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patchouli diy bar soap on wood counter with raw sugar

Patchouli DIY Bar Soap Recipe

There are so many benefits of patchouli soap, as it benefits both the skin and the body.  So not only is it great for us, but it is also an excellent scent to blend with. This makes it perfect for mixing with other top and middle notes for the perfectly balanced homemade soap.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Inactive Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Equipment

  • glass measuring cup or large glass bowl
  • double boiler or large saucepan
  • wooden spoon
  • soap mold set

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Chop up 1 pound of your shea butter soap base into similar size pieces, about 1-2 inches in size. This will make it easier to melt and stir the soap.  
  • Place the shea butter melt-and-pour soap pieces into a double boiler on your stovetop. For mine, I used a large saucepan with water halfway up the side and a 4-cup glass measuring cup in order to make pouring into the molds easier. Heat the water to a gentle boil, while stirring the soap pieces after they start to melt. 
  • Continue stirring the soap until smooth and no pieces are left. Once that happens, remove the measuring cup from the stovetop and dry off the bottom. The measuring cup will be hot, so make sure to have towels and pot holders nearby. Turn off the stove.  
  • Next, add essential oils, jojoba oil, and raw sugar or pink himalayan salt (if using) directly to the melted soap based on your measuring cup. For 1 pound of soap base, plan to use 80-100 drops of essential oils. Then you add 5 teaspoons of jojoba oil and 5 teaspoons of either raw sugar or pink himalayan salt. I always start with the smaller amounts, and then add more if needed.
    Mix everything really well, as this is your chance to make sure it's incorporated. Then pour the soap mixture into your soap molds of choice. I find that this makes around 5 bars of soap, depending on the molds you use.
  • Leave the soap in the molds for several hours up to overnight. I find the patchouli bar soap is usually ready after a few hours, but I like to leave it overnight to be sure it has hardened. Peel the molds back slowly and gently, so the top of the soap comes out clean and beautiful.
  • If you aren't going to use the natural soap bar right away, then you will need to wrap your soap so it stays in good condition for your future use.

Notes

My personal recipe uses 30 drops of patchouli, 40 drops of grapefruit, and 15 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil.