DIY Exfoliating Soap & Body Wash Recipes - Natural Soaps at Home

Making natural soaps and body washes at home for enhancing the natural glow and texture of your skin is quite trending these days. You can make homemade exfoliating bar soap or body wash with a few ingredients and by following a few steps.

However, it is also necessary to know about a few things before making soaps and body washes at home. In this blog, we will look at the DIY exfoliating bar soap recipes and exfoliating body washes in detail!

What is an Exfoliator?

Exfoliator is a substance or ingredient that cleanses your skin by removing the dead skin cells, excess oils, dust, dirt, and other toxins. It can be a natural ingredient or a chemically formulated exfoliator. The exfoliators can also be classified into two main types that are shared below:

Physical Exfoliators:

A body wash and exfoliating bar soap made at home can contain physical exfoliators such as sugar or coffee grounds. These ingredients have a gritty texture that rubs on your skin to remove the impurities and cleanse the pores physically.

Chemical Exfoliators:

Though homemade natural soaps and body washes do not contain the chemical exfoliators, you can certainly find them in commercial soap bars. Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) and Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) fall in this category. They dissolve the upper layers of your skin to remove the dead skin cells and other impurities.

Homemade exfoliating soap bars and body washes are usually made from physical exfoliators that are known to polish the skin gently without causing any irritation or skin damage.

Benefits of Exfoliating Soap & Body Wash

Here are some key benefits of using exfoliating soap and body wash:

• Double Cleansing & Exfoliating: The exfoliating soap and body wash not only cleanse the skin but also exfoliate it gently. As a result, your skin becomes clean and rejuvenated after using these products.
• Gentle and Natural: The exfoliating body washes and soaps must be gentle enough to prevent your skin from becoming dry and rough after use. For that, you must get the products made from natural exfoliants and hydrating ingredients.
  
  
  
• Customisable: With homemade DIY exfoliating soaps and body washes, you can customise the formula as per your choice. You can select the ingredients that suit your skin type and concerns.
• Eco-Friendly: The exfoliating scrub body washes and soap bars made at home are eco-friendly. They do not generate a large amount of waste and by-products and therefore, are more environmentally-friendly as compared to commercial soaps.

Natural Exfoliants for Soap Making: Pick the Right Scrub for Your Skin

Here are some natural exfoliants for soap making that will help you pick the right scrub for your skin:

• Coffee Grounds: Coffee grounds offer medium to strong level of exfoliation and are best for skin that is dry, dull, and cellulite-prone. It boosts circulation and protects the skin due to powerful antioxidants present in it. It also energises dull skin to revitalise it naturally.
• Sugar (Brown/White): Sugar offers gentle to medium level of exfoliation. It suits all skin types and offers a smooth exfoliation. It also dissolves easily in an exfoliating body wash or soap formula.
  
  
  
  
  
• Oatmeal (Ground/Colloidal): Oatmeal is one of the gentle exfoliants that is suitable for sensitive and irritated skin. It soothes and calms and thereby reduces the inflammation while purifying your skin.
• Poppy Seeds: Poppy seeds also offer a medium level of exfoliation that is ideally suitable for oily or rough skin. It not only cleanses your skin deeply but also improves the skin texture to make it gentle and soft!
• Sea Salt/Himalayan Salt: Himalayan salt and sea salt are among the strong exfoliants that are normally used to skin elbows, feet, and other rough areas of your body. These mineral-rich exfoliants detoxify your skin and make it naturally smooth and supple.
• Ground Almond/Walnut Shells: Again, the ground walnut and almond shells offer medium to strong level of exfoliation that is better suited for combination or oily skin. It is a natural, biodegradable, and effective scrubbing agent that you can use in your exfoliating bar soap and body wash recipes.
• Clay Powders (Multani Mitti, Kaolin, Bentonite): Clay powders are also gentle exfoliants and they get absorbed in your skin pores to draw out impurities. They are suitable for acne-prone and oily skin. They control the oil formation, tighten the pores, and detoxify your skin naturally.

4 Best DIY Exfoliating Recipes

Now, let’s look at the DIY exfoliating recipes for exfoliating soap bars and body washes in detail:

Coffee & Cocoa Exfoliating Soap Bar – Deep Scrub for Dull Skin

This coffee and cocoa exfoliating soap bar is the perfect recipe that offers a deep scrub for dull skin. More information about this recipe has been shared below.

Ingredients:

• Coffee Grounds - 30 grams
• Cocoa Powder - 10 grams
• Sea Salt - 378 grams
• Coconut Oil - 756 grams
• Lye - 110 grams
• Water - 220 ml
• Essential Oils - 15 to 20 drops of Vanilla, Ylang Ylang, or Patchouli Essential Oil (optional)

Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Create the lye solution. Mix the water into the lye and let it cool down a little.
2. Once the mixture cools down, add the remaining ingredients. Now, add the essential oils and mix again.
3. Add the salt in the end, just before you pour the mixture into the soap moulds.
4. The soaps will harden within a day but let them cure for at least one month before using them.

Lemon Poppy Seed Exfoliating Soap – Brightens Oily Skin

This DIY exfoliating bar soap recipe not only brightens oily skin but also cleanses it deeply. Also, it is much easier and simple to make this DIY homemade exfoliating soap bar. More details on the ingredients and soap making process have been shared below.

Ingredients:

• Lye - 4.02 oz
• Castor Oil - 3 oz
• Distilled Water - 11 oz
• Shea Butter - 4 oz
• Sweet Almond Oil - 3 oz
• Lemon Essential Oil - 5 ml
• Poppy Seeds - 2 tsp.
• Yellow Brazilian Clay - ½ tsp

Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Mix all the oils together except for the essential oil. Heat them if they are in solid form.
2. Now, mix lye with water and let the solution cool down. Once it cools down, mix all the ingredients together.
3. Add the poppy seeds and yellow brazilian clay at the last, just before pouring them in the soap moulds.
4. Let the soap harden and then further cure it for some days.

Oatmeal & Honey Exfoliating Soap – Calming for Sensitive Skin

This honey and oatmeal exfoliating soap is perfect for the people who have sensitive or dry skin. These ingredients nourish your skin while exfoliating the impurities to make it soft and smooth overall. More details about this best exfoliating bar soap have been shared below.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil - 640 grams
• Coconut Oil - 213 grams
• Distilled Water - 230 ml
• Lye - 118 grams
• Ground Oats - ½ tbsp.
• Honey - 1 tsp (vegans can use 1 tsp of agave nectar)
• Shea Butter - ½ tbsp.

Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Mix all the oils together first. Heat them if required and let them cool afterwards.
2. Mix the lye with water and let this solution cool down too.
3. Now mix the oils with lye solution and add the remaining ingredients one-by-one.
4. Finally add the ground oats and shea butter for added texture and exfoliation.
5. Pour the mixture into the moulds and let them set properly before unmoulding them. Cure the soaps for another 7 to 12 days before using.

DIY Sugar Exfoliating Body Wash – Hydrating Scrub for All Skin Types

Finally, let’s make a sugar exfoliating body wash that is suitable for all skin types. See the ingredients properly and use them in the correct proportions to achieve the desired consistency and effectiveness.

Ingredients:

• Brown sugar - ½ cup
• Any carrier oil such as olive, jojoba, coconut, almond or grapeseed oil of your choice - ½ cup
• Lavender or any other essential oil of your choice - 5 to 10 drops (Optional)

Step-by-Step Recipe

1. Mix the carrier oil with the sugar properly. Don’t mix vigorously as we would like to retain the coarse texture of the sugar.
2. Finally, add the essential oil of your choice for added fragrance and exfoliating properties.
3. Store this body wash in a plastic or glass bottle fitted with a pump-extraction tube. Use whenever you feel your body needs a thorough yet gentle cleansing.

How to Use Exfoliating Soap & Body Wash for Best Results?

Follow these tips while using the best exfoliating soap bars and body washes for quick results:

• Use them at least 2 or 3 times a week and avoid overusing them.
• You can use a loofah to scrub your body further while signing a handmade exfoliating soap bar.
• You may use a soft washcloth while using hand scrubs for getting that extra rub or exfoliation.
• Don’t scrub on open wounds or the areas which are irritation-prone.
• Use a moisturiser after using these products to keep your skin hydrated.

Conclusion

We hope you have understood how to make DIY exfoliating soaps and body washes now. Use only pure and natural ingredients to achieve the desired cleansing without any side effects. VedaOils is the best online platform to find natural soap making supplies and ingredients at wholesale rates. Visit their website today for purchasing everything from soap moulds to essential oils and other ingredients that you want to add to your customised homemade soap and body wash recipe!

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