Household SOAPS

Making your own herbal soaps is as easy as it is pleasurable. What's more, their natural fragrances will instill a sense of calm.

Keep your household free of germs by making your own antibacterial soaps. Glycerine soap is the easiest type of soap to make at home. Its most notable attribute is that it’s translucent, and its most famous form is the enduring Pears brand, first produced in 1789. You can buy glycerine blocks from your local pharmacy, Bin Inn or from the Ecostore.

Prepare a soap mould (shallow plastic container, small dish or a thoroughly cleaned tuna tin), by spraying it with rubbing alcohol. Heat glycerine in a covered bowl over a pot of simmering water, or place it in the microwave for one minute, covered with plastic wrap. Stir to ensure all the glycerine is melted.

Leave to cool, then add essential oils for fragrance and antibacterial properties. Oregano oil is ideal for antibacterial properties; for fragrance, try combinations of patchouli and orange, vanilla and rose geranium, or lemon essential oils.

Pour the liquid glycerine into your mould. When the mould is half full, embed clean sprigs of herbs of flowers in the soap for a beautiful effect. Continue filling the mould with glycerine, then spray the top of the soap with rubbing alcohol to eliminate bubbles.

The soap will harden in a few hours. If it’s difficult to remove from the mould, freeze for up to half an hour.

To make a liquid soap, you’ll need: 10 tablespoons finely grated castile soap, 8 tablespoons boiling water, 2 tablespoons crushed lavender buds, 2 drops lavender oil and 2 drops oregano oil. Place the soap and boiling water in a heat-proof bowl then place the bowl over a saucepan of hot water to melt, stirring frequently until smooth. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the flowers to a fine powder. Take the bowl out of the saucepan and stir the flowers and essential oils into the soap. Cool, then pour into a hand-soap dispenser.