Many beauty bars and soaps have exfoliant properties. The scrubbing action in the soap removes dead skin cells which in turn reveals a healthy, fresh layer of skin. Scrubbing soaps also are good for removing blackheads and other impurities. Oatmeal (not too finely ground) provides scrubbing action in soaps.
Moisturizing soaps are great for people with dry or sensitive skin. Soaps with oatmeal are easier for some people to use because the soap is less irritating and drying to the skin.
Hand Milling Soap
Hand milling is a process that is done after basic soap is cured. Learning to make soap at home is a great way to ensure that the soap contains only high quality, natural, and organic ingredients. If you don't want to make the original bars at home, try to find unscented, hand made soaps from local crafters.
The rule of thumb for hand milled soapmaking is for every 12 ounces of soap, use 9 ounces of water. For 16 ounces of soap, use 12 ounces of water. And so on.
- Set bowl on kitchen scale and set to 0.
- Grate bar of finished basic soap.
- Measure 12 ounces of soap into bowl.
- Place grated soap in small pot.
- Measure 9 ounces water on in bowl on kitchen scale.
- Pour over soap in pot.
- Turn heat low to medium to melt soap. Only stir a little bit or you will have too many suds. Melt soap gently and add a little more water if soap sticks to bottom of pot.
- When the soap is liquified, remove from heat.
- When the temperature of the soap is 150 to 160 degrees F., gently stir in any additives.
- Ladle or pour the soap into molds.
- Tap each filled mold firmly to get rid of air bubbles.
- After the surface of the soaps have skimmed over, put them in the freezer.
- Wait two hours and remove from freezer (freezing is optional but a great time saver).
- Remove soaps from molds carefully by tapping, squeezing, or running hot water over the back of the mold.
- Freshly milled bars of soap are soft, so handle them gently. Place bars on butcher paper or needlepoint screen, and allow to air dry for a week.
Oatmeal Soap
Oatmeal is a joy in soap because it serves more than one purpose. The oil in oatmeal is moisturizing for dry skin, and colloidal oatmeal is often prescribed as a home remedy for temporary relief from the itch of chicken pox, poison ivy, bug bites and other skin irritations. Colloidal oatmeal is simply finely ground oatmeal. It is not necessary to buy expensive packets of the powder, simply grind organic rolled oats in a coffee grinder to make home made organic colloidal oatmeal. The powder can be added directly to the bath, or put into soap during the milling process.
When not finely ground, oatmeal also serves as a mild exfoliant. The dual combination of scrubbing away dead skin cells and moisturizing skin helps keep skin fresh and healthy. In order to enjoy the mild abrasiveness of oatmeal, do not grind it fine. If starting with rolled oats, grind them in a blender until they are about a quarter or a fifth of their original size.
- 12 ounces grated soap
- 9 ounces water
- 3/4 to 1 cup rolled oats
After melting the grated soap and water, let cool. Add the oatmeal and stir gently. Do not pour into molds until the soap is cool and thick enough that the oatmeal does not sink to the bottom of the pot. Be careful not to stir too much, or there will be an excess of suds. When the oatmeal is mixed in evenly with the soap, pour into molds and proceed as usual for any hand milled soap.
Enjoy using these natural oatmeal soap bars yourself, and give them as lovingly personalized gifts.
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