Handmade soap recipes

Soap has been around for thousands of years in one form or another. It is believed that the earliest soap recipe came from Babylon, about 2200 BC. Historians discovered a clay tablet that described a recipe for a soap like substance that contained alkali, cassia oil and water. This simple soap recipe is one of the earliest examples of a culture producing and documenting the creation of soap. The Babylonians may or may not have been the first culture to use soap but they are the oldest known culture to document it.

The Egyptians were another ancient race who used soap-like products. The Egyptians used to bathe regularly and often added herbs and oils to their baths to help cleanse their skin and to make them smell nice. A lot of people when they think of Cleopatra get an image in their heads of this beautiful Egyptian woman bathing in Milk. This is because it is an image that has been used in many different films but it is quite a plausible scene. It could be that the Egyptians discovered that bathing in Goats Milk could help to moisturize the skin and keep it looking youthful.

The word soap appears to have come from the Romans although they used the Latin word Sapo. Sapo means soap. The Romans had a recipe for soap that is closer to a more modern soap recipe. It was made of tallow (animal fat) and ashes. This would produce a hard bar of soap and was used for keeping hair clean.

There was a Greek alchemist who lived around 300AD and he wrote several books on alchemy. Some of the oldest alchemy books ever discovered. Within these texts are a lot of information about mixing chemicals and their uses. He describes different methods of making soap.

Galen of Pergamon was a Greek physician who also documented methods for making soap and its uses. He mentioned that soap was a good way of cleansing skin and clothing. The soaps that he describes were made using lye and were great at getting rid of stubborn stains.

Over the years soap caught on and its formulas evolved and were refined. By the 15th Century most of the world had discovered soap and used it for cleaning skin, hair and clothes.

Soap is one of mankind's greatest discoveries as it keeps us clean, keeps us from getting diseases and helps to keep us smelling nice. There may be a big difference in the soaps that were used by the ancient Babylonians and the soap we use to day (Lynx Africa) but they still do the same job.

If people thousands of years ago could make soap with none of the technology we have today, then you dear reader should have no trouble in following the various soap recipes that follow in this Hubpage.

The first soap recipe that I will show you is a very simple chocolate soap recipe. This soap is really easy to make and it smells amazing. Chocolate is good for the skin and its aroma is perfect for relaxing in the bath after a hard day at work.

This is also a particularly cheap soap to make. This soap is really good as a handmade gift. It makes an excellent gift for your wife or girlfriend. Let us look at an example, imagine it is Valentines day and you have no idea what to get for her. You know that you bought her chocolates and flowers last year, so you wanted to do something different this year. Then why not show your girlfriend just how much you care by putting effort into making her a present that she will enjoy and be able to relax with. Chocolate soap is perfect for this as it merges the traditional chocolate present that women often receive on Valentines day with a lovely, thoughtful twist.

Follow the recipe below to make a wonderful chocolate soap.

The smell of fresh coffee is always a welcome one, which is why this soap recipe is great for those who enjoy the deep, rich smell of coffee. This soap recipe is really easy to make and will make your bathroom smell like a Starbucks.

Coffee contains high amounts of caffeine, which can aid in mood elevation and is also good for your skin. This particular soap is good for facial cleansing because one of the properties of caffeine is that it helps to restrict blood vessels, which means that if you have red blotchy cheeks caused by dilated blood vessels this kind of soap is great for getting rid of it. This coffee and cream recipe makes a soap that is a very good moisturizer so when used it will make your skin feel clean and soft.

1 4oz. bar glycerin soap

1 teaspoon ground espresso

1 teaspoon powdered milk

10 drops coffee fragrance oil

1. Get yourself a saucepan and place it on a hob over a low heat.
2. Put the glycerin in the saucepan and gently heat it until it melts.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in ground espresso, powdered milk, and coffee fragrance
   oil until well mixed
   .
4. Once the mixture is well combined pour it into soap molds and leave it to set.

Cucumber is often used in health and beauty regimes and the reason for that is that it is good for your skin.

Many people use slices of cucumbers as a night time regime for their eyes. They will slice some cucumber and place one slice over each eye, they then put on a night time face mask to keep the cucumber there and they go to sleep. Over night the cucumber softens the skin around the eyes and hydrates the skin so that the user doesn't wake up with puffy eyes. If you suffer from dark circles around your eyes when you wake up then it may be a good idea to consider using slices of cucumber at night.

Cucumber is good for the rest of your skin as well as your eyes.

The following is a list of health and beauty benefits that cucumber has on a persons skin:

1. It is a gentle cleanser
2. It is a great moisturizer
3. It tones the skin
4. It helps hydrate the skin
5. It has a nice cooling effect on the skin
6. It can mask or remove a lot of skin blemishes

There are many more benefits that your body can gain from this amazing fruit. Another great thing about cucumbers are they can be eaten!

• 3 oz. opaque soap
• 2 tsp. powdered loofah
• 15 drops cucumber fragrance oil
• 1 Aloe Vera gel
• Green coloring (optional)

1. Shred the soap in a food processor and set aside. Alternatively you can use a grater and grate the soap.
2. Get a saucepan and pour in 1/2 cup of water and bring it to the boil over a low heat.
3. Once the water is boiling tip in the shredded soap into the saucepan and stir continuously until the shredded soap combines with the water to make a sticky mass.
4. Once the mixture is nice and sticky remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Aloe Vera gel, the fragrance oil and the coloring until well blended.
5. Once it is well mixed spoon out the mixture into soap molds and leave to set.