Orange Zest Lemon Soap Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links (full disclosure policy). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Love citrus scented soaps? This orange-zest lemon soap will scratch that itch! It’s super easy and fun to make with melt-and-pour soap base, lemon fragrance oil, and orange zest.

There is something very summer to me about citrus. Sadly, summer here in Boston is coming to a close and I am not looking forward to the snowy winter ahead.

So before this warm weather goes completely, I wanted to share with you the orange zest lemon scented soap I made. It’s the perfect way to capture that last bit of summer and hold it hostage in your bathroom!

Sponsored Post: The following post is written by me on behalf of a sponsor. All thoughts, opinions, impressions, and recommendations are my own! I only ever review and recommend products have used, loved, and feel my readers would be interested in.

YOU WILL NEED:

To make this soap, you’re going to need to get your hands on clear melt-and-pour soap base, the zest of 1-2 oranges, some soap colorant, vitamin E, and a lemon scent (I used a lemon fragrance oil). Pretty easy!

I used Stephenson Personal Care’s Crystal ST Clear Soap Base for this soap because I wanted to see the orange zest pieces suspended in the soap. Thought that would look neat :)

To start, I melted my soap base in a (make-shift) double boiler. Usually I microwave my soap base in 15-30 second intervals, but doing this can sometimes cause the soap to overheat (which leads to unsightly bubbles and a loss of moisture). I thought I would give the double boiler method a try, just to see what happens.

I cut my soap base up in cubes as shown above. This helps it melt just a bit faster (more surface area exposed to heat) and obviously fit into the bowl better (square soap brick…round bowl…yeah). The clear base (and most clear bases generally) looks cloudy when solid, but when melted it soon begins to look the way it should.

As the soap base melts, stir it slowly and gently. Stirring too vigorously will cause bubbles to form, as will too much heat. I had my stove on the lowest setting but there were still a few bubbles (not to worry, though–there is a remedy for bubbly soap later). You may find that the topmost layer of the soap starts to cool, leaving a slight film over the soap. When your soap is melting, you can gently stir it the film layer until it dissolves or when your soap is melted, just scoop the layer off and toss it.

Once your soap base has melted, add your colorant, vitamin E, and orange zest pieces. Add in lemon scent until you feel the soap is adequately lemony. Soap scents that I have used in the past usually recommend 5 drops of scent per ounce of soap. Essential oils can be strong, so use your judgment here.

When you’ve finished, pour your soap into a soap mold. I used the same mold I used for my Jasmine Dead Sea Salt Soap. If bubbles have formed in your soap, give your soap a quick spritz of rubbing alcohol. I took an old Bath and Body Works body spray bottle that was near empty, filled it with just a bit of alcohol, and that did the trick.

And that’s it! Let your soap cool and resist the urge to touch it! Clear soap base is not very forgiving when it comes to fingerprints :)

I hope you enjoyed this melt-and-pour soap making tutorial and your orange zest lemon soap!