Oatmeal body scrub soap and more (merged)

leonie_2

Well you really need to work fast for the soap as it takes a minimum of four weeks to cure, and the longer you leave it, the nicer it is. I've got some carrots in the kitchen, I bought a big bag so wont use them all, im going to make some soap with them as it turns a beautiful golden orange colour. Im thinking of adding a lovely spicey/woody essential oil and making a Christmas soap!

Everything else is used straight away so theres no rush, have a look at your local Aldi to see if they have any of the dead sea salt left. Yes you can use sugar, but dead sea salt is nicer because once you have exfoliated with it, you can then lay in a bath and the salt is good for your skin, plus the oils will leave you lovely and soft.

Body butter is always popular, I like to whip mine up until its all light. This stuff costs a fortune in the shops and is full of ingredients that can clog the skin.

Bath fizzies (bombs) are nice to make, its only bicarb and citric acid as a base (both very cheap at my local asian supermarket) Just add a bit of colour and a fave essential oil. The younger ladies in my family adore these!

Honestly, since I started using homemade stuff, my skin is much nicer. These chemicals/additives are all very well, but the skin absorbs them at the same time as the good stuff, so much nicer to make your own. I know this thread is about giftmaking, but the natural skincare is an added benefit! :-)

angelatgraceland

To use up my oddments of soap, before they get too small and scrappy, I put 2 of them together-flat sides together and put a rubber band around them. When they have dissolved into each other, I remover the rubber band. No more scraps of soap in the bin-or bits too small to use.

This works well but Im looking for a better way-any ideas?

elona

Have you seen the recipe for oatmeal soap?

Stompa

I used to have a little plastic device (I think called a Soapy Sam?) for compressing little bits of soap into a larger usable bar. Not sure if you can still get them?

Stompa

Chipps

I just stick the little flat left-over bit of soap onto the new bar. No elastic bands or anything, just squish them together! It seems to work ok, all you get is a new bar of soap that's slightly lumpy on one side!

Quasar

Cut the foot off a discarded pop sock, stocking etc. Put in the soap scraps. When you feel you have enough, tie up the "foot". You can then use the soap through the nylon. Handy because you can hang it if you have left sufficient length, and you can continue adding new scraps, and replace the "foot" as and when needed.

Could keep by the outside tap to use when you do gardening, or in the kitchen, or wherever you wish.

It works and doesn't take any time at all, and you'd be surprised at how much soap we usually throw away!

:j

Magentasue

Quasar wrote:

Cut the foot off a discarded pop sock, stocking etc. Put in the soap scraps. When you feel you have enough, tie up the "foot". You can then use the soap through the nylon. Handy because you can hang it if you have left sufficient length, and you can continue adding new scraps, and replace the "foot" as and when needed.


:j

Or maybe one of those little net bags that you get for washing powder tablets.

Aril

This is a little off topic but my friend make hand cream and body lotion last night from cocoa butter and shea butter. She decided to add glitter and now I'm all sparkly like a fairy!
Just thought I'd share that with you hehe! :rotfl:
Aril

leonie_2

I made some shea and cocoa butter bars up and added glitter to them last year for my girls at Christmas, they went down a treat! They just rubbed them along their shoulders and anywhere they wanted to sparkle!

Zziggi

Am I the only one who is still confused about how to make my own soap? Is there a basic receipe that i could use for a trial batch? lye? where would i get caustic soda from?

sorry if its a daft question