Learn to make this easy chamomile shea butter soap recipe without lye. This simple shea butter soap recipe makes a gentle bar, and is the perfect soap recipe for beginners.
Melt and pour soap was the first soap making method I learned (and still think it’s the absolute best method for beginning soap makers to start with). But when I started making cold process soap, melt and pour soap making kinda fell by the wayside.
I’m now rediscovering and loving melt and pour soap for it’s awesome simplicity.
Melt and pour soap is made with a premade base, no need to handle lye.
Our farmhouse back on our little Northern California homestead, was equipped with two (yes, TWO!) kitchens. One was my dedicated soaping room.
It had a sink, tiled countertops, and tons of cupboard space for all my soaping supplies. I could close the door to keep little ones out or hide the mess if I didn’t feel like cleaning up right away. It was bright and sunny and I looooooved it.
But then, we moved. My husband may have draged me, clawing and crying, out of my soaping studio.
I do love our farm here in Idaho, and it is perfect in every way… except it doesn’t have a soaping studio. I’m hanging my hopes on a she-shed-soap-studio one day. Or maybe a vintage-trailer-turned-soap-studio. That would be cool, don’t you think?
Right now, I house all of my soaping equipment in the cellar. It’s nice as far as cellars go. It’s not dank or dirty, and all four walls have sturdy shelves for storage.
But there’s no sink, no counter top, no bright sunny windows facing a flowering crab apple tree. Basically, a major downgrade from what I had before.
So, now to make cold process soap I have to go down to the cellar…
Carry up all my ingredients and equipment….
Banish everyone from the kitchen for a period of time…
Holler like a crazy person if anyone dares come in for a snack (because lye, you know)…
And then find a suitable place for my soap to set in the mold for a day or two where it can’t be poked at by tiny toddler fingers.
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Needless to say, cold process soap has not been made since we moved here nine months ago.
For all of you soapers who make cold (or hot) process soap in your kitchens regularly: You. Are. Amazing. And dedicated. I’m impressed.
I’ve gone back to make soap making roots, so to speak, and making melt and pour soap again.
An entire batch of melt and pour soap can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes, with minimal ingredients and equipment needed.
Fifteen minutes, friend! And there’s no lye to keep away from inquisitive little hands.
This melt and pour chamomile shea butter soap recipe is one that I’ve been making regularly here. It’s lovely. It takes just a few minutes to make, a few hours to set up, and is ready to use as soon as you unmold it.
This Chamomile Shea Butter Soap recipe is quickly becoming a family favorite (OK, it’s MY favorite. I’m not even sure my family gives a goat’s bum about the different types of soap I make. All they care about is if it suds.)
But this soap is ultra-gentle and moisturizing, and looks sweet, rustic, and pretty. Even if you’ve never made a single bar of soap in your life, you can make this!
New To Soap Making? Grab this Free Guide To Get Started Off Right!
If you’re brand new to soap making, I’d like to offer you a simple guide to get you started off right. In it you’ll learn all the basics you need to know to start making melt and pour soap like a pro.
Sign up for the guide below, then continue reading on for the super easy Chamomile Shea Butter Soap Recipe.
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Chamomile Shea Butter Soap Recipe Without Lye
This recipe makes 4 (4 ounce) bars of soap. If your craft store doesn’t have shea butter soap base, no worries. You can use whatever they have; it will all work the same.
Ingredients:
- 1 lbs. shea butter melt and pour soap base (most blocks of soap base come in 2 lbs. blocks; use half for this recipe and save the rest for another project)
- 1 tablespoon chamomile powder (or contents of 3 chamomile tea bags)
Supplies:
- Knife and cutting board for cutting soap base
- Small pot
- Spoon or silicone spatula
- Soap mold or silicone muffin pan (I thought the star molds were super cute for this, but use whatever mold you like)
- Small spritz bottle full of rubbing alcohol
Step 1: Cut the shea butter soap base into approximately 1 inch chunks. No need to be precise, just cut it up and toss the pieces into a small pot.
Step 2: On low heat, warm the soap base gently until just melted.
Step 3: After the soap base is completely melted, pour in the chamomile and stir gently until thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat.
Step 4: Pour the melted soap base into the soap mold. Immediately spritz with rubbing alcohol to remove any air bubbles.
Step 5: Let set undisturbed until soap is completely cooled. This takes several hours or overnight. Although the soap will seem set after less than an hour, it will still be too soft and pliable to easily remove from the mold. Patience here, friend!
Step 6: Pop from the molds. Your soap is ready to use right away.
How to store your soap: Melt and pour soap bars should be kept wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, or sealed in a plastic bag. This prevents soap bars from “weeping.”
Shelf life: If you keep your soap tightly wrapped and away from moisture, your soap has a shelf life of at least two years.
Don’t forget to sign up to get your free soap making guide. And enjoy your handmade soap!
