Handmade Lavender Soap

The calming benefits of lavender for kids

Lavender has many proven benefits which makes it a lovely herb to work with when you are doing crafts and activities with children. We’ve made a lavender scented play dough that has a light blue color and beautiful scent that is a perfect fit for small hands. We have also made these scented flowers for breathing exercises. Breathing in the subtle lavender scent has a calming effect enhancing a breath work practice.

Quick Lavender Soap Recipe

This lavender soap is a bit of a cheat as we use ready made goats milk pellets that melt down easily and all you have to do is add your favorite lavender essential oil. Homemade gifts are a lovely way for kids to give gifts that they have had a hand in. It is so sweet to watch their prideful faces, as they present the gifts to loved ones. We made this soap for both Father’s Day and as teacher’s appreciation gestures at the end of the school year.

How does lavender help kids find calm?

The lavender plant contains actual compound that support our bodies. Flavonoids are anti-inflammatory with antioxidant properties. Specifically Linalool has been show to reduce anxiety and blood pressure. (Cleveland Clinic.org) I used lavender at bedtime and during quiet time to set the mood for relaxation and calm. My son is very high energy, but would get too fussy when he was overtired. It was really important that his days were peppered with what I called “relaxation points”. Crafts like this one were fun things we could do that were slow and intentional, and allowed his nervous system time to deregulate.

Relaxation and supports sleep

There are studies that support the relaxing effects of smelling lavender to aid in sleep. Breathing in lavender’s aroma can potentially improve Melatonin levels.

Reduced Anxiety

Linalool vapor found in lavender has been shown to reduce anxiety when reaching the brain through smell. This Japanese study had finding that support Linalool found in lavender and other herbs to be beneficial to reducing anxiety.

Pain relief and reduces inflammation

Lavender contains antioxidants that can help protect against free radical damage, and its antimicrobial properties may help fight off certain bacteria and fungi. More research is needed but the soothing effects of lavender but there are small studies (PubMed) that found success in pain treatment in conjunction with pain medications.

Lavender Flowers Craft

Lavender Play Dough Recipe

A Handmade Father’s Day

We spent a quiet morning making soap this week. It was a simple, creative way to start the day, and we both felt pretty proud of the resulting little packages. Rowan helped to measure, stir, and pour the soap, and we took a long walk to our local coffee shop while the soaps sat and dried. It was a good morning.

You can make this soap by adding your favorite essential oils to an organic soap base for a handmade gift any dad or teacher would love. We added added dried lavender which is not only made them beautiful, but make these soaps calming and aromatic. The watercolor tags that any kid can create made them extra special.

Handmade Organic Lavender Soap

Organic Goats Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base
Dried Lavender
Vitamin E
20 drops Lavender Essential Oil
10 drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
10 drops Vetiver Essential Oil
10 drops Orange Bergamot Essential Oil
Silicone Soap Molds

Watercolor Labels

Labels template printable HERE.
Watercolor paint
Glue
Scissors

I used half of the package of this soap base which made four bars of soap and worked well with the amount of essential oils in the recipe.

Chop soap base into small squares. In a double boiler melt soap base to a liquid. You can microwave the soap in a pyrex bowl by heating it in intervals until liquid.

Add vitamin e and essential oils to base and stir. Add dried Lavender. Experiment with the essential oils to get the scent you like. There is no real recipe needed here. It can be a very personal project. Pour liquid into molds and let set for about an hour until solid and firm.