Hear us out on this, but we think there\u2019s just something super satisfying about a bar of handmade soap. Pick a bar with pretty colours to look great on the side of your sink, and one with a great fragrance so your skin smells sweet and feels moisturised. Well, how much more satisfying would it be to make your own? You might be surprised how easy it is to learn how to make soap at home \u2013 read our handy guide to find out more.<\/p>\n
There are lots of methods for making soap at home, but we\u2019re going to take a look at one of the safest and easiest methods for soap-making beginners: how to make soap using melt-and-pour, or soap base.<\/p>\n
Soap is (at a basic level) made of two components: fat and an alkaline, which in soap making is almost always some kind of oil and the chemical lye respectively. When lye and fat mix together, the mixture goes through a chemical process called saponification. Saponification rearranges the molecules of the lye, which is a science-y way of saying essentially the lye is used up in order to turn the fat and lye into soap. Once the process is complete, the resulting soap is completely safe to handle and use.<\/p>\n
Lye can be dangerous to work with, because it\u2019s extremely corrosive \u2013 if you\u2019ve ever seen the movie Fight Club, you\u2019ll know what we\u2019re talking about. Lye can burn skin and burn through clothes, as well as giving off fumes. If you\u2019re not careful when mixing lye and oil, you could be risking some serious safety issues \u2013 which is why we\u2019re sticking to talking about how to make soap with soap base in this guide.<\/p>\n
By the way, when we talk about using fat in your soap, we\u2019re not necessarily talking about a stick of Lurpak \u2013 usually it\u2019s one or more oils like olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil or something similar. Different oils give your soap different properties \u2013 for example, olive oil is moisturising for the skin, but doesn\u2019t lather very well, while coconut oil gives you a good lathery scrub but can dry out skin.<\/p>\n
While there are some brilliant guides online on how to safely make soap at home using lye and oils \u2013 we recommend one of Soap Queen\u2019s helpful guides<\/a> – we\u2019re going to recommend the simpler method of using a soap base, or \u2018melt and pour soap\u2019.<\/p>\n Soap base, or \u2018melt and pour\u2019 soap is clear soap that\u2019s already gone through the saponification process. It\u2019s made especially for soap makers, and it makes it a lot easier, simpler and cheaper to make your own soap at home. You can buy it online from soap specialists like The Soap Kitchen, or from craft stores like Hobbycraft.<\/p>\n Using a soap base is also a little bit more family friendly. While there\u2019s still safety risks \u2013 you\u2019ll be handling very hot liquids and oils \u2013 if you want to make soap at home with older children as a crafting activity, using a soap base is definitely the way to go.<\/p>\n There are different kinds of soap base, with different mixes of oils to give different end results. The most common is clear glycerine soap base, but some others might contain things like goat milk or aloe vera to make the soap more moisturising.<\/p>\n If you want your soap to smell lovely, you can use fragrance or essential oil. A general rule of thumb is to use 0.4 oz of fragrance per pound of soap. Not sure what kind of scent you want? Here are some scent ideas:<\/p>\n Lavender is one of the most popular scents \u2013 it\u2019s soothing and calming, and great for pre-bedtime bathing rituals.<\/p>\n Vanilla is another popular pick. It\u2019s sweet and comforting \u2013 but bear in mind that most vanilla extract may turn your soap slightly brown. For a similarly sugar-sweet scent, you can also try honey or cinnamon!<\/p>\n Want to make a bar of soap that smells fresh and clean? Citrus scents like orange and lemon are revitalising and energising, and will make your bathroom smell amazing!<\/p>\n You can also combine scents to make delicious aromas \u2013 mix vanilla and chocolate to make a cookie-scented bar of soap, or perhaps lime and mint for a refreshing mojito-scented soap.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using soap base, it\u2019s really easy to make your own soap at home! First, you\u2019ll need to find a mould for your soap \u2013 you can choose whether you\u2019d rather make a traditional bar soap, or use a fun mould. There are lots of creative soap moulds available, from little hearts to flowers or even cupcake shapes. We\u2019d recommend a silicone mould for beginners, as it\u2019s a lot easier to get the soap out! You\u2019ll need to know how much your mould can hold so you can choose the right amount of soap base.<\/p>\n Slice the melt and pour soap base into small chunks. Use the weighing scales and measuring jug and weigh out the amount that your mould can hold.<\/p>\n You can use a microwave or a double boiler on the hob to melt your soap base. In either case, be careful \u2013 soap melts at about 60\u00b0C and will be hot.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using a microwave, cover the jug with plastic wrap to keep the soap from drying out. Heat the soap base in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, removing the jug and stirring the soap every minute. At first it will be thick and chunky, but keep heating and stirring until the soap is completely melted into a liquid.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using the hob, make a double boiler by setting a tempered glass or stainless steel bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn\u2019t touching the water. Add your chunks of soap to the bowl and stir slowly until they\u2019re all melted.<\/p>\n While the soap is fully liquid in the double boiler, or once you take it out of the microwave, slowly add your fragrance oil and stir to combine. Make sure you work out the right proportion for the amount of soap you\u2019re making (around 0.4 oz of fragrance per pound of soap).<\/p>\n Want your soap to look as good as it smells? Add some soap-safe dyes or colourants. Soap-safe dyes aren\u2019t very strong, so add a little bit of time and stir to see how the colour looks before you proceed. You can mix different colours to get the effect you want \u2013 but remember that once the soap sets it might look a little bit different. Slowly stir to mix the colour, fragrance and soap base together \u2013 if you stir too hard or too fast, you\u2019ll get bubbles.<\/p>\n Slowly pour the soap into your chosen mould! Pour carefully and don\u2019t pour from too high, or you\u2019ll get bubbles. If you do notice that your soap has bubbles, then spritz the surface with rubbing alcohol. Cover your mould with plastic wrap, and move to a safe place to set. Don\u2019t put it in the freezer, as this can affect how the soap sets.<\/p>\n Soap made with melt and pour soap base takes around 4-6 hours to set and completely harden. If you\u2019re not sure if your soap has completely set, then leave it a few more hours, or even overnight. Then carefully remove the soap shapes. If you\u2019re making bar soap, you\u2019ll have a long rectangle of soap which you\u2019ll need to slice into smaller bars.<\/p>\n Once you know how to make soap, there\u2019s plenty you can do with the skill \u2013 maybe you can make fancy artisanal bar soap to sell as a side hustle<\/a>, or create some cute little mini soaps as sweet and inexpensive wedding favours<\/a> for your wedding guests! It\u2019s also a fun craft to do with older kids \u2013 and a nice compliment to our winter crafting ideas<\/a>. For more crafting ideas and how-tos, check out the rest of the thortful blog<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is soap base?<\/h3>\n
What fragrance is best for soap?<\/h2>\n
How to make soap at home<\/h2>\n
Ingredients for making melt and pour soap<\/h3>\n
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Equipment you\u2019ll need<\/h3>\n
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Directions for making soap<\/h3>\n
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