Homemade Lemon Soap {Mother’s Day Gift Ideas}

by 83 Comments

This homemade lemon soap recipe smells amazing, it’s definitely one you’ll want to try. The lemon zest gives the soap a great texture and the citrus scent will leave your hands feeling rejuvenated. With only three ingredients required this soap recipe is easy to make and makes a wonderful handmade gift.

Mother's Day gift ideas and homemade soap tutorial

DIY Lemon Soap

If you’ve been following along my soap making adventures this year I have to say that this is my favorite so far! For this recipe I used the goat’s milk soap base, because it makes soap making a breeze and it’s available at most craft stores. Beside the citrus scent what I like is that I don’t need to add any colorant to the soap, it’s totally optional. The lemon zest mixed with the melted soap produces a yellow color on it’s own. To make lemon soap you will need a soap base (goat’s milk, shea, or glycerin), lemon essential oil and lemon zest. Mother's Day Gift Ideas

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Homemade Lemon Soap

Supplies:

1 1/2 cups Goats Milk Soap Base or Shea Butter Soap Base, cubed

4-6 drops Lemon Essential Oil

Dried Lemon zest of 3-4 lemons


More DIY Soap Ideas

Step one: Cut soap into cubes and microwave in 30 second intervals (I like to use a large Pyrex measuring cup to melt the soap in). This recipe makes 3 bars of soap and I used about 15 cubes of goat’s milk soap base.

Step two: Melt soap for about a minute. Add another 15-30 seconds if it’s not completely melted.

Step three: Once soap cubes have liquified add a few drops of the lemon essential oil and the lemon zest; stir well.

Step four: Pour into soap molds and allow to harden for at least one hour. Press mold to release soap.

 ***Update: For longer lasting soap omit the lemon zest and use yellow soap dye for color (if desired). The essential oil will provide enough lemon scent without the lemon zest.

 Looking for more homemade Mother’s Day gift ideas? Here are some of my favorite!

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Thanks for stopping by!

DIY Lemon Soap - easy melt and pour soap tutorial made with lemon essential oilsHow to make lemon soap - this homemade lemon soap smells amazing and makes a lovely handmade gift!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife

    May 3, 2013 at 6:41 pm

    Mmmm. Lemon soap sounds so refreshing! Soap making has been on my to-do list for a while now, I might have to give this a try before I try it “the old fashioned way”. (Yes, I actually have lard hanging out in my freezer for whenever I get the guts to try it!)

    Reply

  5. Nicole

    May 4, 2013 at 6:05 am

    I am going to have to try some of these out! They look amazing!! I am a new follower from southern charm! I would love for you to check out my blog and hopefully you will want to follow me back! Happy weekend, Nicole!

    Reply

  8. JaneEllen

    May 4, 2013 at 3:13 pm

    You make it sound very easy so to challenge my cowardly ways I’m gonna have to try it. Love lovely smelling soaps for freshening bathrooms. What could be better than lemon? I’ve printed out your other home beauty aids also. Wonderful gifts for anytime, so glad you shared these ideas.Happy Weekend.
    I have some pretty soaps I bought about 4 yrs. ago and they still have a fragrance after I put them in a jar or bag for little while to refresh their fragrance. To me that’s a big luxury. Love to pretty up our bathrooms for Spring or any season.

    Reply

  9. Tanya

    May 4, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    Just shared on Facebook and Pinned! This looks amazing Crystal, all of your Mother’s Day ideas are wonderful. Have a great weekend :)

    xo, Tanya

    Reply

    • Crystal

      May 5, 2013 at 9:20 pm

      Lakota » Hi Lakota! I don’t think that will work, but I’ve never tried it. I’m using an actual soap base that’s solid and melts then is put into a mold which then hardens again. You can find the soap base online or at your local craft store. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  17. Liz Fourez

    May 6, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    I love following along on your soap making adventures! These look so pretty, and I bet smell amazing! I need to jump on the bandwagon and try making some! Thanks for sharing at Time To Sparkle : )

    xoxo Liz

    Reply

    • Crystal

      May 12, 2013 at 10:06 pm

      Gretelain » I’m sorry I haven’t used that method. I find using the soap base really easy to do and you can find it online at ConsumerCrafts.com or at a craft store like Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I hope that helps! :)

      Reply

  22. Lynaea

    May 7, 2013 at 3:46 pm

    Beautiful. I love lemon, and I love lavender. And I love them together. Your lemon bars (soap) look edible. Lemon is such a happy smell. (Very good pictures, by the way). Lynaea

    Reply

  24. [email protected]

    May 8, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    Fun! I’ve never tried making my own soap but it is something I want to try. When I was shopping recently I smelled some anise soap and since I love black licorice, it smelled amazing!

    Reply

  26. Leslie

    May 9, 2013 at 6:24 am

    I found your blog via The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday and I’m loving your homemade spa recipes. I’m now following you through email! Great ideas!

    Reply

    • Crystal

      May 12, 2013 at 10:15 pm

      Elaine » I haven’t but I think it would make a lovely addition! I would make sure the basal is finely chopped. Thanks for stopping by! :)

      Reply

    • Crystal

      May 12, 2013 at 10:14 pm

      Bernadette » Definitely! I’ve made soap in a double boiler several times, just stir the soap periodically to make sure it melts evenly. Thanks for stopping by! :)

      Reply

  39. Debbie

    May 12, 2013 at 2:58 am

    You have to be careful of adding fresh lemon rind , it can start to break down , mold / bacteria . Not trying to be a killjoy , just safety first . Add a preservative , when using something in your soap that can break down .
    Grapefruit seed extract, rosemary extract and vitamin E oil are good preservatives .

    Reply

  43. Stephanie Violet!

    May 30, 2013 at 12:19 am

    Heya!

    Just a word from a soapmaker – using fresh anything will result in moldy bits in your soap! Using a
    Preservative will prove tricky, especially with a melt & pour base like you’re using! Grapefruit seed extract will provide some preservative aspects, but rosemary extract and vitamin e are just antioxidants used to help prolong the freshness of oils in soap making! If you want to incorporate herbs or peels, go ahead, but dry them first! Dried mint or basil or orange rind will be a lovely addition to the soap!

    Also, make sure your soap base isn’t boiling hot, as essential oils have certain evaporation points — add the EO to too hot soap and all the volatile oils (the good smelling stuff!) will be released in a sort if scent wave and there will be very little left in the actual soap!

    Happy soaping!

    (Check out my friend’s DIY soap making studio – The Nova Studio — for some awesome classes!!)

    Xo,
    Violet

    Reply

    • Crystal

      June 3, 2013 at 11:29 pm

      Stephanie Violet! » Hi Stephanie, thank you SO much for sharing your knowledge! I’ve read contradicting articles on soap preservatives and have yet to try them because I’m not sure which actually preserve. If it’s ok with you I’m going to edit the post to include a “reader suggestion” quote from you on what preservatives to use. Thanks again, Stephanie!

      Reply

    • Tami

      May 2, 2014 at 2:49 pm

      Where can I purchase Goat soap ? I’ve never made soap before but I’d love to try this one. Thanks

      Reply

  44. Aly

    June 3, 2013 at 10:24 am

    A question from a person whose never made soap before: Do I need to put in the essential oil? I’ve heard they can be bad for you. For the lemon scent could I just put in lemon juice and zest, even if it won’t look as yellow?
    Thanks for this recipe im excited to try it!

    Reply

    • Crystal

      June 3, 2013 at 11:22 pm

      Aly » Hi Aly, I haven’t tried that method but I recommend using the soap immediately as it may mold without a preservative. I’m still learning about preservatives to help the lemon zest from molding and will update my post to share what a reader suggested. Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  45. Yohanna

    June 13, 2013 at 11:00 am

    Thanks for sharing!!! I just made this soap with my kids for Father’s Day and added some vitamin e oil to it…it is lovely!!! It smells wonderful and the color is gorgeous!

    Reply

  46. Jennifer

    August 5, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    Great idea! I would recommend omitting the lemon zest for dried lemon peel (easy find at health food stores) since there is no way to properly preserve it in m&p soap. The effect and color would be much the same and there won’t be mold growing. As for vitamin e, it can extend shelf life a touch but is not a preservative. BTW your photos are absolutely gorgeous. Keep on soaping! ~Jennifer
    P.S. I’m a handmade soap and body product maker/business owner and if you have any questions or ever need help don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

    Reply

  47. Nancy Weaver

    October 7, 2013 at 10:57 pm

    Oh I love that brown sugar scrub! I am actually using a mixture of honey, brown sugar and lemon as my body scrub. I actually like it because it leaves me soft skin after I use it. Moreover, I like those ideas shown above. They are great as gift ideas and also as party favors. I will try on the Lemon Soap sometime. Thanks for posting.

    Reply

  48. Julianne

    November 21, 2013 at 11:09 am

    Hi, when I go to order the soap base online it is sold by the pound.. How many pounds do I need for this recipe? I’m a first timer :)

    Reply

    • Crystal Owens

      November 21, 2013 at 8:35 pm

      I used a two pound block and it was divided into small cubes. I used about a third of the entire block of soap to make 3 bars. Hope that helps! :)

      Reply

  49. Taleda

    December 25, 2013 at 8:07 am

    If you don’t want to use the Lemon Zest & preservative, you can use dried Lemon Peel bits and/or Lemon Peel Powder. Make your own or purchase from internet (I buy a lot of herbs botanicals etc from Natures Garden as well as Starwest botanicals) I’ve made my own dried citrus slices and rind bits and powder. Makes for pretty decorations and embeds.

    Reply

  52. Rachel

    June 12, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    I made this soap and it is wonderful! I’ve never made soap using a soap base before and it’s so easy! I blogged about how I packaged this soap and linked back to your tutorial. I hope that’s okay! Thanks!

    Reply

  53. Carolyn Dunn

    June 1, 2015 at 5:40 pm

    The picture of your soap is gorgeous. But once you dry the lemon zest it is considerably darker in color, almost a golden brown. How do we get the gorgeous yellow color while making sure our product doesn’t get moldy? Thanks for your help.

    Reply

  54. Suzanne Cox

    June 8, 2015 at 8:52 am

    Have you ever thought about using almond. My favorite !!! It is very hard to find anything with that scent.

    Reply

  56. Marla

    August 21, 2015 at 9:06 pm

    This looks super easy and is such a great gift! You mention omitting the lemon zest to produce longer lasting soap. how long does the soap usually last with the zest, versus without? Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  57. Jenny simard

    February 28, 2016 at 9:02 am

    Hi i was wondering if i could get emailed the recipes to the soaps you have on your site, its very hard for me to try to print these out and find them.. There are tons of ads and i keep loosing the pages… I want to make a lavender and lemon soap recipe and yours all look amazing!

    Reply

  59. niharika gupta

    April 15, 2016 at 8:59 pm

    That’s a great and super easy receipe! Thanks for sharing!
    Would you know how long the soap with zest last?

    Reply

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