How to Make Melt and Pour Soap

Make your own melt-and-pour soap with the scents and colors you like.

Making soap can be simple, fast and fun. Most craft or hobby stores sell melt-and-pour soap bases in a variety of blends. The lower priced bases sometimes contain alcohol and glycerin, so always read the packaging on the container. Higher priced ones contain vegetable oil, and some have glycerin. The bases come in transparent and opaque. People make a variety of soaps using the bases. Try creating several different types of soap, and see how different it feels from soap bought from the store.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2 lb. melt and pour soap base (transparent)
• Soap fragrance (rose scent)
• Soap coloring (red)
• Microwave safe bowl
• Microwave
• Wooden spoon
• 1/4 milk
• 1/4 cup instant oatmeal
• Soap mold

Instructions

Clear Rose Hand/Body Soap

1. Remove the plastic from the soap base, and break apart the soap base on the lines molded in the soap. Place the soap in a microwave safe container. Use this container for soap making only. Do not use it for food. Heat the soap base in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture. Continue heating the soap base in 30-second intervals and stirring until the soap is melted. Once it is melted, take it out of the microwave. If the soap gets too hot, it causes tiny bubble in the finished bars of soap.

2. Stir in two drops of soap base coloring. This forms a light pink colored soap. Stir in five drops if you want a red colored soap. Add three drops of rose soap fragrance.

3. Pour the warm soap mixture into the soap mold. Let the soap cool for one hour. Turn the mold over, and, gently, push down on the back side of the mold until the soap releases from the mold.

Oatmeal Facial/Body Scrub Soap

1. Remove the plastic from the soap base, and break apart the soap base on the lines molded in the soap. Place the soap in a microwave safe container. Use this container for soap making only. Do not use it for food. Heat the soap base in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture. Continue heating the soap base in 30 second intervals and stirring until the soap is melted. Once it is melted, take it out of the microwave. If the soap gets too hot, it causes tiny bubble in the finished bars of soap.

2. Stir the milk into the melt-and-pour soap base. Add the instant oatmeal into the soap base, and stir until it is thoroughly mixed. The milk gives the soap a shiny white opaque color, and the oatmeal shows on the surface of the soap.

3. Pour the warm soap mixture into the soap mold. Let the soap cool for one hour. Turn the mold over, and push on the back of the mold until the soap releases from the mold. The milk and oatmeal cool the warm soap base. If the soap base cools too much and gets thick, microwave it for 20 seconds, stir it and pour it into the mold.

Tips & Warnings

• Many basic kitchen items work well for soap molds. Items like ice cube trays, mini or regular sized cup cake pans or candy molds make perfect soap molds. Substitute food coloring for adding color to the soap base, but over time the color fades. One problem with using the food coloring is that the food coloring sometimes stains surfaces.

References

• Soap Making Resource: Melt And Pour Soap
• Snow Drift Farm: Making Melt And Pour Soaps
• Soap Nuts: An Introduction To Melt And Pour Soapmaking