How to Make Clear Glycerin Soap

Learning to craft your own handmade natural soaps is an enjoyable hobby. Like any great pastime, soap-making allows the creator ample personal creativity with each project. Once the basics are mastered, no two soap makers formulate their soaps in exactly the same way. Most beginning soap makers start by making clear glycerin soap. Glycerin is a substance that is prized for its ability to draw water from the air. This property causes glycerin to be a valued component in soaps, lotions and creams. Glycerin-based personal care products are richly moisturizing and gentle. In this article, you will learn how to make clear glycerin soap based on the "melt-and-pour" technique. This method is among the least complex and is ideal for anyone new to soap-crafting. Melt-and-pour clear glycerin soap is ready for use as soon as it cools, because it is designed to harden at the same time, unlike traditional lye-based methods, which can sometimes take many days to cure.

Things You'll Need

• Clear melt-and-pour glycerin soap base (available at craft stores) Sharp knife Large metal pot Cooking thermometer Large glass or Pyrex measuring cup Metal spoons Oven mitts Soap dye Fragrance oil(s) or essential oil(s) of your choice Melt-and-pour soap making molds, in your choice of shapes and sizes Rubbing alcohol, in a spray bottle Plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Cut the glycerin soap base into small pieces with your knife to encourage melting. Fill the pot half full with tap water. Place the pot on the stove. Bring the water to around 150 to 170 degrees F.

2. Place the chopped soap base into your Pyrex cup, then put the entire cup into the simmering water. Make sure that the top of the cup is above the surface of the simmering water so that water will not enter the cup. Permit the base to gradually melt while you use a metal spoon to stir it gently but infrequently. Constant or brisk stirring will introduce air bubbles that will lower the quality of your glycerin soap.

3. Put on your oven mitts and remove the measuring cup from the water when your soap base is nearly liquid. Place the cup on a counter or a table. Remove your oven mitts and continue to gently stir with a metal spoon until the base is completely melted. Add your coloring/dye and oil(s) one or two drops at a time and stirr until you obtain the desired color and fragrance.

4. Fill the soap molds to the top with the melted glycerin soap. Spray a light misting of rubbing alcohol onto the tops of the poured soap. This will discourage air bubbles from forming. Allow the soap in the molds to cool and harden. This usually takes less than an hour. If desired, the filled soap molds can be left out overnight.

5. Invert the soap molds to remove the glycerin bars when the soap has fully set. You can use your soap immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Smooth any uneven edges on your finished glycerin soap with a knife or with a vegetable peeler. Tightly seal any soap bars that won't be used right away in plastic wrap and store them away from excessive heat, humidity, and light. Vary this basic soap-making method according to your creativity. Experiment by adding glitter, herbs, citrus zest and more. For a truly unique look, make layered glycerin soap. You can easily do this by melting the soap base as directed above, dividing the portions in half or in thirds, then adding a different color and/or fragrance to each melted portion. Fill each soap mold ½ or 1/3 full with one color. Allow it to harden slightly. Pour a new color onto the previous one, being careful not to stir or mix them together. Let the soap harden a bit more, then finally add the last contrasting color to the very top of the mold. Permit the soap in the molds to harden completely before removal and use. If the melted soap in the Pyrex cup begins to harden while pouring into the molds (this can happen with large batches) simply reheat the soap in the microwave for intervals of 10 to 15 seconds each until it becomes liquid again. You could also return the cup to the pot of simmering water on the stove until it can be poured easily. At times you may expect to use up to 25 drops of fragrance, especially if you are making larger individual bars or a much larger batch of smaller bars. Smell the mixture often as you add the scent. Allow your nose to guide you.

• Melted soap is hot and can cause serious burns. Pour slowly to avoid splashing when filling the soap molds.

Resources

• Click here for basic and advanced soap making tutorials.