Homemade Lush-Like Lavender Sleepy Soap

Calming essential oil blends transform your bathroom into a pre-bedtime sanctuary with this homemade sleep soap with calming lavender. Coupled with a hot shower to relax muscles and turn off the nervous system, these soaps will revolutionize your bedtime routine and have you sleeping through the night in no time.

When was the last time you had a really good night’s sleep? For me, I honestly can’t remember. Aging, stress, and hormones have all affected my ability to either fall asleep or stay asleep, and I often wake up feeling exhausted. Which is why I’ve resorted to things like herbal remedies and hot showers before bed to get my body into sleep mode.

I added a simple swirl technique to give these homemade lavender soaps those dreamy, cloud-like patterns in vibrant blues and soft whites. But even if you skip the swirl in the Lush lookalikes, they’ll still be super effective (and smell amazing).

Supplies

Here’s what you’ll need to gather before you get started:

• Melt and pour soap base — You can use any type of soap base you like. Clear glycerin, white, goat milk, shea butter, or coconut milk bases all work well. But whichever one you choose, I recommend sticking with the same type and brand, rather than mixing different bases together.
• Mica powder — Mica is a great natural colorant that won’t irritate the skin or cause an allergic reaction.
• Round soap mold — Single-cavity silicone molds are my go-to because the soap cools quickly (this prevents the colors from swirling and settling too much as the soap cools) and pops out easily. 
• Heat-safe containers — Glass measuring cups or microwave-safe bowls work perfectly. You’ll need one for each color you’re planning to use.
• Stirring utensils — Silicone spatulas or spoons are ideal for stirring in your colors and essential oils.
• Wooden skewers — Ideal for swirling soap colors.
• Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle — This is essential for popping bubbles and helping layers adhere to each other if you’re doing a layered pour.
• Thermometer — To get the best swirls, you want the temperature to be somewhere around 120°F. Without a thermometer its hard to know when the soap reaches the perfect temperature, so I highly recommend investing in one. 
• Essential oils — As always, you can use whatever oils you have at home, or you can choose from the sleepy time blends below.

Essential Oils for Sleep

If you want your soap to smell as relaxing as it looks, essential oils are the way to go. Whether that’s classic lavender, cozy chamomile, or something with a hint of cedarwood or ylang ylang, there’s definitely a scent in there that’ll work for you.

Here are some of my favorite oils for creating that sleepy-time atmosphere:

• Lavender — The classic calming floral. Lavender is probably the most well-known essential oil for relaxation, and for good reason! It has a soft, herbal scent that just makes you want to curl up and unwind.
• Chamomile — Soft and incredibly grounding, Roman chamomile is especially gentle and works beautifully in sleep blends.
• Cedarwood — Warm and steadying cedarwood has a woody, slightly sweet scent that’s perfect for evening. It pairs really well with lavender.
• Bergamot — This one’s a little unexpected. Bergamot is bright and citrusy, but it also has relaxing properties that help quiet the mind. Just use it sparingly since it can be a bit strong.
• Ylang ylang — Lush, floral, and deeply soothing. A little goes a long way with ylang ylang, so use it lightly or it can be overwhelming.

Instructions

I’m keeping this high-level here since there’s a detailed recipe card at the end, but here’s the basic process:

Melt and mix the soap. Cut your soap base into small cubes and melt each color in separate containers using the microwave (in short bursts) or a double boiler. Stir in your chosen colors and essential oils until everything is evenly distributed.

Dreamy Essential Oil Blends

You need a total of 1-2 teaspoons of essential oil per pound of soap base so you may need to scale these blends up depending on how much soap base you’re using and your own personal preference.

1. Soothing Lavender Blend

30 drops Lavender + 16 drops Cedarwood + 6 drops Bergamot

2. Nighty Night Blend

25 drops Roman Chamomile + 12 drops Lavender + 8 drops Vanilla

3. PM Calm Blend

20 drops Cedarwood + 8 drops Ylang Ylang + 5 drops Lavender

Let it cool slightly (this is important!) If the soap is too hot when you pour it, the colors will blend together and you’ll lose that beautiful swirl definition. Aim for 120°F, give or take a few degrees.

Pour the colors into the mold at the same time. Then lightly drag a skewer through the soap 1-2 times to create the swirl. Pouring simultaneously ensure that you can see the swirl on all the surface of the soap.

Let it harden and unmold. This usually takes at least 4-5 hours. If the soap is being stubborn, pop the mold in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to help it release.

Top Tip

In order to get those gorgeous, distinct swirls, let the colors cool a little longer than you think you should before pouring. I know it’s tempting to pour right away, but slightly thicker soap creates more distinct, dreamy swirls and keeps the colors from muddying together. Trust me on this one, patience pays off!

Storage

Melt and pour soap naturally attracts moisture from the air, which creates those little beads on the surface. So you’ll want to wrap finished bars in plastic wrap to prevent glycerin dew. 

Then store in a cool, dry place away from bright sunlight. Depending on your soap base and colorant, you may find that the swirls start to bleed into each other over time, and heat and light can exacerbate this.

If this happens, either melt the bars down and blend the colors so there’s no more bleed. Or toss them out and make a fresh a batch.

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FAQ

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