Homemade soap is truly a marvelous and wonderful thing. It also requires the use of lye in many cases and well that’s not always something we all want to tackle and is certainly not a project for young children to take on. We can, however; make a soothing homemade glycerin soap that is easily customized for our homes and for gifts. These soothing DIY glycerin soap bars take some time to dry and harden, but actual hands-on time is quick and because it doesn’t require the use of lye it’s a great project for small children to take on.
Start with Infused Glycerin
You can make this soap with plain glycerin but make it something extra special by infusing that glycerin with some herbs. This infused glycerin allows you to customize it for various skin conditions and skin types. Check out our post on making infused glycerin to get started with this easy and fun project. Once the infused glycerin is ready continue the rest of the steps.
To Make Soothing DIY Glycerin Soap Bars
You’ll need:
- 2 Cups of Glycerin, infused or plain (this is a quality non-GMO soured glycerin)
- 2 Cups of Water
- 2 Cups of Grated Bar Soap (Dr. Bronner’s unscented castile soap bars would be perfect)
- 20 drops of Essential Oil(s), optional (any scent you choose)
- Parchment Paper (unbleached parchment paper) & Soap Mold (see below for mold ideas)
Steps to make:
Combine everything in a pot and put over medium heat on the stove. Stir frequently and keep heating until the soap is completely dissolved. It doesn’t need to boil, just keep it warm and stir to prevent scorching or bubbling over. Once the soap is melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the essential oil(s), if desired.
Pour the liquefied mixture into a mold lined with parchment paper. Some ideas of molds include – envelope boxes, bread pans, cake pans, truly any container lined with parchment paper will work.
Let the soap harden in the mold for 48 hours. After the 48 hours, remove the soap from the mold and slice with a sharp knife. Use any size or shape desired. Cut the bars large or small. Consider cutting small bars for guest bathrooms or to tuck a few small bars into multiple gift baskets during the holidays or to use as thank you gifts.
Lay the slices of soap out onto wire cooling racks or dehydrator trays. Let these bars sit for 2 weeks and they will harden a bit, they will not be as hard as bar soap but they will be solid.
Once the bars are solidified store in containers or give away as desired.
The great thing about homemade soap is that they make great gifts and if the infused glycerin includes herbs from one’s own garden, they truly are homegrown, too! Harvest those herbs and weeds this summer and begin infusing glycerin now for homemade gifts that will be ready for the holiday season.
Comments 5
Can I use the liquid Castile soap versus the bar soap? Will it change the consistency at all?
Author
I’m sorry, I’ve never tested with liquid soap so I can’t say for sure that it would actually harden.
I’m excited to say I’ve gotten to the drying stage and can’t wait to try this soap! The lady I had been getting my face soap from kind of phased out, so I’m hoping this till be an awesome replacement!
I made your recipe but it won’t slice. It crumbles. What did I do wrong.
Hi Emilie. I’m sorry you have crumbles! Did you follow the recipe exactly (measurements)? Also, the timing is important. Did you wait the full amount of waiting time?