Rosemary soap is a natural soap containing dried and ground bits of rosemary and rosemary essential oil. This type of soap can be purchased in a beauty products store or it can be made at home; the ingredients and materials for making soap can generally be purchased from a local crafts shop or from an online store. The finished soap bar will usually have a speckled look from the rosemary bits used in its making.
Using rosemary for skin care beauty products is an excellent choice, as the herb is well known for its beneficial antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Rosemary also works well as a skin moisturizing and toning agent. A soap made from rosemary can offer a gentle and revitalizing wash and is particularly recommended for people with sensitive skins. Beauty products made from rosemary, however, may not be advisable for pregnant women and for people who have epilepsy or high blood pressure; the rosemary essential oil in excess may have some neurologically toxic effect in certain cases, so, if there are any existing medical conditions, it may be best to consult a doctor before using a rosemary soap or any other rosemary beauty products.
To make rosemary soap at home, it is necessary to have ingredients such as a white or clear glycerin soap base, rosemary essential oil, ground and dried rosemary, and soap dyes; the dyes work only with the white glycerin soap base, so this is the one to use if colored rosemary soap is desired. Lemon essential oil can also be used. It will also be necessary to have soap molds and wrapping paper for storing the finished soap bars.
The glycerin soap base is grated and the shavings are put in water in a pot. The pot is heated until the glycerin completely melts; it is essential to not let the soapy liquid come to boil as this can negatively affect the glycerin. After all the soap base has melted, the heat is turned off and the oil, ground rosemary, and colored dye are added to the pot; if large specks of rosemary are not desired in the soap bar, the rosemary should be very finely ground and mixed with a little milk before adding to the mixture. The hot soapy mixture is then set aside to cool for a while.
The soapy liquid is next poured into the soap molds and allowed to set for a couple of days. The newly solidified soap bars are then removed from the molds and allowed to air dry for several weeks. When the soap has sufficiently hardened, they can be wrapped up individually and stored until they are required for use.