There was a time in history when almost everyone made their own soap. The Earth is coming full circle, and once again soap making has become a welcome and rewarding hobby. But some things have changed in the last 300 years of soap making.
For one thing, you can customize soaps to suit your specific beauty needs while adding herbal elements to make the final product more therapeutic. Also, grinding soaps doesn’t take all day or even months like our ancestors did. Now you can combine the healing and beautifying powers of soap into an organic skin lightener with just a few minutes of work. That is how:
Short Cut Soap Milling
A huge time saver in the world of soap making is using pre-made, all-natural bars of soap. Making soap from scratch can get dirty and greasy. You can save yourself and your kitchen that mess by buying an organic, creamy bar of soap at your local pharmacy or drug store.
Ingredients
- 1 bar of organic soap (3.5 to 4 ounce bar)
- 1 navel orange
- 2 tablespoons safflower or almond oil
- 4 tablespoons of filtered water
- 2 drops of lemongrass essential oil
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Utensils
- Spoon
- Large microwave safe bowl
- plastic wrap
- Flexible, freezer-safe plastic cup
- cheese grid
- Paper towels
Create a skin lightening soap
prep work
Trituration
Mash the bar of soap in a bowl, using the cheese rack. Next, in the same bowl, with the cheese grater, crush the orange peel. Grate the orange until you reach the yellowish-white area of its skin.
soap molds
To prepare the pans, dip a paper towel in the vegetable oil and cover the cup with the oiled towel.
melt the soap
In the previously used container, to the crushed soap and the orange peels, add the water and the safflower (or almond) oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 30-45 seconds. (Note: Watch the soap as it melts because it could bubble in the microwave.) If the soap hasn’t completely melted after 45 seconds, microwave it for another 30 seconds.
mixing the soap
Once the soap has melted, remove it from the microwave and remove the plastic wrap.
Add the essential oil of cinnamon and lemongrass to the melted soap and stir the mixture with a spoon for a minute or two.
molding the soap
Option 1: Cup mold
After you’ve mixed the soap, pour it into the cup. Use the spoon to pack the soap and remove any large air bubbles.
Option 2: hand molded
Alternatively, you can simply scoop out the soap with your hands and mold it into balls or pancakes.
soap hardening
Now, cover the soap cup with plastic wrap to protect it from potential freezer odors. If you made soap patties, simply wrap them in plastic wrap.
Put the soap in the freezer for 1-2 hours to harden, then remove the bars. Once the soap is hard, slide it out of the cup. You can cut the cup-shaped bar of soap into smaller pieces with a knife.
You can store the soap in wax paper or plastic wrap.
The results
Let soaps sit at room temperature for a day before using. Then, enjoy cleansing your skin with a unique organic skin lightening soap. Elements of orange peel and safflower oil help promote the skin brightening effects of this soap.