Lilac Soap Recipe

Make this beautiful lilac soap recipe for the spring lovers in your life! The soap is infused with skin-nourishing lilac oil and has a delightful floral scent. The recipe comes together easily thanks to a melt-and-pour base, and the soap looks beautiful cast into floral molds.

Homemade lilac soap

I love my garden in late spring and early summer. Peonies are erupting into bloom, lilac bushes are laden with fragrant bushels of flowers, and Lilly of the valley carpet the shady spots between the trees. Mother nature is a great artist, isn’t she?

I always feel inspired to transform these flowers into skincare and home fragrance products to enjoy their fleeting beauty just a bit longer.

In the past, we’ve shared all kinds of floral creations. From rose body wash to peony soap, lavender lip balm, cherry blossom lotion, and magnolia candles.

This year, we wanted to create a couple of projects inspired by the charming lilac and first up is this easy homemade lilac soap. The tutorial is very simple, even for beginners.

For more lilac-inspired crafts, try our DIY lilac candles and lilac body lotion.

And please leave a comment to let me know your favorite spring flower!

Skincare benefits

Lilac flowers are said to have skin-nourishing, antibacterial, and astringent properties, and may aid the rejuvenation of your skin.

• Nourishing: Melt and pour soap contains glycerin, which moisturizes the skin.
• Anti-inflammatory: The topical use of lilac-infused oil can help reduce premature skin aging and soothe irritation and small cuts.
• Antioxidant properties: Lilac infusions can help fight free radicals and reduce premature aging.
• Astringent: Lilac flowers have astringent qualities, making them suitable for toning the skin infusion
• Calming + relaxing: Lilac fragrance has a calming effect and may ease anxiety and promote relaxation.

Lilac infused oil

My recipe starts with lilac-infused oil. It allows us to incorporate the benefits of lilacs in soap, body lotion, and other beauty products. I like fractionated coconut oil as it has no smell, but you may choose your favorite carrier oil, such as sweet almond or grapeseed oil. Sadly, the lilac scent doesn’t transfer to the infused oil, but the skin-loving benefits will.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fractionated coconut oil – Feel free to use another liquid carrier oil, but make sure it has no smell.
• 2 to 3 bushels of fresh lilac flowers – For the best results, forage lilac blossoms in the morning when they are fully hydrated and most fragrant.
• 5 oz mason jar

Instructions

1. To prepare the flowers, gently pluck the lilac blossoms from the stems. If the blossoms are moist or dewy from the garden, lay them out on a towel to dry a bit.
2. Next, put the blossoms in a glass mason jar, filling the jar 3/4 of the way. Pour the coconut oil into the jar almost to the top and cover the flowers.
3. Cover the jar with a piece of cloth and secure it with a rubber band.
4. Allow the oil to infuse for 2 weeks in a cool, dark location.
5. Finally, strain the oil and remove the flowers and sediment at the bottom of the jar.
6. Store in airtight in a cool place for up to 6 months.

Other materials

Soap mold

I cast my lilac soap into 2 different floral molds. The first soap mold produces oval-shaped bars and features a gorgeous butterfly and blossoms. The second mold is round and features different flowers.

Purchase these molds if you want your lilac soap to look *exactly* like mine. Otherwise, use any soap mold you have available. My recipe will produce 3 to 4 soap bars, depending on the size of your mold.

Melt and pour soap base

You can use any variety of white melt and pour soap base. I opted for a shea butter base because it’s extremely moisturizing and has a creamy lather. It’s also vegan.

Goat milk soap base is a lovely choice for those with sensitive skin and in need of extra nourishment.

I would avoid any soap base that imparts a noticeable scent or color, such as honey, hemp, or African black soap.

Purple mica

Lilacs come in the most beautiful shades of white, purple, and violet. I used this set of mica powders to replicate these gorgeous colors. Here is how you can create different lilac shades:

• White: Use only white mica for a subtle shimmer. 1 teaspoon is sufficient.
• Soft violet: Tint the soap mixture with a tiny amount of lavender and light pink mica. For a soft shade, do not exceed 1/4 teaspoon in total.
• Purple lilac: Add violet and rose red mica to the soap mixture. Use 1/2 teaspoon overall.
• Blue-violet: Color the soap with light blue and lavender mica. 1/4 teaspoon total is enough.
• Dark purple: Add violet and rose red mica. 1 teaspoon should be enough.

Liquid soap color is also an option, but purple and pink tend to fade pretty quickly. Mica, on the other hand, is a very stable soap colorant.

Lilac fragrance oil

Finding a true-to-life lilac fragrance is not an easy task. I have tested several, and many give off a synthetic, cleaner-like smell.

My favorite is the lilac fragrance oil from Brambleberry. It has a beautiful, authentic scent that smells just like the blooming lilac bush in my backyard. The smallest size (1.75 oz) is enough for this recipe.

Alternatively, Wholesale Supplies Plus offers a few lilac oils in their range. I liked their fresh lilac fragrance oil best because it isn’t cloyingly sweet. However,  you can also order samples of lilac in bloom and true lilac to see which you enjoy most.

Tip: use leftover fragrance oil to create lilac room spray or wax melts.

Why aren’t you using lilac essential oil?

Good question! I opted for lilac fragrance oil in my soap recipe, because true lilac essential oil (or lilac absolute) is not available. It’s complicated too produce (and would be incredibly expensive).

Despite its strong smell, it’s nearly impossible to extract the aromatic compounds from lilacs. Lilac blossoms contain only very little oil, and this oil can’t be harvested via steam distillation or other extraction methods.

I have looked wide and far and couldn’t find any legitimate lilac essential oil. Sure, you will see “lilac essential oil” offered on Amazon and other sites, but these products are cheap fragrance oils, not real essential oils.

Hermitage Oils offers a natural lilac C02 extract, but I believe it’s too expensive for this project. Plus, there is the risk that the delicate scent could dissipate in the hot soap mixture. Still, it’s a wonderful option if you are interested in a natural lilac scent in a cold-process recipe (for example, to make perfume).

I also share a lilac essential oil blend recipe in my lilac candle tutorial.

High proof alcohol

Lastly, I recommend spritzing the soap with high-proof alcohol right after pouring to dissolve bubbles. Everclear, high-proof vodka, isopropyl alcohol, or any other high-proof alcohol will work.

Simply pour the alcohol into a fine mister bottle and have it ready before you start working on the soap.

Of course, you may skip this if you are okay with a few bubbles on the back of your soap bars.

Instructions

Storage

Here are some tips to store your homemade lilac soap to maintain its quality and extend its shelf life:

• Wrap it immediately: Once your lilac soap has solidified, wrap it tightly in airtight plastic wrap.
• Choose the right location: Store your wrapped soap in a dry and cool place like a cupboard or lidded box. Avoid humidity, direct sunlight, and high temperatures.
• Avoid moisture: Melt and pour soap contains glycerin, which attracts moisture and can lead to glycerin dew (tiny dots of water on the soap). So, keep the soap away from high-humidity areas.
• Shelf life: The shelf life is 1 year. You can keep it longer, but the skincare benefits and scent will lessen over time.

More easy soap recipes

• Honey Lemon Lavender Soap
• Eucalyptus Soap
• Magnolia Soap
• Cherry Blossom Cream Soap
• Turmeric Soap
• Green Tea Soap
• Sea Salt Soap
• Citrus Soap