Natural Homemade Soap Myanmar

Lemon

Known for being antiviral and also helping to cut grease, this uplifting powerhouse of essential oil can be used to help disinfect and remove sticky, greasy substances. It has a beautiful, bright scent and I like to blend it into kitchen and bathroom specialty cleaners, specifically. It blends beautifully with basil, any other citrus fruit, vanilla, bergamot, ylang-ylang, rosemary, and peppermint. If you can’t find lemon, orange will help with de-greasing (but not with the disinfecting).

Tea Tree

Also called Melaleuca, this is an essential oil cleaning powerhouse! It may take some getting used to the scent, although you may come to love it over time. Tea tree is an antimicrobial, its antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral (watch out now!) EO. I use this for my all-purpose kitchen spray and in the bathroom to help fight mildew in the shower. It mixes nicely with bergamot, clary sage, clove bud, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, geranium, and rosemary.

Lavender

Many people associate lavender with tranquility and sleep, but it’s also great for laundry! I add 5 drops to my laundry detergent after it’s been portioned out to help keep musty odors from building up in my washing machine and forgotten loads of laundry. Lavender helps prevent mold and mildew from building up. It’s also a perfect essential oil to use for bedroom and linen sprays. It mixes well with many EOs including bergamot, peppermint, cedarwood, lemongrass, grapefruit, lime, orange, peppermint, rosemary, ylang-ylang, and clary sage.

Thyme

Known for its antibacterial properties and is used in many natural cleaners for its powerful properties. It’s perfect for a kitchen or bathroom cleaner and should be used in a higher concentration (see below). It blends well with bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lavender, and rosemary.

ESSENTIAL OILS

Gardener’s or Mechanic’s Soap Recipes
This soap has cornmeal and pumice for super cleansing power, grapefruit essential oil to help break up grease, and shea butter to soothe over-worked skin.

Ingredients
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup palm oil (find sustainably harvested palm oil here)
2 tablespoons shea butter, melted – mix in with oils (find organic shea butter here)
3/4 cup cold green tea
1/4 cup lye
2 tablespoons cornmeal
2 tablespoons powdered pumice (find it here)
3 tablespoons (or ¼ cup) grapefruit essential oil (find it here)

Process
Prepare the lye and tea as above. Combine with the oils when all are at the right temperature. When you achieve trace, add cornmeal, pumice, and grapefruit essential oil. (Note: White grapefruit EO is a bit better at breaking up grease than the pink grapefruit.) When all of the ingredients are mixed together, pour into molds and let sit 24 hours. After 24 hours, remove from molds, cut into desired size if you used a large mold, and cure for 3-4 weeks.

Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey Soap Recipe
This soap is very soothing and can be used on young children or the elderly. It’s also good for sunburned or winter chapped skin.

Ingredients
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup combination sweet almond oil and grapeseed oil (find organic carrier oils here)
3/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup lye
2 teaspoons ground old fashioned oats (dry)
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons dry milk

Process
Prepare the lye and water separate from the oils as above. When you have reached the right temperatures, combine the lye/water mixture and oils and stir well. Bring the mixture to a trace as above and add in old fashioned oats (dry) and honey. The honey will mix in better if you warm it a bit first. Stir these in well and then add dry milk. I mix the 2 tablespoons dry milk with a teaspoon or so of oil, stirring until a smooth paste forms. (Mixing the dry milk with water will cause it to be lumpy.) Add a little more oil if needed. Mix this paste into your soap base and combine well. If the mixture turns yellowish or orange, it’s because of the milk. Don’t panic, it will lighten up later. When all is combined, pour into your molds and wait 24 hours. Then unmold, cut into smaller bars if you used a large mold, and cure for 3-4 weeks.

Calendula, Chamomile, and Comfrey Soap Recipe
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This is a perennial favorite around here. It’s soothing and healing and provides just enough herbal matter for gentle exfoliation.

Ingredients
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup vegetable oil blend (I use a combination of grapeseed, safflower, and sunflower oils)
3/4 cup cold chamomile tea
1/4 cup lye – also called 100% sodium hydroxide (find it here or at your local hardware)
1 teaspoon dried calendula petals (find organic calendula petals here)
1 teaspoon dried chamomile flowers (find organic dried chamomile flowers here)
1 teaspoon dried ground comfrey root or leaves (find organic comfrey root powder here)

Process
Prepare the lye with the tea as you would with water, set aside until the temperature reaches 100°F or near there. (Nervous about using lye? Don’t be. Check out my article on how to use lye safely.) Combine all the oils and heat just enough to melt the coconut oil, until the temp reaches 100°. Slowly mix the lye into the oils and stir for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, you can keep stirring or use an immersion blender until it thickens, much like pudding. This is the “trace” stage. At trace, add dried calendula petals, dried chamomile flowers, and dried ground comfrey root or leaves. Note: All of your plant material must be dried or it can cause spoilage in your soaps. Stir well to incorporate, and pour into molds. Remove from the molds after 24 hours, cut into smaller bars if you used a large mold, and cure for 3-4 weeks.