Clean dirty hands with this easy-to-make melt and pour soap. This two-layer gardener’s soap is infused with common plants found in your yard, skin soothing oatmeal and a combination of bergamot and lime to add floral, citrus notes.

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Weeds.

These pesky little plants seem to pop up everywhere. On our sidewalks, in the lawn and in our beloved garden. During the winter the enemy (aka weeds) seems to lurk beneath the surface, waiting to erupt the moment spring arrives. One day your garden looks peaceful and perfect, the next it is covered in dandelions and thistles. Or the dreaded bind weed. Oh the horror!

Thankfully by using the back to eden gardening method, the last couple of years, we have had minimal weeds.

But this year the battle has begun.

Thistles in the mulch. Grass in the decorative landscaping. And ground cover creeping its way into the garden.

Since we only use organic gardening methods, we do not use pesticides to rid our land of these dreadful beings. I suppose I could do a Gandalf from Lord of the Rings and stand in authority at the entrance of our garden declaring “you shall not pass!” but I doubt I have will have much success.

Instead of stressing over every little weed, I discovered that I could use some of these weeds in our homemade body care products. Weeds like dandelion, plantain and violets all have medicinal properties. They may be a nuisance to some but to an herbalist, these medicinal weeds are like gold, with their many beneficial healing attributes.

Easy Melt & Pour Soap Recipe

In this homemade soap recipe, I use a moisturizing goat’s milk soap base to hydrate the skin. Dandelion flowers are the highlight of the first soap layer. Not only do they turn the soap a beautiful yellow but they also help soothe dry, chapped skin. The bottom layer features the common garden weeds, plantain and violet. Plantain has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties and helps to treat rashes and dry skin while the violet leaves are moisturizing. Oatmeal was added in as a mild exfoliant and a touch of agave gives the soap bar a little extra lather. The melt and pour soap is scented with bergamot and lime for its floral and citrus aroma.

Does Melt and Pour Soap Contain Lye?

Yes. Cold and hot process soaps are made from scratch using lye and other various ingredients. Using a melt and pour soap base, do not require you to handle lye because that step was already completed during the process of making the soap base.

Can Melt and Pour Soap Be Used Right Away?

Yes, unlike cold process and hot process soaps that often need weeks to cure, melt and pour soap can be used as soon as it solidifies in your chosen mold.

Can Melt and Pour Soap Be Remelted?

If you make a mistake or your soap didn’t quite turn out like you had planned, you can simply remelt the goat’s milk melt and pour soap base.

Where to Buy Melt and Pour Soap Base?

There are a variety of sellers online but my favorite have been Amazon and Brambleberry.

What Temperature Does Melt and Pour Soap Melt At?

Generally 120°-142° F but every soap base is a little different. 

Gardener’s Bar Soap

Makes: 7 bars

Ingredients

1/3 cup (7 g) fresh or dried dandelion flowers
1/4 cup (3 g) fresh or frozen violet leaves
1/4 cup (5 g) fresh or frozen plantain leaves
16 oz goat’s milk soap base, divided
1 tbsp (30 ml) water, divided
2 Tbs (15 g) finely ground oats, divided
1 tsp agave or honey
1 tsp tsp bergamot essential oil, divided
1/2 tsp lime essential oil, divided 
Soap mold

How to Make Melt and Pour Soap

Cut the goat’s milk soap base in half, using only 8 ounces for each layer of the soap. Chop the soap base into small cubes to make melting quicker.

In a double boiler or heatproof glass bowl, combine the dandelion flowers, 1/2 tablespoon of water and half of the goat’s milk soap base (8 oz). Set the bowl on top of a saucepan with a few inches of water inside the pan. Loosely cover the bowl with a plate or heatproof lid to keep the soap environment warm and steamy. Turn the heat to low and melt for 10 minutes. Once the soap base starts to melt, continue to infuse for another 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. The soap will turn a lovely light yellow color.

While the dandelion soap is infusing, add the violet leaves, plantain leaves, 1/2 tablespoon of water and the rest of the soap base (8 ounces) into another heatproof bowl and melt for another 30 minutes, until the soap base has turned light green.

Remove the bowl from heat, discard the dandelion flowers and allow to the mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes or until the temperature is 125-130 degrees. This will help prevent the oatmeal to fall to the bottom of the soap. Stir in 1 tablespoon of ground oats, 1/2 teaspoon agave, 1/2 teaspoon bergamot essential oil and 1/4 teaspoon lime essential oil. Pour into your mold and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Once the plantain and violet soap is melted, remove from heat. Discard the leaves and cool for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the remaining oatmeal, agave and essential oils. Slowly pour the plantain and violet soap on top of the dandelion layer until the soap mold is filled to the top.

Allow the soap to cool for several hours before removing from the mold. Store in cool, dry place. Or wrap up and give the bar of soap as a gift to a gardening friend.

Love making soap at home? Try out some of our favorite diy soap recipes including, vanilla mocha, sweet autumn spice and calendula and oatmeal.

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