How to Make Handmade Cranberry Massage Soaps as Christmas Gifts

Need to make some quick handmade Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers? Try these deliciously scented Cranberry Massage glycerin soaps. They take only minutes to make and do double duty as sweet smelling body bars that help massage away tension and sore muscles.

Things You'll Need

• food wrap or small plastic craft bags
• Clear glycerin soap base
• a sharp knife
• a large glass measuring cup (like the Pyrex ones)
• Cranberry fragrance oil for soaps
• massage bar soap molds
• an eye dropper
• cranberry seeds (optional)
• clear tape or decorative ribbon
• a metal spoon
• a garbage bag
• a kitchen scale
• red liquid soap colorant

Instructions

1. Go shopping for your ingredients. You may be able to find most of what you need at local craft stores or some department stores such as Wal-Mart. For a much easier shopping experience simply shop from the convenience of your home with one of the many Websites that offer soap making supplies. Check the resource section of this article for a link.

2. You will need a clean and clutter free area in which to work. A kitchen table works wonderfully for making your handmade Christmas soaps. Prepare the work area by covering the table with a couple of large garbage bags to protect the table from spills and make clean up easier.

3. Have all your ingredients and tools placed out and handy. Be sure your soap molds are clean and set out and ready to receive the melted soap base.

4. Decide how many soaps you want to make in your glycerin soap batch. This will determine how much soap base you need. As an example, if you are making three 4oz soaps you will need 3x4=12 oz of soap base. If you are making a big batch you may have to do it in two rounds depending on how many Cranberry Massage soap molds you have. Be sure to tightly seal up any unused soap base for later use.

5. Open the glycerin soap base and measure out how much you will need. Some soap bases come pre-scored in one ounce sections to make measurement easier. If yours does not have these scores just cut off a big chunk and use a kitchen scale that weighs in ounces to measure out the soap.

6. After you have cut off enough glycerin soap base, divide that soap into very small cubes. This will make the melting process go faster.

7. Place your small soap cubes into a glass measuring cup (the Pyrex ones work perfect) and melt your soap on high heat for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove the measuring cup and stir the melted soap slowly with a metal spoon. If all the soap cubes have dissolved you are ready for the next step. If soap chunks still remain return the measuring cup to the microwave and heat in short burst of 10 seconds until the chunks are completely melted.

8. Once your glycerin soap base is melted it is ready to color and scent. Using an eye dropper add two or three drops of red liquid soap coloring to your soap base and stir slowly but thoroughly. If the color is to your satisfaction you can move on to adding fragrance to your handmade Christmas soaps. If you desire a deeper shade of red you may add one or two drops more but be careful not to over color your soaps. Soap base will only hold so much extra ingredients before it looses its stability.

9. To scent your glycerin soaps use an eye dropper to add your Cranberry fragrance oil. How much scent you add is a personal preference but we recommend starting with 4 to 5 drops per 4 oz bar of soap. You can always add a little more later but you can't remove it if the scent is overpowering.

10. Now thoroughly but gently stir you soap base with a metal spoon to distribute the fragrance oil.

11. Your soap is now ready for the molds. Slowly pour your soap base into each massage bar soap mold, aiming for the middle of the mold when pouring. Pour until the melted soap line is just shy of the top of the soap mold. Be careful not to over pour. Continue this process until all your soap molds have been filled.

12. Your glycerin soaps now need to sit, undisturbed, for at least two hours to begin hardening. After two hours, if you must, you can carefully relocate your soaps to a safer place (you may need your kitchen table or counter back) and let the soaps continue to harden for another 2 to 6 hours.

13. Once your handmade Christmas soaps are completely set up you can gently remove them from their soap molds. The easiest way to do this is to place the soaps open side down on a piece of wax paper and gently but firmly press the soaps out of the molds from the top with your thumbs. If the soap refuses to fall out try placing your soap mold in the freezer for 20 minutes to allow the soaps to shrink slightly. This should make them come out easily.

14. Your glycerin soaps are now ready to be wrapped. You can use either food wrap pulled taunt over your soaps and secured with clear tape at the back of the soaps or place your soaps in a small plastic craft bag and tie with a decorative ribbon. Your handmade Christmas massage bar soaps are now ready for giving.

Tips & Warnings

• To turn these Cranberry Massage soaps into exfoliating soaps try adding cranberry seeds to your melted soap base after you have added your fragrance. Add a teaspoon per 4 oz bar of soap and stir the soap base slowly until it begins to thicken. This will keep the seeds suspended throughout the soap bars instead of them sinking to the botton (top of the soap bar). Once the soap base has thickened pour into the soap molds.

• To rinse out your eye dropper between coloring and scenting your soaps have a small glass of warm soapy water handy. After you've colored your soaps dip the eye dropper into the soapy water and suck some up into the tube, then push it out again. Repeat this process until all the red dye is removed from the glass tube.