How Do You Make Your Soap?

I often get this question when people see my soap or purchase it. Is it hard to make soap? What do I need to make soap?

Here are the basic instructions to make glycerin melt and pour soap bars:
1. Purchase high quality soap base, fragrance or essential oil, colorant, and soap mold.

2. You will need a good quality scale to measure your ingredients.

3. Know how much soap the mold holds. The supplier will typically list this on their website.

4. To make a basic bar of soap you will need to cut the soap base and measure it to the exact quantity the mold holds. (I use a Pyrex measuring cup to hold the soap while weighing.)

5. Using small intervals and watching carefully I melt the soap base in the Pyrex cup in the microwave. (Caution - You need to watch the soap to avoid boiling it. The soap base and/or cup will be hot when taking it out of the microwave.)

6. If the soap base is steaming when you take it out it is probably too hot to add your fragrance oil. The fragrance will dissipate if the base is too hot. Let the soap cool down as you gently stir it to prevent a "skin" forming on the top.

7. When the soap is cool I add the colorant, either liquid or powdered, and mix well. I then add the fragrance oil and stir gently to incorporate.

8. When it is all mixed, slowly pour the soap base into the mold.

9. If there are small bubbles on the top of the base you can spritz with rubbing alcohol and they disappear.

10. Let the soap air dry in the mold (times will vary depending on ingredients used, size of soap bar, and mold used). When it is hardened, gently release it from the mold.

And there you have it, your first bar of glycerin melt and pour soap!

*Please note that this is not the only way to make melt and pour soap and the above is the method I prefer to use. Other soapmakers may prefer other methods.*