A Homemade Soap to Soothe the Body and Soul

There's nothing like a relaxing bath to relieve the day's stress. This homemade soap takes that process one step farther with skin moisturizing, all natural Shea butter, chamomile flower heads and a combination of vanilla and lavender essential oils.

What you'll need to make 6 - 8 soap bars:

A mold - You can buy a soap mold, use 4 non-stick mini loaf pans, or use two non-stick 5"x9" loaf pans.

A double boiler - A metal bowl on top of a saucepan works great. Fill the pan with water, place the cubed soap in the bowl and sit it on top of the boiling water to melt.

A Bench Knife (sometimes called a bread dough knife) or Butcher's Knife to cut the soap - Always be careful when cutting soap, it gets slippery. Use a thick, stiff knife that allows you to control pressure from directly above the blade. Keep the knife, cutting board and soap as dry as possible.

2 pound all natural Shea butter melt and pour soap base. The best place I've found is Wholesale Supplies Plus for $3.95 or you can google "melt and pour soap base" to find other suppliers.

3 cups dried chamomile flower heads - The chamomile gives a natural textured look and will dye the soap a soft pink over the next couple days. You can use them whole or grind them into a finer dust using a coffee grinder.

Vanilla and Lavender Essential Oils - I use Crafter's Choice "Sleep Time" essential oil blend, but any lavender and vanilla essential oils will do.

How to make your homemade soap

1. Cube the soap into one-inch chunks and place in the top of your double boiler or metal bowl.
2. Fill the bottom of your double boiler or saucepan with water, place the metal bowl over the boiling water and melt the soap until every thing is liquid.
3. Remove the soap from heat
4. Add a total of one tablespoon of essential oil. You can vary the amount of lavender and vanilla according to your preference.
5. Stir in chamomile flowers.
6. Pour the soap into your mold and allow it to sit at room temperature until solid (about three hours).
7. Place the mold in the freezer for an hour to help it unmold.
8. Remove from freezer and unmold your soap. If the soap is difficult to unmold, turn the mold upside down and run hot tap water over the bottom, being careful to not get the soap wet.
9. If you used the mini pans, cut each in half. If you used the larger 5"x9" pans, cut each into three soaps.
10. Wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap to keep it fresh until you're ready to use it.

These soaps also make nice teacher gifts or hostess gifts.
(Full Disclosure: My only association to Wholesale Supplies Plus is as a happy customer.)