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I love soap. I have a real thing for pretty, beautiful smelling bars of soap. I also hate lye and stay as far away from it as I can. If you are the same way, you will LOVE this DIY Citrus Soap recipe. It’s so easy that a monkey with microwave could do it!
DIY Citrus Soap Prep:
Here are some things you should do a few days before planning to make (Amazon Affiliate Links below)
- Order Goats Milk Base in cubes
- Order silicone soap mold (look around for cute shapes if you want)
- Grate 1/2 cup citrus peel. I used lime, grapefruit, orange and lemon. I found that zesting did not give me big enough chunks to make the soap look pretty. Leave on a cookie tray lined with parchment to air dry for 1-2 days.
DIY Citrus Soap Ingredients:
- 14 cubes of Goats Milk Base (link above)
- 5 drops of Citrus Fresh Essential Oil (you can buy Young Living oils here)
- 1/2 cup dried, grated citrus peels
DIY Citrus Soap Directions:
- Place cubes in glass bowl. I use a Pyrex measuring bowl. Melt in microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
- Once fully melted, stir in grated citrus peels and add 5 drops (do more or less depending on how strong you want it-5 gives it a light citrus smell) Citrus Fresh essential oil.
- Quickly pour into silicone molds.
- Put in fridge to set for 2 hours.
- Carefully pop out and enjoy!
This will yield 4 bars if using the mold linked above.
Love making recipes from you on facebook.
Thank you so much. That made my day.
Hi, I’m new to soap making and plan on starting very soon. The result of your presentation looks lovely. You mentioned using that mold yeilds 4 bars. How many bars would you get if you use the loaf shaped mold?
Thanks so much
Great job on the photos! I’m new to soap making and using a different goat’s milk brand (hope it works well for suspending the grated citrus peels) that doesn’t come in cubes. What would you say the weight is of 14 cubes?
I dont understand the goat milk base what is this I want how to make it!
If you click the link for the milk base you buy that part already made
It is melt and pour soap…. all the chemical part of soap making is done for you , you just melt it, scent it dye it and viola soap. Lye was used to make the goat milk base .
What kind of shelf life does this soap have, and are there any storage directions?
Ok, I’m finally going to try this.. ordering stuff today!! I think it will be a fun project to do with my daughter next month. š Thanks Barb!
Do you know where a soap base can be purchased that doesn’t contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and Propylene Glycol? That ‘s 3 items I try to avoid. Thanks. (I love the recipe)
Please respond to the comments left here. I plan to try this, so can you please tell me if the dried citrus zest comes out clumpy and bothersome when using the soap, like when you’re in the shower? Thanks!
I haven’t had that issue at all.
Hi, I’ve made soap personally for years and two things… if you refrigerate the soap to cool it, the bars of soap will weep. It will get firm just fine without refrigeration. Also if you mist the surface of the soap with alcohol after you pour it into the mold, all of the bubbles will disappear!
If you don’t refrigerate it how long does it take?
An hour
Your right l’ve been doing soap for 30 years. Melt and pour is a good product for beginners. Easy to use. I do about 6000 ponds a soap a year. Good luck with this project.
Good info! This is all new to me
Hi, I was wondering if I can use Shea butter instead of goat’s milk. I have it on hand, thank you
While lye is not listed as an ingredient in the brand of soap base you’re using, by-products of saponification are listed (lauric acid). The goats milk glycerin base is most likely made with lye…just so you know. If there is no lye, it isn’t soap, it’s technically detergent. These soap bases are just meant to save you time.
Saponification occurs, changing the lye into other chemicals, such as the lauric acid. This process must occur in the curing of the soap, not outside of the soap-making process. Glycerin is also a byproduct of the process. Anything calling itself soap begins with lye, whether it’s the base above, Dove, Caress or any other soap. Read the labels and learn the ‘code words’ for the byproducts.
By the time cold pressed (made with lye) soap hits the market, the lye is gone. Saponification in homemade soaps takes anywhere from 3-6 weeks.
Hi, Just to clarify: What is the weight of 14 cubes? I would love to try this citrus recipe!
I don’t know. I am sorry. I don’t weigh things in the kitchen—probably should.
Does this lather? I use a teaspoon to one tablespoon of sugar, according to how large the recipe. This makes it lather.
can u use lavender oil an dried floers instead also oatmeal for an exfoliate kinda scrub with any scent ya want?
You mean like this? https://momofftrack.com/2016/08/diy-lavender-oatmeal-soap/
If it takes 3-6 weeks to cure, how do you store it during this time? Do you cover it or leave it uncovered? Iām new to this so the question may seem a little odd. Do you wrap them in plastic of do you leave it out on a table to air dry?
I don’t let them cure. We use them right away
Love it make sure u put mold on something stable that can fit in refridgerator,if not when you pick up mold to transport, it will spill. Other than that perfect:) PS: I put 10 drops of grapefruit oil in because i didnt put in grapefruit peel.
Great idea but you can buy soap base much cheep er at Wholesale Supplies Plus . $27.95 FOR 10 LB BLOCK RATHER THAN $14.74 *5= $73.70 FOR 10 LB.
Has anyonemworked out how much the 14 cubes weigh? I would love to make this but have the goats milk in a kilo block.
I just weighed my cubes. Each one is roughly 1 ounce.
To make 4 bars you would probably need about 1lb of goats milk soap.
I love the recipe will try it. Just FYI you can spray rubbing alcohol on the soaps makes the soaps smoother.
How long do these last or can be stored?
Hi lovely! I really enjoyed your recipe so simple and useful. My question to you is how to add little moisture property to the raciepy for the dry skins.thanks
When you use the soap, do little pieces of peelings come off in the water? I love the idea of making my own soap, but as you can tell, I don’t know much about it. Do the peelings absorb or blend/melt???
Is the soap for aesthetic purposes or does it actually clean your body?