Easy DIY hand soap made with lemon tea
I've been wanting to make my own hand soaps for years but it's always been pretty intimidating to make from scratch. Luckily, you can now find soap bases in creamy or clear, and add your own ingredients. I would strongly suggest using a fragrance oil such as, lemon, strawberry or pear to make it extra yummy smelling! I used tea for these soaps for a little hint of fragrance but also for exfoliation. And I even invaded my baking cabinets and tried a little almond flavoring (I figure if it's good enough for my cookie it's good enough for my hands : - ) ....that's "Enid" reasoning for you!
Supplies: Soap base, microwavable mixing bowl, pink and yellow food coloring, lemon tea bag, knife, scented oil, mixing stick, and plastic or silicon molds work best.
1). Cut a piece of soap base to fill your mold
2. Place soap base in microwavable mixing bowl and add about half a bag of tea to the mix
3. Add food coloring depending on the desired color. I used half the bottle to turn one soap red, while I used only a few drops to make a pinkish blend.
4. Microwave time is based on the base you buy. So please read those instructions. In my case, I microwaved the base for 30 seconds, mixed it up, then gave it an extra 10 seconds.
5. Fill mold carefully! The soap is very hot and will burn if it lands on your skin.
5. If you want a layered effect wait until one layer is almost dry before pouring the next layer. About 15 - 20 min.
6. After about 30 - 40 min use your thumbs to push the soap out of the mold, place on pretty soap dish and enjoy!
Handmade soaps make great gifts! I cut left over soap from my not-so-pretty batches into triangles and added them into pink soap base to make the XOXO soap below. Just have fun and get creative. I find the best soaps are made with love and creative intention.
I hope this encourages you to give soap making a try :-) See below for some great products to get your next charming project started!
XOXO enid