Loofah Soap Recipe

Make your own DIY loofah soap using an easy melt and pour soap base in only 10 minutes! Loofah soap bars are perfect for exfoliating dry skin and make great gifts.

Handmade Soap Using Loofah Slices

I don't know about you, but coming out of winter my elbows, knees, and feet are in need of some serious exfoliating. To say that they're slightly dry would be an understatement-handmade loofah soap to the rescue.

Making your own loofah soap on a rope is such a fun and easy DIY craft project. The finished soaps look super pretty with the loofah inside. Better yet, you can hang them to dry which will make them last longer. It's a great way to add this natural product to handmade soap and it will benefit your skin.

For this soap making project I used whole loofah sponges that already came on a string (win!), goat milk melt and pour base, and a blend of relaxing and refreshing essential oils.

What's Loofah aka Luffa

Before writing this post I had no idea what luffa was or where it came from. I suspect I'm not the only one who doesn't, so let's find out.

The luffa plant is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash and gourd family. When the loofah fruit is harvested early it is used as a vegetable. When the fruit is fully ripened, it is very fibrous and often used for skin care.

You can actually grow your own luffa to eat or to use in the shower. It's a vegetable that needs a long growing season. So you might want to start your luffa seeds indoors ahead of time.

Benefits of Loofah Soap

The fibrous scrubby texture of loofah is perfect for gentle exfoliation. You can use it to remove dead skin cells even if you have sensitive skin. Exfoliating your skin regularly is essential to keep your skin glowing and healthy. When the scaly outermost layer of the skin is removed, things like creams, lotions and body butter are absorbed much better.

Adding loofah pieces to this melt and pour soap recipe was really a no-brainer, because that way you get cleansing and exfoliation at the same time. What's not to love?

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links, you can find my full disclosure here.

Ingredients

• melt and pour soap base: I used a goat milk soap base which I feel has more skin benefits, you can use a clear base as well to make the loofah inside more visible
• natural loofah sponges: the sponges I used came with a cotton string threaded through the sponge, if you have loofah on hand you can use a simple string to create that "soap on a rope" feature
• essential oils: I liked the relaxing yet citrusy combination of lavender and lemon essential oils, great would be geranium, mint, ylang ylang and sweet orange
• soap colorant: I like that these colors are premixed and ready to go, you could use mica powder as well

How to Make Homemade Loofah Soap

1. slice loofah into ¾ Inch thick slices using a bread knife

2. place each slice in the center of the mold string side up

3. slices should be even with mold if not even out loofah slices using a scissor if too high or uneven

4. cut melt-and-pour soap base into small chunks

5. place soap base in a heat-proof glass measuring cup

6. melt in the microwave on 30-second burst or over a double boiler/water bath stirring frequently until fully melted

7. stir in colorant and essential oils

8. pour soap mixture into the mold

9. let soap cool and harden for 1-2 hours

10. remove soap from mold

11. wrap each soap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container

Looking for more exfoliating DIY recipes? Try my Himalayan salt scrub.