How Do You Make Soap From Small Scraps?
Making soap is a hobby that provides plenty of entertainment. Soap making also provides a useful product as the result of your efforts. Make soap using products designed for that purpose or make it out of scraps of old soap you already have. The procedure is simple and uses tools you probably have in your home. Use homemade soap right away or store it for later. Start by creating simple soap and progress to making more elaborate soaps to keep or to give as unique gifts.
Things You'll Need
- Oven
- Knife or handheld grater
- Cooking pot made of oven-safe enamel, stainless steel or glass with a lid
- Measuring cup
- Milk
- Additives such as essential oils and herbs
- Handheld blender
- Soap mold (muffin or cupcake tins, disposable cups, seashells)
- Cookie sheet or tray
- Plastic wrap or airtight container
Instructions
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1
Use a knife or handheld grater to cut or grate soap scraps into small pieces and dump the small chunks into the cooking pot.
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2
Add 1 c. of milk per pound of vegetable oil-based soaps to the pot. Add 1/2 c. milk for each pound of olive oil-based soaps and/or animal fat-based soaps. If the soap used is less than one week old, use half as much milk for each lb. of soap.
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3
Cover the pot with the lid and let the milk soak into the soap bits for two hours, stirring the soap every 30 minutes.
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4
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Farenheit. Place the pot of soap into the oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
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5
Remove the soap from the oven and put in any additives such as herbs or essential oils, stirring them into the smooth soap mixture.
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6
Blend the soap mixture with a handheld blender for five minutes.
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7
Pour the soap mixutre into the molds. Place the molds in an out-of-the-way area and allow the soap to set for one to two days.
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8
Remove the soap from the molds and place it on a cookie sheet or tray to age for two weeks.
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9
Put the soap in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container, and use as you would use any other soap.
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Tips & Warnings
Always use clean, dry soap molds.
Coat molds with cooking spray before pouring in the soap to ease the release of the soap.
Make sure the cooking pot is oven safe to prevent it from melting or burning in the oven.
Work carefully with hot liquid soap; it can burn skin.
