The Writing Witch

This DIY herbal soap is perfect for ritual baths!

It feels even more spiritual to cleanse myself with your own own magickally charged herbs and natural products from Mother Earth!

I’ve always had sensitive skin… So much so, that as a child, I was plagued with severe eczema that sometimes burned and took over my entire body. I’m not sure exactly what caused my childhood skin ailments, but I do know that eczema is no longer a major concern in my life.  I did continue to struggle with eczema into my early twenties, with varying degrees of severity, but in 2011, I made a few life-changing decisions that completely transformed everything I thought I knew about my own health… I made the shift to greener living.

After years of using just about anything on (and in) my body, I chucked away all of my cheap, scented bath and body products in exchange for natural remedies… preferably ones I could make at home with normal household ingredients, because let’s face it: For us creative folks, making stuff is half the fun!

How to make this DIY herbal soap:

For this tutorial, I’ve kept my ingredients and technique extremely simple, using only the most important components for a good, chemical-free, skin-nourishing, exfoliating, sweet-smelling bar of soap!

Here’s what you will need:

• 6-7oz plain glycerin soap (I used olive oil infused glycerin from Micheal’s craft store)

• organic nourishing oil of your choice (such as virgin olive, coconut or jojoba)

• your favorite natural essential oil from a health food store (NOT unnatural scented oil!)

• raw oats
• dried herbs of your choice (I used my home-grown lavender leaves)

• two cooking pots of similar size (a stoneware bowl and one small pot will work too)

• a soap mold (I’ve successfully used muffin tins lined with muffin papers as well)

Step 1

Fill one pot with water and bring to a boil. Don’t worry about using purified water or anything special. This is a tool, not an ingredient. We will be using a make-shift double boiler.

Step 2

Slice your glycerin into cubes.

Usually, it will come molded into a shape kind of like a candy bar, with the suggested 1oz sections mapped out for you.

Step 3

Now, this is where the 2nd pot, or the stoneware bowl comes into play.

Place your soap into the empty pot or bowl and sit it on top of the pot of boiling water.

Soap will burn if it’s cooked in a pot directly on the flame. The purpose of a double boiler is so that the steam from the water will heat your ingredients without burning them.

Now, we don’t have to worry about our soap burning, and can prepare our herbs as the soap slowly melts in our “bootleg” double-boiler 😉

Step 4

In the mean time, you will need to grind up your herbs if they are in whole sprigs like mine were. Use a mortar and pestle (or a bowl and the bottom of a mug if you gotta bootleg it 😉

If you bought your herbs pre-ground, you can skip this step. You can open up an herbal teabag and use its contents if you don’t have other herbs handy!

Step 5

Now combine all of your ingredients into the melting pot!

I added 1/4 cup of oats, 2tbs olive oil, ten drops of lavender essential oil, and 1tsp ground lavender leaves…

IDK, just wing it.

Step 6

Stir your concoction constantly until everything is melted together and homogeneous, then remove from heat.

Step 7

Carefully pour your mixture into your molds. Let cool for at least one hour, then flip the mold over and pop the bars out of place by pressing firmly on the center of each mold with your thumbs.

If you used a muffin tin, you’ll pry them out with a butter knife.

Enjoy naturally healthy, moisturized skin!

I pretty much ONLY use this type of soap on my skin and body. By changing my diet and beauty habits to more natural options, I’ve reduced my eczema to no more than a couple of tiny dry patches each winter, but I do still tend to have naturally dry skin. I’ve found that any time I run out of my natural home-made soaps and use “normal” store bought soaps, my skin becomes like a desert!

This recipe is perfect for dry, winter skin, because it gives your skin everything it needs: gentle, mild cleansing, nutrients AND exfoliation from the oats and herbs, soothing moisturization from the olive oil, and a hint of spring time with the floral essential oil! Perfect for February’s Eve rituals!

Have you used this recipe or another home-made natural soap? What is your skin story? I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Until next time, Brightest Blessings to you!

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