How to Make Holiday Soap Molds

Use Christmas ornaments to create soap molds.

Making homemade molded soaps is one of the fastest growing hobbies for crafters who enjoy making pretty things. Soap molds can be expensive, but it's easy to make your own holiday soap molds with just a few simple ingredients.

Things You'll Need

• 2-part silicone molding compound
• Assorted holiday figures and ornaments

Instructions

1. Collect an assortment of holiday ornaments and figures. Choose objects with distinctive shapes. The molding compound will reproduce even the smallest details, so you can chose items with complex designs.

2. Take a piece of each of the two colors of silicone molding compound, making them as close to the same size as possible. Knead them together until the colors are completely blended and no streaks of either color remain separate. You'll feel the compound get warmer as you work it and the chemicals react with each other.

3. Working quickly, mold the silicone compound halfway around one of the objects. Set it aside to let the silicone cure for the amount of time stated in the package directions.

4. Alternatively, you can roll the kneaded compound into a ball and flatten it slightly, then press the holiday ornament or figurine into the silicone to create an impression.

5. Repeat with each of the remaining objects to make more holiday soap molds. The silicone molds can be used with cold process soap mixture or with lye and lard soap. They can be used repeatedly for years, as long as they are cleaned well after each use.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to work quickly. Many brands of 2-part silicone molding compound set up in as little as six minutes.

References

• Carnegie Mellon University: Procedure for Making a Silicone Molds