Generally, for the first few weeks, new baby's skin just needs little water to clean since it does not have many opportunities to get dirty. However, when you need to start using soap, use a moisturizing natural olive oil soap sparingly and rinse it off well. This following soap recipe is suitable for baby and young children.
Ingredients
- 4 tsp/20ml ground rosehips (helps to reduce scarring and induce skin healing, suitable for number of sensitive skin problem)
- 1lb & 3oz/600g olive oil (provides firmness and a silkiness to the lather)
- 10 & 1/2 oz/300g coconut oil (provides a lovely and fluffy lather)
- 3&half oz/100g borage oil (is very moisturizing and soothing to sensitive skin)
- 13 oz/375g distilled water
- 5 oz/145g lye (or sodium hydroxide)
- 1 tsp/5ml Roman Chamomile essential oils (gives a relaxing oil with a sweet-fruity and herbaceous scent.)
- 3 tsp/15ml mandarin essential oils (gives quite a strong sweet and almost floral-like scent.)
Cold Process (You can find videos on soap making on my previous post How To Make Your Own Soaps)
- Put the ground rosehips in a woven cotton bag and tie the bag.
- Place the bag in the distilled water for a few hours.
- Remove the bag when the distilled water turns a rich red color.
- Prepare the lye solution water using the red distilled water and sodium hydroxide. The lye solution water will turn from red into rusty color.
- Warm the base oils in a stainless steel pot over a low heat.
- Add the warm base oils into the lye solution water and stir the mixture carefully. The mixture will slowly become thicken and color also become lighter.
- When the mixture is done, add the essential oils.
- Pour the mixture into a mold and insulate your mold with blankets to help the soap mixture gel.
- Leave the soap mixture for 24 to 48 hours to cool.
- Remove the soap from the mold and place it somewhere well-ventilated to cure for 6 to 8 weeks.
- Try to let the soap bar becomes hardened and the pH level is close to 7 (i.e. neutral, not acidic nor alkaline) before using it.
Next, I would like to share a tip on how you can store your handmade soap
If you want to store your soaps for a longer period, simply wrap them in greaseproof paper and leave them somewhere cool and dry, such as the bottom of a drawer or the back of a closet. Keeping soaps away from light and heat will help to preserve the freshness of their color and scent. If you made your soaps correctly, you should be able to keep them in good condition for a year and beyond. Another plus point of storing for longer period is that your bars will harden and improve in quality, as they mature and age.
So if you can keep your soaps in good condition, you will not only have a constant supply of soaps for your own personal use, but you will also have a ready supply of last minute gifts. That's right, if you have no ideas what present to get for special occasion, handmade soaps can be perfect presents. They will always be a welcome and popular gift.
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