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Some people prefer using herbal soap as they believe that it has better properties than that of normal soap. Unfortunately, most herbal soaps would also cost a lot more than normal soap due to their special properties. Most of these soaps are also milder to use on the skin which makes it ideal for those who have allergic reactions to regular soap.

You don't have to go stores that specifically sell these herbal soaps just so that you could use one. Specialty stores usually have overpriced soaps because of the special properties of their soap. Some of their soaps may have herbal properties which cannot be found in normal soap so they can add to the price of their soaps. Other may also have beautiful designs which also bring up the price of the soap.

The truth is that soap making is a fairly easy process, which makes use of cheap materials so it does not have to be sold at a very high price. It is very easy to do such that you can even make your own soaps at home. Even small children can make this into a hobby as long as the proper precautionary methods are taken.

Some of the basic ingredients that you will need are lye, cooking oil or any other type of oil and your choice of herbal leaves. You may also choose to use some coloring dyes to give your soap the color that you prefer.

As for the tools that you need, you have to have a pail, some mixing tools, some cups, a mortar and pestle, a cooking pot, some molds, a chopping board, a knife, cheesecloth, gloves and a face mask. These last two are needed for you own protection as caustic soda can cause skin and lung irritations when it comes into contact with these surfaces.

The first step in making your own herbal soap is by preparing your leaves. This is done by chopping up your leaves into small pieces and filling up 1 glass with these leaves. After this, you can start boiling your leaves in 2 glasses of water for 15 minutes then strain it with the cheesecloth afterwards. Set aside to cool.

The next step is to measure 1 cup of caustic soda and 3 cups of your herbal mixture. These needs to be mixed within a bucket stirred continuously until all of the caustic soda has been dissolved. Next add 5 cups of oil and continue stirring until the consistency become similar to that of condensed milk. Coloring dye may also be added while stirring. The mixture must then be placed into molds and allowed to cool for several hours. Once this has hardened, the soaps still need to be aged for one month before they will be ready to use.

Now wasn't that very easy to do? These ingredients are very cheap and easy to find so you won't have any problems in buying and getting hold of them. You can also choose what kind of herbal leaves you want to use, and you may also design your soap in any way that you like. This might even be a good gift idea to give to your friends and relatives.

Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about natural handmade soaps, and melt and pour soap making. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.