How to Make Marble Melt & Pour Soap
Homemade soaps make thoughtful gifts and are popular craft fair items, too. Melt and pour soap allows you to customize the scent and color of your soap, or even add extras like oatmeal or dried lavender. You can also use techniques such as marbling to make soaps with a distinctive look. Learning this technique is easy, even for a beginning soap-maker.
Things You'll Need
- Clear glycerin melt and pour soap base
- White glycerin melt and pour soap base
- Two heat-resistant glass measuring cups
- Cutting board
- Kitchen scale
- Fragrance oil or essential oil (optional)
- Soap coloring (optional)
- Knife
- Spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- Soap mold
- Microwave
- Metal spoon
- Potholder or oven mitt
Instructions
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1
Use the measuring cup and kitchen scale to measure out the soap base. Remember that you will be using two different bases to create the soap, so half of the total amount will be the clear soap base and the other half will be the white soap base.
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2
Cut the soap base into chunks to get it to fit in the cup and to help it melt more quickly. Place the clear soap base chunks into one measuring cup and the white soap base chunks into the second measuring cup.
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3
Place both measuring cups into your microwave. Heat the soap bases for 1 minute at 50 percent power. Carefully remove both measuring cups from the microwave (you might want to use an oven mitt). Stir each of the soap bases. Continue to heat them in the microwave for a minute at a time, stirring in between heating periods, until the soap bases have completely melted.
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4
Add a few drops of fragrance oil or essential oil to the clear melted soap base, if desired and stir.
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5
Add coloring to the measuring cup filled with clear melted soap base, if desired. Just add a few drops at a time and stir. Repeat as necessary until you achieve your desired shade. Do not stir too quickly because bubbles will form on the soap's surface. If bubbles appear, lightly spritz the soap's surface with rubbing alcohol. The bubbles will quickly dissipate.
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6
Pour both of the soap bases into your molds at the same time. Hold a measuring cup in each hand and try not to splash the soap as you slowly pour. As you pour, the two soap bases will swirl together and create a marbled look. If bubbles or froth form, spritz the soap surface with rubbing alcohol. Allow the soap to cool on the counter or in the refrigerator.
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7
Wait for the soap to harden (about 24 hours), then remove it from the molds and tightly wrap each individual soap in plastic wrap.
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Tips & Warnings
Spray your soap mold with non-stick vegetable oil spray before pouring the soap base. This will make it easier to remove the soaps when they are cool and hard.
Don't allow the soap base to get too hot. Otherwise, any fragrance that you might add will evaporate as the soap cools.
