DIY Orange Spice Soap for Homemade Winter Gifts
How to make DIY orange spice soap for homemade holiday gifts with essential oils. This easy soap recipe contains no lye and is a wonderful winter crafts project for adults.
Scented with a blend of natural essential oils, this easy melt and pour soap recipe is perfect for beginners and makes lovely homemade winter gifts or DIY essential oil gifts for friends and family. Accented with a dried orange slice, these essential oil soaps are a fun winter project or holiday DIY idea for gifts.
You can find the essential oils to make my DIY orange slice soap, including the Winter Spice essential oil blend, at Simply Earth.
To make this easy orange spice soap recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 lb. white detergent free melt and pour soap base
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 60 drops Blood Orange essential oil
- 15 drops Winter Spice Essential Oil Blend
- 10 drops Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil
- Dried orange slices, optional
These tools are also recommended:
- digital scale, optional
- heat safe measuring cup or bowl
- utensils for stirring
- round silicone soap mold
- foodservice film, optional
- measuring spoon
- spray bottle with rubbing alcohol, optional
To make this orange spice soap recipe, either but a 2 lb. container of soap base in half or weigh out 1 lb. of soap using a digital kitchen scale.
Cut the soap base into chunks. Place inside a heat safe container. Then heat the soap in the microwave in 30-second increments until melted. Be sure to check the soap and stir after each heating. You don’t want to the soap to overheat.
Heat just until melted.Once the soap has melted, add the drops of essential oils. Stir to combine.
Now pour the soap into four cavities of a round silicone soap mold so that each cavity is halfway to 2/3 full. (For molds holding less than 4 oz. of soap per cavity, adjust accordingly by increasing or reducing the number of cavities used on the mold.)
While the soap cools in the mold, measure out the cocoa powder with a measure spoon. Mix the cocoa powder into the remaining melted soap in the container.
Once the soap in the mold starts to develop a thin film on top, pour the melted soap with cocoa on top of the soap in the mold. Fill the cavities the rest of the way. Then use a butter knife to gently mix the soap in each cavity, pulling up a small amount of soap from the bottom to marble.
Spritz the tops of the soap with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle, if desired, to remove any air bubbles.
Once the soap starts to form a thin skin on the top, gently add the dried orange slices for decoration. To do this, gently slide one end of the orange slice into the soap and allow the rest of the orange to rest on the top.
Allow the soaps to harden completely, the unmold.
Wrap the orange spice soaps tightly in foodservice film, then package as desired.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
If the soap is orange or cinnamon, what is the purpose of the cocoa powder?