Spring Weeds Gardener's Soap ~ Easy Melt and Pour Recipe
Spring weeds gardener's soap is a homemade melt and pour soap that includes natural exfoliants as well as nourishing clays and beneficial herbs to cleanse and condition tired hands.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 7g chopped fresh or wilted weeds (see list in notes)
- 1 tbsp 15ml water
- 20 oz 567 g shea butter or goats milk soap base, cut into 1'' cubes
- 1/2 tsp cucumber seed oil or your favorite oil
- 3 g ~3/4 tsp bergamot essential oil
- 1 g ~1/4 tsp rosemary essential oil
- 1/2 tsp bentonite clay
- 1 tsp diatomaceous earth
- 1/2 tsp pumice powder
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp finely ground oats
- 1 tsp green zeolite clay or french green clay
- Rubbing alcohol for spritzing optional, but recommended for appearance
Instructions
- In a heatproof 4 cup glass measuring container, combine the chopped weeds, water, and soap base. Cover the top lightly with a heatproof saucer. Place the container in a saucepan containing a few inches of water, forming a makeshift double boiler.
- Heat over medium-low heat until the soap is almost melted, about 20 to 35 minutes. Then lower the heat down to very low and infuse for an additional 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soap has taken on a noticeable green color from the plants.
- Remove the pan from the heat and strain the soap mixture to remove the plant material.
- Stir in the cucumber seed oil and essential oils.
- Divide the soap base in half by pouring 10 ounces (283 g) of the melted soap into a separate container. Return the original container of the remaining soap base to the pan of still hot water, to keep it warm until needed.
- Into the second container, mix the bentonite clay, diatomaceous earth and pumice powder. Stire thoroughly until they're completely incorporated. Let it cool for several minutes to 125 to 130 degrees F (52 to 54 C) so that the additives are less likely to settle to the bottom of the soap.
- Stir well one more time, then pour it into the bottom of a 4'' (10 cm) silicone loaf mold. Spritz the top of the soap with alcohol and let it sit undisturbed for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the container of soap from the pan of warm water and check its temperature. If it has formed a skin on top, or is too thick to work with, reheat briefly until it is fluid again.
- Add the honey, ground oats, and green zeolite clay (or french green clay) to the warm soap and stir well until they're completely incorporated. Let it cool to 125 to 130 degrees F (52 to 54 C).
- Spritz the layer of soap already in the mold with alcohol again, then carefully pour the 2nd mixture into the mold, forming the top layer. Spritz the top with alcohol to remove air bubbles.
- Keep the soap in the mold for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight, until it's completely cooled and hardened. Unmold and slice the soap into bars, laying the loaf on its side to reduce the chance of the layers' separating.
- Wrap the bars tightly and store them in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight.
Notes
Choose garden weeds and herbs that are useful for topical skin issues. Good choices include chickweed, dandelion, plantain, violet, comfrey, and purple dead nettle. You can also use herbs such as calendula, lavender and chamomile.
Substitutions ~ All the add-ins in this recipe are optional, and the soap can be made without exfoliants and clays. Bentonite clay and diatomaceous earth are useful in many recipes, as well as in the garden, so they're a good idea to have on hand anyway.
Green zeolite clay or french green clay adds color and mild exfoliating qualities. If you don't have any, you could use around 1/4 teaspoon of green natural soap colorant, or simply add another teaspoon of ground oats in its place.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
