Baby spit up, diaper blowouts, and other stinky messes call for soap. Not just any soap though. My family loves this pure coconut oil soap and our homemade shampoo bars, but newborn skin calls for an extra gentle touch. This homemade baby soap is specially formulated delicate skin, but it’s also great for the whole family.
This homemade baby soap is “superfatted” to give it an extra emollient feel. Lye is used in soap making to mix fats and water together. Because chunks of fat floating in water isn’t very helpful to get skin clean. Superfatting the soap just means that extra oils are added to further ensure there’s no lye left after the chemical reactions occur. The result is a creamy, moisturizing soap.
There are so many options when it comes to choosing oils to make soap with. Really almost anything goes as long as you run it through a soap calculator to make sure no lye remains in the finished soap. Certain carrier oils give more suds, while others are more moisturizing. In this recipe I’ve used a blend of coconut, jojoba, and olive oils to get the perfect soap for babies.
Coconut oil – This helps the soap to suds up nicely. Coconut oil can be too drying on its own if it makes up more than one third of the oil in soap, so I kept it at 10%.
Jojoba oil – This oil is technically a liquid wax and its very similar to our skin’s natural sebum (oil). Jojoba is gentle, anti-inflammatory, protects skin, and is rich in the antioxidant vitamin E.
Olive oil – Pure castile soap is made with 100% olive oil, so it’s a classic choice. When used alone though, olive oil soap takes much longer to cure. Olive oil is soothing, very moisturizing, and has skin protecting antioxidants, making it perfect for baby’s delicate skin.
If you’ve never made soap before, don’t panic. I promise it’s easier than it looks! Here are guidelines for safe soap making.
Lye is highly alkaline, so it can burn skin. I keep a jug of vinegar nearby, since the acid helps neutralize the high alkaline nature of the lye in case of a spill. If you’re still a little freaked out with using lye, you can read more about lye safety here. No lye remains in the finished soap, and it’s superfatted to make extra sure there’s no traces of lye.
Equipment needed
Ingredients
Weigh the following ingredients on the scale. Please note that these are NOT liquid measurements:
Soap has reached trace when mixing causes lines in the soap batter that stay in place or when a drizzle of the soap mixture retains its shape on the soap’s surface. There will be no streaks of oil left in the soap, as everything is mixed well together. I use a stick blender that I’ve dedicated to skincare recipes, but technically you could just clean it really well.
Adding relaxing scents to homemade baby soap, like rose, lavender and chamomile soothe skin and calm the senses. I’m not a fan of artificial (and harmful) scents, especially in my kid’s skincare, so this recipe uses natural herbs and essential oils. These not only add a pleasant fragrance to the soap, but skin nourishing benefits as well.
Since this soap is meant for babies, it’s important to choose essential oils that aren’t harsh or dangerous for little ones. Certain essential oils like eucalyptus, peppermint, or hot oils like cinnamon bark should never be used on babies.
The following essential oils are considered generally safe to use on babies over 3 months when properly diluted.
Most citrus oils can cause photosensitivity (meaning exposed skin is more likely to be damaged by the sun for a period after using them). However, when used under a certain percentage and in a wash off product (like soap), photosensitivity isn’t a concern.
Sometimes I like to add herbs to soap to give a scent boost and add exfoliating properties. Baby’s skin is delicate, so they don’t really need to exfoliate. However, herbal infused oils can be used in a homemade baby soap for their skin benefits.
Lavender, calendula, and rose are some of my favorites to use in skincare, and are gentle and nourishing for baby’s skin.
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