One food item that is touted as a superfood and is the go-to item for weight-loss, oatmeal is equally efficient when it comes to providing nourishment to your skin. If you are someone who constantly battles the woes of having dry skin and has tried everything under the sun to make it look less parched, maybe it’s time to give oatmeal a shot.
Why oatmeal soap?
Oatmeal is the best natural exfoliator and moisturizer par excellence for your skin. Its anti-inflammatory properties provide relief to the itching that dryness causes. Its emollient qualities help soothe the irritation that people with sensitive skin face.
The beauty and skincare industry has acknowledged the enormous advantages of oatmeal for your skin and has come up with various products with oatmeal as the key ingredient. From creams and lotions to soaps, and moisturizers, the market is replete with skincare items with oatmeal as the star ingredient. The best among any of these products is oatmeal soap. These exfoliating bar soaps are known for their skin-hydrating properties.
Nothing screams self-care like DIY self-care products. While you would find the bar soaps in farmer’s market and more affordable versions online, you could always turn your lazy Sundays into productive ones by making oatmeal soaps at home.
What type of oatmeal to use?
You could use any kind of oatmeal for your homemade exfoliating bar soap. However, if you have extra dry or sensitive skin, opt for finely ground oatmeal kernels aka colloidal oatmeal.
The grinding process not only breaks down the oatmeal kernels but also releases skin-soothing properties.
What other ingredients go well with oatmeal?
While oatmeal is the key ingredient of your soap, when combined with a few other ingredients, it provides you with extra nourishment. Since there is nothing like too much nourishment, go ahead and add any of these items with your star ingredients. :
Olive oil: Olive oil is renowned for its skin benefits (thank you antioxidants and vitamin E)
Goat milk: alpha hydroxy and lactic acid present in goat milk make it a great choice for gentle exfoliation. Moreover, enriched with essential fatty acids, it forms a protective layer on your skin locking in the natural moisture.
Raw honey: The sugars in raw honey help preserve the natural moisture of your skin
Lavender oil: Lavender essential oil is brimming with soothing properties that help alleviate redness and irritation.
How to make DIY oatmeal soap?
Making oatmeal soap at home is not as difficult as it sounds. All you need is 20 mins over and above the cooling time.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients.
Ø 1 Suspension friendly soap base of your choice
Ø 4 oz of colloidal oatmeal (Feel feel to change the quantity)
Ø 1-2 tbsp of raw honey
Ø 1 tbsp of powdered goat milk
Ø A large heatproof container
Ø Soap mold
Ø 20 drops of lavender essential oil (feel free to play around with the quantity)
Ø 1tbsp of French clay
Stepwise method:
Step 1: Lining up all your ingredients
Collect all your ingredients in one place so that you don’t have to hunt for them at the last minute
Step 2: Choose a soap base of your choice.
The popular choice includes goat’s milk, olive oil, and shea butter. Often called “Melt and Pour”, these soap bases are easily available online. It is important to choose a suspension-friendly soap base so that your oatmeal doesn’t sink at the bottom.
Step 3: Preparing your mold
You can use a regular baking pan (9x4 inches). The best would be to use a soap mold specifically designed for soap making. These molds don’t let the soap stick to the corners allowing you to de-mold them in perfect shape.
Step 4: Melting the soap base
There are varied ways in which you could melt your soap base. Using the double-boiler method, placing it directly in a saucepan over low heat or pop it into the microwave for 15- 30 seconds. No matter which method you adopt, keep stirring the soap continuously so that it doesn't get scorched.
Step 5: Pouring the melted soap base
Pour the melted soap base into the large heat-proof mixing bowl.
Step 6: Add in your other ingredients
This is the stage where you add your add-ins.
Ø Pour your oats into the melted soap mixture and stir it continuously. This will ascertain that are no lumps remain and your mixture is as smooth as silk.
Ø In case you are adding honey or goat milk, add them before you add your oatmeal. This way all the liquids would be evenly distributed.
Ø The last step in mixing is to add all your other ingredients like the lavender essential oil.
Step 7: Pour the soap into the mold
Pour the oatmeal soap base liquid into the container and leave to cool for 2-3 hours.
Step 8: De-mold the soap
Lastly, gently de-mold the soap. Use a sharp knife to get that even finish.
A few simple steps and the goodness of oatmeal makes your skin glow with beauty and health.