DIY Tree Resin Soap: A Wild-Foraged Montana Recipe
If you love the raw, natural smell of the Montana wilderness right after a morning rain as much as I do, you are going to love this recipe. Crafting your own DIY tree resin soap is honestly one of the best ways to bring that wild, grounding mountain energy straight into your daily routine.
Making soap from scratch can sound a little intimidating, but by combining wild-foraged tree pitch with simple skin-soothing ingredients, you get all the deep, aromatic benefits of the outdoors without needing a chemistry degree.
Why Make Your Own Resin Soap?
Let’s be real—most commercial soap bars are packed with synthetic fragrances and chemicals that just leave your skin feeling tight and dry. Crafting your own homemade bar lets you control exactly what you are putting on your body. By mixing wild pine pitch with a deeply hydrating goat milk base, you get an eco-friendly, deeply moisturizing soap. Plus, there is something incredibly rewarding about creating everyday essentials directly inspired by a love for dirt, earth, and the outdoors!
Our Homemade Resin Soap Ingredients and Benefits:
- Goat Milk Soap Bar Base: deeply hydrates and protects your skin barrier while giving the soap a beautiful, creamy lather
- Raw Tree Resin: acts as a natural antimicrobial agent to soothe irritated, weathered skin
- Smashed Pine Tree Needles: adds a rustic look and gives you some gentle physical exfoliation to scrub off the trail dirt
- Stearic Acid: makes the bar significantly harder so it lasts way longer in the shower, and it helps stabilize that rich, bubbly lather
- Tea Tree Essential Oil: adds extra antibacterial power and clarifies the skin
- Bergamot Essential Oil: brightens things up with a refreshing, citrusy mood boost
- Neroli Essential Oil: brings in a subtle, sweet, and calming floral note
- Jasmine Essential Oil: balances out the sharp pine scent with a really smooth, luxurious aroma
* If you have your own favorite essential oils, you can use them for your homemade body soap. Essential oils listed above are just our favorites;)
Step-by-Step Instructions:
What You Need (for a standard 6-cavity silicone soap mold):
- 1.5-2 lb Goat Milk Soap Bar Base
- 2–3 tbsp Raw Tree Resin
- 2 tbsp Smashed Pine Tree Needles
- 2 tsp Stearic Acid
- 20 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 20 drops Bergamot Essential Oil
- 10 drops Neroli Oil
- 10 drops Jasmine Oil
- Double boiler
- Silicone soap molds
How to:
Crush pine needles and if tree resin is rock hard, break it into tiny bits.
In a double boiler, toss in tree resin bits and the stearic acid. Stir continuously over low heat until the resin softens and the stearic acid flakes completely melt into a smooth, warm liquid.
Cut your goat milk soap base into 1-inch cubes so it melts evenly. Toss the cubes into a double boiler until it is totally smooth and liquid.
Add your essential oils after letting the mixture cool for a minute or two (if it’s too hot, it will burn off your lovely scents!).
Slowly pour your liquid soap into the silicone molds. Pro tip: Let the bars sit undisturbed at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours until they are completely firm.
- Pop your beautiful, handcrafted soap out of the molds and enjoy!
Ready to Make Your Own?
Gather your botanical ingredients, bring a piece of the Montana woods into your home, and enjoy a truly refreshing, nature-inspired wash!