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Fresh Face Cleansing Bars for Dry & Oily Skin

Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: Six 4 oz. bars (for each recipe)

An important step in any skincare routine involves keeping your skin clear of excess dirt and oil. These facial cleansers created with melt and pour soap are specially formulated to suit either dry or oily skin.

For dry skin try the bar at the end of this post. Treat yourself to a luxurious and moisturizing blend of Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil in our Shea Melt & Pour base. This results in a soap that doesn’t really lather due to the extra oil & butter, but it is mild and gentle for dry skin. If your skin is on the oily side try the recipe directly below, Green Zeolite Clay helps absorb excess oil while Olive Leaf Powder is known for its antiseptic properties.

Tea Tree & Rosemary Cleaning Bar for Oily Skin
6 Half Cylinder Silicone Mold
24 oz. White Melt and Pour Soap Base
2 tsp. Olive Leaf Powder
4 tsp. Green Zeolite Clay
3 ml Tea Tree Essential Oil
2 ml Rosemary Essential Oil
Optional: Droppers

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: Cut and melt 24 oz. of White Melt and Pour Base in a heat-safe container on 20-30 second bursts. Add Olive Leaf Powder, and stir.

TWO: Add Green Zeolite Clay, and use a whisk to remove any large chunks of powder.

THREE: Add Tea Tree Essential Oil and Rosemary Essential Oil. Stir to thoroughly combine.

FOUR: Once the melt and pour has reached about 120-125 degrees, pour into the mold. Spray with isopropyl alcohol to disperse any bubbles. Allow to fully dry and enjoy!

If your skin is in need of moisture, the Lavender & Chamomile Cleansing Bar is made with additional Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil to nourish and hydrate. Because of the additional moisture the lather is minimal, but still thoroughly cleanses. With Chamomile Extract and Chamomile Essential Oil, this cleanser is also suitable for sensitive skin due to Chamomile’s ability to soothe irritation.

Lavender & Chamomile Cleansing Bar for Dry Skin
6 Half Cylinder Silicone Mold
24 oz. Shea Melt and Pour Soap Base
.5 oz Shea Butter
.5 oz Jojoba Oil
6 ml Chamomile Extract
2 ml Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
1 mL Chamomile, Roman, Domestic Essential Oil
Optional: Droppers

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
ONE: Cut and melt 24 oz. of Shea Melt and Pour Base in a heat-safe container on 20-30 second bursts. In a separate heat-safe container, melt Shea Butter on 10 second bursts and add to the melt and pour.
TWO: Stir in the Jojoba Oil and Chamomile Extract.
THREE: Stir in the Lavender Essential Oil, and Chamomile Essential Oil.

FOUR: Once fully blended, pour into mold. Spray with isopropyl alcohol to disperse any bubbles. Allow to fully harden and dry, and enjoy!

How often do you wash your face? I religiously wash mine every morning and night!

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89 Comments

  1. Can you omit the Roman Chamomile Extract oil? It is so expensive. Will there be a huge difference to omit it. I am making the lavender bar with shea butter.

    Thank you,
    Wendy

    • Hi Wendy!

      You can omit the chamomile essential oil! We added it to scent the batch, but it isn’t necessary for the recipe. If you like, you can leave the bars unscented or add another skin-safe fragrance or essential oil of your choice. 🙂

      Learn how much scent to add to your batch with our Fragrance Calculator: http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  2. Thank you for the MP recipes that use/give advice on additives. 🙂 I love adding extracts (1 tsp/lb) to all of my MP projects just before pouring, when the soap is cooler. Extracts don’t seem to impact my final bars at all. I also like to add jojoba oil since reading this recipe. I have found that 1 tsp oil/lb of soap along with the extract doesn’t reduce lather much, if at all, but does take away some of the soap’s “slip”. So I try to limit it by using the 2 lb tray mold (LOVE them!) and putting the jojoba oil in just one of my layers, which is made up of 1 lb of base. So, for example, to a tray mold I may add 1 lb of melted goat’s milk MP base with a tsp. of oat extract, followed by 1 lb. of honey MP base with a tsp. of jojoba oil. The result is a very smooth and moisturizing bar of soap that behaves a lot like one of my favorite CP bars, but is much less work. 🙂

    • That’s awesome! The bars sound nice and luxurious. Thanks for sharing your great tips Nicole. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  3. I made the Tea Tree and Rosemary Cleansing bars, but the green zeolite clay sunk to the bottom, so the bars are really dark green on one side and a lighter green throughout the rest (which means, I think, that the olive leaf powder stayed suspended). I used the white melt and pour base, and did everything according to the directions.

    Any suggestions? I hope to re-melt and re-pour it, but would like to do something so that the clay powder will stay suspended. If I had known it would do this, I could have used a suspension base instead, but now it’s too late for that . . .

    Thanks for your help!

    • Nevermind, I just read farther down and see that you have already answered this question. Sorry! I thought I had the temperature right, but maybe I poured it at the higher end and should have waited longer and stirred it once more. I will re-melt and be more patient!
      Thanks!

      • You’re welcome Lori! The lower temperatures definitely help the clay suspend in the bars. We like to pour around 125-130F, when the soap is starting to thicken slightly. 🙂

        -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  4. Hi,

    Would like to ask if the extracts added will be broken down by the heat through Melt and Pour process. I was told that extracts are normally broken down/ destroyed by the heat and resulting no impact on skin.

    Appreciate your advice.

    • Hi Quinnie!

      Our extracts are mixed with fractionated coconut oil, so they’re fairly sturdy! We use them in melt and pour with great results. To be on the extra safe side, you can wait for the soap to cool down a bit before adding the extract. I would recommend adding them when the soap is around 130F. That way it’s cooler but still loose enough to easily mix in the extracts. 🙂

      Read more about extracts in this Sunday Night Spotlight: https://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotligh-extracts/

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  5. Instead of the Shea butter melt and pour can I sub the organic melt and pour? Also, instead of Shea butter could I use mango butter?

  6. Hi I made this and accidentally used 1 ounce of the Rosemary essential oil instead of the .6 ounces. Is this going to be an issue or will my bars be safe? TIA

    • Hi Makenna!

      How much soap did you make? Let me know and I can help you out. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      • I used the tea tree recipe, 24 ounces of the white M&P. It made 6 bars but this recipe thickened so fast It hardened before I could even pour it all.

        • Hi Makenna!

          I would recommend trying the bar on your hand. Too much essential oil can be irritating on the skin. If you notice any irritation, I would recommend remelting that recipe and adding more soap to help dilute the essential oil! I would recommend adding another 13 ounces of soap. We recommend 1 ounce of essential oil for 37 ounces of soap, so adding the extra 13 would make it the correct recommendation. 🙂

          Also, the amount of essential oil added shouldn’t make that soap harden too quickly. That can happen if the soap burns though. To prevent that, we recommend very short bursts – as little as 10 seconds. It can also help to adjust your microwave setting to low. Learn more about burnt melt and pour and how to prevent it here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-avoid-burnt-melt-pour/

          -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  7. Hello,
    I am looking for an acne recipe for my son and I may have to try the Tea Tree and Rosemary Bar. Would I be able to substitute French Green Clay for the green Zeolite Clay? Not sure what the difference is exactly.
    Thank you so much.

  8. Hello, I made the tea tree and rosemary soap several times but how to keep the clay from settling in the bottom of the soap while it’s cooling? Yours in the photo seems to be nicely dispersed throughout the bar.

    thanks

    • Hi Carmella!

      To help the olive leaf powder stay suspended, temperature is key! As the soap cools down, it starts to thicken and is able to suspend the powder evenly. So, after you add the powder, stir the soap until it’s around 120-125F. At that temperature it will be cool and thick enough to disperse the powder evenly. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  10. Can Bentonite clay be substituted for Zeolite clay in the tea tree and Rosemary cleansing bar for acne?

  11. Hi,
    I only have 1lbs of Shea butter M&P and 1lbs white M&P (they came in Bramble Berry’s M&P samplers). How would I need to adjust the amount of oil, extract, etc to use?

    Thanks 🙂
    So exited to get started!!

    • Hi Naomi!

      With additional ingredients in your melt and pour, we recommend 1 tsp. per pound of soap. So for these recipes, I would recommend decreasing the clays and oils to 1 teaspoon. 🙂

      Also, you can find out exactly how much essential oil you need for your recipe using our handy dandy Fragrance Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      • Hi I really am interested in making the Tea Tree and Rosemary Bars of soap!! I am wondering if you could add poppy seeds to it for additional texture/exfoliation & it would look very pretty. Is that possible without changing the recipe? If so how would you recommend I do this? And if it would need to be changed how would you recommend I do that :)?
        THANKS! !

        • Hi Kelsey!

          You can definitely add poppy seeds if you like! Because it’s an additive, it wouldn’t change the recipe at all. We recommend about 1 tsp. per pound of soap, depending on how scrubby you like the bars. 🙂

          You’ll want to add the poppy seeds when the soap is around 130F or cooler. That way, it is thick enough to suspend the seeds evenly!

          Poppy seeds: https://www.brambleberry.com/Poppy-Seeds-P4943.aspx

          -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  12. I have made the tea tree and rosemary and it is amazing comes out great every time. I would love to try the lavender with chamomile but don’t have chamomile whatsoever oil can I substitute for camomile?

  13. I’m anxious to try the lavender & chamomile. What is the difference between the Hungarian Lavender and the Lavender 40/42 essential oil? And are they equally interchangeable?

  15. I want to add clay to the dry skin bar, would it affect the lather or anything like that? Sorry if this is a silly question, I’m kinda new to clays.
    Thanks, Cadence

    • Hi Cadence!

      The Lavender and Chamomile Cleansing bar has great moisturization properties, but does lather a little less. Clay may may it lather less as well, but I imagine it won’t be too drastic! A small test batch may help. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  17. I went to make the lavender bar from the kit and when I poured into the mold, the oils separated and went to the top. What did I do wrong?

    • Hi Chip!

      Oh no! Can you tell me a little bit more about your process, including the temperature you poured at and how long you stirred the oils in? Also, did you make any ingredient substitutions? Let me know and I’ll help you troubleshoot. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      • I cooked everything in a double boiler following the ingredients exactly. I stirred for about 5 minutes after everything melted. The temperature of the soap was about 130 degrees. I remelted the soap and stirred for about 10 minutes and then added about 8 ounces of more shea melt and pour. This time it set up better, but there was now about 1/4″ of oil that hardened, just not with the soap. I went and tried the soap and it didn’t lather at all.

        I’m not sure what happened as I’ve used all of the products before with flawless results. I’m not sure if I’m not mixing long enough, or now that I added more shea melt and pour, if I totally ruined this batch.

        • Hi Chip!

          I have to admit, I’m a little stumped! It sounds like you followed the recipe exactly. Did you measure the ingredients by weight? Has your scale been calibrated recently?

          -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  18. I made these over the weekend, and I began using the chamomile and lavender soap on my face. I live in California’s Central Valley, and with the weather getting colder and our poor air quality, my skin has gone from oily (in the summer) to dry and irritated. This soap soothed and moisturized my parched face. I follow my face washing with a couple drops of jojoba oil. I will forever use this recipe! Thank u!!

  19. If I can’t buy all the ingredients, would it be fine just to use the tea tree and rosemary EO? Or substitute the rosemary for eucalyptus or orange?

  20. Kelsey,
    I heated it in the microwave on 30 second bursts. When I took it out and added the clay and olive leaf, the temp was 155 degrees. I added a total of 9 cc’s of oils which was apparently too much. It smells great and my husband will enjoy it. I will make the recipe again using the tea tree eo and rosemary eo only. As I said, every thing was fine until I added the litsea and bergamot essential oils. Thank you for your help and input, but I am sure the error was mine when I added too many essential oils.

    • Hi Linda!

      Hmm, that’s interesting. I have to say I’m a little stumped as to why it turned lumpy on you!

      My only guess is maybe because the soap was hot, adding a little extra room temperature essential oil could’ve caused it to harden quickly.

      You can definitely use the Litsea and Bergamot Essential Oils, I would just recommend adding 5 mL total. Also, you can add it when the soap is cooler, around 130-140F. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  21. Just thought I would follow up on giving my input. I used the Hemp seed oil soap base to make a soap for my husband. I added the olive leaf powder and zeolite clay to the melted base and all was well. I added the rosemary eo and tea tree eo and it remained good. I added some litsea eo and bergamot eo for some added male scent and that is when everything went wrong. The soap had a momentous chemical reaction and turned extremely thick before I could pour it into the mold. It is lumpy and uneven but smells great and lathers very well. It is a good thing that I will not be giving this to anyone and it will stay at home. My husband will not care what it looks like. I will repeat the recipe using only the tea tree and rosemary essential oils. I am sure that it will turn out as it should. Thank you for this recipe for troubled skin.

    • Hi Linda!

      Oh no! How much total essential oil did you add to this recipe?

      Also, how long did you melt your melt and pour? If the melt and pour burns, there can be lumps or it can harden earlier. We recommend using 20-30 second bursts in the microwave. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t boil!

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  22. I have a lot of fresh peppermint, rosemary and thyme from my garden this year and want to use it in soaps. I’m a beginner, so I’ll be using melt and pour method. Is this ok?

    • Hi GiGi!

      Adding natural products to your soap can be tricky. If the plants have excess water, they can change the texture of your soap.

      I would recommend drying the plants before adding them. Keep in mind they will turn brown eventually because they’re a natural product. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  23. Can you use melt and pour base? Also, can you make these with cold process soap? And finally, if you make these with the white or clear melt and pour, will adding pure shea butter ruin anything?

  24. Hi, I ordered both kits and love the ingredients. I have only done the lavender chamomile soap and it seem lovely when I unmolded. However, after wrapping some sort of residue formed on bars. I am new to soap (primary focus is oils, butters, aromatherapy) so I do not know if this is sweating, or Shea crystals or ?
    It rubs of with slight effort but then bars are covered with marks and not appropriate for sale or gifting aesthetically. Any suggestions? I love your site and am really enjoying so many of your products and tutorials. Thanks

    • Hi Rhea!

      Sounds like your soaps are sweating. Melt and pour is made with glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant – this means that it moisturizes by drawing water into itself, leaving the dew.

      To prevent it, you can put your unmolded soaps in front of a fan. You can also wrap them in plastic wrap and use a heat gun to shrink the wrap on tightly. I’ll include a link to a blog post with more tips. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      Augh! What’s THAT All Over My Soap?: http://www.soapqueen.com/personal-ramblings/augh-whats-that-all-over-my-soap-2/

      • Thank you so much. I made the tea tree and rosemary bars last night and wrapped them right after unmolding and the look nice and smooth. The bars are decidedly darker on the bottom side with more visible sediment from the clay and olive powder. This is still very attractive. Would I have lessened this differential if I had poured it a little later (cooler), thanks again for your excellent info and suggestions.

        • Hi Rhea!

          The soap may be a little to hot. This means it’s thinner and not suspending your clays as much.

          I’d recommend pouring those additives in there when your soap is around 120 to 125F. That should help it suspend better. 🙂

          -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  25. I just love the look of these. Very spa like. They seem like they would be very good winter and summer facial soaps for me. Love the half cylinder shape too. I have a mold similar to those, but it’s not silicone and I would love a silicone version.

    • Hi Patti!

      So glad you like it! Also, these soaps would be great for all seasons. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  26. I make a very similar oily skin bar, but I use the hemp oil base. Many of the comments about the base said that they felt that the soap was a little drying so I figured it would be the perfect one to use for acne soap. I have had very good success with it and the Zeolite clay turns it a beautiful shade of green.

  28. I was wondering if there is a substitute essential we can use in place of chamomile, roman, domestic essential oil.

  30. can I use the goat milk based to make this product, that’s the one i order instead of the white melt and pour. Thank you. i can’t wait for it get here!!!!!!!!!!!!. So excited.

  31. Two things:

    1: the recipe for the oily skin bar calls for Rosemary Essential Oil in the ingredient list, but lavender in the instructions.

    2: Would I be able to substitute Dead Sea Mud for the Olive Leaf Powder and Green Clay?

    • Hi Kimberly!

      Thank you so much for catching that!

      We didn’t test this recipe with Dead Sea Mud, but I believe it would be OK! The usage rate may be a little different, so I would recommend starting with a teaspoon and going from there. 🙂

      Also, right now we don’t have a recipe for combination skin, but we may be working on a tutorial in the future.

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      • I would have to agree with Kimberly, it would be nice to see a facial bar that is for combination skin. (Whether it be a Melt & Pour or cold process)

  33. OMG!!! Thank you so much for posting this. I have had people ask me to make them a facial bar but haven’t found a recipe I like. This looks wonderful!!!

  34. I have a couple questions: For the lavender bars, can you use the white melt and pour base, and just add some shea butter? Also, can I just make my own soap to use in the facial bars? if so, how?

    thanks!

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