Easy Herbal Soap - A Handcrafted Natural Soap.
Replenish your skin with natures best. This
handcrafted natural soap leaves your skin feeling and looking
radiant.
Glycerin (available at any drug store or health store)
Fresh herbs (optional)
Dried herbs (optional)
Natural essential oil
butter or cupcake molds (or any homemade molds-tuna cans, milk cartons, etc.)
To Make This Handcrafted Natural Soap:
Melt the glycerin soap by grating it into a double boiler. Heat, letting it melt
slowly for about 1 minute. Don't stir the soap or you'll have air bubbles in it.
While the glycerin is melting, rub 3-5 drops of your choice of essential oil onto a cookie
sheet. This will add aroma to the soap. Pour melted glycerin onto the sheet,
making sure it is 1 in. thick. Let cool slightly, then add herbs to soap. Once
the glycerin has cooled push cookie cutter into the cooled glycerin to make bars
of soap. Any left over pieces can be melted down to make more handcrafted
natural soap.
Using Molds to Make Soap: Spray the inside of mold with cooking oil. Place some
of the herbs into the molds, making sure it is lying flat. Slowly fill with the
melted glycerin.
Glycerin is a gentle skin
moisturizer soap that is available in clear and opaque. Glycerin can be found at
health food stores, some drug stores, craft stores or major department stores.
Glycerin makes soap making less intimidating because glycerin soap recipes don't
require lye and fats. The key to great handcrafted natural soaps is to keep the heat as
low as possible. High heating temperatures heat will produce a mushy or beaded
appearance. To keep the glycerin from attracting moisture from the air, tightly
wrap the glycerin soaps in plastic after making.
This handcrafted natural
soap recipe also makes a perfect gift. Your
friends and family will appreciate the gift of a relaxing and unique bath and
body products. That this gift comes from the heart and your hands makes this
handcrafted natural soap recipe
even more special. Packaging and presentation play a predominant role in the
gift-giving of your handmade soaps, salts and lotions. Below are several
packaging ideas, but don’t let this brief list limit your creativity!
Paper is a
popular packaging medium because of the variety of papers available. You can use
brown Kraft paper, marbled paper, gift wrap, wallpaper, any kind of paper you
want. Your creativity is the limit! You can use your computer to add designs and
logos to plain paper or you can paint or draw on the paper for an added personal
touch. You can wrap individual bars like a gift and either leave plain or add
extra embellishment by tie with ribbons, cording, raffia or lace.
Cellophane and
polypropylene are clear plastics that can be used as packaging for odd-shaped
soaps and scented soaps. Jute weave washcloths or tulle also make wonderful soap
wraps. Fabric can be wrapped around soap like a gift and tied with a ribbon.
Different fabrics will provide different effects. Corduroy and velour provide a
rich, plush look while silk gives an elegant look. Calico and burlap throw a
truly "rustic" look. The fabric you use depends largely on the soap you made.
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