How to Make One Bar of Olive Oil Soap

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By Willa Cline
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Make One Bar of Olive Oil Soap

It's easy to make your own soap using melt and pour soap base, then adding your own ingredients to make it special.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Melt and pour olive oil soap base
Fragrance or essential oils
Soap colorants
Microwave oven
Glass measuring cup
Soap mold

Step 1

The easiest way to make your own soap is to start with a brick of olive oil soap base. You can find this base at local craft stores such as Michael's or JoAnn, or order it online from a specialty shop such Brambleberry (link below). It usually comes in a one or two pound brick.
Step 2

Using a knife (it doesn't have to be a sharp knife, a table knife will do), cut the brick into chunks about one inch in size.
Step 3

Pile the soap chunks into a glass (Pyrex) measuring cup and put it in the microwave. Set the timer on the microwave for about a minute, and check to see if the soap is melted. Stir it gently, and if there are still chunks, put it back in the microwave for another thirty seconds.
Step 4

Once the soap has melted, you can add fragrance oils or essential oils, using the amount as recommended on the packaging. You can also add soap coloring to your soap at this time. If you want to add more interest to your soap and make it look more rustic, you can add botanical ingredients such as lavender flowers.
Step 5

Pour your soap gently into a soap mold, or use a found container such as an empty, clean margarine or yogurt container. If you use a found container, be sure that it is larger on the top than the bottom, so you can get your soap out once it has hardened. Don't use glass -- the container you use must be flexible!
Step 6

If bubbles have formed on the surface of your soap, spritz the soap with a little rubbing alcohol to eliminate the bubbles. Leave your soap to harden for at least a couple of hours, or overnight. Once it has hardened, you should be able to pop it out of the mold. If it won't come out easily, put the mold in the freezer for twenty minutes or so, then it should be easier to remove.