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 need 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, making 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 melts and pour base and a blend of relaxing and refreshing essential oils.

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

• 1 lb melt and pour soap base: I used a goat milk soap base, which has great skin benefits, you could use a clear soap base as well to make the loofah inside more visible.
• 4 slices of natural loofah sponges: the sponges I used came with a cotton string threaded through the sponge, which gives the soap a great "soap on a rope" look
• 24 drops of essential oils (optional): I like the combination of lavender and lemon essential oils. Geranium, mint, ylang ylang, and sweet orange would also be a good choice.
• 20 drops of purple soap colorant (optional): I like that these colors are premixed and ready to go, you could use mica powder as well.

Equipment

• bread knife
• heat-resistant glass measuring cup
• silicone spatula
• round silicone soap mold

How to Make Loofah Soap

1. Gather your supplies
2. Cut loofah into ¾-inch thick slices - I used the rope portion of each loofah, but if yours doesn't come with one, you can add your own string or simply leave it out
3. Place in the mold - center each slice string side up
4. Even out loofah - slices should be even with mold if not you can use a scissor to even them out
5. Cut the soap base into small chunks
6. Add soap to a glass bowl
7. Melt the soap - in the microwave on 20-second bursts or over a double boiler/water bath stirring frequently until fully melted, don't overheat!
8. Add colorant and essential oils, stir
9. Pour the soap mixture into the mold
10. Let cool and harden for 1-2 hours
11. Remove soap from mold
12. Store - Wrap each soap in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container, it's important to keep the soap away from humidity as much as possible

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