For this homemade green tea and turmeric soap recipe I really wanted to combine two natural ingredients that have shown to have wonderful properties when used in skin care – green tea and turmeric root powder. The result was a convenient, everyday product that harnesses green teas antioxidant properties and combines it with turmeric’s powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and skin lightening properties perfect for those age spots.
How to Make Green Tea & Turmeric Soap
To create this green tea and turmeric soap recipe, I used a strong, cold brewed green tea in place of the water. I then addedturmericto mysoapmaking oils which include three separate soapmaking butters – shea, mango and cocoa – for a truly luxurious homemade soap with extra skin conditioning properties. (I mean everyone needs that in the winter, right?) In addition, I also made this cold process soap recipe palm free.
Skin Care Benefits of Green Tea & Turmeric Soap
Green tea, of course, is prized for its powerful antioxidant properties. That’s one of the reasons we drink it, right? (What antioxidants do is bind to oxidants, also known as free radicals, that cause cell damage and neutralize them so don’t damage the cells.) Because antioxidants can deactivate free radicals, it’s believed that they can also help to repair damage to skin tissue as well as prevent aging when used in skin care. (Source.)
Turmeric root powderhas been used for centuries inAyurvedic medicine.Turmeric’s primary active ingredient,curcumin, has shown promising results in helping to fight cancerand slow cancer growth. (Source.)It also has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties when taken internally. (I take turmeric capsules dailyfor just this reason and it helps considerably!)In skin care, turmeric’s natural antiseptic,antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties means it naturally helps to fight acneand blemishes. Turmeric is also used in traditional Indian skin care remedies to lighten and brighten the skin as well as to even out skin tone and lighten pigmentation and dark spots that come with aging.
Homemade Green Tea & Turmeric Soap Recipe
© Rebecca D. Dillon
Ingredients:
8 oz. coconut oil
2 oz. cocoa butter
1.5 oz. mango butter
2.5 oz. safflower oil
1 oz. shea butter
3 oz. castor oil
1 oz. hemp seed oil
2 oz. avocado oil
15 oz. olive oil
4.9 oz. lye/sodium hydroxide
11.8 oz. strong brewed green tea
1 oz. 60% solution liquid sodium lactate
1.5 oz. turmeric root powder
dried calendula flowers, optional
2 oz. fragrance oil, optional
Soap Making Notes:
Water as % of oils=33% (This is a softer soft even with the sodium lactate, especially if you’re using a fragrance oil for scent. If you need your soapto harden quicker try using 30% water discount.)
Superfat=6%
The sodium lactate was used at 2.7% of the total oil weight.
As with most of my homemade soap recipes, my homemade green tea and turmeric soap recipe will fit inside one of my DIY wooden loaf soap moldsand will yield approximately 10-12 bars depending on how thick you cut them.
To Make the Green Tea:
I used Adagio’s fantastic cold-brew citron green tea for this green tea and turmeric soap recipe. Their cold brew pouches are my favorite as there’s no work involved other than dropping a cold-brew iced tea pouch into a pitcher of water overnight. (I sweeten mine afterwards with simple syrup.) They also work well for this homemade soap recipe.
To make the strong brewed green tea you’ll need to combine 15 oz. of distilled water with two cold-brew citron green tea pouches. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Then remove the green tea pouches and squeeze out the excess. (You need to use more water than called for in the recipe as the tea will retain some of the water content. If there’s leftover green tea,you can use the extra green teato mix with these DIY facial cleansing grains!)
Soapmaking Instructions for How to Make Green Tea & Turmeric Soap Recipe:
To make this homemade green tea and turmeric soap recipe, you’ll need to follow mybasic cold process soapmaking method instructions.(If you’ve never made cold process soap before here’s a good, inexpensive beginner’s cold process soap recipe.) Be sure to take all proper safety precautions when working with lye including goggles and gloves.
Begin by measuring out the refrigeratedgreen tea you’ve preparedin fluid ounces. Pour into a heat safe pitcher. Next, using a digital scale weigh out the lye. Slowly pour the lye into the water in a well ventilated area and stir until all the lye has dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Next,weigh out the soapmaking oils and butters using a digital scale.Combine in a stainless steel potthen heat over medium heat on the stoveuntil all the oils and butters have melted.Once melted, remove the soapmaking oils and butters from heat and set aside.
You can mix this green tea and turmeric soap recipe at any point in which your lye solutionand soapmaking oils havecooled to around 95°F-110°F.Once you’re ready to make the soap, weigh out the sodium lactate and stir into the lye solution. Then weigh out the turmeric root powder and mix into the melted soapmaking oils using a stick blender.You are now ready to mix the lye solution and soapmaking oils together.
Slowly pour the lye solution into the soapmaking oils. Mix with a stick blenderuntil you reach a light trace, then add your fragrance oil if desired. Continue mixing until you reach at least a a medium trace. (Because of the properties of ingredients used in this homemade soap recipe – especially the high percentage of oliveoil and the lack of palm oil – this does take a bit longer to trace than most of my other soap recipes.)
Once, your soap has traced, pour the soap batter into your prepared mold. Add calendula petals to the top of the soap for visual interest if desired. Finally, you’ll need to cover your soap for the saponification process. Cover with a piece of cardboard cut to fit your mold then place a folded towel or blanket over the mold to insulate it.
If you’re using a wooden loaf soap mold, youcan remove your soap from the mold the next day. However, you’ll want to wait an additional day before cutting the soap into individual bars to the soap a bit of extra time to harden further. If you’re using a silicone loaf mold or individual silicone (shape) molds, I’d wait two to three daysbefore attempting to unmold the soap to be sure the soap releases from the mold cleanly.
Allow your soap to cure for four to six weeks, then wrap and label your homemade soaps as desired for yourself, friends and family or to sell. (If you’re selling your homemade green tea and turmeric soaps in the United States, be sure to label your homemade soaps with the weight and refrain from making any medical claims about the final product.)
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