I’ve been experimenting with soap making for a while, but haven’t found many I like. This lemon zest recipe is one of the few. It smells wonderful and works well. I think I’ll experiment with some other bases for this one, too.

If you would like to make your own, follow the steps below! The whole process takes about an hour and the majority of that time is letting the soap harden. The actual creation part takes no more than 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Homemade lemon soap supplies

• lemon
• soap base
• soap mold
• yellow soap coloring
• lemon essential oil
• glass measuring cup
• knife or cheese grater

You can get all of the soap supplies at your local craft store or online. I chose an oatmeal and honey soap base for this recipe.

 

Step 1: microwave the soap base

First, cut your soap base into small cubes and put them in the measuring cup.

Then follow the instructions on the packaging. Most will tell you to microwave in 30-second intervals until the base has turned to liquid.

The amount of soap you want will depend on how much of the soap base you use. It doesn’t shrink or expand when you melt it so you can measure out the cubes pretty easily.

 

Step 2: make lemon zest

Using your knife or grater, slice off the skin of your lemon.

I like to use a knife to get bigger chunks, but you can do it however you prefer.

 

Step 3: add the zest, color and fragrance

It really doesn’t matter what order you do this in, because it’s all going to the same place. Throw in the zest, add coloring and the fragrance.

Stir well.

 

Step 4: mold the soap

Pour your liquid soap into the mold. Let it sit for an hour or so until it has cooled and hardened.

 

When you’re finished, flip the mold over and push the soap out from the bottom.

Tip: if you have any difficulty with this, put the whole mold in the freezer for 10 minutes and the soap will come right out.

I’ll be sure to post more when I discover new recipes! Let me know what you think. Leave your feedback or great soap recipes in the comments.

Happy crafting.

 

This tutorial is part of The Craft Challenge 2017. The ladies listed below are all contributors and have their own tutorial to share with you! Take some time and check out their January craft projects.