Video:How to Make Exfoliating Soap

Transcript:How to Make Exfoliating Soap

Hi, I'm Jen D'Amore for About.com, and today I'm going to show you how to add natural exfoliants to homemade soap.

Make Exfoliating Soap With Seeds

Whether you're making soap from scratch, or using pre-made melt-and-pour soap, natural ingredients can be mixed in before you pour into molds. Some popular seeds that can be thrown into your soap include lavender, strawberry, blueberry, or apricot seeds, and poppies.

Pair your seed choice with a complimentary color or scent. I happen to love lemon poppy seed muffins, so, I'm going to combine yellow colorant, lemon essential oil, and poppy seeds to make a lemon poppy soap. Mix it together and pour.

Make Exfoliating Soap With a Loofah

There's nothing quite like scrubbing with a loofah, and you can imbed one in your soap. If you have a tall mold, use a tall piece of loofah. Your tall mold can be a pillar candle mold with the bottom hole plugged, or 3-inch PVC Pipe with an end cap.

Place the loofah in the center, melt your soap, add fragrance and color, and pour around it. Let it fully set before trying to remove it from the mold. When you do, place it in the freezer to help release it. Then, it may take some pounding and a little muscle to get it out. Use a serrated knife to cut it into bars through that loofah.

If you don't have a vertical mold to use, you can use a flat mold and slice a piece of loofah that fits inside it. Add a fruity color and fragrance, and pour an individual loofah soap.

Make Exfoliating Soap With Coffee or Coconut Flakes

Coffee and coconut flakes make great exfoliants. The coffee will also color and scent your soap. The coconut can be paired with coconut milk soap for a luscious mix. Both can be stirred into the mix. You can also add a layer on top after pouring.

Anything loose will fall off, so you may want to "seal" it with a thin layer of the same soap or clear glycerin soap. Or gently press with a flat surface, like a knife, until the entire layer looks wet. Try layering a few types of exfoliants in the same soap, and enjoy your scrub.

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