughing) and great banter to this party. Appreciate it greatly!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 26, 2013:

Hi Janet,

many thanks for your lovely comment. I am delighted you enjoyed this one and enjoy all the different types of ways to go homemade! Yes, I have been thinking about a book and it is definitely on my list to do as is a website and making to sell products as others kindly suggested I do. Appreciate your thoughtfulness Janet, thinking of me! Stay tuned and watch this space!!

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on June 26, 2013:

I don't even like eating grapefruit, and now you want me spreading it on my face???? I fear you have gone too far with this madness, Suzie! As your dear friend I need you to cease and desist before the Mickster calls the authorities and has you resting in a padded room this weekend. :)

You know I love you.....thanks for the beauty tip....helpful as always. :)

bill

Janet Giessl from Georgia country on June 26, 2013:

A grapefruit is such a refreshing fruit so using it as a face mask must be very refreshing, too. You always find new wonderful homemade beauty recipes. Now that you have a great collection you should publish them all in an e-book. Have you already considered this? Then people would have all of your recipes at one place.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 26, 2013:

Hi younghopes,

No problem, hope you get an answer. Thanks for your lovely comment, I will do my best!!

Shadaan Alam from India on June 26, 2013:

Thanks a lot for your response, i am surely going to contact HP for this, and you please do keep us enthralled by all these homemade recipes, worth reading for sure

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 26, 2013:

Hi younghopes,

Many thanks for your lovely comment and glad you found this interesting. Appreciate your votes and pin! Yes, I have noticed this too and have no answer I am afraid as I have noticed it on other hubs too. Drop HP a mail or check out the learning center for google ads info first. it may be a new change to layout of ads. Hope this helps!

Shadaan Alam from India on June 26, 2013:

great job Suzie, loved the way you have written not just about facial mask but also about its health benefits too, there is so much to learn from you as always. Voted up and pinned too

Just a small question i wish to ask you here- I am seeing a few of my hubs which are not having google ads within the text of the hub, i was just wondering, when i just saw your post which too is not having google ads in the text of the hub, do you have any idea why so? Your answer would be much appreciated.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 26, 2013:

Hi MJ,

LOL, only you would come up with your own DIY petrol head / maintenance enthusiast alternative! Love to see these in action on your face and bod whenever you get a moment!

Appreciate your interest ?? LOL

Thanks as always for votes etc. . . enjoy your busy day too!!

mjkearn on June 26, 2013:

Hi Suzie

Now what do I do. A Face Mask or a Body Scrub. Can I have both. It would make a change from Emery Paper and a Wire Brush.

Another great job, well done.

Voted up, shared and G+'d.

Have a fab day.

MJ.

These five pumice stones are some of my favorite products for removing dry, tough skin.

A pumice stone is a naturally occurring abrasive that's awesome for buffing away calluses and hard skin. Though mostly used on the feet, they can also be used on any area that's become a problem.

They do a great job of removing toughened skin, leaving it soft and ready for the application of a good moisturizer for dry skin. Formed during volcanic eruptions, they're a type of solidified lava rock that have been used since the Roman times for a variety of reasons. Often found in professional foot treatments, they're an amazingly good pedicure tool and surprisingly cheap.

Below you'll find a list of the five best pumice stones. Treat your feet to a really great natural foot scrub!

The 5 Best Pumice Stones for Dry Skin

• Earth Therapeutics Natural Sierra Pumice Stone
• Mr. Pumice Extra-Coarse Pumi Bar
• Cuccio Naturale Earth Stone Pumice
• Moom Beauty Products Volcanic Beauty Stone
• Ped Egg Pedicure Foot File

Earth Therapeutics Natural Sierra Pumice Stone

This is the best-selling pumice stone. It's a small, compact block of natural pumice that's equally good for the hands or the feet.

The best way to use one of these pedicure tools is to do so whilst showering or bathing. Water softens the skin and leaves it ready for buffing easily and painlessly with the stone. Just wet the stone, then gently but firmly rub it across wherever it's needed. Don't overdo it the first few times—removing calluses and hard skin needs time, so don't injure yourself. This is a great little stone: cheap and long lasting.

Mr. Pumice Extra-Coarse Pumi Bar

This is a double-sided pumice stone: one side is heavily abrasive, while the other is much softer. Use the coarser side for tackling the harder-to-remove skin and the soft side for finishing off. If your skin isn't a big problem to start with, just use the smoother side to gently exfoliate.

You can also use the smooth side for dry skin on the hands and elbows, which are all the better for not using something that's too abrasive. Used regularly and combined with a good moisturizing cream, you will find that your feet begin to soften and regain their former glory. Great for summertime foot perfection.

Cuccio Naturale Earth Stone Pumice

This is a great medium-sized pumice stone. I love the shape, as it's almost like a small bar of soap. It's also easy to get a good hold of, as the shape and size helps you to really get in between the toes or buff safely away at cracked heels.

As with any of these stones, it's incredibly lightweight and easy to look after—a quick rinse under running water when you're done with it, then leave it to dry naturally.

This one's also fine for using elsewhere on the body. It's great for keeping rough hands in tip-top shape, as its exfoliating properties are on a medium level.

Moom Beauty Products Volcanic Beauty Stone

This pumice stone comes with a guarantee that you'll be using it for a lifetime's worth of hand and foot care. Will it last a lifetime? I don't know. But judging by the fact that it's a genuine piece of lava rock, plucked from the side of a volcano and shaped enough to make it user friendly to both hold and work with, I expect it will.

It's medium-to-coarse stone that will work well for those with really tough skin calluses and hard-to-remove dry skin. Used gently, it will remove grime and debris from the hands. It's particularly great if you're an outdoor worker, and it will help you keep your feet looking their best year round.

Ped Egg Pedicure Foot File

I've included the Ped Egg because, even though it's not a natural pumice stone, it's one the best-selling pedicure tools overall. In many ways, it mimics what pumices do, plus it's a big favorite with professionals and just as favored for home use.

The only drawback with it is the fact that you will need to replace the emery pads, as they don't last forever. If your feet are particularly troublesome, you may find that you're having to replace the pads quite often. So from a value-for-your-money perspective, another stone is the cheaper option—and just as good at keeping your feet in great shape.

Otherwise, it's a great little tool and worth considering if the thought of using a stone is off-putting!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

I love helping share different skincare tips and tricks with others!

I used to hate buying new facial soaps. So many chemicals! Even the soaps that are branded as “natural” contain some ingredients that I can’t even pronounce. I thought I didn’t have a choice. I thought I was doomed to using these chemicals on my face until I learned to make my own soap.

And then . . .

. . . I learned about glycerin soap. I had heard about glycerin before, mainly as one of the main ingredients in some of the products I use, but I had never heard of glycerin soap (maybe I need to get out more).

I was walking the aisles of my local CVS, searching for new beauty products, when I happened to look at the foreign products section, which only includes items from Latin America. I saw a bar soap in a very simple box. The box wasn’t pretentious; it didn’t look like it was trying to sell me anything. This called my attention. Like I do with everything else, I pulled out my phone and googled it. I liked what I read and bought it.

In a few words—I LOVE IT!

Benefits of Glycerin Soap

Here are a few common skin problems that this soap will help solve. By making the switch, you can drastically improve your overall complexion!

1. Dry Skin

My face is a funny mixture of oily and dry. So, whenever I moisturize, the oily parts get super oily, and whenever I try to get rid of the oil, the dry parts get super dry. So caring for my facial skin was like caring for two faces. Glycerin has made my life so much easier. Glycerin is a wonderful moisturizer that works perfectly on both areas of my skin: dry and oily.

The way glycerin works is by drawing water molecules and sealing them in. It does its job so well that if you were to put a drop of pure glycerin on your tongue it would create a blister, so don’t do that. But washing your face with a glycerin facial bar will get rid of the oils and impurities that can clog your skin, without getting rid of the natural oils your face needs to stay beautiful.

2. Acne and Sensitive Skin

Ever since I started using coconut oil, my face doesn’t really break out as much, except when I’m really stressed out or before my period. But glycerin soap has really helped my skin clear up, even in during those ugly days!

Glycerin is a wonderful help for those with acne-prone and sensitive skin. It gets rid of impurities and oil without over-drying skin, which is the problem I had with the cleansers that contain salicylic acid. These products usually get rid of impurities and oils, but leave your face feeling like stretched rubber, which only prompts your skin to create more oil, creating more pimples, etc.

3. Eczema and Psoriasis

Because glycerin soap doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals, it is a great option for those with skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis. However, make sure you are buying the PURE glycerin kind. There are some brands that contain more than glycerin, even though they are advertised as being pure. Always read your labels!

4. Wrinkles and Stretch Marks

Keeping your skin moisturized is the secret to keeping healthy skin, which will help you prevent premature wrinkling and stretch marks. So glycerin is also wonderful to keep you looking youthful!

And the best part is that glycerin soaps are relatively cheap and very easy to find!

So happy shopping and label reading!!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Jacqueline on August 12, 2020:

I have itchy rush on my face can I use this pure soap?

Nelly on July 12, 2019:

I will really like to do a commercial for pure soap to show people how pure soap is helping me

Nadya on October 22, 2017:

Hey, thanks for the article. I've been dealing with mixed skin types, very dry skin and lately acne-related problems. Would you care to share your full face routine? I think it might be good for me too...

Peter on June 10, 2016:

I am using glycerin soaps with neem. I can confirm everything this article talks about. The neem in these soaps adds an additional benefit that stops skin infections and also prevents them. The brand I'm using is www.JustNeem.com . You also find them at Whole Foods.

Silver Q (author) on July 05, 2015:

Thank you very much, War lay!

Silver Q (author) on July 05, 2015:

Hi, Vuyeka Leeu,

These soaps are usually available at any health food store, or you can just order one online. I've never ordered mine online, so unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to recommend a specific site. Sorry...

War lay on July 02, 2015:

This is very useful.Thank you very much..

I have worked as a beauty therapist, a freelance makeup artist, and a retail store manager for a fashion, beauty, and crafts store.

Sea Salt Scrubs

2 in 1

Adding salt to shower gel or making your own shower gel scrub from scratch is easily done at home. Shower gels are one of the most widely used cosmetic products today that the vast majority of us will buy rather than consider making ourselves.

Whether we use shower gels or soaps, we are continually adding them to our grocery list as essentials.The more family members, the greater the cost. Many commercial products contain chemicals that we don’t know enough about either, another great reason to go au natural as much as possible.

You are in control of the ingredients so you will know exactly what has gone into your new shower gel salt scrub recipe.

We tend to buy body scrubs separately, if ever. It's a product I find essential to have on hand and use regularly, so a shower gel scrub is the perfect solution, a 2-in-1 beauty product.

Scrubs do what they say on the tin, in a nutshell. Scrub tends to conjure up images of scrubbing the skin raw or excessively, which is totally wrong when talking in terms of face scrubs, lip scrubs or body scrubs. I prefer to use the term exfoliators as scrubs can seem a bit harsh.

Homemade Shower Gel

Salt Pans at Maras, Peru

Why Add Salt to Shower Gel?

• Salt, particularly sea salt, is being incorporated more and more in spa treatments due to its incredible skin benefits. Salts obtained from the Dead Sea (Dead Sea salt) are the best to use in body scrubs and shower gels as they have over 80 minerals that are beneficial to the skin and are 100% natural.
• Minerals in Dead Sea salts include potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium and bromine, which are absorbed through the skin in a scrub and help nourish the skin.
• Dead Sea salt helps in exfoliating the dead skin cell build up that is the upper layer of the skin.
• The dead skin cell layer thickens as we mature. Salt exfoliates this layer completely, revealing younger-looking rejuvenated skin.
• The scrubbing effect removes hard skin, which eliminates the dry and dull appearance of the skin.
• Salt scrubs improve circulation and thus increases blood flow which will regenerate skin cells giving a healthy glow to our skin. New cells will help tighten the skin and thereby make wrinkles less visible.
• Sea salt has antiseptic properties which will keep bacteria associated with skin infections away. Any inflammation or itching of the skin will be a distant memory.
• Scrubs will clean clogged pores that would have turned into spots or skin eruptions.
• Salt works wonders on acne prone skin in preventing acne forming and will help heal existing acne breakouts.
• Uneven skin tone and skin discoloration will be improved dramatically by using sea salt and it has been known to help treat psoriasis and eczema.
• When combined with oils in shower gels or scrubs, the abrasive action is minimized and gives a wonderful polished look and feel to the skin.

Raspberry

Great Body Wash

Shower Gel Poll

Vanilla Berry Shower Gel Scrub

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Pure Castile Liquid Soap
• ¼ cup Water
• 1-2 tsp Sea Salt
• 6 drops Raspberry Essential Oil
• 6 drops Vanilla Essential Oil

You Will Need:

• Glass Jar or Bottle with lid
• Bowl
• Spoon/Spatula

Method:

• Mix the liquid soap and water together in the bowl until evenly combined.
• Add the salt and essential oils.
• Mix thoroughly to an even consistency.
• If you want to make a little coarser add a little more sea salt and mix through.
• Decant to your container and store in a dry place until needed.
• Use in place of your normal shower gel on the body (not on the face).

Tips:

• Do a small patch test first on the skin to make sure it is compatible with your skin.
• You may experiment and replace the raspberry and vanilla to your own choice of fragrance combinations. Lavender, jasmine and sandalwood are all some of my favourites.
• Use within three days, you may get longer just keep trying the whiff test! If it smells fine it’s good to use and if not . . . don’t.
• Do you only have Castile soap? No problem, just grate it and melt it first in ½ cup water stirring until melted. Let cool and carry on.
• When using fragrance oils or essential oil, please make sure with the supplier or stockist it is safe to use on the skin as not all will be skin friendly and safe to use.

Scent of Orange

Important Essential Oil Info

• Citrus essential oils are photosensitive, which means if the skin is exposed to sunlight, it may burn easier. When the skin is covered they are fine to use.
• Essential oils may erode plastic in plastic containers over time, so caution should be taken if using them for this or any other homemade skin care product.
• Essential oils should never be applied to the skin directly so always be cautious when handling them.
• Always check for contra-indications to any fragrance or essential oil before using (pregnancy, allergies, children etc . . .). Never use the oils if they are likely to affect anyone that is likely to be using the shower gel.

Mixed Citrus Fruits

Orange and Lemon Salt Scrub

If you prefer to make a sea salt scrub separately then this is the recipe for you. Four gorgeous ingredients that will make your skin glow, feel moisturized and will smell out of this world . . . . What more could you want?

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Sea Salt
• ½ cup Olive Oil
• 2 slices Orange (seeds removed)
• 2 slices Lemon (seeds removed)
• Blender
• Glass Jar (recycle old ones)
• Spoon

Method:

• Pour olive oil into your blender and add the sea salt.
• Add the slices of orange and lemon into the blender.
• Turn on and mix together to a nice medium consistency.
• Spoon scrub into glass jar and store until needed.
• Scrub will last for approximately 10 days.

To Apply:

• Do a patch test first on the skin to check for skin compatibility and avoid any irritation, inflammation or allergy arising.
• In the shower, apply in circular movements over the body paying particular attention to hard skin areas and dry skin.
• Massage in for 3-5 minutes before rinsing off and pat the skin dry rather than excessive drying as this will remove the olive oil goodness and drag the skin.
• Apply an additional body moisturizer if needed, to help lock in the moisture and keep the skin soft and smooth.

Tips:

• If you have no blender just use a mixing bowl. Add the oil and salt to a bowl. Squeeze the fruit slices into the bowl to retain all the juice. Chop up the rest of the slices including pulp and peel really small and add to the bowl. Mix well and spoon into the jar.
• If you fancy a different combination of citrus try lemon and lime or grapefruit and orange.
• Fancy making a fragrance olive oil instead? Then why not try making lavender oil using fresh lavender!
• A larger quantity may be made easily by doubling up on the ingredients if you want enough for all the family.
• Don’t fancy a salt scrub then use granulated sugar instead.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

How to Make a Homemade Shower Gel Salt Scrub Comments

Phyllis on April 09, 2020:

My salt shower gel came out foamy. Please help correct. I followed menu.

:-(

Albert Moritis on July 10, 2017:

Please can l add baking soda to the recipes of sea salt, olive oil, lemon and orange shower gel? Thanks

Kristen Howe from Northeast Ohio on March 05, 2015:

Great hub on making your own sea salt for shower gel scrubs. I never thought of that idea. Very useful and informative at the same time. Voted up!

Maddi on June 11, 2014:

This is so interesting! I am going to have to try this out and maybe even mix up my own customized batch once I get the hang of it. Thank you for a great read!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 26, 2013:

Hi Kathryn,

Many thanks for checking this out and you are going to make your own "signature" one!! Delighted to hear this and look forward to hearing how it goes for you!! Appreciate you commenting and letting me know, have fun!

Kathryn from Windsor, Connecticut on June 25, 2013:

Oooooh, I have the ingredients to make a variation of one or two of these! I'm making this very soon! Thanks for sharing this with us.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on February 11, 2013:

Hi cracknutcase,

Many thanks for your visit and lovely comment, have fun trying this out sometime! Appreciate your votes!! :-)

Cracknutcase from India,bangalore on February 11, 2013:

Very informative and useful..

Thank u for sharing your knowledge with us :)

Voted up

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 08, 2013:

Hi Crystal,

Lovely to see you hope 2013 is your best ever! many thanks for your lovely comments. I do enjoy these DIY beauty treats which make sense on every level for our skin. Salt is a wonderful exfoliant as is sugar when combined with other nutritious goodies! Have fun trying this out and why not try some olive oil as a great skin softener. I have been using it daily on my face particularly and find a tiny drop on the fingertips is enough and it doesn't leave a greasy feel, more of a soft smooth one. Thanks again Crystal!:-)

Crystal Tatum from Georgia on January 08, 2013:

You do such an excellent job with these hubs. Congrats on carving out a great niche for yourself. Great recipes and I definitely need these right now, as my skin is dry in the winter.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 08, 2013:

Hi vespa,

If you have both recipe ingredients available you are lucky to have the choice! Raspberries are a way off to be in season here and are expensive unfortunately as I adore them!! Pink Sea Salt I would love to try, how cheap you can buy it for which equates to less than 15 cents in euro!! I can see you with a stall selling wonderful kitchen delights and beauty products, great combo!! Many thanks for your great input and interest as always my friend!!

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on January 07, 2013:

I can't decide whether to try the citrus or raspberry vanilla scrub first, although the latter sounds especially enticing. I love all your Hubs and read them with interest, and this one is no exception. We don't have access to dead sea salt but we can get Andean pink sea salt, which is mined deep in the Andes mountains and pollutant free, for only 15 cents (U.S.) a pound! That's what I'll be using for my fresh shower scrub. Thanks for more great recipes. : )

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 22, 2012:

Hi Om,

I love citrus scent too I have to admit, so fresh and when combined with different herbs and spices it works beautifully. Thanks for taking the time to read, glad you enjoyed!!

Om Paramapoonya on December 22, 2012:

The orange and lemon salt scrub sounds quite enticing. I love natural toiletries with citrusy aromas :)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 21, 2012:

Hi teaches,

The salt is great just make sure no open wounds or cuts exist first or it will sting and get into the abrasion. It is a wonderful skin cleanser and works wonders for the body. Delighted you enjoyed and cheers for the votes up!!

Dianna Mendez on December 21, 2012:

This gel soap is right up my alley. I love the natural salts that are so beneficial to the body and the antibacterial effects go a long way in helping the body to remain strong. When I get some time, this is going to be a good project. Voted up.

Suzanne is a qualified beautician and has worked for many leading fragrance houses over the years.

Scrub With Bananas

A banana scrub is easy to make at home and here I will be giving some great scrub recipes that will get your skin glowing from top to bottom!

Bananas may not be a fruit or ingredient you associate with facial scrubs, or with skin care in general, but it should not be underestimated as the skin loves it.

Banana is my personal favourite fruit and has been for as long as I can remember.

It was my trusty friend in my sports bag as an instant energy source, being used in many delicious food recipes or quite simply mashed up for grilled banana on toast with a sprinkling of brown sugar and sea salt.

A fruit I will always have in the kitchen, utilizing it in skin products is another great avenue that is easy and quick to make for all and a great way of using up any over ripened bananas.

With so many skin care product ingredients in our own kitchen cupboards, it makes sense on every level to start making cleansers, face masks, scrubs, moisturizers and indulgent spa treatments at home.

So hold off on making that banoffi pie, smoothie or bread and start feeding your skin instead with a banana scrub.

Skin Benefits of Banana

Luscious and soothing on the skin, the entire banana (peel included) has a valuable contribution to the maintenance of not just our internal system but for our skin and hair.

Banana consists of high levels of antioxidants which have a real impact on achieving healthy natural balance in the skin. It is excellent for treating bruises, allergies, wrinkles, dry skin and even acne. Banana peel is high in potassium, which makes for a great treatment in itself for acne, wart, poison ivy and psoriasis. High in nutrients and vitamins, using a banana scrub will give you soft, supple moisturized healthy skin in no time by gently removing dead skin cells that we all accumulate.

Scrubs are designed to remove them gently but effectively and should leave the skin feeling wonderfully smooth and revitalized. Face scrubs, body scrubs and lip scrubs are all doable in your own home.

Banana used in scrub recipes acts in conjunction with other skin loving ingredients. As it is not a coarse texture, it is a wonderful carrier or base which adds the moisturizing element.

Word of Caution

As with all ingredients, do not use these on the skin if you have an allergy or known allergy to the ingredients used. Always seek medical advice if you're unsure or have any existing medical condition

Chocolate Is Good For You and Your Skin!

Strawberry Banana Sugar Scrub

Indulgent Banana Chocolate Facial Scrub

Avoiding the temptation to eat this is difficult, I have to admit, but just think of the wonderful benefits these ingredients will have on your skin and keep your mouth closed! You only need four easily found kitchen ingredients that pack a punch together. Chocolate removes deep impurities in the skin while salt and yogurt work at removing dead skin cells and the banana restores lost moisture to the skin.

Ingredients:

½ -1 ripe banana (depending on size)

3 tbsp plain natural yogurt (Greek style yogurt may be used)

2-3 squares chocolate (dark is best)

1 tbsp salt (not too coarse)

You Will Need:

Microwavable bowl

Small bowl

Spoon/spatula

Fork

Method:

• Melt the chocolate in the microwave safe bowl. It is only a few squares so melt gently in order not to burn it. Try 10-15 second intervals checking it. When fully melted remove from microwave.
• Add the yogurt and mix well.
• Mash the banana in the other bowl.
• Don’t over mash or it will be too runny in consistency.
• When bananas are ready, add the chocolate mix and stir to a smooth consistency.
• Add the salt and gently mix it in.

To Use:

• Make sure all your hair is pulled off the face or wear a headband or shower cap.
• I suggest putting a small hand towel around tour shoulders and tucking into your collar.
• Apply to a cleansed face and neck in small circular movements, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 10 minutes and remove with warm water. Splash with cold water and pat the skin dry.
• Apply your moisturizer. If you're stuck, why not use a few drops of Olive Oil? It is a fantastic skin moisturizer on its own.

Tips:

This recipe is not suitable for freezing or refrigerating and should be used as soon as possible.

If possible, use organic products as they provide the highest level of nutrients to the skin.

Banana Body Scrub Recipe

Whilst you could use the chocolate banana recipe all over, it may not be the most practical. This recipe uses just 3 ingredients and is perfect to give your body a great scrub workout that will leave your skin soft, glowing and moisturized. It is aromatic and soothing with banana, sugar and vanilla.

Ingredients:

1-2 ripe bananas

3-4 tbsp granulated sugar

¼ tsp pure vanilla extract (you may use a different one if you prefer)

Bowl

Spoon/spatula

Fork

Method:

• Mash the bananas well but do not over mash to a runny consistency.
• Add the sugar and vanilla and mix in well.

To Use:

Before stepping into the shower, apply the scrub all over the body in circular motions. Pay particular attention to excessively dry areas. Massage in for 3-5 minutes.

Wash off the scrub in the shower and feel your lovely fresh and rejuvenated skin.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Tayyaba on July 23, 2015:

beautiful and informative add. love it thanks

Tayyaba on July 23, 2015:

nice job. i really like banana hmmmmmmm lov it thats nice

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on August 10, 2014:

So good to hear you had success with this recipe geeo!

geeo on August 04, 2014:

Tried this and my boyfriend told me my face is glowing lately. I highly recommended it to my friends too. Thank you for this wonderful & informative page.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on February 02, 2013:

Hi Jesmo,

How great you tried!! No doubt it did bring a few smiles from the kids and OH, even the cats seem to have approved!! Bananas i adore eating and knowing how good they are it is no wonder they are a terrific natural skin product. They do leave the skin feeling soft and delighted this is exactly how you found this one. Many thanks for feedback Jesmo, much appreciated! :-)

Jesmo on February 01, 2013:

I did it today...wonderful (despite the odd looks from the OH and children and the cats trying to lick my face). You don´t get that tight feeling after like you do from other face scrubs, just really soft skin. Always a bonus not using chemicals on your face.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 31, 2013:

Hi Jesmo,

Appreciate you visiting and taking time to comment!! Enjoy this banana treat for the skin, Thanks again!

Jesmo on January 31, 2013:

I´ve been looking for ideas to use up all the bananas I have. Great idea, Thanks.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 26, 2012:

Hi thelma,

Good to see you again, glad you enjoyed this recipe, even though the foods are yummy to eat! LOL

Hope you get to try it out, I'm sure you will find it great. Many thanks for the votes and shares, much appreciated!! :-)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 26, 2012:

Hi vibesites,

Delighted you found this interesting and will give it a go! I know the temptation . . . believe me as I love all the ingredients as foods and a confirmed chocoholic!! Thanks so much for the votes, much appreciated :-)

Thelma Alberts from Germany on December 26, 2012:

I can´t wait to try this banana scrub, but I have to close my mouth when using it as it might be consumed without applying it to my skin, lol. Banana with yogurt and chocolate makes me hungry now. Awesome hub! Voted up and thanks for sharing.

vibesites from United States on December 26, 2012:

Bananas and chocolates are always compatible and my favorites! Hmmmmm I am hesitant to use chocolate and bananas as scrubs but I will try my best not to give in this kind of temptation when scrubbing! Good information about the antioxidant properties of both foods. I'll give it a try to see how it goes. Thanks for posting. Voted up and useful/interesting. :)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 26, 2012:

Hi Glimmer Twin Fan,

Glad you are enjoying these, its great finding so many lovely ways of using natural ingredients for the skin, hair and even air fresheners. I have your decorative candle hub linked in to my candle safety hub by the way, love it! Many thanks for your pin and share here, so appreciated!! Enjoy the rest of Christmas and all the very best for 2013!! :-)

Claudia Mitchell on December 26, 2012:

I am finding out all these new uses for fruits and flowers with these hubs! That banana sugar scrub sounds divine and the next time I have some ripe bananas that I am not going to eat I am trying this! Pinned & shared.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 23, 2012:

Hi teaches,

glad you enjoyed this being a fellow banana fan!! Thanks so much for your comments and support here and throughout the past months. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas!!

Dianna Mendez on December 22, 2012:

Great idea -- love bananas as a fruit, making the srub would be enjoyable as well. Have a Merry Christmas!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 20, 2012:

Hi Sonimanjari,

Welcome and many thanks for choosing to leave me a comment! Lovely to know you found interesting and have saved it, many thanks for the thumbs up!!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 20, 2012:

Hi prasetio,

Thanks so much for your lovely comments, I adore bananas too! Hopefully your sister and mom will enjoy trying a recipe out,appreciate your visit and votes always my friend!

Manjari Soni from India on December 19, 2012:

I have to save this page. On my hard disk. Good and easy to use information

prasetio30 from malang-indonesia on December 19, 2012:

Very informative hub. I love banana. I'll show this hub to my sister and my mom as well. I think they'll love this information. Thanks for writing and share with us. Voted up!

Prasetio

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 19, 2012:

Hi vespa,

LOL not sure about a book but . . .hey . . .who knows!!! May try my own website well it is an idea for now. I love bananas and as for chocolate . . . .don't even go there! Delighted you enjoyed this and yes I LOVE banana on toast that way!!!!!!! Thanks for all your lovely comments and support my friend! :-)

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on December 19, 2012:

What a gorgeous hub: from the banana-yellow dividers to the unique recipes. I can't wait to try these, although I must admit it will be difficult to keep my lips closed. : ) You know how much I love chocolate! I also like the idea of mashed banana with brown sugar and sea salt on toast. You really need to publish a DYI beauty treatments book, Suzanne!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 18, 2012:

Hi Peggy,

Glad you enjoyed the humour, it's so true though, bananas and chocolate are yum in my world so a very hard thing to prevent finding it's way into my mouth instead of on my face!!! Hope you enjoy trying these out, many thanks for the votes and shares my friend - have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 18, 2012:

Hi Bill,

LOL you do bring such a smile to this Irishwoman's face!! Absolutely you can eat them . . . . . you get a special pass . . . or even better make a scrub and pamper your lovely Bev with it! Appreciate your loyalty, major brownie points is a given for you Bill!!! Have a happy time for the silly season, enjoy your holidays!!!!

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on December 18, 2012:

I had to laugh to myself when you warned us to just keep our mouths closed and not to eat these ingredients. Hmmmm...with the chocolate and bananas, I think that this would be particularly hard. Ha! These scrubs sound very interesting. Must give them a try sometime. Voted up, useful, interesting and will share.

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on December 18, 2012:

Could I just eat them and call it good? Hey, at least I'm here supporting you; that's has to be good for some brownie points, right?

Have a Happy Holiday season, Irish!

bill

Suzanne is a qualified beautician with experience as a freelance makeup artist.

Skin Care Secrets From the Mediterranean

Using olive oil in skin care is an absolute must for its moisturizing, healing and anti-aging properties, for starters! Used for centuries by Mediterranean women, it is a beauty secret that is coming full circle. By turning to the past, we can reap the full benefits that olive oil provides both in terms of skin and health.

Even if all you have is a bottle of good quality olive oil, I will show you that in fact that is all your skin needs. We have such a beneficial skin product at our fingertips; it makes sense to start using it in this way and not just as an ingredient in cooking. The savings this marvelous ingredient provides are immense—wait until you see just how many regular store-bought products may be substituted easily.

Many of us consider Extra Virgin Olive Oil (commonly referred to as EVOO) a staple in the kitchen cupboard, so we have had this wonder ingredient right under our noses all the time without realizing its skin care value.

1. Back to Basics Moisturizer Recipe

This is one super product that does not need any other ingredient in order to be an effective skin moisturizer if you fancy using it solo. Particularly beneficial for dry skins, this oil helps diminish fine lines and plumps out wrinkles, slowing down the ageing process.

Ingredients

• Virgin olive oil

Instructions

Just pour 1–3 drops of oil into the palms of your hand and pat into the skin. It’s as simple as that.

• Start with 1 or 2 drops; a little goes a long way, and it is easier to use a small quantity of oil rather than to overuse and waste it.
• I recommend trying it at nighttime to start with, applying it after a shower or bath or 30 mins before bedtime to allow it absorb into the skin.

What If I Have Oily Skin?

Oily skins tend to age slower as the skin is naturally secreting oil. If you tend to have oily or acne skin, you may still use olive oil as a moisturizer, but do not buy those with a high acidic content such as Greek oils.

2. Age-Busting Moisturizer Lotion

Ingredients

• 1 small cucumber, peeled and deseeded
• 2 tbsp virgin olive oil (organic if possible)
• 1 lime (juice only)

Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
2. Pour into a glass jar and screw on the lid tightly.
3. Use morning and night.
4. Store in the fridge and use within 3 days.

3. Infused Face and Body Moisturizer

Do not use flower petals that may have been sprayed with chemicals as they may end up in your moisturizer and be absorbed through the skin.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flower petals
• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 6 vitamin E capsules (400 IU)
• 2 glass jars with lids

Instructions

1. Put the flower petals into one of the glass jars.
2. Pierce the vitamin E capsules and pour over the petals.
3. Warm the olive oil and pour over the petals and vitamin E.
4. Stir gently, screw on lid and shake well to start infusing the ingredients.
5. Leave for at least two weeks on a shelf in a warm location, shaking daily.
6. Strain the petals and pour the infused oil into the other jar.
7. Use as a body oil after a shower or bath to lock in moisture. It may be used on any excessively dry areas of the skin, such as feet or elbows. You may also use it as a facial moisturizer, taking care around the eye area.

More Skin Care Products to Make With Olive Oil

• Skin Exfoliator – combine 4 tbsp granulated sugar with 3 tbsp of olive oil and use as a skin exfoliating scrub for face, body and feet. This combination is a winner for dry skin in need of smoothing by riding the skin of dead skin cells which promotes blood flow giving a fresh moisturized glow to the skin.
• Cuticle and Nail Cream - These often become brittle and dry through a variety of reasons including health, weather, diet and medication. For a quick and effective DIY repair treatment, soak hands in warm water before leaving them in warm olive oil for 5-10 mins.
• Cleanser – Suitable for all skin types (yes, even oily skins) this homemade cleanser recipe just requires two ingredients, EVOO and Castor oil with the ratio varying depending on skin type. This oil cleanser recipe is worth checking out.
• Eye Makeup Remover – Simple and effective just wipe over the eye area with a few drops of olive oil on a dampened piece of cotton wool (dampened cotton wool prevents dragging the delicate eye area). Use a cotton bud dipped in olive oil to remove hard core eyeliner or mascara.
• Shaving Cream – Yes even this is possible. Keeping the skin ultra smooth and moisturized this will also make it easier for the razor to glide smoothly, preventing nasty nicks.
• Hair Conditioner – For very dry or brittle hair warm ½ cup olive oil and apply all over the hair. Cover with a shower cap or saran wrap. Twist a towel around and leave for 30-45 mins. Rinse off and see your silky, shiny and healthy looking hair.
• Dandruff – Use a couple of drops of olive oil massaged into the scalp and then rinse off. You may combine with your favourite essential oil if you are not a fan of the smell.
• Bath Oil – Use alone or with your favourite natural oil for a soft supple skin.
• Massage Oil – May be combined with oils such as sweet almond or avocado to use as a deep muscle relaxing massage oil or used alone if you prefer.
• Body Butter – Warm olive oil combined with skin friendly shea butter gives a rich, nourishing ultra hydrating body cream.

Benefits to the Skin From Olive Oil

• Vitamins A and E
• Rich in Antioxidants
• Eliminates Free Radicals
• Removes Blackheads
• Treats Dandruff
• Treats Stretch Marks
• Prevents Stretch Marks
• Dry Cuticles
• Speeds up Cellular Rejuvenation
• Heals Diaper Rash
• Heals Scars, Burns and Cuts
• Natural Moisturizer

Our Olive Trees in Puglia

When we purchased our property in Puglia, a southern region in Italy, we were not fully aware of the valuable olive trees that grew there. Learning about the olives and methods of harvesting was fascinating.

With our small number of trees we were told they would yield enough oil to keep us stocked up for a year, which was music to our ears. My immediate thought was “How amazing to use oil from our own olive trees; it doesn't get much better than this”.

In fact the Puglia region yields the highest levels of olive oil production in Italy. A fact that is easy to understand when all you can see is thousands of proud olive tree groves for miles and that they are given tremendous respect and tender loving care by Italians. In fact it is illegal to dig up one of these trees unless for re-planting purposes. No surprise when you consider the importance of food, traditions and customs of Italy.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Joanne on February 18, 2019:

Is the age busting moisture lotion for the face.

Lucy S on June 09, 2018:

Hi there! I'm so happy I found your blog.

I have a small bottle of baby oil and thought of adding a few drops of EVOO to it. Would that be a good idea? That way I can pack the bottle for travel etc.

Thanks

Manoj Kurian Jacob PhD on March 02, 2018:

Very fond of olive oil becoz of its fantastic fatty acid oleic acid which is really good for healthy skin and healthy diet too

marah on June 18, 2017:

hello suzie, can I use olive oil even im using water based moisturizer? but I have super oily and acne prone skin..I had used adapalene gel for the last 4 days.,is it okay to use olive oil?..because I want to use all natural now if it's okay?..

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on July 25, 2014:

Thanks mhima for the support and I hope you find it as versatile and useful as I do! Just use a small amount (literally a drop or two is plenty) If your hands are very dry, check out my hub on a fabulous treatment using avocado as the main ingredient . . . it works so well.

mhima on July 25, 2014:

Wonderful information! I love olive oil and have recently been wondering about using it for my dry hands. I am going to use some of your ideas here for using it as a moisturizer many thanks for sharing.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on September 27, 2013:

Hi Phyllis,

Delighted you enjoyed this and I appreciate your compliment on the writing, as a fairly new writer that is wonderful to hear. Hope you enjoy using this beneficial oil in a host of useful ways!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on September 27, 2013:

Hi Schoolmom,

Great to hear you are already a fan of this liquid gold! I find it so good for my no make-up days but a bit too heavy for under make-up. Coconut oil and jojoba I love too. In fact there are many oils I now love! LOL Thanks very much for your comments, lovely to hear your experience with olive oil.

Phyllis Doyle Burns from High desert of Nevada. on September 26, 2013:

Awesome! As usual, Suzie, this is yet another of your hubs I have bookmarked. Great hub and well-written. Thank you.

Schoolmom24 from Oregon on September 26, 2013:

I started using olive oil as a face moisturizer two yrs ago and though I'll occasionally use over the counter moisturizer touted for making us look younger, the majority of the time I use simple olive oil and I really like the benefits. Great job showing all the benefits of this simple, natural product!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 11, 2013:

Hi Thelma,

Welcome back to Europe! It must be the best of both worlds spending time at home and in your new adopted country. If you have some cucumber handy and aloe vera they make a great eye gel for tired dehydrated eyes after travelling, even a cucumber on it's own. Check out my new eye gel hub as it may be helpful for you right now from travelling my friend. Olive oil is a wonder product as you know so good you have some on hand. Cheers for checking in so quickly after landing! Love receiving your comments and support!!

Thelma Alberts from Germany on June 10, 2013:

Hi, Suzie! I have to come back. I just arrived yesterday in Germany and my skin is drying out due to the change of the weather. I´m still so tired from my long travel and don´t like to shop a body lotion. So I thought, why not drop by and see what I can find from your beauty hubs so I can make a beauty recipe right away. Thanks God, I still have a bottle of olive oil in my pantry. I´ll try this age busting moisturizer. Of course thanks to you too my dear friend;-) Take care.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 09, 2013:

Hi Vix, Coconut oil is a great product for skin for sure.

Vix on June 09, 2013:

Coconut oil is even better.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on June 09, 2013:

Hi younghopes,

Delighted you stopped by on this, I love olive oil and it is such a beneficial oil for skin, hair and health. Cheers for the votes, as always, much appreciated!

Shadaan Alam from India on June 09, 2013:

As always an awesome hub by you, yours is such a detailed hub, liked it voted up

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on May 17, 2013:

Hi livingsta,

Many thanks for dropping by, so appreciate your visits and comments! Thanks so much for votes up and sharing . . olive oil is such a great skin care ingredient, a must for us all!!

livingsta from United Kingdom on May 17, 2013:

Awesome information Suzie. Thank you for this. Now I know the many benefits of this oil. Thank you for sharing this with us. Voted up, useful, awesome and sharing.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on May 17, 2013:

Hi Kathryn,

Olive Oil is one of the top ingredients we all seem to have that is used in cosmetic recipes or even on it's own! I love it and the first time I went to put a few drops on my face did feel strange but it did feel good!! It is a heavier oil than others (Jojoba for example) and I find perfect for the no makeup day or for night time but not under makeup. Thanks for your comments and interest!

Kathryn from Windsor, Connecticut on May 16, 2013:

It's been nice to learn so much about olive oil. I always have it on hand!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 30, 2013:

Hi Thelma,

Remember now you do massage, how great! I do miss doing it regularly although my back probably wouldn't complain with the extra years since my last full top to toe body massage!! Glad you are a fan of olive oil and lavender oil is a favorite of mine too. Appreciate the comments and generous votes and shares Thelma..

Thelma Alberts from Germany on January 29, 2013:

Wow! Awesome! There´s a lot of information for me here. I love olive oil not only for the kitchen but also for my homemade cosmetics for facials, massages and hair treatment. I´m giving spa treatments at home in the Philippines as a hobby and I use olive oil mixed with essential oils like lavender. I believe the all round benefits of olive oil and I can´t stop promoting it to others. Thanks for sharing. Voted up and shared here and in FB.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 13, 2013:

Hi kittyfree,

Many thanks for checking this out! Great to hear you already are converted to wonderful olive oil in beauty! I have been using it as a face moisturizer and find it fabulicious!!! Cannot rave enough about my EVOO. Thanks again!

Kitty K. Free on January 12, 2013:

Great hub! I use olive oil for EVERYTHING! I love the way it makes my skin and hair feel. And love it for food. It's my wonder oil:)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 22, 2012:

Hi Kris,

Many thanks for visiting and delighted to hear you are a fan of natural alternatives - me too! Looking at so many different products we buy but could make better and cheaper is an eye opener I am loving!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 22, 2012:

Hi sg,

Thanks so much for your lovely comments. try warm olive oil for the hands it works great and good to do at night before bed. it is a wonder product for so many skin conditions never mind as an essential for cooking!

Many thanks for your votes and shares, much appreciated!!

Kris Heeter from Indiana on December 22, 2012:

I've been using almond oil mixed with a few drops of essential oils as a moisturizer but hadn't considered olive oil. I might have to try that at some point too! I love all natural alternatives like this.

Sheila Brown from Southern Oklahoma on December 22, 2012:

Wonderful information! I love olive oil and have recently been wondering about using it for my dry hands. I am going to use some of your ideas here for using it as a moisturizer. Voting up, useful and sharing! Have an awesome day! :)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 14, 2012:

Hi Rachel,

Great to have you check this out! Another fan, great to hear!! It is so good it would even make a great pressie for someone with a list of beauty uses!! Appreciate your input my friend . . .CHEERS!

rmcleve on December 14, 2012:

Awesome! I love this. Every few weeks or so, I use olive oil to hydrate my skin. It can cause me to break out a bit, but it works so well overall that I don't mind!

Great hub, lady! :)

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 14, 2012:

Hi Vespa,

Wow, so cheap there for good olive oil. I know the thought of having our own is wonderful. Glad you are enjoying the ideas I am putting forward :-)

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on December 13, 2012:

I know what you mean about internet. We were off the grid for 24 hours! It felt like an eternity. About the olive oil--we buy direct for $2 a litre. How nice that yo'll be able to harvest your own. I'm so excited for you. What a dream! I think the shaving oil is a great idea, too. Love your ideas!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 13, 2012:

Hi Vespa,

Oh do make me jealous and tell me HOW cheap you can buy gorgeous olive oil then?? I cannot wait to be harvesting our own and getting them pressed locally. Maybe another use is for your hubby if he shaves, I believe it really makes it easier for blades for smooth shaving. Great to hear you are converted and keen to try a few more ideas! You will end up with your own beauty olive oil in the bathroom and one in the kitchen!! Delighted you enjoyed my friend, great to have you here as always!!! I have had no internet today, hence my delay replying!:-)

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on December 13, 2012:

We live in Southern Peru, right where olives are grown and olive oil is produces. We go right to the factory and get it for a bargain! I use it for everything. I've even tried the oil cleansing method, although I didn't stick to it. Maybe I should try it again. I also use olive oil to take off eye makeup and to condition my hair sometimes and smooth flyaways. You have me convinced to use it even more! I'll have to see if I can get rose petals that haven't been sprayed. I'd love to try the moisturizer. This is another great hub, Suzanne!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 07, 2012:

Hi Bill,

One for the boys hopefully! It is amazing how useful this "LIQUID GOLD" is. Yes, it is so great to have the olive trees already matured and yielding the oil producing olive variety. All the other types of fruit trees we want will have to be grown but I look forward to designing and planting our beauty supplies!!! Thanks so much for all your votes, shares etc .. . Have a great weekend my friend!

Bill De Giulio from Massachusetts on December 07, 2012:

Hi Suzie. Now we're taking about something I can relate to. Liquid gold. Never realized it had so many uses. Lucky you to have your own olive trees! Great job Suzie. Voting up, sharing everywhere, etc.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 07, 2012:

Hi Sharkye11,

Many thanks for your great comments, I love the smell too of good olive oil, hopefully you will give skin care a go witth it now. Appreciate you stopping by! :-)

Jayme Kinsey from Oklahoma on December 07, 2012:

Wonderful and useful hub. I love the smell of olive oil, so I wouldn't mind one bit using it in place of all my lotions and creams! Great information here...the exfoliating scrub sounds delightful!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on December 07, 2012:

Hi lemonkerdz,

Many thanks for your visit, lovely to see you! Appreciate your great comments, glad you enjoyed so much! It is such a versatile product and well worth getting an extra bottle when you go south just to have for skin care, bath or so much more! Thanks for your votes and share, have a great trip down south!! I am sooo jealous!

lemonkerdz from LIMA, PERU on December 07, 2012:

suzie HQ love the hub and very well set out. I love olive oil but have used it more for cooking than anything else. Love the many different uses you have put in the hub. I´m off to see some friends in southern peru wednesday where they produce Olive Oil, you have just reinded me to get hold of a few bottles and put it to good use. Voted up and shared

I'm interested in sustainable agriculture, the environment, health, and nutrition. This is the story of my journey with oil cleansing.

A couple years ago, I embarked on an all-natural skin and hair-care odyssey. The no 'poo (i.e. shampoo-free) experiment did not work out. (But, oh! I so desperately wanted it to). But two others did stick—the oil-cleansing method and the soap-free shower.

Now, I know some of you might be horrified by the idea of showering without soap. But I'm here to say, it can be done. And it can be done without smelliness of any kind. It even has some pretty great benefits.

Why go no-soap?

Once I get an idea in my head, I tend to go slightly overboard. Which is how I happened to remove all soaps and shampoos from my skin- and hair-care routine—in the same week. But even if you're not quite so gung-ho about all this, there are some really good reasons why you might want to give it a try.

1. Soap is really drying for your skin. The way soap works, in fact, is that it dissolves oil. But your skin needs oil—oil protects it and makes it soft and supple. If you strip all the oil off your skin, one of two things will happen: your skin will get all dry and scaly (in which case, you're probably moisturizing up a storm) or it will ramp up its oil production, in order to compensate, and you'll end up with extra-oily skin and/or break-outs. Or, there's the middle ground: scaly dry skin with a shiny layer of oil on top. Blech.
   
   If you're using soap and other cleansers, on your face or your body, chances are you're also using a lot moisturizer—especially in winter. You need to, right? Because otherwise your skin is the total opposite of soft and supple.
   
   
2. Soaps (and moisturizers) tend to be full of chemicals--most of which haven't been adequately studied for safety. Cosmetics of every kind are full of chemicals—just read the label on your body wash—that are potentially toxic, either to humans or to the environment. And the bar for demonstrating product safety in the cosmetics industry is very low. (To look up the data on your own skin-care products, check out the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database.) Even if you're not in any danger from your soap, keep in mind that it's all washing down the drain and back into the water supply and the environment. Why add any more stress than necessary to either your body or your ecological niche?
   
   
3. Body wash, fancy soaps, and moisturizers are expensive. Not all soaps are pricey, of course, but in my experience, the cheaper the soap, the more moisturizer I need afterwards. So any cost-savings get balanced right out. But you know what really is cheap? No soap at all. Saves the cost of the soap... plus you'll need w-a-y less moisturizer. I promise.

So how does this all work?

It's so easy. The key is exfoliation. You can't just stand under the water and hope for the best. No, no—you still need to scrub. You'll just scrub without soap.

Use whatever you want—a nice washcloth, a loofah, a body brush, a mesh scrubber-thingy, whatever works. But scrub down. Remove that top layer of dead and dying skin cells. Unless you've been rolling in axle grease or something, whatever incidental dirt you have on your body will slough right off.

If you're anything like me, the first few times you do this, you might not feel clean while you're actually in the shower. I associated "clean" with that tight-skin feeling that soap gives you, and of course, no soap, no tightness. You'll have to trust that you are clean. Hop out, dry yourself off, and wait 15 minutes. I guarantee you'll feel as squeaky clean as usual.

I expect there are some folks out there pursuing professions that will require soap. If your job (or hobby) involves grease or paint or other things that aren't water soluble, you might legitimately need soap to get clean.

But me, personally, I almost never get so dirty that I need soap. Even when I come home sweaty and muddy and disgusting from a cross-country run, it's nothing a little extra scrubbing can't take care. When you're sweaty and stinky, you might feel like you need soap—but you probably don't.

Frequently Asked Questions About Specific Body Parts

1. What about my armpits?
   Nope, no soap necessary. Seems crazy, I know—but hot water and a good washcloth should be just fine.
2. What about my...private parts?
   Same answer—just give everything a good, soap-free scrub. You should have no problems.
3. What about my feet?
   If you're prone to smelly feet, it's very possible that no good will come from denying you your daily dose of antibacterial soap. That said, my feet sweat like nobody's business anytime they're in or on shoes (i.e. they'll sweat even in flip-flops, but as long as I'm barefoot, they're totally dry). I don't use soap on them and I haven't noticed that they're any smellier. (Sadly, they still sweat.) If your feet aren't generally smelly, I doubt you'll have any trouble. And even if you are prone to foot odor, you might not have any problems. Try it and see.
   
   Here's what I do for my feet: I use a super-awesome foot stone—the Tweezerman Pedro Callus Stone—which runs about $20 and is worth every penny. I use it on my feet almost every day and my feet (which are prone to some pretty hardcore callusing) are smoother than they've ever been. The Tweezerman does a fabulous job exfoliating, so I'm pretty confident that it's also getting my feet nice and clean. And, like I said, no increase in smelliness.
4. What about shaving my legs?
   If you're already using some kind of shave cream on your legs, you can just keep doing what you're doing. If you're lubricating with lathered soap, you'll need to make some changes.
   
   I recommend Alba Botanica Very Emollient Cream Shave. It works well, it's fairly moisturizing, and it's effective in fabulously small amounts. In fact, the more you use, the less well it works. So a bottle lasts a long time.
   
   I've also used Dr. Bronner's Organic Shave Gel, which has its perks. It lathers, so it feels more like shaving with soap, which is what I used to do. (The Alba cream is really just a cream, so it doesn't seem like it would work well. It does, but it surprises me that it does.) The Dr. Bronner's works just as well, but it's a bit more drying for my skin—plus it's easier to use too much of it, so it goes a bit faster. And, the print on the container flakes off when it gets wet, so you'll end up with bits of colored plasticky stuff all over.

What to expect during your transition?

Unlike changing over to the oil-cleansing method or trying to ween yourself off shampoo, the switch to no-soap showers is pretty painless. You'll have to get used a new sense of what clean skin feels like—the "clean" feeling of just-washed skin isn't really the feeling of cleanliness; it's the feeling of soap. Once you start to associate soap-free exfoliation with a clean feeling, you'll be good to go.

The other big change you might notice, if you currently use scented soaps and body washes, is that your skin will smell like skin—not like night-blooming jasmine or cucumber coconut. I don't personally consider that to be a bad thing—I think my skin smells nice even without perfumes, and I used to wonder about exactly what the combination of my shampoo, conditioner, soap, and moisturizer scents was adding up to. This way, I know that my hair pretty much smells like my shampoo (yummy!) and the rest of me smells like... me. And if I use any kind of perfume, I don't need to worry about how it combines with my body wash.

So give the no-soap shower a try. You just might be surprised at how much you like it! And you can put your body wash savings to good use somewhere else.

Intrigued?

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Comments

Moulton.Samantha on July 02, 2020:

1536 Dee Lee Ave

Ellen.Rebecca on May 28, 2020:

38 NE 16th Dr

Naya on February 25, 2019:

I just started oil cleansing. I dry scrub my body, then I use an oil blend I created based on some research of essential oils. I rub it all over my body and get into the hot shower. I use a wash rag to remove any excess oil and thats it. My face is normally oily, but since I have started this, my oil production is actually leveling out. Its amazing. . . and I am always soft all over. I just use a silicone scrubber for any wet scrubbing. I also find that I spend way less time in the shower which saves waste.

Marilyn Sarkozi on October 24, 2018:

I can't sign up until I know the ingredients. I am highly allergic.

Charliedude on July 19, 2018:

I also stopped using soap many years ago. It started simply because I didn't have any and couldn't afford to get some for several days. Although I expected to stink to high heavens (doing construction work). After a couple days I noticed that I didn't smell at all after work. Before I always had a distinct odor by the end of the day. After getting paid and buying more soap, the work scent returned. I tested out the theory a few times with different soaps and in every case, I smelled better without it. It's been 8 or 9 years now and I've never smelled better. I do use soap if I happen to get covered with motor oil or anything else non water soluble but inevitably, by the end of the next day I'll have developed an odor. Without the soap I've gone 3 or 4 days without a bath and not smelled at all. Those are, of course, very rare occurrences. Trying to explain and convince others of his soap is not only unnecessary but actually counter productive, is all but impossible. Thank you for writing this article. At least now I have some documentation to back up my claim.

Amz on May 04, 2018:

I've been soap free except for my pits all my life. Now I plan on removing my pits from soap addiction. I hope my bentonite recipe helps. So far so good but less than a week in.

John habib on April 11, 2018:

I'm gonna try this when I shower at the gym tomorrow. See how it goes.

Yash on February 28, 2018:

I stopped using all kinds of bath and skin/hair care products (soap, shampoo, conditioners, lotions, pomade etc.) since 2013. Went cold turkey. I haven't told anyone about this and I don't get any complaints of nasty smells or body odor from people. So I can confidently say that it works. I just shower with warm water twice a day and that's about it. I feel satisfactorily clean and water alone doesn't dry my hair or skin. It's lighter on the wallet too. So far so good. Initially, I felt dirty. But that feeling is more psychological than physical. You get over that feeling after a week or two.

Sweaaty on February 22, 2018:

Day two, and Ive been looking for articles like these. I just was inspired last night after the gym not to use soap and honestly? It's great. I had an itchy back for a few weeks now and it's going away. My face felt gross, not gonna lie, so I did end up washing it with hand soap. However? I literally didn't use soap after the gym on my body (and boy I was sweaty-- hands the exception) and I didn't stink at all.

Kay on July 12, 2017:

Just WATER ALONE on private parts, especially during menstruation? I think not! Disgusting isn't a fitting enough adjective. There's NO WAY you can smell clean down there without using some sort of cleanser whether natural or conventional. Keep in mind that most people can't smell their own odor, so while you may THINK that everything is all good down there, others who are better able to be more objective about your odor would beg to differ.

If your issue is with using the chemical-laced conventional soaps on the market, there are plenty of other options, including DIY homemade cleansers. Just as cigarette smoke or extra strong perfumes in enclosed areas are offensive, so is a vagina that smells like rotting fish. Please be considerate of your co-workers and loved ones, especially those who have to be intimate with you. . .unless of course, they're just as nasty.

me on July 06, 2017:

not sure about the no shampoo thing because i still havent found something i can use to clean my dirty hair but i will def try the no soap thing, i see no problem in doing that. recently while washing with soap i have been getting very itchy in my private part and it's kind of scary, will star the no soap thing tomorrow!

Steve on May 16, 2017:

I have been shampoo free for years (the key is to get over the hump, and just like with your skin, exfoliate and cleanse otherwise - cold water and a good scalp scrub, and since I have seborrhea so my scalp seems to always be flakey, but apple cider vinegar really helps, as does exfoliating it [I have a silicone scrub brush I use]).

I also have been just using apple cider vinegar with a silicone vibrating scrubber on my face for about two years now and my skin has never been clearer. I never get pimples or blackheads.

With my body, I've been trying different things, but I'm learning that exfoliation is a must, cold water is best, and I just leave a spray bottle of ACV in the shower and spritz my pits, pubes, face, and hair - scrubbing it into my scalp while it soaks into my face and elsewhere, then I rinse, exfoliate my body with a scrub brush, and hop out.

It's amazing.

Anonymous on December 22, 2016:

It hasn't hit me until now why my grandma doesn't use soap. Kind of irrelevant but I'll share anyway. Humans have become accustomed to using soap, and well some of my paternal family live in a moderate country (borderline low). We were disgusted to learn that my grandma hasn't been using soap despite bathing daily due to the humid and dusty atmosphere. The thing is, she sweats buckets but she doesn't smell at all - I feel she only uses water (tends to be cold there). I think she only uses warm water and shampoos every now and then. If she hadn't told us we wouldn't have noticed.

I on the other hand have been dealing with on and off dermatitis since I was a child. Now that I'm older it's become harder to deal with now that my body is my temple; rashes tend to leave marks and minor scarring (it bothers me) and my maternal nan can no longer moisturise my tender skin the way she used to when I was a baby. As you probably can imagine soap dries up my body. I was prescribed with a bath emollient that soothes skin but I've been noticing it's not effective, and the chemicals stink up my body, though it's more noticeable to me than my surroundings. Today I opted for salt and I plan on continuing with this.

Thanks for this post, I'm glad to see my grandma hasn't gone nuts and that I might be heading towards the right direction with what's suitable for my skin and potentially the environment. Thank you!

Honolulu Sam on November 14, 2016:

I am now going on 14 months without using soap or shampoo. I am a blonde, and after a few months my hair adjusted and is as brightly colored as before. I have found that I can go for a week without a shower, so long as I wash the nasty bits with a wet washcloth about mid week. I live and work outside in Honolulu, so I sweat all day. I only use Thai Deodorant Stone Crystal. My dentist has even taken me off of using toothpaste. He said that if you like it, use it, but that it doesn't really help.

Amanda on September 30, 2016:

I stumbled across this article and found it quite interesting! I myself have tried ditching chemicals of all sorts during the past few years. I currently use oil and scrub gloves to shower. It works wonderfully.

Deva on May 16, 2016:

If you want to go no poo just use mixed egg as shampoo. It's really great and was used to wash hair when shampoo didn't yet exist. Your hair will get oily often (transition period which is normal) but it is really great option and won't destroy the hair like other options could and will leave you hair silky and easy to brush. I'm preparing with my hub to get a baby soon, so I just decided to get away from all the chemicals and keep my organism healthy. When I get out, if I want my hair to get a nice smell i just put water and few drops of essential oil in spray bottle and put on my hair. Same thing for my body (cuz i wash it with water only, and what's important it's that it is 100% natural). I use natural oils like coconut (like cream before I go to bed), olive or even sunflower oil (which I use to clean my face, then i put a hot towel on for 2 times and then just remove oil with same towel). I can tell I'm really happy with this and my hair and skin are better than ever. You could try and see if it works for you, I really hope it does!

Tiffany on May 11, 2016:

I am so going to try this! I have dry skin and break outs, and dry hair as well. Since my hair is so thin - like a baby - it is almost impossible to manage, so I usually use leave-in conditioner and sometimes a keratin leave-in treatment. I guess I will have to give these up if I am going no-soap/no-poo. I am hoping for the best.

Does anybody have any suggestions on what I should use in my hair as an alternative? Thanks!

love joy56 on April 23, 2016:

I been soap free for about two months now. My skin has really improve its no longer dry. I'm loving the new me...no soap, shampoo, or Deodorant and I smell Fresh!

Aldrin on April 17, 2015:

I use hair gel all the time so should I use shampoo or not ?

Will on November 07, 2014:

I would like to say that THIS HUB IS AWESOME!!!

It really did fix my black pubes..... ( sorry about that )

Johnd783 on September 09, 2014:

Hello to all, the contents existing at this site are in fact remarkable for people knowledge, well, keep up the nice work fellows. bccgckdcedae

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on June 26, 2014:

That's an awesome suggestion -- and SO MUCH EASIER than any other homemade deodorant recipe I've seen! I'll definitely give it a try!

Vissy on June 24, 2014:

Lemon juice in a spray bottle for deodorant. I've been using it for months (I've tried every brand and homemade recipe I could find and only one worked for me but it also burned my pits something horrible, I've still got a slight discoloring on one small spot from it). The lemon juice works better than any deodorant or anti-persperant I ever tried!

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on June 24, 2014:

There's lots of useful alternatives -- good luck finding something that works for you!

Suzi wong on June 22, 2014:

ur Comment...can not use any chemical it is starting to burn me so Iam willing to try any thing

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on November 18, 2013:

That's so awesome! I love it!

jilldickens on November 16, 2013:

I have created my own deodorant out of Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil as the base with vegan wax, organic cornstarch, aluminum-free sodium bicarbonate & essential oils. It's biodegradable, vegan & it WORKS!!! Getting really great feedback if anyone here is interested.

Just got started this year!

www.evolveskinproducts.com

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on November 13, 2013:

Oooh - tell me about your deodorant. That's on my list of things to try...but I haven't made the leap yet.

Morag on November 13, 2013:

I don't use soap or shampoo to wash or shave, I have found that if I use body oil the razor glides beautifully and I end up with super soft skin afterwards. In addition I use my own home made deodorant, cider vinegar, witch hazel and 15 drops of essential oil.

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on July 12, 2013:

I suppose it depends on your definition of "necessary" .... but I definitely still wear it.

CJ on July 11, 2013:

I'd deodorant still nesessary?

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on June 26, 2013:

Hey Sam,

I would think you could just go ahead and do whatever you normally do with Veet. I shouldn't think that soap or no-soap would impact it all.

sam on June 25, 2013:

What about if your a veet user?

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on May 08, 2013:

Thanks, Lesley! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. :)

Lesleysherwood on May 08, 2013:

I scrub my hair every morning with water going through the same routine as before, only without the shampoo. My hair is shoulder length. I brush it and leave it, no blow drying. I am brushing a lot during the day. It seems to be getting thicker. Not sure if that's due to all the grease, ha ha. I can't get over how it just stays in place and the most important thing is (my husband hasn't noticed that im not using shampoo-he is a stickler for cleanliness - so if he doesn't think it looks dirty then that's fine by me). It isn't dirty really though as it gets thoroughly washed, scrubbed and brushed daily. I will report back here in 6 months. I hope I haven't caved in by then, but if I have, I will definitely let you know. The only reason I would give up would be because I miss the 'shiny' look.

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on May 06, 2013:

Not at all! I love knowing that someone's actually reading this.

And I'm so glad that the soap free is working for you. Kind of makes you wonder why we're all so soap fixated, huh?

So, please tell me all about your hair. Are you still using just water? And how do you normally wear your hair -- short or long? Mine's shoulder length and I don't usually do anything but blow-dry it...so when it gets that weird stiff feeling it also looks really different. (Too me anyway.)

Please keep me posted on how your hair does! I'm dying to know if it stays good for you long-term. :)

Lesleysherwood on May 06, 2013:

I hope you don't mind me cluttering up your hub, I just wanted to update. My body has no more eczema, itching or dry skin, I can't believe it and its not even been a week. I have still not used shampoo and am finding that my hair styles so much easier. I also went to a function over the weekend and everyone said my hair looked better than it had in ages. I still feel as though its dirty and stiff, but its having the same effect as gel. It really doesn't look greasy like I thought it would. I'm so pleased and would highly recommend giving it a go. So pleased I read your hub!!!!

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on May 03, 2013:

Oh, bummer. Wine headaches would make me sad. :)

Lesleysherwood on May 03, 2013:

Love your site. I just wish I loved wine. It gives my migraine, probably buying the cheap stuff. I also checked out Cruchy Betty. Thanks Lizlauder

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on May 03, 2013:

Hi Lesley,

I am a writer (or trying to be) and I do (sort of) have a site. It's about wine, though, so not so much related to these articles. (FingerLakesWineWeekends.com, though, if you're interested)

Definitely check out Cruchy Betty, if you're interested in homemade facial care and other cleaning-type stuff. She's completely entertaining and has tons of recipes and suggestions posted.

Lesleysherwood on May 03, 2013:

Well since I wrote the last comment I have definitely decided to persevere with the hair. I will just tie it back till it feels better (that's if the old man lets me lol). Thanks for the extra advice about the baking soda. If just using water doesn't work I will definitely give those a try before caving in to the 'poo' again. I will definitely feedback. I'm enjoying this. Its like being given freedom and permission to not spend money. Much prefer to buy an ice cream or coffee. PS. Are you a writer? Do you have your own site? If so, can I have the link?

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on May 03, 2013:

Yay! I'm glad it's working for you.

On the hair -- it will be awful for at least a week. It'll get better...but mine never got enough better. Most people recommend "washing" with a baking soda/water mixture, then conditioning with a vinegar/water rinse. (There's a really great thread on crunchybetty.com where everyone gives their various recipes for doing this -- but in short, too much baking soda will dry your hair out and too much vinegar will make it feel greasy.) That mix takes care of the actual "cleaning" of your hair -- so mine didn't ever *feel* greasy --but it looked and felt different. And not in a good way. (I also tried washing with honey and rinsing with lemon juice. Better, but still not good.) Plus, after a month or so, it started absorbing tons of water -- so it took forever to blow dry and it could go all day without air-drying. *shudder* I don't know how people do it...

Keep me posted on how the experimentation goes!

Lesleysherwood on May 03, 2013:

Okay, Im 3 days in and so far loving it. I think I'm taking more time and care solely because I'm not using soap. The hair isn't working out. You have described how my hair is feeling right now. Darker, heavier and coarser. I don't know whether to drop that and shampoo it in the morning. I usually shampoo every morning. Now I'm doing the same routing (scrubbing my hair with water) but no shampoo.

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on April 30, 2013:

Definitely give it a try! And do let me know how it goes.

I will say that I haven't managed to kick the shampoo habit. I've tried and I've made it six weeks or so -- but I have really fine blonde hair and it just gets darker and heavier and coarser. I've read about people who've had great success without the shampoo -- but I wonder if they just have a really different type of hair.

But no (body) soap is pretty easy. And really much, much cheaper!

Lesleysherwood on April 30, 2013:

This looks really good to try to I'm definitely going to do exactly that. I guess the most scary thing for me will be my hair as I tend to have greasy hair. I haven't used soap on my face since I was a teenager and have lovely clear skin now age 51. That was from something I read. I am saving this hub to refer back to. I might even let you know how it goes! Thank you for writing this. Love the idea of saving money too.

lizlauder (author) from Western New York on February 12, 2013:

Hi Maci -- Thanks for stopping by!

I'm a huge fan of no soap on the face (I use the oil cleansing method), but I've tried a couple different times to go no suds on the hair and I just can't make it work. Eventually my hair gets really heavy and starts absorbing so much water that I can't get it dried. But I'm glad to know that it works for some!

Let me know how the soap-free bod treats you. I'm betting you'll love it!

Maci on February 12, 2013:

Thank you so much for this information! I've gone suds free for my hair and face with tremendous results. I was looking for info about going no-poo in the rest of my cleansing. So glad I found your page here.

njtp on December 09, 2012:

My doctor prescribed me an oil based emollient and told me to cut out soap entirely :D After suffering with itchy, dry skin and losing months worth of sleep thanks to itching I've had chance to come to a conclusion where moisturizers are concerned too:

The rule with moisturizers is that if a doctor would prescribe if to an eczema sufferer, it's likely hypoallergenic. (Some people make a fuss about 'lanolin' perceiving it to be an irritant, and it can be but it's incredibly rare. The idea came about from a study in the 1950s, and of the sufferers of severe dermatitis and other skin conditions similar to that the lanolin that they were using (which wasn't anything like as purified as it should be) caused problems for only 1% of those people. But somewhere along the line it got taken to mean 1% of the general population, which magnifies the sensitizing nature of lanolin by as much as 6000% and is patently false).

Very important not to trust people with no scientific data, particularly those who advertise and deliberately do everything in their power to sell nonsense as science to mislead the public, i.e. the 'alternative medicine' crowd, who very usually are lacking in scientific understanding and most likely got their information from the real villains who spread mistrust of mainstream medicine and capitalize on it by exploiting the ignorant and gullible and the skincare industry in general respectively.

My journey to halting the suffering my skin was causing me (and still does though nowhere near like it used to) was also a journey of coming to understand the influences and forces involved in flogging 'skin care' products, the ignorance and often stubborn ignorance of some people - particularly those with some anti-pharma axe to grind and the importance of understanding and mastering a scientific level or mastery over reasoning and methodology in determining what is really true in order not to be duped or simply lost and incapable of finding treatments that work.

Through this journey I have come to understand that it's more important to get the message across about proper clarity of thinking through reason and logic than to spend time trying to dispel all the lies and misrepresentations out there be they from the 'skin care' industry or elsewhere, the best surfactant to snake oil is an educated populace.

My skin can rest easy now, and I hope yours can too! :)

I love educating others on how to make natural beauty products in their own home.

Brown Sugar and Lemon Body Scrub Recipe

As far back as I can remember, my mother has always been a rather frugal person. She hates spending money on things that she can make herself. This is why she always uses items she already has in her kitchen for making homemade, natural beauty masks and scrubs.

The one I remember her using the most is her natural brown sugar and lemon body scrub. She always kept this body scrub in cute little floral jars sitting on the bathroom vanity. My mom has the softest hands of anyone I've ever met, and she swears up and down it's because of this little skin recipe. She always told me that you can cure almost anything with a little lemon juice, including dry skin.

I loved it when she used to rub this natural scrub on mine and my sister's feet during the winter months. This made our feet incredibly smooth and was a great bonding experience for us. The brown sugar in this scrub helps slough away the nasty dead skin on your feet in no time leaving you with baby soft skin.

How Does It Work?

The acid in the lemon juice helps to even out your skin tone, helps fade sunspots, and softens dry skin. Then the granules in the brown sugar exfoliate the dead skin that sits on the top layer of your skin. When mixed together these two ingredients become a powerhouse.

My mother has used this mixture for at least 20 years, and she has next to no wrinkles at 62 years of age, so there has to be something to this sweet concoction. There are many different variations of this scrub recipe. My friend usually adds Vitamin E to her version of this scrub, but my mom usually kept it simple. She just used the basics.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Natural brown sugar
• 1 organic lemon cut in half
• 3 tbsp of raw honey
• 1 large bowl

Instructions

1. Take the brown sugar and place it in the bowl, make sure to break it up with your hands until it is smooth and fine. If you use big clumps of sugar your scrub will end up being rough and lumpy.
2. Take the two lemon halves and squeeze them into the brown sugar until you can't squeeze them anymore, it's okay if some of the seeds get in the mix.
3. Take the honey and place it in the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are blended. The granules should be pretty small if mixed properly.
4. Make sure to wet your body first before applying the mixture.
5. Once you're wet apply the mixture in a gentle circular motion to your body keep it on your skin for about three minutes.
6. Then shower and rinse as usual.
7. Make sure to follow with a good, rich, alcohol-free moisturizer to help replenish the skin.

You use this mixture about once every other week. Even though it has all natural ingredients, I wouldn't suggest using it any more than that. Using the scrub mixture too much can dry out your skin. Make sure to make a fresh batch every two to three days, this is a wet mixture. It is used to exfoliate, not moisturize, so don't use it like you would lotion. Always use lotion after you doing this treatment.I recommend trying Aveeno or Neutrogena moisturizing lotions.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: How long will a DIY lemon sugar body scrub last?

Answer: About 2 or 3 days, I always make more after using it a few times because it's so easy to make.

Question: When you say a DIY brown sugar and lemon scrub doesn’t last because it’s a wet mix, do you mean because the ingredients will separate or because the mixture will go rancid?

Answer: It can go bad, but it usually starts to degrade in quality before it goes fully rancid. To be on the safe side, I wouldn't try to store it for too long.

Question: How long can DIY sugar and lemon scrub last if mixed in a large quantity?

Answer: I wouldn't keep it for too long because it's a wet mix; so probably a few days at most.

Question: After mixing all the ingredients of a DIY brown sugar scrub together, can it last for a month or more?

Answer: No it can't, because it is a wet mix.

Comments

Lilliane Nicolle Gee on July 09, 2018:

Thanks! i've try it and it works, now i don't need to spend money on beauty mask and scrub. this recipe works fine for me. again thank you for sharing.

Thomas Silvia from Massachusetts on August 05, 2012:

Sounds very interesting, great skin care tip !

Vote up and more !

Emayordomo from San Francisco, CA on August 04, 2012:

What a neat little idea! Looking forward to reading many more of these.

Mary (author) from From the land of Chocolate Chips,and all other things sweet. on August 04, 2012:

Thank you guys for commenting my mom also uses egg yolks and other food for facials and body scrubs.I guess you could call her a bit of a kitchen diva Lol.

Life Under Construction from Neverland on August 04, 2012:

Hmm...thanks for this tips! we have a lot of brown sugar in our place and its cheap!

danielabram on August 04, 2012:

Delicious! :)

After purchasing an expensive Dead Sea salt scrub and loving the results, I set out to make a more economical homemade version.

My eyes have only recently been opened to the benefit of exfoliating with Dead Sea salt shower scrubs, and I am in love!

On a recent trip to a mall, I was apprehended by one of those kiosk salesmen and could not get away. In my mind, I had set a time limit of five minutes to waste here and a total budget of zero dollars to spend on these products before gracefully declining this amazing opportunity for self-improvement I was being offered. However, I wound up buying a jar of Dead Sea salt scrub from him at a substantial cost to my meager budget ($69.95 for 11 oz.); but I must admit that my skin will never be the same.

It was like heaven had opened its gates to me, and from that day forward, my life and skin would never be the same. I knew that I could never afford to purchase this kind of product for myself on a regular basis, but I set out on a mission to make it myself—and I'm quite happy with the results.

I will always have Dead Sea salt scrub to enhance the appearance of my skin and also enhance my overall well-being—mind, body, and spirit—and that's what it's all about.

Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub Ingredients

• 1 cup Dead Sea salt
• 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup (according to your tastes) oil, such as sweet almond, coconut, avocado, apricot kernel, grapeseed, or hemp seed oil, etc.
• 12 drops of essential oils of your choice (good choices include patchouli, sandalwood, and lavender) or fragrance oil of your preference
• 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil

How to Make It

1. Measure your Dead Sea salt into a metal or glass bowl.
2. Start adding your oil mix slowly, and stir until you get the consistency you like. Use a metal spoon to stir your salts. Wooden or plastic spoons will absorb the smells of your oils.
3. Now add your essential oil or fragrance oil and Vitamin E oil, and stir well. The Vitamin E oil will act as a preservative, and I have never had an issue with bacterial growth in any of my products.
4. Once stirred well, spoon into a container of your choice. I like to use plastic PET containers, which are made to hold scented cosmetics. I don't want glass slipping out of my hand in the shower and breaking. I don't like to clean up those kinds of messes or actually any kind of unnecessary messes.

How to Use It

1. To use this wonderful concoction you have just created, get in the shower and get wet, then turn the water off.
2. Take a spoonful of your salts and start at your feet, working in circular motions upwards toward your chest. (Get another spoonful of salt as needed, and don't get water in your container. Water causes bacterial growth.) Don't forget your underarms, and please, please, please don't shave until after your have used your shower scrub. That is a stinging sensation you will not appreciate.
3. Once you have massaged the salt onto your skin, just breathe in the intoxicating essence of what you have created and relax for a few minutes, giving the Dead Sea salt and oil time to work their magic.
4. Finally, turn the shower back on and rinse off. Now you can shave your legs if you wish, and you won't be sorry that you waited.

Enjoy the clean, moisturized skin that comes from what you have created all by yourself. Revel in the fact that your skin will not be absorbing any chemicals from this home spa treatment.

Try Different Oils

There are a variety of sites that have valuable information on this process, so surf the web to your heart's content. Assemble your ingredients and be creative! Generally speaking, you will use 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of oil as salt. You can mix several oils or use only one; the greatest rewards are it is all up to you and your preferences with no chemicals involved—and of course, heavenly, smooth, exfoliated skin.

I have very dry skin and have always fought allergic reactions and breakouts, so I use only high-quality oils and salts, and I have not had an allergic reaction since I began making my own stuff. My sincerest thanks go out to that kiosk salesman and my newfound appreciation for the benefits of chemical-free skin.

Essential Oils vs. Fragrance Oils

One last note about the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils: Essential oils are beneficial for your skin (you can research this online), while fragrance oils only carry the desired fragrance with no benefits to your skin. My choice is always essential oils and helping heal and/or relieve problems; however, some people just prefer a specific scent, and the therapeutic benefits are not their priority. Choose for yourself which path you want to take.

Dead Sea Salt Scrub

Tell Me If You Like It!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: I have moderate psoriasis and was wondering if this would be enough for a whole body scrub? Can you make a large amount?

Answer: You can make a significant amount but I believe the recipe doubled would more than suffice for your entire body. The Vitamin E oil acts as a preservative and does not get water in your mixture.

Comments

John on February 09, 2020:

Thanks for the recipe. I just wanted to mention that if you're worried about bacteria, you can rest easy! No the salt content alone is enough to make sure nothing can live in that jar, pretty much no mater how much water or anything else falls in there, you'll still be bacteria free!

Natural World (author) from Oklahoma 2012 on May 30, 2018:

Claudia,

I think coconut oil would work great if you just liquify it before adding it. Your scrub would be a little more "stiff" but still work well. Lemongrass EO would be GREAT (IMO) for both scent and benefits. "The health benefits of lemongrass essential oil can be attributed to its beneficial properties as an analgesic, antidepressant, antimicrobial, antipyretic, antiseptic, astringent, bactericidal, carminative, deodorant, diuretic, febrifuge, fungicidal, galactagogue, insecticidal, nervine, sedative, and a tonic substance.". Have a great day.

Claudia on November 22, 2016:

If I use coconut oil is there a liquid version? I'm assuming it needs to be liquid?

Would lemongrass essential oil be good for the scent but beneficial to?

Natural World (author) from Oklahoma 2012 on March 20, 2014:

Sally,

I get my dead sea salt from here:

http://search.cleopatraschoice.com/search?catalog=...

I get my oils from here:

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/Fixed.asp

sally21 on March 20, 2014:

I found the salt and the essential oil but I can not find the other oil. The one where you need 1/3 to 1/2 cup of, please advise me

sally21 on March 20, 2014:

Where do you buy the sea salt

Natural World (author) from Oklahoma 2012 on July 30, 2012:

Deborah, thanks for stopping by and reading the hub and the welcome. Hope to have more up soon.

Deborah Neyens from Iowa on July 30, 2012:

I've never tried this product but it sounds great. Thanks for sharing the recipe and welcome to Hubpages.

Natural World (author) from Oklahoma 2012 on July 29, 2012:

Saloca the benefits of this Dead Sea salt scrub are amazing. I purchased a shower head with a detachable hose for my shower and now any that gets dropped on the shower floor just rinses down the drain. I will say, I try not to drop much because I love this scrub so much. Thanks for stopping by.

Sarah Campbell from Liverpool, UK on July 29, 2012:

LOVE sea salt scrubs! They can get a little messy sometimes but my skin feels so amazing afterwards!

JenniferShawne on July 28, 2012:

I would just like to add; don't be worried about being oily. If you are like me, I hate to feel oily, this mixture will absorb into your body by the time you are done drying off :) Add your own choice of essential scent(s) made by you and smell great too!!!

Nathalie Roy is a Canadian living in France and a stay-at-home mom. She enjoys all things DIY.

Nicely packaged, homemade bath bomb balls make a beautiful, one-of-a-kind gift. They are also great to sell at the farmer's market, especially if you use local herbs and flowers. So sit back and relax because this article includes everything you need to know to make your own fizzy bath bombs and bath cupcakes.

Fizzy Bath Bomb Ball Recipe

• 1 cup citric acid
• 2 cups baking soda
• 3 tablespoons kaolin clay (optional)
• Fragrance or essential oil
• Coloring
• Witch hazel
• Molds

Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils?

In these recipes, you can use fragrance oils or essential oils. I prefer natural ingredients, so I use essential oils. There are plenty of scent options available. Pregnant women should be careful when using essential oils.

Instructions

1. Combine citric acid, baking soda, and kaolin clay (if using) in a large bowl and mix well, making sure to break up all lumps.
2. Add fragrance or essential oil and mix well.
3. Add coloring and mix until color is evenly distributed. If making more than one color, divide the batch beforehand and color each portion individually.
4. Test the mixture to see if it holds together. If it needs more moisture, add a light spritz of witch hazel while continuously mixing. Careful: Adding too much witch hazel can cause the mixture to become too moist and lose its fizz. It should feel like brown sugar in texture, and should hold its shape when pressed firmly into a ball.
5. Firmly pack the mixture into molds, making sure that the filling is level with the top of the mold. Allow bombs to sit for 10 minutes.
6. Turn mold over and gently tap, allowing the bomb to fall out. Keep your hand under the mold so that the ball doesn't fall onto a hard surface and break.
7. Lightly wrap in a towel and let dry overnight.
8. Store wrapped in cellophane or in an airtight container, and keep away from moisture. Bath balls that are old or have been allowed to sit out and get damp will lose their fizz—and may even break apart.

Helpful Tips

• Keep ingredients in a cool, dry and moisture-free location.
• Have ingredients and molds ready to go before you start.
• Work quickly. You'll be working with very little liquid, and you need to get the mixture into the molds before it starts to dry.
• If you live in a very humid location and you're having trouble getting your bath balls to stay molded, try drying them for an hour or so in a 250-degree oven instead of wrapping them in a towel. It might just be that there's too much humidity where you live and you need them to dry faster.
• Kaolin clay will make your bombs a little more sturdy and will also act as a skin-softening agent.

Important

If you live in a humid climate, you'll need to add very little witch hazel. Test the mixture first to see how well it holds together before adding any moisture; then, slowly add witch hazel a few drops at a time.

Fizzy Bath Cupcake Recipe

• 1 cup citric acid
• 2 cups baking soda
• Fragrance or essential oil
• Coloring
• Cupcake liners and tin

Instructions

1. Line cupcake tin. In a large bowl, combine citric acid and baking soda and mix well, making sure to break up all lumps.
2. Add fragrance oil and mix well.
3. Add coloring and mix until color is evenly distributed. If making more than one color, divide the batch beforehand and color each portion individually.
4. Test mixture to see if it holds together. If it needs more moisture, add a light spritz of witch hazel while continuously mixing. Careful: Adding too much witch hazel can cause the mixture to become too moist and lose its fizz. It should feel like brown sugar in texture, and should hold its shape when pressed firmly into a ball.
5. Firmly pack mixture into cupcake liners, over-filling so that each cupcake is rounded on top. Allow molds to sit for 10 minutes while preparing frosting (recipe below).

Fizzy Bath Cupcake Icing Recipe

• 1 1/2 cups meringue powder
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 8 tablespoons jojoba oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 3/4 cup sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
• Fragrance or essential oil
• Coloring
• Jojoba beads or glitter (optional)

Caution

SLS is a very light-weight powder that will irritate your throat if inhaled. It's recommended that you wear a mask while working with SLS.

Instructions

1. Place warm water in large mixing bowl and add meringue powder. Mix well until blended and smooth, scraping the sides.
2. Add jojoba oil, cream of tartar, powdered sugar and sodium lauryl sulfate.
3. Stir in dry ingredients with a spoon or spatula until saturated enough that powder doesn't fly out of the bowl.
4. Continue mixing with a mixer and add in 1 to 2 teaspoons of fragrance oil (adjusted to preference) and coloring. Mix until well blended.
5. Icing should be stiff enough that it holds its shape when piping. If it's too thick, gradually add water, one teaspoon at a time, until you achieve desired consistency.
6. Leave your bath cupcakes in the tin while decorating and let sit overnight to harden. Store wrapped in cellophane or in an airtight container, and keep away from moisture.

Get Creative and Mix and Match Fragrances for Unique Blends

Now that you know the basics, it's time to have some fun!

• Pretend you're Coco Chanel and mix fragrance oils to create unique blends!
• Try layering colors within the mold.
• Use glitter, sprinkles, seed beads or even real seeds to decorate cupcakes. Mmm . . . imagine the fragrance of pure vanilla seeds mixed into your steaming hot bathwater.
• Add sea salt, coarse salt, Epsom salts or kosher salt. Use as sprinkles to make your bath balls sparkly. As a plus, your skin will be even softer after your bath.
• Add fresh or dried herbs to increase therapeutic value. Just be careful that you don't add too much; otherwise, the bombs might not pack together as well as they should.
• Add fresh or dried flower petals or buds. Use sparingly! It only takes a few to make your bombs more elegant.
• Start hiding little prizes inside. Position the prize so that it will end up in the middle of the ball. Make sure it's packed well inside the mixture—don't just hollow out the ball and let the prize rattle around inside.
• Try making each half a different fragrance. Imagine a lemon-lime fizz or a coconut-pineapple fizz. My favorite combination? Rose and lavender!

Why Make Your Own Fizzy Bath Bombs?

I've paid for my fair share of store-bought bath bombs. Who hasn't? They are everywhere these days. They make great gifts, and I particularly like the ones that have little surprises hidden inside.

If you're only picking up one, it's no big deal; paying $7 five or six times a year doesn't make that much of a dent in your wallet. These things start to add up, however, and over time they can be quite expensive. Who can afford to pay $7 every time they take a bath? Also, it can be challenging to find bath products made with natural ingredients.

You can save a lot of money by making them at home. Depending on how big you make your bath balls, you can save up to two-thirds of the retail price, and even more if you were previously buying expensive boutique ones.

Luckily, they are quite easy to make at home. They take very little time to prepare, there's no huge mess to clean up, and you can have tons of fun creating your own fragrances!

What Makes a Bath Bomb Fizzy?

There are both regular and fizzy bath bombs. And never the twain shall meet! What's the difference?

The fizz, of course! Regular bath balls can be scented, colored and can contain special oils and salts to soften your skin. But they just. Don't. Fizz!

The fizziness comes from the combination of baking soda and citric acid. When baking soda is combined with an acid and a liquid, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2012 Nathalie Roy

Do you enjoy making your own spa products at home?

Shinichi Mine from Tokyo, Japan on January 22, 2014:

I've never tried but it looks doable.

Lynn Klobuchar on January 20, 2014:

Too busy, but I could see how this would be a great party idea for a ladies get together or teens!

evawrites1 on January 18, 2014:

Yes I love to make my own spa products!

sherioz on January 03, 2014:

This would be great to make as gifts.

Lorelei Cohen on December 15, 2013:

Wishing you an amazing holiday season. It is going by so quickly this year.

Kylyssa Shay from Overlooking a meadow near Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA on November 10, 2013:

I haven't made any in years but I may just be making some of these effervescent bath fizzies for Christmas gifts.

julieannbrady on November 09, 2013:

You know something? It has been AGES since I actually had a bath -- more than 3 years! But, I feel a need to have one with a fizzy bath bomb. Thank YOU.

Monica Lobenstein from Western Wisconsin on September 29, 2013:

I've never made any spa products but this has me inspired. I love scents and fizz in my bath!

Lorelei Cohen from Canada on April 02, 2013:

The cupcake fizzy bath bombs looks gorgeous. These would make fantastic holiday gifts.

Michelllle on March 14, 2013:

Cute ideas for homemade presents. Great lens,

Linda Jo Martin from Post Falls, Idaho, USA on October 05, 2012:

This looks like so much fun! I have everything I need to make them except for the citric acid and witch hazel. Thanks for sharing ...

Marie on August 29, 2012:

Great gift idea for Christmas.

Heather McGlaughlin from Marryland on March 28, 2012:

Great info. on how to make homemade bath bombs.

Peggy Hazelwood from Desert Southwest, U.S.A. on March 24, 2012:

Very cute idea! Fizzy bombs are great added to a bath.

crstnblue on March 23, 2012:

Very nice ideas & lot of joy! Thumbs up to you!

Looking for my colorful fizzy bath bomb now! : )

Sheila from Omaha, NE on March 23, 2012:

I can't wait to make these! I love to play "mad scientist" and this is the perfect project for something new that I will really use! Fabulous lens, thank you!

anonymous on March 23, 2012:

Enjoyed reading about something like this.

Lorelei Cohen from Canada on March 22, 2012:

Relaxing in a nice hot tub with a little fizzy bath bomb thrown in sounds like a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. I love it!

WriterJanis2 on March 19, 2012:

These look likw fun to make.

Darcie French from Abbotsford, BC on March 19, 2012:

Sounds easy and fun to make your own bath bombs, thanks!

TapIn2U on March 19, 2012:

I love to make these. I'll try on my free time. Sundae ;-)

Rose Jones on March 18, 2012:

I've made these, they are really nice. Good presents at Christmastime.