Lovely Lemon Balm Soap (Cold Process Recipe) - Garden Therapy (2024)

This lemon balm soap recipe is soft and rich from the high percentage of olive oil. It has a bright lemon-mint fragrance and is naturally coloured with turmeric and green mica. Lemon balm soap is a refreshing and cheery soap to use in the kitchen or potting shed to moisturize and cleanse hard working hands.

Ah, lemon balm. There are so many things I love about this bright and cheery herb, not the least of which is its abundance! I usually try to pick the lemon balm that is starting to creep away from its designated area. But I just can’t let it go to waste! After making tea and drying some, the rest is ideal for skin care recipes, starting with infused oil.

Lemon Balm Infused oil

Lemon balm infused oil is best made with the fresh herb rather than dried. The oil needs to be used up quickly, as it is a higher chance of spoiling then oils infused with dried herbs.

Pick fresh lemon balm leaves before flowering and allow them to wilt for 24 hours in a cool and dry place. Then choose the method that you want to infuse the oil:

• Cold infusion method
• Three ways to infuse herbs and oil with heat

Once infused, the oil should be used in a week or two.

Reserve a little to make this lemon balm lip balm. The rest can be used to make best lemon balm soap.

While there is a ton of lemony fragrance in my lemon balm lip balm recipe, it is much more subtle in cold process soap. Choose to enjoy the subtle fragrance or add a bit of lemon and mint essential oil. Of course you could also add lemon balm essential oil, Melissa, however it’s quite expensive and I find that the combination of lemon and mint is a suitable alternative that is priced right.

This soap is decorated with a colorful swirl of green mica on a background of yellow-green made with a mix of 2 parts turmeric and 1 part green mica. It’s always fun to do swirls in cold process soap because you never know what kind of pattern you’ll get. Cutting the soap is like opening a present!

Lovely Lemon Balm Cold Process Soap

I made this recipe primarily with lemon balm infused olive oil balanced with coconut oil to harden it up and create more lather. This is a soft soap bar that’s very moisturizing with a clean and bright aroma.

Makes 2 lbs cold process soap. Mixing temp 115°F.

If you are new to soap making, please follow more comprehensive instructions on how to make cold-process soap. Step-by-step photos and instructions can be found here: https://gardentherapy.ca/handmadesoap/

Materials

• Kitchen scale
• Infrared thermometer
• Double boiler made of stainless steel (not aluminum) soap making pitcher and a pot of water
• Pyrex or heatproof glass measuring cup (4-cup)
• Immersion blender
• Safety gear (rubber gloves, face mask, apron, eye protection, etc.)
• Loaf-style soap mold

Ingredients

• 500 ml (17 oz) lemon balm infused organic virgin olive oil
• 200 ml (7 oz) organic virgin coconut oil
• 250 ml (8.4 oz) water
• 106 (3.6 oz) sodium hydroxide
• 60 ml (2 oz) calendula infusedgrapeseed oil
• 15 ml (0.5 oz) shea butter
• 10 ml (.34 oz) lemon essential oil
• 5 ml (.17 oz) peppermint essential oil
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1.5 tsp green mica powder

Make it!

1. Protect your skin, eyes, and clothes with safety gear.
2. Weigh all of the ingredients.
3. Gently heat oils in a double boiler until they reach 115°F.
4. In a well-ventilated area, add water to a heat-resistant 4-cup measuring cup. Very slowly add lye to the water while stirring. Keep stirring until dissolved and be mindful to not breathe in the fumes.
5. Once lye is dissolved, place the glass container with the lye/water mixture in an ice bath and cool to 115°F. Reheat oils to 115°F if necessary.
6. When both the lye/water mixture and the oils are at 115°F, slowly pour the lye/water into the oils while blending with an immersion blender.
7. Keep blending the mixture rapidly until it thickens to a light trace.
8. Add in the essential oils and turmeric and ½ tsp of the green mica and blend well.
9. To make the marbled color, remove a few tablespoons of soap batter and mix it with the remaining teaspoon of green mica powder. Add the batter back to the bowl and use a spatula to pull it though the mixture three times in different directions.
10. Pour mixture into a loaf-style soap mould.
11. Set the mould in a cardboard box and wrap with towels and set somewhere warm (like the top of the fridge) for 48 hours.
12. After 48 hours, unmold the soap and slice into bars. Place each bar on a wire rack in a cool, dark place to cure for four to six week

More Sudsy Soap Recipes!

• Wildflower Soap (Cold Process Recipe)
• Rosemary and Peppermint Energizing Shower Soap
• Gorgeous Lavender Oatmeal Soap Cupcakes (That Anyone Can Make)
• Homemade Foaming Hand Soap Recipe + a DIY Mason Jar Soap Dispenser
• Cold-Process All-Natural Handmade Soap