Intimate Soap Bar Recipe

Intimate soaps and intimate hygiene products are somehow tricky. Personally, I’ve never got along well with any in particular. The bath gel with 5.5 pH would do the job. But when switching to soap bars, and because I am stubborn and would not want to simply use the bath gel anymore, I had to find a homemade alternative. I’ve ended up with this intimate soap bar recipe.

This intimate soap bar recipe is simply a homemade washing alternative for your intimate area. One that worked for me. When it comes to sensitive body areas like this one, it’s dangerous to say that this or that product is the best, especially because I am no health specialist. But with this recipe you can control your product in terms of ingredients and processing, just like any other natural skincare product.

Table of Contents

What To Wash And What Not to Wash

When speaking about intimate feminine products, we better know what we are talking about. This article from Healthline, gives you a proper anatomy lesson, as well as this one from MedicalNewsToday. 

The vagina is the muscular channel between the uterus and the outer portions around the it, called the vulva. It is an acidic environment with pH between 3.5 and 4.5, which keeps bacteria and fungus away. It’s a self-cleaning organ, and introducing products with a different pH will disrupt the balance in this environment, which can result in irritation, bacterial vaginosis, or a yeast infection.

liquid pink soap with bubbles

Therefore, and in a normal situation, you should not wash or douche your intimate zone. If you have an irritation, itching or burning sensation, you should see your gynecologist, to prescribe the best treatment for you (which might include a douche with an appropriate product).

So, does your intimate zone need to be washed? Yes, and you can find here a detailed description on how to do it correctly. According to same website, in this post, ” ‘Cleaning the vulva should be a part of your daily hygiene routine,’ says Sherry Ross, MD, OB-GYN and women’s health expert in Santa Monica, California.”. WomensHealthMagazine states the very same. By the way, your vulvar area has a pH pf 3.5 – 4.7. Menopause brings an increase in pH, varying between 4.5 to 7, depending on various factors, namely, if you take a hormone treatment or not.

My Personal Experience

When switching to soap bars, which I love and believe to be must better than commercial soaps or bath gels for our skin, I did have this issue of finding a good product I could make myself. Soap pH is too high for the intimate area, and I found out that Castille soap (olive oil soap) was the only one I tolerated and didn’t cause an immediate burning sensation. While I never had an actual health condition, I did have a constant discomfort about using this soap.

I realized that shampoo would not cause me any disconfort, and that a product with a too-high pH was actually the key to my disconfort – shampoos are formulated to have a pH of 5.5. So, I used my syndet shampoo bar, and found out that I felt much better, the disconfort disappeared.

But why not study a little bit and find out what is actually good for the vulva area in terms of washing? After some research and the opinion of a beautician and cosmetologist student (brasilian Silvana Liviero), I came up with this syndet bar – not really a soap bar because it doesn’t have soap – made with only one mild surfactant, natural oils, and a pH adjuster. Since I’ve started to use, I feel completely confortable – and fresh – in my intimate area.

Homemade Intimate Soap

So, you can actually use a mild soap to wash your whole intimate area. Two requirements for it: proper pH, so that it has minimal disruption to your vagina environment; very delicate and mild to sensitive skin.

Surfactant

I have chosen SCI as this is a very mild surfactant, and I already use it for my hair shampoos. I’ve tried it, and found no issues. I plan to study natural surfactants and provide with alternatives to SCI for super-sensitive skin.

Oils

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is at same time cleansing and nourishing for skin. It also has some anti-inflammatory properties, so it sounds like a very good choice. While I don’t expect it to cure from inflammations or irritations, I am expecting some help with prevention and keeping your skin clean. 

coconut fruit, coconut oil and another liquid yellow oil

If you don’t get along well with coconut oil (it’s actually a strange oil, providing wonderful and benefic properties to some people and not being good to others), you can use jojoba oil, the mildest of vegetable oils, very similar to the fatty acid profile of our skin natural oil (sebum). While I don’t say it’s impossible, there are no known allergic reactions related with jojoba oil.

Hempseed Oil

Hempseed oil is packed with vitamins and medicinal properties, with a highlight to its strong anti-inflammatory properties, 
is so good that helps treat skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and others. Sounds good to sensitive skin. I find it very good to be used on my intimate soap bar. 

hempseed oil small bottle with pipette, hemp plant and seeds decorating

Sweet Almond Oil

Along with jojoba oil, sweet almond oil can be a replacement for any of these oils as well. Not because it’s better but because it’s cheaper and more commonly available. It’s a very good oil for skin care products. Hoever, bear in mind that if you have a nut allergy, this oil might not be an option.

The recipe uses coconut oil and hempseed oil, mostly due to cleansing, medicinal and anti-inflammatory properties, but in fact you can use a combination of any oils, as long as you respect the total quantity.

Water

Distilled water is my preference for the reamining liquids. You can use an herbal infusion, but I prefer to keep it simple – the less ingredients, the less likely to develop any sort of irritant reactions.

Addictives

The remaining ingredients are the pH adjuster, the preservative and the essential oil:

pH Adjuster

– I use citric acid as the pH adjuster, but I was told that the best is lactic acid, even milder to skin than citric acid. The necessary quantity is not exact, as it also depends on the pH of oils and water. Best practice is to use 1 teaspoon of pH adjuster and measure the product pH. If it’s still above 4.5, then add another teaspoon. Add the pH adjuster dissolved in a bit of warm water (1 or 2 tsp)

– Don’t forget that your body is different than mine. Adjust pH according to your age, and your needs. At reproductive age, pH is lower (a pH of 4 should be good enough), while before or after this period, pH rises (I would advise a pH of 5.5 in this case, as it’s also adequate for skin)

Preservative

– Since this syndet bar contains water, and because it’s destined to a very sensitive area, this is a mandatory ingredient. Most natural preservatives work well in this pH area (3.5 – 4.5) but Liquid Germall Plus is the best choice I’ve found, considering its high protection to most bacteria and fungus. Actually it’s a syntethic preservative, but I always put safety above natural. I personally use Euxyl K940, which is natural and also offers a wide protection, but I know it’s not commonly available. Use 0,5% of the weight of the whole product – that would be 0,5g for a 100g syndet bar.

essential oils set

Essential Oil

– Now, the essential oil is optional, especially because it can be a skin irritant. I use tea tree essential oil, from its antisseptic properties, and I feel absolutely zero irritation. But I really don’t advise it to do so. If you have to (I’m also sutbborn) start with mild ones like lavender.

How about the anti-oxidant to preserve the oils? Well, you can add a few drops of vitamin E oil, but there are a number of reasons why I don’t really find it necessary: the preservative prevents bacterial rancidity; the syndet bar only has 25% of oils; I use my bars before the oils have time to go rancid 🙂 . However, if you are making a big batch and wish to use your bars after some months, adding an anti-oxidant is not a bad idea at all. 


Watch This Tutorial Video Before Starting Your Recipe

Find Where to Buy Natural Shampoo Bars

Willing to try or use regularly natural shampoo, but you’re not really into DIY? Want to go zero-waste crazy with shampoo bars? Find where to buy natural haircare shampoo bars, listed by main ingredients and hair type:

If you love shampoo bars and have no issues in using them, find some at the following links:

Here’s a choice of natural liquid shampoos if you prefer the liquid stuff:

How Do You Use a Solid Shampoo Bar

Wash your hands and wet your hair in the shower or bath. Make a lather first with the shampoo bar, water and your own hands, then spread the lather in your hair.

Once the shampoo bar is making a lot of foam, you can also apply the bar directly on your hair. Make sure you follow the direction of your strands to avoid knotting or tangling your hair. Apply mostly in your scalp, avoid the ends. Massage your scalp with your fingertips for a few minutes. Avoid using your nails at all costs. Rinse and repeat until you feel your hair and scalp well washed.

The shampoo bar might not create a lot of lather the first time it’s used – I have no idea why, but it’s something I have observed. Be patient and create a lather with your hands for a little longer. The shampoo bar should create as much foam as a liquid shampoo. If not, probably your scalp just needs another wash.

A neat trick is to use your shampoo bar in the shower inside a saver bag. It helps create more lather.


Watch This Video Tutorial Before Starting Your Recipe

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intimate soap bar

Intimate Soap Bar Recipe

Intimate hygene is an essential part of everyone's daily body care. Mild care products that take care of the sensitive skin flora in the pubic area, ideally balanced to protect the natural protective layer of the skin, should be used.
This recipe is not really a soap, but a very mild syndet bar, with pH adjusted to the feminine intimate area. It has essential oils for scent but they can be skipped if your skin is too sensitive.
Dificulty: Easy
Weight: 100g
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Method: Syndet Bar
Cosmetic: Syndet Bar
Servings: 1 bar (100g)
Cost: $2,15 / 2€

Ingredients

Liquid Phase

Cooling Phase

Instructions

Preparations and Good Practices

  • Learn how to make a syndet bar in How Do You Make a Syndet Bar? or watch the video above. They don't have a recipe but explain in general the steps and ingredients to produce a syndet bar.
    How Do You Make a Syndet bar
  • Disinfect all your equipment before starting. You can boil some of your equipment (like the double boiler, glass cups, spoons), and use a solution of 1 liter of water with 1/2 cup of bleach, for items that are not heat-resistant (like the milk frother, plastic cups or the lotion containers)
    Disinfect-equipment
  • Measure all ingredients and prepare your workstation. Wear a mask as the SCI releases an irritant dust cloud

Liquid Phase

  • Put a pan with water into the stove (any water as this is for bagne-marie)
    pan-with-water-for-bagne-marie
  • Add the oils and water into the double boiler or a metal jug. Let it heat in low heat, up to 50ºC or until a little bit before the solid oils melt completely
    heating-oils-and-water

Dry Phase

  • Add the SCI and mix well with a spoon. I prefer to use a fork as it works as half spoon, half whisker.
    adding-sci
  • Mix and heat the mixture in low heat until it has the consistency of homogeneous mush or porridge
    mixing sci and liquids
  • Remove the double boiler or jug from heat. Mix a bit to cool down the mixture.
    cooling mixture

Make Your Bars

  • At around 50ºC or lower, add the essential oils, the preservative and 1 tsp of citric acid dissolved in a bit of water. Mix well.
    adding-cooling-phase-ingredients
  • Take 1/4 tsp of the mixture and dilute it in 1 tsp of warm water. Dissolve it well and use a pH strap to measure pH. Should be around 4.
    measuring-pH-with-test-paper
  • If pH is still high add another tsp of citric acid dissolved in water. Mix very well and measure the pH again.
    adding-citric-acid-with-water
  • Pour the mixture into a soap mold. After unmolding let it dry for 2 or 3 days.
    molded-bars
  • Your intimate soap bar is ready to use!
    intimate-soap-bar

Video

Tried this recipe?Send a pic to @herbalcochete!

4 thoughts on “Intimate Soap Bar Recipe”

  1. I appreciate the way you made it clear that this not a miraculous recipe but one that we can control in terms of ingredient. Our intimate area are sensitive and needs to be taken off with tender care. As such there is a need for mild soap that does not react or irritate the skin. Thank for a detailed explanation on the oils and even various addictive 

    • Hello Parameter and thanks for your comment, and your interest in this post.

      Come back for more posts about soapmaking!

      Cheers,

      Sofia 

  2. I totally believe the article about friendly soap bars.
    I have suffered from scalp inflammation for a long time, and recently I have been looking for a soap that matches the acidity of my skin. As stated in the article here, the role of 5.5 pH is phenomenal to me. Currently, I do not use any other skin cleaners!

    • Hello Minjun Kim and thanks for your interest in this article.

      I think you are talking about a syndet shampoo and not an intimate soap 🙂 But you are right, and pH should be respected for hair and scalp, otherwise you may get hair conditions, like itching scalp, or hair breakage, which no one wants.

      Cheers,

      Sofia 

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