Irresistible Sweet Orange and Cinnamon Christmas Soap Recipe

This orange and cinnamon soap is one of my favourite holiday treats to give away. When you combine uplifting orange with sweet and spicy cinnamon, you get a scent that comes straight from a Hallmark Christmas movie. If you’re feeling festive this year, learn how to make your very own Christmas soap to give away this season.

While this Christmas soap reminds me of the holidays, the orange does bring a sense of freshness and renewal. Sweet orange essential oil reminds me of a hot summer day, which can be a friendly reminder when we’re actually closer to the winter solstice!

Sweet orange is considered a top note in the realm of fragrances, which means it pairs well with warm scents. And cinnamon, as you probably guessed, is a warm note!

Sweet orange brings the season’s joy, while cinnamon brings you the cozy vibes. The blend of cinnamon and orange reminds me of old-fashioned oranges filled with cloves used to scent the house over the holidays. The vanilla adds a yummy factor, making it smell like a treat you enjoy in the festive holiday months.

Of course, this Christmas soap can be used year-round. Because it’s so lively and bright, it’s one of my favourite scents to give away. A very cheery soap, most people enjoy the smell of it. You’ll soon find them asking for more!

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Why You’ll Love This Christmas Soap Recipe!

• Sweet orange, cinnamon, and vanilla make this soap smell just like Christmas. It’s a popular scent combination, which makes it great for gifting.
•  Cinnamon is a mood enhancer, and the antibacterial properties in the essential oil help it act as a natural preservative.
• This recipe is very moisturizing, which makes it great for winter weather. It contains olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, and rice bran oil.
• The natural colouring and swirls make this orange and cinnamon soap look artisan-made, making it a great homemade gift option.

Orange Essential Oil Benefits

Orange essential oil is made from cold pressing the rind of sweet orange. Not only does it smell like a little slice of heaven, but it also has a host of benefits for the body.

Orange soap is especially good for reducing levels of stress and anxiety. Most citrus oils are known for being instant mood boosters, and studies have shown the smell has even been proven to help those with pain.

The essential oils also help to stop the growth of bacteria and fungi, making this an extra cleansing orange soap.

Some citrus oils are phototoxic, meaning they may cause skin irritation and reactions when exposed to the sun after applying to your skin. The good news is that orange essential oil has very low phototoxicity, but you should still be cautious. If you plan to apply it to your face, ensure you’re wearing sunscreen for safety.

The Benefits of Cinnamon Oil

We also have to give a shoutout to the other half of this duo, cinnamon oil! Without a doubt, this is the main component of the Christmas soap that gives it those festive and cozy vibes. Not a single bit shy, cinnamon is a strong scent that many find pleasing. To me, cinnamon smells of tasty baked goods I might consume in the days before Christmas.

Sweet and spicy, cinnamon also acts as a mood enhancer. The antibacterial properties in the essential oil are a safe and natural preservative. This makes it a great addition to natural cosmetics, like cinnamon soap.

As with any essential oil, you never want to rub it directly on the skin. This can cause a burning sensation or rashes. If applying it to the skin, be sure to keep the concentration low by diluting it with a carrier oil.

In this cinnamon soap recipe, I use coconut oil, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, and rice bran oil so you can get all the sweet Christmas spice with none of the worries.

Why This Christmas Soap is Ideal for Winter

Natural soaps are made of high-quality, natural oils. I designed this recipe to specifically be naturally moisturizing, so it’s ideal for winter skin that’s dry and flaky from the winter air.

As part of the soap making process, glycerin is a natural by-product. Derived from plant-based oils, it’s commonly used as a moisturizer because it attracts moisture to itself and the surrounding skin.

Most commercial soaps extract the glycerin from their soap to add to their other products. As a result, you need to use additional moisturizing products after you use the soap on your skin. They want you to buy more.

Rather than contribute to your dry and itchy skin, this Christmas soap will aid and soothe it. I notice a big difference in the way my skin feels when I use natural vs. commercial soaps, especially in the winter.

Make This Soap Ahead of Time

Natural soap needs curing time before it can be used. Curing allows the saponification process, the process of lye and oils turning into soap, to complete itself and the water to fully evaporate.

For my soaps, I always recommend six weeks for the soap to cure fully. If you’re gifting these Christmas soaps or want to enjoy them around the holidays, you need to have them done and curing by the beginning to mid-November.

So don’t be a last-minute soap maker, and start making this cinnamon and orange soap now!

Orange and Cinnamon Christmas Soap Recipe

You’ll notice a difference in your skin as soon as you lather up this Christmas soap. It’s gentle on the skin but will clean well, all while hydrating your skin.

Ingredients

For exact measurements, please view the recipe card down below.

Materials

Make It!

If you’ve never made cold process soap before, I recommend you take a look at this guide first to get more detailed instructions before you get started. I won’t go into the nitty-gritty details about how to make lye water and combine your oils, but instead, get down to the technique of this particular soap!

Once you have reached a light trace, add in your sweet orange, cinnamon leaf, and vanilla absolute essential oils. Use your immersion blender to blend the oils into the soap.

Now it’s time for the swirls! The sweet orange oil itself gives this soap a nice light orange colour. But to add a little more pizazz, I add a teaspoon of turmeric. Add it to one side of the bowl and use a spatula to create tiny circles around the edge of the bowl. This ensures you don’t spread it through the whole soap mixture.

Once the turmeric makes a dark orange circle around the edge of the bowl, pull the colour through the soap once or twice through the mixture. Then, pour your mixture into the soap. This creates a delicate swirl of dark orange that resembles the cinnamon swirls you might see in a cinnamon bun. It’s simply gorgeous for Christmas gifting.

You’ll have to let your soap sit somewhere nice and warm for two days before cutting it. Once cut, it must cure for six weeks before it’s ready for use.

This is why I get all my Christmas soap-making done in November. This gives me plenty of time to wrap them up all pretty and even send some in the mail to friends and relatives out of town.

Gift This Christmas Soap

Part of the fun of making this soap is to give it away. I usually double or triple the batch below. While I do keep a few bars for myself, I give the majority away.

I particularly enjoy wrapping these bars into a bundle using eco-friendly materials such as twine. You could even add dried orange slices and a few cinnamon sticks to the top for added oomph.

Here are some of my other favourite ways to gift items using natural gift wrap. However you wrap it, this soap is a gift the recipient will love all season long.

Let me know if you end up gifting this orange and cinnamon soap!

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