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Making your own lavender soap is not only fun, it is also a great and thoughtful idea as a gift. Lavender Soaps are very calming and aromatic and I am going to teach you how to make lavender soap 3 ways. The easy way is the melt and pour method which is as you might have guessed as simple as melting the soap base here and pouring it into molds. The second method is the cold process and the last method is the hot process.
What are the main differences between hot and cold process?
The main difference between the hot and cold process is using heat vs not using any heat, the time it takes to saponify, curing time and the finish of the soap.
Saponification
- The saponification in the cold process takes longer, about 24 hours to complete. In the hot process, it takes about 2 hours.
Cure Time
- The cure time (meaning the time you need to let the soap become soap and ready to use) can take up to 4 weeks for the cold process. For the hot process, only 1 week is needed.
Final results - The cold process has a more smooth result so if you are patient it will pay off!
Method 1: Melt and Pour Lavender Soap
How to make lavender soap with melt and pour is the easiest method that you can use in creating your own organic lavender soap. This is because all we ever need to do is use a pre-made soap base, add your very own magic, and slather away!
Why use melt and pour soap?
It’s quick and easy. This is perfect for those who are busy and who want to make their own lavender soap fast. The base is already pre-made and you don’t have to deal with lye! It’s similar to having a quick-mix versus starting from scratch when you are trying to bake a cake.
Why do I need Lye to make soap?
Lye is the ingredient needed for soap making that causes a chemical reaction called saponification. It is a caustic liquid that is corrosive and can cause burning if it comes in touches the skin. Lye fumes can be very annoying too and if you make soap in an apartment, make sure you open the windows as the fumes can be irritating. Also, since you don’t have to deal with lye with the melt and pour method, you don’t really need to wear goggles.
Here’s My Recommended Soap Base for the Melt and Pour Method
- Organic Clear Glycerin – 2 Lbs Melt and Pour Soap Base
- Goats Milk – 2 Lbs Melt and Pour Soap Base
- Honey – 2 Lbs Melt and Pour Soap Base
- Oatmeal– 2 Lbs Melt and Pour Soap Base
- Castile – 2 Lbs Melt and Pour Soap Base
How to make lavender soap melt and pour recipe
For this lavender melt and pour soap recipe, I’ve used organic white goat milk soap base, alkanet root, lavender essential oil and dried lavender buds.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut the soap base into cubes.
- Melt the soap base over a double boiler on low to medium heat.
- Continue steering until the soap base is melted.
- If you want to have bi-color soap, use two double boilers and separate the soap base in 2 different double boilers.
- Once the soap base is melted, add the alkanet root powder, mix well.
- Add essential oils.
- if you are doing the bicolor soap, first pour the white soap base, wait 10 minutes until it hardens, then pour the colored soap base.
- Pour into the silicone mold.
- Add essential oils if desired.
- Put a little bit of the lavender buds on top of the soap for decoration.
- Spray pure alcohol on top of the soap to get rid of the bubbles if any.
- Let dry for 24h hours before un-molding.
- Voila, its ready to use!
What is a melt and soup base?
A Melt and Pour soap base is like skipping some steps in the hot process because we already have the base pre-made. It combines the base oils and lye solution. Basically, the hard part is done for us!
What are the skin properties of lavender essential oil?
Not only lavender smell divine but lavender essential oil has many known benefits in skin care on top of being a natural soothing and calming ingredient. It has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties. It soothes your mood, your skin, body, and soul!
How to give your soap a purple color?
Thankfully, there are natural ingredients that can be used as colorants instead of chemical dyes. For the purple color in lavender soap, I use Alkanet root powder.
What is Alkanet Root Powder?
Alkanet root powder is primarily used as a natural dying color with purple hues. In the past, it has been made as a natural agent to improve the color of poor quality wines, but are now primarily used on skincare and cosmetics such as soaps and lip balms. it comes from a herb in the borage family with beautiful bright electric blue flowers. The root has been used as a dye in the Mediterranean region since antiquity.
In soap, Alkanet root will yield shades of pink, blue, and purple, depending upon the amount used, types of oil used, and the alkalinity of the soap.
Method 2: Lavender Soap Cold Process
Cold process will allow you to add and mix all the best moisturizing and nourishing oils and essences that will surely give your skin a treat. It can cost you more time than the melt and pour process because of cure time needed, but it’s a great way to make soap from scratch if you have the patience!
Here are the ingredients you will need for a lavender soap cold process:
Liquid & Lye Portion:
- 4.01 ounces lye (6% superfat)
- 9 ounces lavender tea (or distilled water)
Wearing proper safety gear (gloves, goggles, long sleeves), carefully measure, pour, and stir the lye (sodium hydroxide) into the cooled lavender tea. I work in my kitchen sink, to contain any spills. Let this cool to around 90 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Oil Portion (29 ounces total):
- 15 ounces olive oil (52%)
- 8 ounces coconut oil (28%)
- 3 ounces meadowfoam oil (10%)
- 3 ounces apricot kernel oil (10%)
Find the full recipe here on the nerdy wife blog.
Method 3: Lavender Soap Hot Process
What is soap hot process? This is somewhat similar to cold-processing in a sense that it also allows you to combine all your preferred oils and essences, but this method doesn’t have a long cure time and the resulting soap can be readily used as it hardens.
What You’ll Need:
2 lb Loaf Mold
2.1 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
1 oz. Avocado Butter
4.2 oz. Coconut Oil
8.4 oz. Olive Oil
4.2 oz. Palm Oil
1 oz. Shea Butter
2.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
6.9 oz. Distilled Water
Spirulina Powder
Green Zeolite Clay
Lavender Buds
.8 oz. Lemongrass Essential Oil
.6 oz. Lavender Essential oil
You can find the full recipe on the soap queen blog here.
WORD OF WISDOM
If you are making lavender soap from scratch with either the hot or cold process, make sure you wear goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Also make sure kids, pets, and other distractions don’t have access to your soap making area. And always soap in a well-ventilated area.
I am curious to know if you have ever tried how to make lavender soap? If so which method did you use and why? Please share, rate this lavender soap recipe and add a comment below!
I hope you have enjoyed my recipe, please share the love and rate ***** in the comments below!
I’m Eve, a DIY organic skincare recipe creator since 2010 that loves to make a big mess in the kitchen!
I’ve embarked on a journey to empower women to ditch all the chemical-filled commercial beauty products and to share how to make your own organic beauty recipes at home towards a healthier lifestyle.
Homemade face & body creams, body butter, lips balms, face masks, shampoos, and all-natural perfume will have no more secret for you!
I am self-taught, read many books, and spend many hours in the kitchen creating brand new homemade beauty recipes. All my recipes are unique and are tested on humans!
In 2016, I studied Aromatherapy and became certified by the School of Natural Health Sciences.
Hello,
What about using lavender water (the water which is received by the process of producing lavender oil) instead of distilled water (in the cold process)? What do you think about that?
Author
you can definitely use lavender hydrosol (flower water) instead of the distilled water!
Dear eve thanks with the great recipe & a wonderful concept of ideas, I haven’t made soap yet because I’m afraid of lye but will get to it someday soon.its great to find a group of a community that is interested in the same things as me & open to share
Hi!
I had made other melt and pour recipes similar to yours and when I used it I feel that my skin got very dry. Also I added lavender flower and I made a light tone of lavender and now the soap looks like have stains from the lavender petals. Does not look good or feel good. Do you add oils to the melt and pour to make it creamy?
Nice article! I can make a best product to pamper my skin naturally by following your blog. Thanks for the recipe.
On the cold press lavender soap recipe, can you substitute meadowfoam oil for another oil of choice? I have not heard of this oil before and do not have it on hand.
Author
yes, almond oil or sunflower oil.
Dear Eve,
Thank you very much for all the precise recipes. I would like to start my business on organic Sanitary-cosmetic. do you have any videos in this matter. I am looking for plant cream formula as well. If you can help me please let me know.
Regards
Mansoureh