For homemade gifts, it doesn’t get much easier than making your own melt & pour soap recipe. Once you buy a soap base (I like shea butter soap because it’s so creamy) you can go wild making different flavors. Last time I experimented with cocoa & mint; this time I’m going with what every mom wants – flowers!
Homemade Shea Butter Soap with Roses and Vanilla
Homemade Shea Butter Soap with Roses and VanillaShea butter is one of my favorite beauty DIY ingredients. We’ve made a ton of shea butter recipes because of its many skin benefits. It’s mega moisturizing, so it’s excellent in body butter, soap, and lip balm recipes.
If your skin is dry, start by replacing any harsh soaps and cleansers with recipes that include natural butters and oils. Shea butter has lots of vitamins A and E to naturally protect and condition damaged skin. Switching to a shea butter soap will leave your skin super soft instead of stripping away your body’s natural oils.
A natural anti-inflammatory, shea butter also offers a low level of UV protection (approximately SPF 6). Don’t use shea instead of sunscreen, however.
I chopped up and melted about 1/3 of a 2-pound chunk of shea butter soap base to make about 3 bars of soap. You might get more or less, depending on how thick you make your bars.
You don’t need fancy soap molds, either. They’re not a huge investment, but if you don’t happen to have them around use any kind of Tupperware container or even something in the recycling bin. I’ve found old creamer cartons make excellent soap ‘loaves’ that can then be cut into bars.
You might find that your rose pieces settle to the bottom of each bar. If that happens, wait until the soap is more firmly set but still wet and then sprinkle a few more pieces on top of the soap. Press them gently into the soap to make sure they stick.
One other troubleshooting note, if you’re getting bubbles on the top of your soap, give it a spritz of rubbing alcohol to get rid of them.
Shea Butter Soap with Roses and Vanilla
Equipment
- Microwave safe container, like a glass Pyrex measuring cup
- Soap mold. A small plastic container works perfectly.
Materials
- 1/3 2 lb block shea butter soap base
- 1/4 cup dried roses
- 1-2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt the shea butter soap base in 30 second intervals in the microwave until it is liquified. Use a microwave safe container, like a glass Pyrex measuring cup, so it is easy to mix and pour.
- After the soap is melted, crumble the roses into small pieces and add to the soap with the vanilla extract. Start with 1 tablespoon of vanilla and add more if you want a stronger smell. Stir together until combined and pour into your mold.
- Let the soap sit for an hour or two until it hardens. Then pop it out of the mold.
Photos by Ana Stanciu
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These r very useful recipes……but I want to know what ingredients u use for transparent soaps.
You just have to look for transparent soap base at Michaels or Amazon. Works the same way, never heat to much. Small intervals and pour fast in molds begore it starts building scum. Spray alcohol!??
NEVER made soap and wondering IF other flowers can be used AND other hand soaps besides the Shea butter soap?? Thank you
Hi Henry, I can smell the beautiful aroma of the soaps posted by you just by looking at them. I am so much in love with them that i want to do it myself and use it. Please tell me the vanilla extract which u have used in this soap is the one which we use for making cakes n cookies or is there something which is meant for making soaps. Thanq :) Indumathi
Who’s Henry?
May I know where you buy your soap base? Thanks.
I like roses and vanilla then if the soap can be made from these ingredient… that would be great…!
I love making my own soap. It’s so much fun and way easier than you’d think it would be. Throwing in roses is so perfect for Mother’s Day!
Your post title alone made me imagine how amazing this must smell! I only tried making soap once many, many years ago and it was some boring soap kit I got from a craft store nothing near as amazing as this one looks!
What pretty soaps!! And I’m sure they smell amazing!
these are so pretty and perfect for mother’s day!
This sounds like such a great D.I.Y! I’d love to try my hand at making some shea butter soap. It must smell heavenly, yes? { http://www.jupiterskye.com }