See how to make a moisturizing soap for dry skin in just 10 minutes! This easy DIY melt and pour soap recipe with essential oils is simple to make and very hydrating. The pretty homemade hand soap is a quick handmade Christmas present and beauty gift idea that every skincare lover will appreciate.
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The best moisturizing soap for dry skin
Last year, my friend Rebecca from Soap Deli News shared a wonderful homemade cold process soap recipe for dry skin (if you haven’t already, check it out asap!). My moisturizing soap recipe is an easy melt and pour soap for dry and sensitive skin. The DIY soap bars feel smooth as silk and are enriched with nourishing cucumber seed oil, vitamin E and a fragrant, hydrating essential oil blend.
And with only 6 ingredients, the homemade melt and pour soap recipe is very beginner-friendly and incredibly simple to make. Just melt the soap base, then stir in a few moisturizing add-ins for melt and pour soap and pour into a pretty silicone mould. You’ll feel like you’re having an expensive soap from a fancy high street shop.
So whether you choose to make Rebecca’s homemade cold process soap or my quick melt and pour tutorial, you’ll always get the best moisturizing soap for dry skin. And I you want to know What can I use instead of soap for dry skin? try these vanilla cleaning bars!
What is the best melt and pour soap base for dry skin?
What is the best moisturising soap for skin? A pre-made melt and pour soap base is the perfect starting point for soap recipes for beginners. A few quick notes about the different melt and pour soap bases:
- goat milk soap base – Great for dry, sensitive skin and eczema. Goatmilk contains many minerals and vitamins, and is very nourishing for the skin.
- shea butter soap base – Great for dry and mature skin. The addition of shea butter makes this melt and pour soap a great choice for a moisturizing soap.
- cocoa butter soap base: Great for very dry skin. Cocoa butter gives the melt and pour soap base a rich lather and excellent moisturizing properties.
- olive oil soap base – Great for all skin types. Mild olive oil melt and pour soap base is hydrating and suitable for all skin types.
- hemp seed oil soap base – Great for dry, irritated skin. This soap base is soothing and healing.
- honey soap base – Great for all skin types. This soap base is soothing and moisturizing and has a slight honey scent.
- aloe vera soap base – Great for dry, itchy skin. Clear aloe vera soap base has a silky texture, and the soothing qualities make it a good choice for a hydrating winter soap.
- glycerin soap base – Great for normal to dry skin. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it locks moisture in the skin. Glycerin soap base is translucent, too, and will make clear soap bars.
Tips
I chose the goat milk base for this easy melt and pour soap recipe because this soap base has a delicate, silky lather and feels the most moisturising of them all. The opaque white appearance makes it easy to colour and customise the soap.
Olive oil, aloe vera, hemp seed, and honey soap bases usually have a tint, which can make it difficult to colour them. Shea butter and goat milk soap bases are white and can easily be coloured.
Melt and pour soap additives for moisturizing soap
The secret for the best moisturizing soap for dry skin is enriching the DIY soap recipe with a moisturizing oil. The melt and pour soap bases are great, but adding extra oils into this easy melt and pour soap recipe makes the homemade soap rich and hydrating.
Hydrating oils for melt and pour soap
I used cucumber seed oil since it’s very lightweight and incredibly moisturizing, but you have a few more options to choose from:
- cucumber seed oil – This oil feels lightweight, absorbs quickly and is an excellent moisturizer for dry or mature skin.
- hemp seed oil – Hemp seed oil is rich in fatty acids and leaves the skin hydrated all day long.
- meadowfoam seed oil – This oil feels moisturizing and conditioning and will contribute to a creamy lather.
- oat oil – Oat oil absorbs quickly into the skin and provides long-lasting hydration.
Of course, popular oils like sweet almond, jojoba, or fractionated coconut can be used, too.
Don’t exceed 2 tablespoons because adding more can weigh down the leather and cause sweating.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a versatile and useful ingredient for homemade skincare products and aids anti-ageing treatments. It acts as a natural antioxidant neutralising free radicals while helping to moisturise and soften the skin.
I used vitamin E capsules for this moisturizing hand soap. Just cut open two capsules with the tip of a small pairing knife and squeeze the content into the liquid melt and pour soap base.
Essential oils for the best moisturizing soap for dry skin
I recently shared a moisturizing and skin-soothing essential oil blend in my snowflake bath bomb recipe. This hydrating essential oil blend is kid-safe, has a fresh minty smell (think Christmas soap and easy holiday gifts) and is perfect for moisturizing and conditioning your skin.
Here is what we need to make the essential oil blend for this moisturizing soap recipe:
- bergamot mint – Bergamot mint is the gentlest mint essential oil for skin care. It has a clean, minty scent and a slight cooling effect.
- manuka – Manuka essential oil restores moisture in the skin and its calming, herbaceous scent pairs well with the other EOs.
- palmarosa – Palmarosa has a fresh, floral smell and excellent skin-balancing properties, suitable for all skin types.
You can find the exact amounts need in the recipe box below.
How to make moisturizing soap with essential oils
One of the best things about this moisturizing soap is that even though it looks fancy, it’s very easy to do! Let me show you how to make soap for sensitive skin:
- Cut the soap base into small cubes, approximately 1 in / 2.5 cm in size.
- Add the soap cubes into a microwave-safe jug or container and add the mica if using. Something with a spout is best because we have to pour the soap into the silicone mould later on.
- Melt the soap in the microwave set to medium power in 1-minute intervals. Take the soap out of the microwave after every interval and stir. Melt and pour soap can burn, melting in short bursts and stirring help to avoid that.
- Once the soap is completely melted, add the cucumber seed oil, vitamin E, and essential oils. Give the soap a stir to combine the ingredients.
- Next, pour the soap into the silicone mould. Optionally, spritz the soap with rubbing alcohol to dissolve bubbles.
Put the mould in the refrigerator for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the soap feels hard and solid. Carefully peel back the silicone to unmould the soap bars.
Tip: The melt and pour soap mold is relatively soft, so place it on a cutting board or tray. This way you can easily lift and move the mould without damaging or spilling the cooling soap, for example, when you transfer the soap in the refrigerator to harden.
Tools and supplies for DIY moisturizing soap
Tab or click the links below to shop the tools used to make this free melt and pour soap recipe:
- soap mould – This beautiful silicone mould creates gorgeous hand soap bars with a beautiful decorative pattern. The soap bars have a good size, and the mould can be used for many soap making recipes. A mould for rectangular soap bars is also available.
- glass jug – Use a large microwave-safe and heatproof jug with a spout to melt the soap. I love this large glass Pyrex jug, which not only makes it easy to melt and mix the soap ingredients, but also helps with pouring the soap into the mould.
- whisk – A balloon whisk helps to mix and combine the ingredients.
A beautiful and easy seasonal holiday gift idea
Add this DIY soap tutorial to your list of easy handmade Christmas gift ideas. Since melt and pour soap is so quick and easy to make, it’s a great craft project for any skill level and an excellent last-minute gift idea.
Wondering how to package melt and pour soap for gift giving? Easy! First wrap the soap tightly in plastic wrap / cling film, a nice wrapping paper and our free printable soap wrappers. You can also decorate your homemade holiday gift idea with small bauble ornaments or other holiday decorations. So pretty, right?
The printable wrapper can be download at the end of the post. For more beauty gift ideas, check out this pamper hamper or this DIY wellness gift kit.
More homemade winter skincare ideas
Whether you need more winter skincare ideas or just enjoy making natural products, the following homemade beauty recipes will make your skin looking and feeling great!
Bath & Body
- Hawaiian black lava bath salt with cornflower and hibiscus
- moisturizing snowflake bath bombs
- body lotion for dry skin with cornflower and chamomile
Face
- 6 blue clay mask recipes
- exfoliating cleansing balm with jojoba beads
- hydrating eye cream with birch sap
- lip repair cream with berry wax and pomegranate seed oil
- face moisturiser for dry and sensitive skin
DIY Moisturizing Soap for Dry Skin
See how to make a moisturizing soap for dry skin in just 10 minutes! This easy DIY melt and pour soap recipe with essential oils is simple to make and very hydrating. The pretty homemade hand soap is a quick handmade Christmas present and beauty gift idea that every skincare lover will appreciate.
Materials
Tools
- silicone soap mould
- cutting board
- knife
- microwave-safe glass jug
Instructions
- Cut the soap base into small cubes, approximately 1 in / 2.5 cm in size.
- Add the soap cubes into a microwave-safe jug or container and add the mica if using. Something with a spout is best because we have to pour the soap into the silicone mould later on.
- Melt the soap in the microwave set to medium power in 1-minute intervals. Take the soap out of the microwave after each interval and stir. Melt and pour soap can burn, melting in short bursts and stirring help to avoid that.
- Once the soap is completely melted, add the cucumber seed oil and essential oils. Cut open 2 vitamin E capsules and squeeze the liquid into the soap base. Give the soap a stir to combine the ingredients.
- Next, pour the soap into the silicone mould. Optionally, spritz the soap with rubbing alcohol to dissolve bubbles.
Tip: The silicone soap mould is relatively soft, so place it on a cutting board or tray. This way, you can easily lift and move the mould without damaging or spilling the cooling soap. - Put the mould in the refrigerator for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the soap feels hard and solid. Carefully peel back the silicone to unmould the soap bars.
Recommended Products
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Printable Soap Wrapper
Tab or click the button below to download free printable winter soap wrapper!
Over to you!
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Irena xx
Hi. I love this recipe because I have really dry skin and would love to make this soap. However, if I wanted to use fragrance oil, not essential oil, how much fragrance oil would I need? I would be using skin safe/soap safe fragrance oils. Thank you in advance!
Hi Gwen! You could use between 50 to 80 drops / 2.5 g to 4 g fragrance oil, depending on how strong you want the scent to be. Happy crafting!
Such a lovely soap shade blue
Thank you so much!
Hi! I’m going to order the Our Earths Secret soap that you all have under suggested products, but I have a question. Does essential oils count as an oil like the additive oils? Exactly how much essential oil and additive oil can be added per pound? I know Our Earths Secret comes in 2lbs, but I want to break it down to 1lb. Thank you so much!!
Hi! You can add 1 tbsp carrier oil and 50 to 60 drops essential oils per pound of soap.
This recipe calls for a little over a pound of soap. To make the soap with just 1 pound, you need to reduce the other ingredients. Try the following:
1 lb soap
1.5 tbsp cucumber seed oil
1 vitamin E capsule
30 drops bergamot mint essential oil
22 drops manuka essential oil
7 drops palamrosa essential oil
1/2 tsp mica (optional)
I hope this answers your questions and happy making!
What if you don’t have microwave, can one use stove
Hi! Yes, you can melt melt-and-pour soap on the stove. MP soap burns easily so you want to use a water bath.
This is what you do:
Fill a large pot 1 in / 3cm with water and bring to a mild simmer.
Cut the soap base into small cubes and add them into a heat-proof bowl or jar.
Place the bowl in the water bath.
Heat until the soap has melted and stir occasionally.
I hope this helps you out and happy making!
Can we use these melt & pour soaps for normal bathing or are these hand wash soaps
Hi Ritu! You can use this soap for both, bathing and hand washing. Happy making!
Hi Irena!
I have been making melt and pour soap to start a business and gave some sample soaps to some people to try they said it makes their skin dry..I have been using Life of the Party Goats milk soap and the same brand in the clear soap..I made a new batch last night and added coconut oil, but I really want to make sure it is moisturizing and not going to dry out skin. I see the oils listed above and want to know which you suggest would work best and not discolor the soap as I am adding mica powder and fragrance oil? Thank you!
Hi Mackenzie!
Plant oils: Coconut oil and cucumber oil are moisturizing. Essential oils: Palmarosa and blue tansy are excellent for the skin and won’t discolor the soap. I’d also make a small test batch first to see how your choice of plant oil, essential/fragrance oils, and mica play together.
Soap consists of molecules that have one water-loving (hydrophilic) and one fat-loving (lipophilic) end. When you wash your hands the water-loving ends connects to water and the fat-loving end takes dirt and oils from the skin. That’s how the cleansing process works. Melt and pour soap base (and any soap really) is created through a reaction with lye and fat. Because of the lye, soap has a high pH (usually between 9-11), and that will always feel somewhat drying on the skin, even if we add oils to reduce the drying effect.
If you want to create a gentler, non-drying product, then a hand wash with natural surfactants might be a better option. We currently have this rose body wash and these shower gel recipes that use surfactants. (A had wash is coming soon, too.)
I wish you much success with your business! And please reach out anytime if you have more questions!
These soaps look lovely. I am definitely ordering the molds from Amazon. They are super cute. So I guess Sap values of oils don’t count in melt and pour because your not going through that process? So I see a lot of comments asking about the seed oils and essential oils. Can you safely subsitute any essential oil or seed oil for another in all melt/pour recipes as long as you use the same amount suggested?
Thanks a lot for the kind words, Carol!
You are correct. Melt nd pour soap already has gone through the saponification process, so we don’t need to deal with SAP values or handle lye.
Yes, you can swap seed oils/essential oils for any that you have available or prefer as long as you stick to the same amounts. As a rule of thumb, you can add 1 teaspoon of extra seed oils per pound of soap base. Adding more will decrease the lather and change the consistency.
I hope you enjoy this soap recipe and let me know in case you have more questions!
Forgot to also ask…. Do you have to use cucumber oil or is this optional?
Thanks
The cucumber oil is optional. You can either omit it or use the same amount of another oil, e.g. coconut oil. Hope this helps and please let me know in case you have another question!
Hi there! These are great and looks very, very easy to make! Thank you for sharing! So I’m going to try this recipe, hopefully for mother’s day gifts to my friends(and a mother’s day gift to myself as well, lol). My question is, can I just use one essential oil or two or do I have to use all of those? And seeing that those are expensive but I always have essential oils in my house, can I use either or mixed lavender and tea tree oil?Thank you for your time!
Hi Sandra! I’m so happy that this soap recipe speaks to you.
You can use whatever essential oils you have and like. Lavender and tea tree sound lovely, and you are free so use a single oil or create a blend with 2 oils. It’s really up to your personal preferences.
I hope you and your friends will enjoy the soap!
Hi Irena(love the name),
Thank you so much for the quick reply. I ordered the supplies from amazon and will get them tomorrow! Can’t wait!
Thank you so much, Sandra! Happy making!
I want to order some of your products. I live in Ghana. Can i get our contact please?
Hi Hannah! I feel grateful that you’d consider buying from us but unfortunately we don’t sell any physical products. We only share tutorials so that readers can re-create the DIYs at home. Sorry about that!
Earlier I tried to send. Message but I don’t see it showing up and I was having issues with my computer so I apologize if your getting this twice but thought I should resend it incase it did not go through earlier ..
If I were to make this recipe with let’s say Serenity essential oil .. I’m assuming I’d use 100 drops correct ? I’m Basing that off of the total amount of essential oil drops you used in your recipe above ?
Thanks
Tara
No problem! Yes, that’s correct. You can add up to 100 drops essential oils
If I want to make this using Serenity Essential Oil would I add 100 drops to this recipe being as the recipe you have here has a total of 100 drops of essential oil that’s what I assumed but heated to make sure .
Thanks so much
Tara
Hi Tara. You can add up to 100 drops of any essential oil(s) you like, serenity essential oil is fine. The essential oils aren’t heated but added after the soap is melted.
Question is this considered a cold pressed soap or melt and pour ? I had watched a video by the lady you mentioned above who I believe made a cold pressed soap Rebecca from soap deli news and she was saying that a cold pressed soap can be wrapped in shrink wrap or a Saran Wrap for gifting but a melt and pour needs to cure have air and protect from moisture so you wouldn’t want to wrap those soaps … Is this recipe one I can wrap or I need to let it cure 4-6 weeks around lots of air and no moisture ?
Thanks in advance
Tara
Hi Tara! This is a melt and pour soap recipe. Melt and pour soap can be used right away but needs to be wrapped in plastic wrap if you want to store/gift it so the soap doesn’t draw moisture and softens.
Cold process soap needs to cure for a couple of weeks before it can be used. This type of soap doesn’t need to be wrapped.
I know that soap making terminology can be confusing. I hope this helps and please reach out in case you have another question.
These are absolutely gorgeous ! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe . I plan to make these moisturizing soap bars in the near future and was wondering how many bars do you get from the recipe if I buy the mold you listed?
( example : recipe makes 6 bars using the mold listed ) ?
Thanks I’m advance !!
Thank you so much, Tara! The recipe makes 6 soap bars with the mold I used. Happy making!
First and foremost, thank you for sharing your DIY recipes, they all look amazing.
In your DIY Moisturizing Soap for Dry Skin recipe, I cannot find Manuka and Palamrosa essential oil, do you have any suggestions for substitutions?
Thank you 🙂
Thank your for your kind comment, Dawn!
You can substitute palmarosa with lavender, clary sage, or geranium.
Manuka essential oils is pretty unique, the best substitute is helichrysum. But since helichrysum is pretty expensive, you can also use bergamot, calendula, myrrh, or tea tree.
Hope this helps and please let me know in case you have another question!
I plan to give these a try soon. I did not see where you add the mica powder, and do you stir after adding?
Hi Melanie! The mica powder is added in the 2nd step. You cut the soap into small cubes, add them with the mica into a heat proof container and then melt. You can give it a stir once the soap is melted. Hope this helps and let me know in case you have another question!
Such beautiful soap! I can’t wait to give this one a try!
Hi ladies my name is Patricia from South Africa thank you very much for sharing your Diy recipes they all looking amazing
Thank you so much for your kind words, Patricia! We’re happy to have you here!
Such a lovely shade of blue! We can see these soaps in a fancy powder room for guests! Gorgeous!
Thanks so much, ladies! You’re right these are lovely in a guest bathroom or as a DIY holiday gift.
This soap is so pretty! I love the color and the mold. Thanks for the labels, too. What a great gift idea.
Thank you so much, Cari! The soap bars are lovely holiday gift for sure.
These are so pretty! I love the labels too. What a lovely holiday gift idea.
Many thanks, Rebecca! The EO blend gives a really lovely scent and I love this mould.