I’ve been doing melt and pour soap for a while.  For those of you that don’t know what that is, it’s taking a basic soap such as glycerin and adding oils, color and/or scent.  You can start with any soap that isn’t a deodorant or detergent (Ivory for example.)  Unscented is best because then you can add your own scent or not.  I used Ivory in a few test batches and found the scent of that soap overwhelming–adding oils doesn’t take away the good old Ivory smell of it.  I do like using Olay’s Sensitive Skin soap now that it is available again (it is not quite as soft as glycerin soap so I do cut it into small pieces when using with the recipe below).

Most people take the soap and shave it (grate it) and then add a little water and melt everything over a double boiler.  I use a crockpot.

Here’s my latest recipe:

2 lbs unscented, no color pure glycerin soap

1/4 cup milk (you can use water.  I like to add milk as it is very good for your skin.  Many people like goat’s milk in their soap.)

Using a crockpot on the lowest setting, add the milk and the soap.  I don’t bother to shave the glycerin into small pieces.  If you’re in a hurry, grate it or cut the block into small chunks.   I leave the crockpot covered for the first half hour as it warms, and then I will often leave it uncovered so that the melted portion of soap doesn’t get too hot.   Stir every so often (15 minutes at first and then more frequently as it melts).    When the glycerin is melted, you can add your scents and oils.  Do NOT let it boil or continue to warm after it is melted.  If it gets too hot, it will develop air bubbles that will stay in the soap.  This doesn’t harm the soap at all, but the bars won’t be as pretty.  They’ll have air gaps.  Nothing serious, but easy to avoid.

At this stage I add:

1 – 2 tablespoons aloe oil (this will give the bars a light greenish/yellow color)

2 tsp mandarin red  essential oil (this will add an orange/red color)

1 to 2 tsp lime essential oil (this adds a bit more green/yellow)

Stir after each addition.   The lime and manderin red give soap a wonderful, light citris smell.  The aloe is for skin conditioning.  You don’t want to add too many oils because your soap will lose lather, but you could add another oil at this stage if you want.  Cocoa butter, honey, or olive oil are popular additions.  I have used honey in soap and like adding it (it has great anti-fungal, antibiotic properties.)  Sesame oil gives soap a nice feel and scent, although I think of it as a guy scent more than a girl scent.  A little goes a long way.

Using a dipping spoon (like a soup ladle) pour the soap into individual soap molds.  Let dry overnight and then slip the soap out of the molds.  The more water or milk you used to help dissolve the soap, the longer the drying time.  After you take the soap out of the molds, place on waxed paper for a few days to let them cure (meaning, make sure all the excess moisture has dried off.)

Supplies – Molds,  Essential oils and Glycerin Soap

My favorite molds are silicon baking molds (buy online or at craft shops).  They are extremely easy to work with because they peel right off the soap when it is time to remove them.  They are easy to wash, store and they last a long time.  Plastic molds can crack and become deformed after a several uses, although there are more of them available in soap-shapes.

You can use smaller molds (1/4 cup) for gift soap or travel.  I recommend at least 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup molds for regular bar soap.

Soap and pour glycerin is available in many craft stores (locally, Michael’s has some.  Michael’s is also a good place to check for silicon shapes, especially during the holidays.  You can also use a silicon loaf pan.  When the soap has hardened, slice it into bars).

You can order large blocks of glycerin soap online.  My favorite place to get the glycerin soap, oils and scents is Camden-Grey.   They have very nice glycerin soap, excellent customer service, useful information about the various oils and fragrances (fragrances are different than essential oils–I always use the oils myself).

Just in case you wondered what a 24 pound block of soap looks like. Pretty tough to shower with this bar…