If you are a beginner at soap making and have never tried DIY soap using fresh aloe vera, this tutorial is just for you. I highly recommend you to try aloe vera soap making. It may look difficult, but once you get into homemade natural soap making, it can be pretty addictive.
Soap making is definitely an art form; trying out different essential oils mixtures to use various cool-shaped containers. You have many options for buying soap in markets but making handmade soap can be cost-effective and fun. Choosing the ingredients and fragrances based on your preferences is a big plus in handmade soap making. So, interested in giving aloe vera soapmaking a try? Then read on for tips and recipes to get you started.
Extraction of Fresh Aloe for Soapmaking:
If you want to make natural aloe vera soap and you have aloe plants in your home or nearby, then you can easily extract fresh aloe by following the below steps:
- First, you have to cut the aloe leaf into several sections. To separate the aloe vera inner gel from the outer skin of aloe, you have to cut down the inside edges of each portion with a sharp knife.
- Next, use a spoon or finger to press the aloe gel from the leaf. Place the gel in a blender or food processor and process until it gets fluffy, just like egg whites.
- You can store the extracted gel in the refrigerator or freeze it in ice trays for a longer period.
Advantages Of Aloe Gel Or Aloe Vera Soap
The magical plant aloe vera is an herbal remedy for topical skin conditions. The aloe vera gel is a great healer for skin diseases and germs protection. Aloe vera is commonly used for sunburn, small abrasions, and sometimes for small cuts, too. The best part of using aloe vera is it makes skin feel great and there’re no side effects if used correctly.
You can also try making a small batch of body wash, shampoo bar, hand soap, hand wash, bath bomb, and many other related products using aloe vera. You must consult your dermatologist, especially for sensitive skin, before applying aloe vera to your face to get the proper guidance for its usage.
Aloe vera has a large number of benefits, but some of them are listed below:
1- Aloe Vera helps in burn treatment and sunburn:
You may apply aloe vera gel to the affected area of your skin up to three times daily. It relieves burns and damage caused by ultraviolet exposure. In addition, it protects your skin from radiation damage. Aloe vera also soothes sunburn, but it's not an effective way to prevent sunburn; make sure to wear sun protection daily.
2- It soothes skin irritation & treats dry skin:
Aloe vera helps deal with skin damage relieving itching, rashes, and burning sensations. The aloe vera plant has antibacterial and antifungal properties, which make it effective in mild frostbite, inflammation, psoriasis as well as dermatitis. Aloe vera is ideal for oily skin types as it absorbs easily, but it can treat dry skin too. Thus, you can swap out your regular after-bath moisturizer with aloe vera, which helps seal moisture into your skin. It is best for skincare but use it according to your skin type.
3- Aloe gel helps In wound/abrasions & small cuts healing :
Aloe gel works miraculously in wounds, abrasions, and small cut healings. It provides quick relief from burning sensations and pain caused by small abrasions.
To heal the small cuts, you can consider trying aloe vera as its molecular structure helps heal wounds. Furthermore, it minimizes scarring by fighting bacteria and boosting collagen formation. You can apply aloe vera three times per day for effective healing.
4- Aloe vera helps in frostbite treatment:
Aloe vera is a magic herb and an anti-inflammatory agent as it prohibits the C-glucosyl chromone. Frostbite is a serious medical condition, and aloe vera gel has been used historically as a frostbite remedy. It would be great to use aloe vera gel with your doctor's advice and apply proper precautions.
5- Aloe vera prevents aging & helps in cold sores:
Elastin fibers and collagen are the two main compounds that our body needs to make our skin elastic and wrinkle-free. Aloe vera promotes the production of elastin fibers and collagen.
On the contrary, cold sores develop outside your mouth. These are usually caused by a herpes virus. Aloe vera also helps treat the herpes virus if you apply a small amount of aloe vera gel to your cold sores twice daily.
3 Ways To Use Aloe Vera Gel Or Soap For Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are very common after pregnancy, and almost every woman has them. These marks usually appear on the upper arms, buttocks, breasts, thighs, and waist. Stretch marks are not any serious medical issue, but these can make you feel uncomfortable. You can use aloe vera to brighten the skin and remove stretch marks. Aloe vera is enriched with nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes. Moreover, it can improve your skin's texture and boost stretch marks healing.
Following are three ways you can use Aloe vera gel for stretch marks:
1- Apply aloe vera gel with vitamin E:
The most effective stretch marks treatment is by applying the gel to the affected area of your skin. You must mix a few tablespoons of aloe vera gel with vitamin E capsules oil. Mix this mixture well, and then massage it on the affected area for a few minutes. Then, leave it on for about thirty to sixty minutes, depending on your available time. For achieving the best results, you have to apply it twice daily.
2- Aloe vera gel and coffee scrub:
You can not only remove dead skin cells by scrubbing but also promote blood circulation and improve the supply of oxygen to the area. To prepare this scrub, you have to mix aloe vera gel and grounded coffee. Apply the mixture and massage the stretch marks for ten to fifteen minutes. Let it stay for about twenty to thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, remove the area and clean the area with a damp cloth. For the best results possible, you have to do scrubbing every alternate day.
3- Aloe vera mask with honey and almond oil:
To reduce the stretch marks faster, you can mix the other skin healing and nourishing natural ingredients with aloe vera to increase its potency. For making the aloe vera mask, you have to add one tablespoon of honey and almond oil each and two tablespoons of aloe vera gel. Mix the natural ingredients to form a paste and apply evenly all over your stretch marks.
After staying on stretch marks for about thirty minutes, you can wash them off with water. To get the best results possible, you have to apply it twice a week for three to four weeks.
About Making Aloe Vera Soap Recipe
The animal or plant-based oil mixture mixed with alkali and fat is soap. The alkali is a chemical called lye, and in bar soapmaking, the lye is usually sodium hydroxide. In the case of liquid soap, the lye is potassium hydroxide, and the lye is necessary for soapmaking. After combining oil and lye, it is heated, which results in soap, and the process is called saponification.
There are many ways to make aloe vera soap, but the following three are the most popular ways:
The Cold Process Method:
The cold process method is a clear blend of art and science. It might not seem easy to you as you have to start from scratch. The secret behind this method lies in mixing the right amount of fixed coconut, olive, fragrance oil, or any other oil with an alkali.
Following are the things you need to do for making aloe vera soap using a cold process method.
Your soap making recipe selection & calculating the perfect amount of lye:
Soapmaking recipe selection is an important step as the amount of lye differs with the ingredients you will use. For example, if you use shea butter instead of coconut oil for making aloe vera soap, the required lye must be noted. The hardness or softness of soap depends on the lye used in soapmaking.
Gathering your soap making ingredients and safety gear:
Before Starting soap making, you have to gather all the ingredients and safety gear. Some ingredients might not be readily available in stores. So, you need to get all the ingredients beforehand. Lye is an alkali, and it releases poisonous fumes when mixed with water so you will need safety gear for your protection. Following are the ingredients and safety gear you will need for making soap:
- It would help if you had rubber or latex gloves and safety goggles.
- You will need pants and a full-sleeved shirt to cover the body parts.
- Heat resistant containers are made up of stainless steel, polypropylene plastic, or tempered glass. Avoid using aluminum containers as they react with alkali.
- Soap mold that is preferably made up of silicone.
- A stick blender or rubber spatula.
- Scale for measuring quantities of ingredients.
After gathering all the above ingredients and safety gear, you can start soap making with a cold process method by following the given step-by-step procedure.
Collecting the ingredients:
For making one bar of aloe vera soap, you will need the following amount of ingredients:
- 2 oz of Vegetable fat
- 0.5 oz of Aloe vera gel
- 0.5 oz of Olive oil
- 0.95 oz of Distilled water
- 0.4 oz of Lye
The amount of distilled water and lye will change depending on the type of ingredients and their amounts.
Skin conditioner & fragrance selection:
If you want to add skin conditioner and fragrance to your aloe vera soap, you can add the following things:
- For inflamed or acne-prone skin, you can add oats to your soap.
- If you want to make your skin soften, you can add sea salt to your soap.
- For adding a soothing fragrance to your soap, you can add lavender essential oil.
- If you want to add a zesty fragrance to your soap, you can add lemongrass essential oil.
- And, if you want to create a scrubbing effect, you can add natural scrub pieces or pumice.
If you use multiple pure essential oils, add 2-3 drops of each pure essential oil in a 100-gram bar soap. You can also add cocoa butter, avocado, or other related products with aloe vera to make aloe vera soap.
Collecting aloe vera gel:
You have to cut the aloe vera plant and scoop out enough gel. Set the gel on a paper towel until the yellow aloe juice stops oozing.
Heating oil & fat:
After zeroing out the weight of the container, measure the distilled water into a bowl and keep it aside. Heat the olive oil and vegetable fat for about 60 seconds using a microwave oven or gas burner.
Making lye & water mixture:
Measure the lye and use a spoon to scoop the lye and carefully pour it into the water. Never pour water into lye but always pour the lye into the water. Allow time for the odors to dissipate. You'll have a cloudy-clear liquid on your hands. Never touch it with bare hands.
Adding ingredients to the mixture:
Add the vegetable fat and the oil to the water and lye mixture. Stir the mixture using a spatula. Add a gel-like component of aloe vera to the mixture and stir for some minutes until the mixture absorbs the oil and the aloe gel. And finally, add the essential oils and other ingredients and keep stirring.
Molding of soap bar:
Pour this soap batter into the soap mold and keep it aside. Please keep it away from heat, light, and moisture. Cover the mold with a towel and let it sit for about 24 hours.
Curing of soap bar:
Once the soap mixture is hard, please remove it from the soap mold. The time required for fat, lye, and water to turn into soap is almost a month; that is called the curing time of soap. During this curing time, store it in a dry and cool place.
After the curing period of almost four weeks, the Aloe vera bar soap is ready to use.
Using The Hot Process Method
The procedure to make both hot and cold process soap is very similar. The only difference in hot process soap making is that external heat is used for accelerating saponification. The curing time of hot process soap making is also less than cold process soap making. The same ingredients and safety gears for both processes are used. After gathering all your safety gear and ingredients, follow the following steps to make hot process soap:
Making the lye & distilled water mixture:
Measure the lye and distilled water in separate bowls. After pouring the lye into the water, mix it and let the mixture cool down a bit.
Preparing aloe vera gel & oil mixture:
Heat the aloe vera gel and oils on low heat in a pan. Add essential oils to the mixture and stir it.
Mixing & whisking the mixtures together:
Add the distilled water and lye mixture to the aloe gel and oil blend. Keep in mind that while mixing, the temperature of both the mixtures should be the same; that should be 100 degrees. After pouring the mixture into the pan, whisk the mixture thoroughly until the mixture turns gooey and thick.
Molding of soap bar:
Pour this mixture into the molds. Allow the mixture to settle for around 24 hours in a cool, dark place.
Curing of soap bar:
Remove the soap bars from the molds and store the bars for curing. The curing time of soap depends on the climate of your area. For example, 7 to 14 days of curing is fine if you live in a dry-weather area. But if your area is humid, then curing time can be anywhere between 21 to 30 days.
Using The Melt And Pour Method
If you want to make homemade soap by adopting the easiest and quickest way, then the Melt & Pour method is recommended. You need to melt and pour soap bases and other ingredients such as colors, fragrance, butter, and oils pre-made in the melt and pour method of aloe vera soap making. You don't have to use alkali to prepare a soap base. The ingredients you will need to make melt & pour aloe vera soap are below listed:
- You need a 500 gm Melt and Pour soap base. You can use milk soap variants or a clear glycerin base.
- A large kitchen knife.
- It would be best to have tempered glass or stainless steel bowls for mixing and heating.
- One cup mashed or pulped aloe vera gel.
- One tablespoon of fresh lemon zest.
- Almost 900 gm coconut or olive oil.
- And finally, around 20 drops of lemon essential oil.
- Optional ingredients are color, clay, additives, or fragrance oil.
Melting of soap base:
You have to take a stainless steel pan and melt the soap base. You have to keep the flame low and stir continuously.
Adding ingredients to melted soap base:
After melting the soap base, let the base cool down for about 2-3 minutes. Add all the ingredients to this melted base rapidly.
Mixing the ingredients:
Mix all the ingredients well, and if the soap base has started to harden, heat it again for a while.
Molding of soap bar:
Once it has cooled, fill soap molds with the soap mixture. To remove the bubbles, spray them with rubbing alcohol and set them aside for a day in a dry, cold location. Take the soap bars out of the soap molds. And, voila! They are ready to use. No curing is required for melt and pour soap making.
Precautions To Take While Soap Making
- You always have to use accurate measurements because you deal with alkalis and essential oils. If you measure anything wrong, the quality of soap can be affected.
- You must have to wear safety goggles to keep your eyes safe. In the soapmaking process, you have to deal with chemicals and liquids. Lye and raw soap are caustic, and fumes can harm you.
- To keep your skin safe, you have to wear long-sleeved clothes and gloves to tolerate exposure to the lye solution.
- It would be best to prepare your soap in a well-ventilated area to clear the fumes formed by the lye solution. If you select your soapmaking area indoors, switch on the exhaust fan and keep the windows open.
- As you use chemicals, oils, and soapmaking solutions, you should be very careful about spills. Keep an absorbent handy for spills.
- You should record ingredients and the number of ingredients at every step. This ingredient's recording will help you make the next batch and also helps you to improve the quality of soaps, as you can note your mistakes in previous batches.
FAQs related to aloe vera soaps
What is the shelf life & expiry of the soaps?
The expiration date of soap is when it goes bad and can no longer be used. It would help if you kept your soap sealed before using it to keep it in better condition. Soap does expire, but it should be effective if it still lathers when you wash your hands. Most commercial store-bought soaps expire after two to three years. Natural or handmade soaps may expire within one year, as the essential oils and fragrances can get rotten or moldy.
How long does aloe vera soap last?
Shake the container of soap before using it. You can use a batch for up to three months but discard it if you notice any discoloration or strange scent.
The Shelf life of soap depends on the type of soap:
The shelf life of soap depends on the ingredients with which soap is made. Natural soaps are softer because they contain glycerin to keep the skin soft and natural oils that produce lather. These softer soaps will not last long, but there are harder natural soaps. Natural soaps made of beeswax, palm kernel flakes, palm oil, or coconut oil are harder and last longer. A fine or cheese soap stored in a dark and cool place gets better with a little aging. Time mellows the soap & allows the soap to get harder, which may help it last longer in the shower.
Storing of a soap:
It is a great way to store soap in a shower bag because you can hang it up in the shower. You can also use sisal soap bags, but that can be rough for your skin. Storing soap can also save its shelf life. You have to put your soap in the bag and keep it in the bag until the soap is completely gone.
Calculating shelf life of the soap:
Use the following equation to calculate the shelf life of your soap:
For example, x = manufacturing date, y = expiry date, z = Date at 75% remaining. Then you can use the formula =0.25*y2+0.75*x2 in z2 on the sample.
Conclusion
To conclude, you’re ready to manufacture aloe vera soap, or generally any soap at home now! Make a few natural soaps and give them to your friends and family. These are fantastic gifts! And don't forget to share your experience of using homemade natural soaps with us.
