DIY Lavender-Rosemary Soap Bars

Lavender-Rosemary Goat Milk Soap Bars are easy to “grow” and oh so satisfying and fun to make! They take about 10 minutes to come together and are ready to gift in under an hour. . .my kind of project!

I started with Goat Milk Suspension Soap Base. I found my 2 lb. package of soap at Hobby Lobby for $9.99 less 40% with a weekly coupon. You can also find it online at Amazon, along with olive oil, shea butter or glycerin soap bases.

The soap base comes scored in cubes and is soft, making it easy to cut with a kitchen knife and break off the amount you want to use. Follow the directions on the package for melting, either in the microwave or using a double boiler. I used the microwave, heating it in 30 second intervals on high in a Pyrex measuring cup, stirring until melted.

I recommend only melting 1 lb. at a time instead of the entire 2 lb. package.

I was all abuzz over these bee silicone molds on Amazon, which are also food safe for baking! If you’ve followed my blog any length of time, you know I love all things bee and also have a *thing* for watering cans, so I couldn’t resist this single garden-themed mold with a watering can and flowers!

Once your soap base is melted, add some essential or fragrance oil. I used about 20 drops of lavender-rosemary oil for 2 lbs. of soap base. Stir in any colorant if desired, then any botanicals. I added some dried lavender buds. Dried lavender buds can be found with the soap making supplies at Hobby Lobby and Michaels in small quantities, or in larger quantities on Amazon.

Pour your soap mix into your molds and allow it to set until firm, about 40 minutes. The cavities of my molds hold about 3 1/2 ounces so I got 10 bars of soap out of 2 pounds of soap base.

Suspension soap bases are formulated to suspend any additives like botanicals evenly throughout your soap, but most of my lavender buds collected on the bottom of the bars. I didn’t object as it is a nice surprise when you turn the soap over to find all the little buds on the bottom.

When bars are set, flex the molds and the bars will release easily from the silicone molds.

My remaining soap in my bowl firmed up in the 40 minutes while I was waiting for my soap to set to reuse my molds. Fortunately there is no waste, as you can reheat any soap left in your bowl and melt it again, making it pourable.

I added some lilac colorant to my remaining soap base for my second batch. Add your color a few drops at a time, stirring until you have your desired shade.

The colorant for soap can also be found at the craft store with the soap making supplies.

These Lavender-Rosemary Goat Milk Soap Bars are so easy you’ll want to try them yourself, as they make pretty hostess gifts, a fun garden club project, party favors, for a church bazaar or fundraiser, or guest bathroom soaps! You can customize them endless ways with your choice of mold, fragrance, color or soap base. If you’re looking for molds, *buzz* over to Amazon and search for ‘silicone soap molds’ to see the wide variety of designs available.