4 Beautiful Holiday Soap Recipes

I’m very excited to be able to share with you this year’s holiday soap recipes. Like my Fall soap recipes, I’ve put together Holiday and Christmas soap recipes each year for a while.

These are part of the Frugal & Healthy DIY Holidays event.

I’ve been brainstorming and have come up with 4 new recipes and new ideas for fun holiday soaps. These make wonderful gifts and make the home smell festive.

Create great memories with natural scents made with essential oil blends. These soaps’ scent will permeate a room, making a relaxing, end of the year memory.

Before I continue with this year’s soap recipes, check out some from years past.

• 7 homemade holiday soap recipes
• 6 Christmas soap recipes
• 9 Christmas soap recipes
• Apple cider soap
• Champaign soap
• Candy cane soap
• Frankincense and myrrh soap

The Holiday Soap

This year, I had a lot of fun putting these scents and looks together. They are pretty AND very uplifting, energizing, or grounding. Here’s what I’ve called them:

1. Gift of the Magi
2. Eggnog
3. Party Time
4. Happy Memories

The Gift of the Magi soap is made with Frankincense, Myrrh, and Cedarwood essential oils and has golden swirls.

The Eggnog soap is amazing, whether you like eggnog or not, you’ll love this soap (Hint: Call it warm winter if you don’t like eggnog). It has a warm, grounding scent made with vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon essential oils. It has a white swirl in speckled cream.

Party Time soap is made with the energizing essential oils of basil, eucalyptus, and peppermint. Studies have shown that these oils are uplifting, making them a great “party soap” or a cure for winter blues. Make this in all one color, or three layers.

The Happy Memories soap is made with ylang ylang, bergamot, and peppermint essential oils. I absolutely love ylang ylang. If you’re not a fan, switch it out for rose or geranium to create a happiness soap that lifts the mood. This soap has beautiful red swirls to complete the uplifting effect.

4 Homemade Holiday Soap Recipes

Each soap recipe will make 2 pounds or 8 four ounce bars of soap. The superfat content for these bars is set at 10%, making them great for winter skin.

Gift of the Magi Soap

Makes: 2 pounds or 8 four ounce bars

Superfat: 10%

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces olive oil
• 7 ounces coconut oil
• 3 ounces sweet almond oil
• 3 ounces cocoa butter
• 2 ounces shea butter
• 7.7 ounces water
• 3.2 ounces lye
• 0.25 ounces frankincense essential oil
• 0.20 ounces myrrh essential oil
• 0.30 ounces cedarwood essential oil
• 1-2 tablespoons turmeric powder

Directions:

1. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter over medium to low heat. Heat until melted and then move off of burner and allow to cool until around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using gloves and goggles, measure lye by pouring it into a zip close bag on a kitchen scale. Set aside and weigh the water in a plastic or glass bowl. Take the bag of lye and the water outside. Put on a charcoal mask and pour lye into the water and stir until it is dissolved. Do not breathe in the fumes. The chemical reaction will end and the fumes will dissipate in a few minutes. Allow to cool to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When both oils and lye water has cooled, pour lye water into the pot of oils and blend with a stick blender on and off until light trace (starts to thicken. Learn more about trace here.).
4. Add essential oils and blend well.
5. Remove 1/2 cup of soap into a separate bowl and add turmeric. Whisk to get rid of any lumps. It should be a very bright yellow/orange. This color will fade a lot! Make sure it’s bright. That’s why I said to add 1-2 Tablespoons. Use your judgement.
6. Pour the main soap batch into a prepared mold (lined if necessary). Use a rubber spatula to scrape well.
7. Drizzle the orange soap back an forth over the other soap. Place a dowel rod straight down to the bottom in one corner and pull it back and forth in the opposite direction that you poured the orange soap. You can also make tiny swirls with the dowel rod, up and down the mold. Less is usually better. Too much and you’ll use the sharp lines.
8. Cover. Insulate with towels if your home is cool. After 24 hours, remove from mold and cut into bars. If soap is still very soft, leave it in the mold for 12-24 hours and check again. Cure bars in a cool, dry place for 3-6 weeks to harden.

Eggnog Soap

Makes: 2 pounds or 8 four ounce bars

Superfat: 10%

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces olive oil
• 6 ounces coconut oil
• 3 ounces cocoa butter
• 3 ounces castor oil
• 2 ounces beeswax (Beeswax adds moisture, but you can use cocoa butter if vegan)
• 7 ounces water
• 2.8 ounces lye
• 0.25 ounces cinnamon essential oil
• 0.15 ounces nutmeg essential oil
• 0.35 ounces vanilla essential oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 tablespoons kaolin clay

Directions:

1. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, castor oil, and beeswax over medium to low heat. Heat until melted and then move off of burner and allow to cool until around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using gloves and goggles, measure lye by pouring it into a zip close bag on a kitchen scale. Set aside and weigh the water in a plastic or glass bowl. Take the bag of lye and the water outside. Put on a charcoal mask and pour lye into the water and stir until it is dissolved. Do not breathe in the fumes. The chemical reaction will end and the fumes will dissipate in a few minutes. Allow to cool to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When both oils and lye water has cooled, pour lye water into the pot of oils and blend with a stick blender on and off until light trace (starts to thicken. Learn more about trace here.).
4. Add essential oils and blend well.
5. Remove 1/2 cup of soap into a separate bowl and add 1-1/2 tablespoons kaolin clay. Whisk to get rid of any lumps.
6. Add the ground cinnamon to the main batch and pour it into a prepared mold (lined if necessary).
7. Drizzle the white soap back an forth over the main batch of soap. Place a dowel rod straight down to the bottom in one corner and pull it back and forth in the opposite direction that you poured the white soap. You can also make tiny swirls with the dowel rod, up and down the mold.
8. Cover. Insulate with towels if your home is cool. After 24 hours, remove from mold and cut into bars. If soap is still very soft, leave it in the mold for 12-24 hours and check again. Cure bars in a cool, dry place for 3-6 weeks to harden.

Party Time Soap

This soap has three layers. If you’re not ready to make a layered soap, just choose one of the colors and add a little more until you get the color you’re looking for.

This soap has tallow. IF you’re vegan, simply use one of the other recipes but these essential oils and colors.

Makes: 2 pounds or 8 four ounce bars

Superfat: 10%

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces tallow
• 5 ounces olive oil
• 5 ounces coconut oil
• 3 ounces castor oil
• 3 ounces avocado oil
• 7.4 ounces water
• 3 ounces lye
• 0.25 ounces basil essential oil
• 0.25 ounces eucalyptus essential oil
• 0.25 ounces peppermint essential oil
• 1 tablespoon rose clay
• 1 tablespoons kaolin clay
• 1 teaspoon spirulina powder

Directions:

1. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, castor oil, and beeswax over medium to low heat. Heat until melted and then move off of burner and allow to cool until around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using gloves and goggles, measure lye by pouring it into a zip close bag on a kitchen scale. Set aside and weigh the water in a plastic or glass bowl. Take the bag of lye and the water outside. Put on a charcoal mask and pour lye into the water and stir until it is dissolved. Do not breathe in the fumes. The chemical reaction will end and the fumes will dissipate in a few minutes. Allow to cool to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When both oils and lye water has cooled, pour lye water into the pot of oils and blend with a stick blender on and off until light trace (starts to thicken. Learn more about trace here.).
4. Add essential oils and mix well.
5. Divide the soap into 3 parts. Each should weigh around 11 ounces.
6. To the first, add spirulina and whisk well so there are no lumps. To the second, add rose clay and whisk well so there are no lumps. To the third, add the kaolin clay and whisk well so there are no lumps.
7. When all three bowls of soap are at thick trace (like pudding), pour the green soap into the mold. pour the white soap on top of the green soap by putting a rubber spatula under the pour so that it slows it down and the pour doesn’t make a hole into the green soap. Level with the rubber spatula. Repeat with the pink/red soap on top.
8. Cover. Insulate with towels if your home is cool. After 24 hours, remove from mold and cut into bars. If soap is still very soft, leave it in the mold for 12-24 hours and check again. Cure bars in a cool, dry place for 3-6 weeks to harden.

Happy Memories Soap

Makes: 2 pounds or 8 four ounce bars

Superfat: 10%

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces babassu oil (or coconut oil)
• 7 ounces organic canola oil
• 4 ounces cocoa butter
• 3 ounces apricot kernel oil
• 2 ounces sweet almond oil
• 7.4 ounces water
• 3.1 ounces lye
• 0.15 ounces ylang ylang essential oil
• 0.30 ounces bergamot essential oil
• 0.25 ounces peppermint essential oil
• 1 tablespoon rose clay

Directions:

1. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the babassu oil, organic canola oil, cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil, and sweet almond oil over medium to low heat. Heat until melted and then move off of burner and allow to cool until around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using gloves and goggles, measure lye by pouring it into a zip close bag on a kitchen scale. Set aside and weigh the water in a plastic or glass bowl. Take the bag of lye and the water outside. Put on a charcoal mask and pour lye into the water and stir until it is dissolved. Do not breathe in the fumes. The chemical reaction will end and the fumes will dissipate in a few minutes. Allow to cool to about 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When both oils and lye water has cooled, pour lye water into the pot of oils and blend with a stick blender on and off until light trace (starts to thicken. Learn more about trace here.).
4. Add essential oils and mix well.
5. Remove 1/2 cup of soap to another bowl. Add rose clay to the bowl and whisk well until there are no lumps.
6. Pour main batch of soap into a prepared mold. Drizzle rose colored soap back and forth over the mold. Insert a dowel rod into one corner and pull soap back and forth in the opposite direction that you poured the red soap.
7. When happy with the design, cover the mold. Insulate with towels if your home is cool. After 24 hours, remove from mold and cut into bars. If soap is still very soft, leave it in the mold for 12-24 hours and check again. Cure bars in a cool, dry place for 3-6 weeks to harden.

Thank you so much for trying my recipes. Let me know what your favorite is and ideas you have for next time. let me know if you have any questions.