Scrub With Sugar: Handmade Lavender Grapefruit Soap

I like this particular scrub with sugar recipe because it's easy to use in a bar form. I like to use melt and pour soap as it's easy to work with. So my 11-year-old and 7-year-old daughters can work alongside me.

We recently started including homesteading crafts like soapmaking as part of our homeschool day.

You'll find melt and pour soap at most craft stores or online.

You'll find several types of melt and pour soaps at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I buy mine from Amazon because we live in such a remote area.

Most stores carry a few types of this soap. But the goat’s milk works really well for this scrub with sugar lavender grapefruit soap bar.

Goat's milk soap is a great balance for the sugar and oils. So it adds a nice moisturizing component to the recipe. It's easier to slice than other soaps are too.

Usually, it comes in either 2 lb. or 5 lb. size, and the 2 lb. size will be pre-scored into cubes for you, which makes it easier to measure out.

• The other ingredients needed for this homestead soap recipe includelavender essential oil
• grapefruit essential oil
• sweet almond oil
• lilac soap colorant( optional)
• sugar

Why do I use sweet almond oil when I make body scrub with sugar?

Because it's one of the few ingredients that doesn't trigger and/or irritate exzema.

Recently (after a long, dry, stressful winter) I developed eczema on my inner elbows, chin, and the left side of my face. It's painful, itchy, and looks awful. The sweet almond oil seems to soothe it. So I'll stick with it.

Sweet almond oil is great for the skin and body. Also, it has almost zero scents. so I prefer to use it over most other types of oils. You can also use olive oil, jojoba, or sunflower oil if you prefer one of those instead.

Lavender and grapefruit essential oils are two of our favorite scents on their own. And when combined? Even better. You get a fresh, light scent that is a great mood booster, but they both also offer their own health benefits that make for a great bar of soap.

Lavender oil is probably the most popular of all essential oils and it has so many benefits for your body and mind.

It's cleansing and great for healing and comfort for skin issues. It increases collagen, calms irritations, is antifungal, great for treating allergies, and is wonderful to calm and boost the mood.

When our sixth child was diagnozed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis six years ago, we began apply one drop of lavender essential oil and one drop of peppermint essential oil to each knee and ankle when she had a flareup. Without fail, and within minutes, the pain would subside. So we always keep lavender essential oil on hand.

Grapefruit is a sweet-smelling citrus oil. I absolutely love the scent of grapefruit oil! (Maybe because after living in the subarctic for so long, the scent reminds me of warmer weather.)

Now grapefruit essential oil combines well with other flowery or woodsy oils. And it also helps to lower stress and makes you feel happier.

It protects and soothes the skin and cleanses it as well. And it is good for fighting infections, boosts the immune system, and is good for metabolism.

Putting all these awesome ingredients together makes for a wonderful bar of moisturizing and exfoliating soap that everyone will appreciate.

You will need two critical supplies to make these scrub with sugar lavender grapefruit soap bars: silicone molds and goat’s milk melt and pour soap base. The molds can be just about any size you’d like but these are equivalent to a standard size bar of soap.

If you have smaller-sized molds, I suggest using half the recipe instead. I prefer to usee silicone molds for things like this because they work so well and the details come out beautiful.

• 1.5 cups or 12 cubes goat milk soap base
• 2 tsp. sweet almond oil
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 16 drops lilac soap colorant (or if you prefer not to use this, you will have lovely, pure white soap)
• 30 drops lavender essential oil
• 26 drops grapefruit essential oil

Grab a cutting board and a good sturdy knife and chop the soap base into 12 cubes. If your soap isn’t already scored into cubes, you will need about 1-2 slices of the soap, 1” thick and then cut into 1” cubes.

It is hard to tell exactly how much you have until you melt it down, so I always start by melting one good slice, which typically is around eight cubes worth. This also helps the melting process go better too than trying to melt it all at once.

Place the cubes into a large-sized glass measuring cup that is big enough to use for mixing the whole recipe in, and then run for 90 seconds in the microwave.

Yes, we live off the grid. And yes, I do use a microwave when I’m making soap. You can read more about this in my post on Goat Milk Soaps for Sinus Relief.

While you are melting that, get out your molds and make sure they are nice and clean. Set them in a place that is flat and good for cooling down the soap later.

Now take a rubber spatula and stir the soap to see if it is all smooth. There may be some cubes at the bottom still not melted fully and this is normal. Turn the soap over and few times and scrape the sides then place it back into the microwave about 30 seconds more if needed.

Check to see how much soap. It should measure around 1 cup.

Add in the rest of the cubes and also go ahead and measure out and add the sweet almond oil too. Microwave this mixture for 30 seconds, then stir and repeat if the soap is not fully melted yet.

Note: it's easy for the soap to boil over once it is good and hot on the bottom. So I recommend not running the microwave for more than 30 seconds at a time from here on out. I’ve had soap boil over and run out into the microwave and it is not fun to clean up.

Make sure the soap has completely liquefied before adding the sugar.

Add in each essential oil carefully. Count the drops and stir as you do. Lavender essential oil and grapefruit essential oil are both thin oils and run out fast once they get momentum, so be cautious.

If you're using a colorant, add that next. Stir it in well as you add, turning the soap from the bottom and scraping the sides too, so you get it evenly dispersed.

Give the cup another good scraping to get any thicker soap back into the middle and then microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Now for the Sugar

Now you can add in the sugar. I like to do half-cups at a time, pouring in slowly as I stir. I find that if I just pour the whole cup in, or worse, the whole cup and a half, it turns to a big lump that's tricky to break up.

If you get a lumpy ball going though, don’t panic. Just take your knife and chop it up into a few pieces and microwave it in 30-second intervals until it is melted again.

Once your sugar is all stirred in you should be ready to pour. If, however, you find the mixture has thickened up at all, give it another 30 seconds in the microwave and then stir well, mashing down any lumps, and then you can pour.

Pour the soap into the molds slowly and fill to about ¾ full until you have all six done. Then go back and top them off if you have more left, making them all about the same thickness.

Let the soaps cool completely. This usually takes 1 - 2 hours.

Don’t move or jiggle the molds during this process or your soap design can be ruined. Feel the bottom center to check and if they feel the same cool temperature all over, you are good to remove them.

Carefully peel each bar from the mold with one hand while holding the mold with the other. They should come out easily. Now flip them right-side-up and allow to cool about 15-20 minutes to release any extra moisture they may still have.

Once this step is done, your soaps are ready for use! They work great in the shower for rough spots like elbows, knees, and feet, and they’re good for keeping by the sink too.

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