• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Crafts
  • Activities

The Inspiration Board logo

search this site

May 6, 2013

Home Β» Gifts Β» Homemade Hand Soaps

Homemade Hand Soaps

Hello everyone! Talitha from Love, Pomegranate House here again! And I’ve got another super cute and simple DIY Mother’s Day gift for all of you! Seriously, can it get any cuter than Handmade Hand Soaps!?

Homemade Hand Soaps

Homemade Hand Soaps

My mom was in town last week to help us get settled into our new house. I knew I wanted to make her something special for Mother’s Day that was handmade, you know… because I’m all crafty. {winks}Β And I had to have it ready for her while she was here since I wasn’t going to be with her for Mother’s Day. So I whipped up 3 different “flavors” of hand soaps, for lack of a better word. The scents are honey-oatmeal, aloe vera, and chamomile. But it is really easy to make your own variety and “flavor” your soap any way you want!

Homemade Hand Soaps

When it comes to making soaps, I was definitely a novice. I hadn’t done it since I was in 2nd grade. And I don’t really remember that. So I went the simple route: melt and pour glycerin soap. Here are the basic supplies for the base of every soap:

  • 4 cubes {4 ounces} of glycerin soap {this can be found at Michael’s craft store. I chose a clear glycerin but you could choose any variety you want}
  • Petroleum jelly or vegetable spray
  • Spray bottle {set to mist} filled with rubbing alcohol
  • Soap molds {you can get molds specific to soap making or use the base of a yogurt container or any other plastic container}

Homemade Hand Soaps

Now on to the basic instructions for soap making. Regardless of the “flavor” of soap you want to make, the basic steps are the same.

Begin by coating your molds with either petroleum jelly or vegetable spray. Set aside.

Cut your glycerin into cubes and placing your cubes into a microwave safe container with a spout. The glycerin comes molded into cubes. Four cubes is all you need per soap mold.

Heat the glycerin in the microwave in 20-second intervals until melted but not boiling. Stir until smooth. Mix in other additives to “flavor” your soap.

Homemade Hand Soaps

Pour “flavored” soap into your prepared mold. Mist with rubbing alcohol to eliminate any bubbles on the soap’s surface. Allow soap to harden for 2 hours.

To release the soap from the mold, pull the mold away from the side of the soap. Then press on the bottom of the mold to pop the soap out. If the soap is still resisting coming out this way, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes and try again.

Homemade Hand Soaps

Phew! Now that the steps are done, I can share the wonderful recipes with you! All of these are added into the melted glycerin before pouring it into the mold.

Chamomile Hand Soap

1/4 tsp chamomile tea leaves

Honey-Oatmeal Hand Soap

1 1/2 tsp honey
1 pinch ginger
2 tsp oatmeal

Aloe Vera Hand Soap

2 tsp aloe vera gel

Homemade soaps on I Heart Nap Time... a great gift idea!

I made several different kinds of soaps all in one afternoon! They really don’t take very long to make and are a wonderful gift just in time for Mother’s Day. Or you could even make them up fast and share them this week for Teacher Appreciation Week! I even made a few extra just for myself!
 

Filed Under: Gifts Tagged With: Mother's Day, Spring

About Jamielyn Nye

I'm Jamielyn Nye, Author of The I Heart Naptime Cookbook, mom of 4 and a big fan of naptime and chocolate. The Inspiration Board is a DIY and lifestyle blog sharing easy DIY crafts and tips to inspire creativity.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cortney says

    May 6, 2013 at 5:55 am

    Love this idea – I’m going to feature it on my DIY section of my blog today. Feel free to grab a button if you wish. πŸ™‚ Great idea! [email protected]

    Reply
  2. Larry King says

    May 6, 2013 at 10:33 am

    A very nice gift to give to your mom on Mother’s Day.

    Reply
  3. Michelle says

    May 6, 2013 at 8:00 pm

    How many bars of soap did this make?

    Reply
    • Talitha says

      May 7, 2013 at 8:40 am

      Each 4 ounces made 1 bar of soap! So each container of glycerin could make 16 soaps!

      Reply
  4. Claire says

    May 7, 2013 at 7:26 am

    {Oops – hit enter too soon!} Anyway, Talitha these are so pretty! I used to make gift soaps all the time and completely forgot how easy it is! I usually made the regular bar shape but I adore the round molds. So cute!!
    Thanks for having Talitha over Jamielyn!! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  5. Kym says

    October 5, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    Love these. How did you add the oatmeal on top and the colors?

    Reply
  6. Kaitlin says

    October 31, 2013 at 12:06 am

    In the honey oatmeal soap, how did you keep the oatmeal at the bottom? Or top… I feel like if I tried that one it’d get all mixed up.

    Reply
  7. Claire J.S. says

    December 15, 2013 at 5:52 pm

    I was wondering if this recipe can be converted to an oven recipe? I do not own a microwave but I really like the simplicity if this!

    Reply
  8. The best antibacterial soap says

    February 28, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Oh great! These soaps look adorable.Thank you for reminding me that I wanted to try to make soap!! I am defiantly going to try one of these very soon.

    Reply
    • Jamielyn says

      March 3, 2014 at 1:07 pm

      Making soaps is so much fun! Hope you enjoy this recipe! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  9. Lisa-Jane Johnson says

    August 17, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    Love the simple packaging on these!

    Reply
    • Jamielyn says

      August 18, 2014 at 6:17 pm

      Thank you Lisa-Jane! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  10. Anastasia says

    November 10, 2014 at 3:26 am

    Thank you for this amazing recipe ! I love the idea of homemade soap but I have a question – can I use glycerin syrup instead of glycerin soap ?Β 

    Reply
  11. frozen says

    January 29, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Can you use ruglare soap

    Reply
    • Ashlea says

      July 20, 2020 at 1:41 am

      Such a wonderful idea! Could you share with me the amount of essential oil you would use?

      Reply
      • Jamielyn Nye says

        July 31, 2020 at 7:32 pm

        About 10 drops or until it smells fragrant πŸ™‚

        Reply
  12. Laurie says

    March 6, 2015 at 10:32 pm

    It looks like the green one is frosted. Is it just the photo or did it frost up. I like it frosted. Β If it is how did you do it, thanks.Β 

    Reply
  13. Heather A says

    August 13, 2015 at 12:34 pm

    I think I’ll make these for favors for my wedding…. πŸ™‚ Β Seems simple enough.Β 

    Reply
  14. Marjorie says

    November 8, 2015 at 3:05 am

    hi what did u colour the soaps ?

    Reply
    • Laura Capello says

      November 8, 2015 at 10:44 am

      Since we used clear glycerin, the color came from the additives. Typically colors for soaps are sold right next to the glycerin in craft stores. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  15. Ab says

    December 14, 2015 at 6:14 pm

    Ginger as in what I have in my spice cabinet? Or gratings from a fresh piece of ginger?

    Reply
    • I Heart Naptime says

      December 14, 2015 at 6:51 pm

      I would use the Ginger from the spice cabinet – the only reason being it has much less moisture, and will not offset the chemistry of the soap. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  16. Ryan says

    December 10, 2016 at 10:09 pm

    For the chamomile additive can we use what’s inside of a chamomile tea bag?Β 

    Reply
    • I Heart Naptime says

      December 11, 2016 at 9:42 am

      Yes! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  17. Ryan says

    December 11, 2016 at 10:09 am

    Also, what did you use for the packaging?? It’s beautiful!!!Β 

    Reply
  18. Donna says

    May 29, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    These are just lovely ! May I ask where you bought the color for the mint
    green soap and what color it is. Everything came out so pretty, from theΒ 
    soap to the packaging ! Thank you for sharing .

    Reply
  19. Lisa says

    October 25, 2017 at 12:53 pm

    Oh my goodness!!!!!! Love love love the homemade soaps. I think all my gifts will be from your site. Thanks again.

    Reply
    • Jamielyn says

      October 25, 2017 at 5:40 pm

      Homemade soaps are my favorite! Definitely stop by in the next few weeks, we have a bunch of cute gift ideas coming! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  20. Teresa Morrissey says

    December 11, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    How much of the flavoring was put in the soap??

    Reply
    • Jamielyn says

      December 12, 2017 at 3:36 pm

      Hi Teresa! It really depends on how strong you want the flavor. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  21. Alison says

    December 12, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    Do the molds have to be plastic, or can I use a glass?

    Reply
    • Jamielyn says

      December 13, 2017 at 3:49 pm

      I’ve always used plastic, but glass should work! πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Alison says

        December 14, 2017 at 8:01 pm

        Thank you! Btw My friend gave me the great idea of using coffee grounds for one of the soap bars, if anyone else wanted to use that idea πŸ˜‰ Thanks for the recipe this will make great Xmas gifts for the extended family!

        Reply
  22. Jemma says

    March 13, 2018 at 3:43 am

    How long do they store for? If I made now for Xmas would they still be good this give as presents?Β 

    Reply
    • Jamielyn says

      March 13, 2018 at 6:24 pm

      I would probably wait a little to make them. Maybe a couple months before. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  23. Eden says

    October 19, 2018 at 2:54 pm

    I love this site! This is gonna be my go-to for christmas presents from now on! πŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • Jamielyn says

      October 20, 2018 at 11:06 am

      Thank you! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  24. Vickie says

    December 19, 2019 at 9:26 pm

    How many bars of soap does this recipe yields- thank you

    Reply
    • Jamielyn Nye says

      December 23, 2019 at 1:50 pm

      Each 4 cubes makes 1 soap mold!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

I'm Jamielyn Nye, cookbook author, mom of 4 and a big fan of naptime and chocolate. The Inspiration Board is a DIY craft and lifestyle blog sharing easy crafts and tips, to help inspire creativity.

follow along

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Recent Posts

  • DIY Rustic Window Picture Frame
  • FREE Printable Valentine’s Day Cards
  • Colorful 3D Sewn Paper Ornaments
  • Marbled Salt Dough Ornaments
  • Elf on the Shelf Rules (Free Printable)

Subscribe for more inspiration!

Footer

subscribe for the latest posts

search the blog

follow along

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2021 Β· The Inspiration Board Β· Privacy Policy