It all started when my daughter was about three years old. She was in the bathtub playing as any other child would, enjoying the bubbles. Then about seven minutes into the bath, she started scratching her skin like crazy. I quickly rinsed her off and got her out of the tub. When I gave her another bath, the same thing happened. I got rid of the bath bubbles. Then, I started changing soaps. For the next six months, I changed soaps almost every month because her skin would eventually reject every soap that I bought. Now, I knew that my husband had eczema and had to use special soap, but I also knew that the soap that he used was too strong for our daughter. Luckily, my son did not have the same irritation problem, but almost every soap I used on him dried his skin out.
I eventually found one that was gentle enough for my daughter and moisturizing for my son, but I ran into another problem. Within a month of using the new soap, one of them would get skin irritation from it. It’s like their body’s got used to the new soap and rejected it. After a few more years (and money) of this (including buying soap internationally), I had reached my limit. By this time, I was already making journals, candles, and lip balm that I thought I ought to try out soap making.
To be clear, I’m not an expert soap maker. I use the melt and pour base because I don’t have the patience for cold-pressed, lye involved soap. Also, I don’t have the time to wait weeks for the soap to cure. With a house of young children, quick is the way to go. So, I bought some soap molds, found some good soap base and began making soap for my family. Because of their skin sensitivity, I alternate between two types of soap: Shea Butter Soap and Oatmeal and Shea Soap. This post will show you how to make Oatmeal and Shea Soap.
Ingredients:
- Soap molds
- Oatmeal Soap Base (1 lb. cut into squares)
- Raw Shea Butter (1/4 cut into squares)- only add this if you want extra extra moisture.
- Jojoba Oil (1 tblsp) or Coconut Oil
- Vitamin E (1 tsp) –optional
- Double boiler (make your own)
I had some infused jojoba oil, so I used that, and I always include Vitamin E in many of my products. Now, some people just use the soap base and coconut oil, which is fine. I like the oils and Shea Butter for the moisturizing effect.
Directions
- Cut up the Shea Butter and soap base into squares and place them in the double boiler. Cut the boiler on med-low (nothing should boil, except the water).
- Next, add the Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E and slowly stir. Keep stirring every 5-7 minutes until everything is melted. The whole process will take about thirty minutes.
- When everything is melted, feel free to add any essential oils that you’d like, or even a tablespoon of honey. Then scoop the melted soap into the molds and let them cool and set. To speed up the process, I place the molds in the refrigerator for about forty-five minutes.
When the soap has hardened, pop them out of the molds and start using them. I make about six at a time and store them in the refrigerator, wrapped in beeswax paper. You and your family will love these bars.
Enjoy!
