Making your own homemade soap can be very rewarding and also makes for great gifts too! It may seem challenging to make your soap, but it is incredibly easy to master.
Using the melt and pour method to make your own soap gives you the freedom to create your soap in any shape you want, so it allows you to get creative with your soaps and put some of yourself into each bar.
If you are new to soap making, the melt and pour method is the best place to start. This helps you to create beautiful handmade soaps that are easy and stress-free to make.
Unsure where to start when making your homemade soap? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Below you will find everything you need to know about making your homemade soap including step-by-step instructions and ingredients of using these soaps.
Be prepared to never want to use store-bought soaps again because the ones you make will be so beautiful!
What Is Melt And Pour Soap?
Melt and pour soap isn’t anywhere near as complicated as you would think as it is all in the name: melt and pour.
To make the soap, you just need to melt the premade soap base along with the other ingredients and pour it into molds. It is as simple as that!
The melt and pour method is popular with lots of beginner soap makers, but it is very popular throughout the soapmaking community as you don’t have to deal with lye in your kitchen.
When handled incorrectly, lye can be super dangerous. When handled correctly, lye is safe to use on the skin and can make beautiful soap bars.
Lye is used in soapmaking to turn oils into bars of soap, but if you are using the melt and pour method, you do not have to come into contact with lye.
This is a safer method for inexperienced soapmakers as you will not come into contact with any dangerous substances as your base is already pre-made.
Soap Bases
When looking for a soap base to use, there are so many different options to choose from. If you don’t like the sound of one base, don’t worry as there are many more to choose from.
Shea butter, glycerin, and coconut milk are favorites for melt and pour soap bases as they are easy to work with and they complement a lot of different scents.
You can make these bases in any shape, color, and scent that you want!
Shea butter, glycerin, and coconut milk are all available in liquid form, but you want to look for them as soap bases.
As soap bases, they are thick and hard which helps form your soap and give it a sturdy texture. When it dries, it will harden and form the soap structure.
How To Make Homemade Soap
Making homemade soap with the melt and pour method is very easy to do and allows you to get creative with your soaps. Here are the instructions that you need to follow to make sure that your soap is the best that it can be.
Firstly, you will need to chop your shea butter soap base into small pieces. Once they are small enough, place them in a bowl over a pan ready to be melted.
Turn on the heat and melt the small pieces of the soap base. Make sure that you stir the shea butter soap base so that it doesn’t stick to the bowl and that it will melt quicker. This will help you to evenly melt the shea butter.
Once the soap base has completely melted, turn off the heat and place the bowl on the side to cool down until you can touch the bowl. Don’t leave it too long as you don’t want the soap to harden.
After the bowl has slightly cooled, add lavender essential oil, dried lavender, and honey to the melted shea butter and stir to make sure that the mixture is evenly combined.
If you are vegan, you can substitute the honey for agave or maple syrup. You can also add color at this point too.
Once the mixture is stirred, pour it into your chosen soap molds. These can be any shape that you want, but make sure that the molds are silicone so that you can easily get the soap out of the molds without breaking them.
As soon as the soap is completely hard, remove it from the molds and begin to use it. That is how you create easy, beautiful homemade soap!
Other Essential Oils To Use
If you want to add scents to your soaps, essential oils are perfect for bringing a strong natural scent to your soap along with soothing and moisturizing properties.
You can use virtually any essential oils that you want in your soap, so if you have a favorite, feel free to use it in your soap.
Chamomile and lavender are popular essential oils for relaxation and stress relief, so they work very well in homemade soap recipes as you can be exposed to the scents in your daily routine.
If you want a stronger scent in your soap, peppermint can cool your skin but you may want to be careful with how many drops you add in so you don’t overpower your soap.
You can also add bergamot, orange, or lemongrass essential oils to your soap if you want fresh citrus-scented soap, but you need to be mindful of how many drops you add to your mixture.
The stronger you want to scent, the more drops you add.
Exfoliants
There are exfoliants that you can add to your soap to further enhance the flavor and allow you to use the soap as a scrub. Here are some exfoliants that you can use in your soap.
Dried flowers are very popular to use in soaps, especially if your soap is lavender or rose-scented. They can add stronger scents to the soap and add some texture to the soap.
Coffee and oatmeal are great exfoliants to add to your soap as they have a firm texture. They are also great to use in the morning as they are breakfast foods so they will wake you up and get you ready for the day ahead!
How Long Will It Last?
When stored properly, homemade soap will last up to a year. If you are making your soap in batches, make sure that you store them in airtight containers and keep them cool and dry.
Also, make sure that they are out of sunlight so the soap doesn’t dry up. If the soaps are placed too close to heat, they will melt, so they must be kept cool.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, this homemade soap recipe can be changed to suit your preferences for whatever scented soap you want to make.
The melt and pour method makes it easy to create soap whatever color, scent, and shape that you want.
You must make sure that your molds are silicone so that you can get your soap out of the mold without breaking them.
By using the premade soap base, it is safer as there is no need to bring lye into the kitchen.
Soapmaking is a great way for people to create the exact soap that they want as you can control the strength of the scent, color, and exfoliants. This is a great way for beginners to begin making soap and fall in love with the art.
Hi, my name is Hannah Shiftle, and I started using essential oils 15 years ago. At first, I was dubious of them, much like a lot of people. However, as I began to use them on a daily basis, I quickly discovered how much of a difference they had on both my physical and mental health.
Through Oil Health Benefits, I will be sharing my knowledge and passion for essential oils with you, providing readers with all the information they need to know. From the best oils to use for illnesses, to understanding what makes essential oils pure, I have covered all these topics.
