Goat’s Milk Lemon Soap

I love clean smells. The clean cotton and citrus smelling candles at Yankee Candle get me every time. Of course, when it comes to hand soaps, I naturally gravitate towards those sudsy soaps that have these kinds of smells. So when I saw this recipe from Guru to the Outdoors, I knew I needed to make something like them. Here’s how to make these amazing lemon goat’s milk individual hand soaps.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Items Needed:

Goat’s Milk Soap Base. You can find this at your local craft store. I myself had never been down this aisle, so it was a complete learning curve trying to figure out which one to get. I ended up getting the “suspension formula” (meaning whatever you put in the soap will be suspended and not sink to the bottom) I used 14 squares out of a 2lb brick.
Soap Mold. I used this small, 24 square silicone mold, but you can use any kind or size really. I liked this size because I knew I wanted to make small soaps and the silicone allows for easy removal.
Lemon Essential Oil. I opted for an oil similar to this one from Crafty Bubbles, and used probably 20 drops. I wanted it to be really lemon-y. But don’t feel you have to stick with lemon – you can use any oil you like – have fun with it! I’m thinking I’ll try blood orange next time…
Lemon zest. I used my handy microplane and zested about 3 lemons. Have I mentioned I like the smell of citrus?

Step One. This is your prep work. Zest your lemons and set it aside. Cut the squares into fourths put in a microwave safe bowl.

Step Two. Microwave the bowl of soap base until liquid, stirring every 20 seconds or so. You probably don’t even have to stir it for the first 45 seconds or so.

Step Three. After you soap is liquid, you have to work fast. Mix in your essential oil and zest. From here, pour your soap into the molds. I used a small scoop so I’d have uniform size within my soaps. I also chose to put a small slice of lemon in the bottom of the molds, so they’d have a neat lemon design on the tops. Word to the wise: if you’re going to include a lemon slice, make sure it’s dehydrated first. If not, your soap will still set up, but you’ll have a lemon on it that will mold very soon after.

Step Four. Put the mold in the fridge for about 15 minutes. When they feel hard to the touch, they’re ready! Just pop them out and they’re ready to use. You can also use some tissue and twine to wrap them and keep with the homemade look.