I’ve been thinking about making my own soap now for a while, and this past weekend I finally got around to doing it. I took the easy route and used a shea butter soap base, so all of the trickier steps of making DIY soap with lye was done for me. I just got to do the fun part…the melting and the mixing and adding scents and molding.
Note: affiliate links are used within this post. If you make a purchase, I will get a small commission, but prices are always low for you.
I had so much fun making this batch of soap (and the lotion bars I made the same day) that I ordered some cocoa butter and cocoa butter soap base that evening. I’ve made 6 bars of soap now and I am totally hooked. I can’t wait to experiment with different scents and varieties of soaps and lotions! Yes, expect more soap-making recipes coming up soon!
In this soap, I decided to add ground oatmeal because of its soothing properties and because of the fact that I have such itchy skin during the winter. Oatmeal has been used for ages to relieve itchy skin. I love how the oatmeal settles more at the bottom of the hardened soap and creates a nice layered look.
How to Make DIY Soothing Oatmeal Citrus Shea Butter Soap
- 8 ounces shea butter soap base
- ½ cup dry oatmeal, ground
- About 20 drop of Citrus essential oils of your choice (I used a combination of Calming and Sweet Orange
- Cut soap base into cubes and melt slowly in a double boiler over medium-low heat.
- Remove from heat and add essential oils. Grind dry oatmeal in blender and add to melted soap. Stir and pour into mold. 8 ounces of shea butter soap base makes 3 regular-sized bars of soap.
- Let soap bars cool for several hours.
Since most of these items aren’t at your local grocery store, I figured I’d share the Amazon links to the products I bought to make my own soap. Note: these are affiliate links. I don’t make much, but every little bit helps!
- Shea butter soap base
- Calming essential oil from Rocky Mountain Oils
- Orange essential oils from Rocky Mountain Oils
- Soap mold
The finished soap smells wonderful and leaves your skin feeling so soft! Shea butter is known for its healing properties and anti-aging benefits, due to fatty acids and plant sterols such as oleic, palmitic, stearic and linolenic acids. Shea butter is also full of antioxidants such as vitamins A and E. It is amazing for your skin!
I can’t wait to share the other soaps that I’ve been making. Pretty soon, I’ll need to start giving them away as gifts before my bathroom is over-run by homemade soaps.
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This is just from my experience, but I’ve kept my homemade soaps for 6-9 months with NO issues at all. Just keep them in a cool, dry place and you should be fine.
I cannot wait to try this over the upcoming weekend. If the recipe fills the mold as shown, do you have any idea about shelf life or if you are using your soap on a daily basis can you say how long a bar lasts?
I wonder why that happened! Mine didn’t turn out like that at all (as you can see in the picture). Maybe the oatmeal used?
Please check your proportions! 8 ounces of soap base to 1/2 cup oatmeal gave me a cookie-like batter. Ended up melting down my soap cookies with the remainder of my pound of soap base to achieve a pourable soap melt. Good ideas with the oatmeal and shea butter base tho.
I bet that would be a wonderful addition!
Have you ever thought about grinding some orange, lemon, and lime peels in with it?
Yes, you can definitely add more oatmeal!
Made these last night but seems like not enough oatmeal to exfoliate can more be added?
Thank you! If it’s not too late, I’ll share it now! :)
I have been on a kick to make soap lately and this sounds lovely! I would love it if you would share at my MOnday of Many Blessings Link Up!! http://ourhomeofmanyblessings.com/
These look so luxurious!
I love homemade soaps. This will be a nice change of my recipe. Thanks for sharing. sk
I just pinned this – cant wait to make it myself.
I have very dry skin and your bars of soap turned out so pretty! I like to make these someday and thanks for the recipe!
This soap must be very gentle thanks to the shea butter base. I have to try your recipe (only three ingredients!). Pinned. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad I could take the fear out of soap-making (although this is SO easy that I almost feel guilty!)
Okay. I’m impressed! This is something I’d love to try and you’ve taken all the fear out of it. Thanks so much for sharing at Inspire Me Mondays!
I’ve always wanted to make my own soap but have been SO afraid of messing with lye because you hear so much about it. Thanks for showing me how easy it is.
I love this! I definitely want to try making this myself. I agree — it looks so beautiful that the oatmeal settles at the bottom.
This soup sounds so nice and something I would definitely like to try!
This is so cool! The chemistry involved with making your own soap always freaked me out so I’ve never tried it. I had no idea you could buy soap base! Can’t wait to try this.
Awesome! I love the layered look that the oatmeal gives too:)