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How to Make Melt'n'Pour Soaps - December 2018

Soap making isn't nearly as complicated or difficult as you may believe, and while there are a few specific ingredients you need, they are all readily available and affordable.
One of the easiest soaps to make, perfect for beginners, is what is known as melt and pour soaps. You've probably used a melt and pour soap, and you've definitely seen them around. They're usually clear, tinted and in gorgeous shapes. And they usually cost a small fortune.
They are made from a glycerine soap base that is gently melted and the other ingredients added before pouring into moulds to set. Glycerine is very gentle, and moisturising - perfect for dry skin, and as an anti-ageing soap.
Melt and pour soap bases come in a number of different varieties, the most common being clear. This is the base I used to make the rose soaps pictured above. I tinted it pink and added fragrance oil to scent it before pouring the base into the moulds.
One of the easiest soaps to make, perfect for beginners, is what is known as melt and pour soaps. You've probably used a melt and pour soap, and you've definitely seen them around. They're usually clear, tinted and in gorgeous shapes. And they usually cost a small fortune.
They are made from a glycerine soap base that is gently melted and the other ingredients added before pouring into moulds to set. Glycerine is very gentle, and moisturising - perfect for dry skin, and as an anti-ageing soap.
Melt and pour soap bases come in a number of different varieties, the most common being clear. This is the base I used to make the rose soaps pictured above. I tinted it pink and added fragrance oil to scent it before pouring the base into the moulds.
The snowflake soaps were made from a goats milk and glycerine base, and tinted pink.
And the Christmas trees were made from a coconut oil and glycerine base, tinted green and scented with peppermint essential oil.
To make any of the soaps you will need:
Melt and pour soap base
Double boiler OR a large saucepan and a heatproof dish that fits in the top
Thermometer
Skewer for stirring
Moulds
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alchohol)
Soap colour - optional
Soap fragrance - optional
Step 1. Prepare your moulds. You can use whatever you like, I use silicone cake moulds because they're cheap, readily available in a lot of different shapes and most importantly, the finished soap is easy to pop out. If you are using silicone moulds, put them on a baking sheet to keep them stable. Spritz the inside of the moulds with the isopropyl alcohol.
Step 2. Cut the soap base into 2cm squares. This ensures it melts evenly and quickly, and doesn't turn into a giant, unmanageable glob.
Step 3. Put the soap base into the double boiler, turn the heat down so the pot is simmering and stir. Keep stirring until all the base has completely melted. Depending on how much base you have in the double boiler it can take a few minutes. Watch the temperature of the base, and keep it under 50 degrees F. If it goes over 50 degrees, it will still be good to use, but the finished soap won't be glossy and bright.
I use a skewer to stir so it gets between all the little cubes and keeps them moving.
Step 4. Once the base has completely melted, you can add the colour if you are using it. Remember, less is more. It is easier to add a drop to increase the intensity of the colour rather than over-colour and end up with something you don't like. Add the colour by the drop, and make sure to stir it in completely. Again, this can take a minute or two to get an even colour distribution. Just keep the double boiler or bowl over the hot water.
Step 5. Add the scent, again remembering that less is more and you can always increase the intensity of the fragrance. Stir well.
Step 6. I use a clean, dry soup ladle to fill the moulds. As soon as they are full, spritz with the rubbing alcohol. This eliminates the little bubbles that are sitting on top of the soap, giving it a nice, flat surface when it dries. Set the baking sheet aside until the soap is set. This won't take too long - about 2 hours, but you can leave it up to 24 hours if necessary.
Step 7. Once the soap has hardened or set, turn it out of the moulds. Trim off any excess drips with a sharp paring knife. Wrap the soap immediately. This prevents the "sweating" that is a common feature of glycerine based soaps.
Seven steps sound a lot and complicated, but they are all very quick and simple. It takes about half an hour from start to final spritz.
Tips:
Cut the base into 1cm squares, but no larger than 2cm. This is a manageable size to stir and melt before the base gets too hot.
Use only soap colours. Don't be tempted to use food colour - it stains! It stains you, the bath, the shower base, the face washer - it's meant for icing, not soap. And your soap will be blotchy and ugly - just don't even try it! I use liquid soap colours, designed and forumulated especially for soap making. About 5ml per kilo of soap base gives a nice colour density, but you can use more or less to get the density you want.
Go back to primary school and start with the primary colours (red, blue, yellow) and mix them to find secondary colours and then keep mixing to create the colours you need. If you find you are using a lot of a particular colour, then it may be worth investing in that shade for your soap making. But for beginners, playing with the three primary colours will save you money and give you a lot of fun.
When it comes to fragrance, you can use essential oils, as long as they are skin-safe (not all are suitable, check the bottle label). The fragrance from essential oils doesn't last long, that's fine if you don't want the fragrance to last. And you will need to use more. Fragrance oils work very well in soaps. They last longer due to the formulation and you don’t need to use as much.
A thermometer that clips to the side of your dish is ideal. It keeps it out of the way, and you can easily keep an eye on the temperature of the base as it melts. It's not absolutely essential to have a thermometer, but it certainly ensures you get an accurate temperature for your soap.
I have bought most of my moulds from op shops for $1 or $2 each. The most I've paid for a mould was $3 for the Christmas tree mould. Look at stores like The Reject Shop too, they often have cute shapes in silicone cake moulds for just a couple of dollars. But you can use anything as long as you can get the hardened soap out. For the Gardener's Soap bars I use an old aluminium bar cake tin, lined with clingwrap. Cardboard cartons, paper boxes, acetate shapes can all be used as moulds for your melt and pour soaps.
Where to buy melt and pour base
Little Green Workshops
This is a local (almost!) to me company. They are Victorian based, and a family owned and run business.
Little Green Workshops has a large range of all soap making supplies but they also have an excellent range of kits, aimed at the beginner to the more experienced soap maker. The kits are ideal, coming with everything you need to make your soap, including the moulds, colours and fragrances and a detailed instruction booklet and a wonderful chart showing how to mix the primary colours to create secondary and tertiary colours.
Aussie Soap Supplies
Based in Western Australia, this company also sells the melt and pour base, and a limited range of kits. The kits are aimed more at the experienced melt and pour soap maker. They also come with detailed instructions on how to create the soaps.
Where to buy Isopropyl alcohol
Most chemists/pharmacies stock it, and some supermarkets (in the health and beauty aisle). It's not expensive and a bottle will last for ages, I've had the same bottle for about 5 years. It can also be used in the laundry as a stain lifter and for cleaning and sanitising around the house (it's especially good for sanitising plastic cutting boards).
Melt and pour soap base
Double boiler OR a large saucepan and a heatproof dish that fits in the top
Thermometer
Skewer for stirring
Moulds
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alchohol)
Soap colour - optional
Soap fragrance - optional
Step 1. Prepare your moulds. You can use whatever you like, I use silicone cake moulds because they're cheap, readily available in a lot of different shapes and most importantly, the finished soap is easy to pop out. If you are using silicone moulds, put them on a baking sheet to keep them stable. Spritz the inside of the moulds with the isopropyl alcohol.
Step 2. Cut the soap base into 2cm squares. This ensures it melts evenly and quickly, and doesn't turn into a giant, unmanageable glob.
Step 3. Put the soap base into the double boiler, turn the heat down so the pot is simmering and stir. Keep stirring until all the base has completely melted. Depending on how much base you have in the double boiler it can take a few minutes. Watch the temperature of the base, and keep it under 50 degrees F. If it goes over 50 degrees, it will still be good to use, but the finished soap won't be glossy and bright.
I use a skewer to stir so it gets between all the little cubes and keeps them moving.
Step 4. Once the base has completely melted, you can add the colour if you are using it. Remember, less is more. It is easier to add a drop to increase the intensity of the colour rather than over-colour and end up with something you don't like. Add the colour by the drop, and make sure to stir it in completely. Again, this can take a minute or two to get an even colour distribution. Just keep the double boiler or bowl over the hot water.
Step 5. Add the scent, again remembering that less is more and you can always increase the intensity of the fragrance. Stir well.
Step 6. I use a clean, dry soup ladle to fill the moulds. As soon as they are full, spritz with the rubbing alcohol. This eliminates the little bubbles that are sitting on top of the soap, giving it a nice, flat surface when it dries. Set the baking sheet aside until the soap is set. This won't take too long - about 2 hours, but you can leave it up to 24 hours if necessary.
Step 7. Once the soap has hardened or set, turn it out of the moulds. Trim off any excess drips with a sharp paring knife. Wrap the soap immediately. This prevents the "sweating" that is a common feature of glycerine based soaps.
Seven steps sound a lot and complicated, but they are all very quick and simple. It takes about half an hour from start to final spritz.
Tips:
Cut the base into 1cm squares, but no larger than 2cm. This is a manageable size to stir and melt before the base gets too hot.
Use only soap colours. Don't be tempted to use food colour - it stains! It stains you, the bath, the shower base, the face washer - it's meant for icing, not soap. And your soap will be blotchy and ugly - just don't even try it! I use liquid soap colours, designed and forumulated especially for soap making. About 5ml per kilo of soap base gives a nice colour density, but you can use more or less to get the density you want.
Go back to primary school and start with the primary colours (red, blue, yellow) and mix them to find secondary colours and then keep mixing to create the colours you need. If you find you are using a lot of a particular colour, then it may be worth investing in that shade for your soap making. But for beginners, playing with the three primary colours will save you money and give you a lot of fun.
When it comes to fragrance, you can use essential oils, as long as they are skin-safe (not all are suitable, check the bottle label). The fragrance from essential oils doesn't last long, that's fine if you don't want the fragrance to last. And you will need to use more. Fragrance oils work very well in soaps. They last longer due to the formulation and you don’t need to use as much.
A thermometer that clips to the side of your dish is ideal. It keeps it out of the way, and you can easily keep an eye on the temperature of the base as it melts. It's not absolutely essential to have a thermometer, but it certainly ensures you get an accurate temperature for your soap.
I have bought most of my moulds from op shops for $1 or $2 each. The most I've paid for a mould was $3 for the Christmas tree mould. Look at stores like The Reject Shop too, they often have cute shapes in silicone cake moulds for just a couple of dollars. But you can use anything as long as you can get the hardened soap out. For the Gardener's Soap bars I use an old aluminium bar cake tin, lined with clingwrap. Cardboard cartons, paper boxes, acetate shapes can all be used as moulds for your melt and pour soaps.
Where to buy melt and pour base
Little Green Workshops
This is a local (almost!) to me company. They are Victorian based, and a family owned and run business.
Little Green Workshops has a large range of all soap making supplies but they also have an excellent range of kits, aimed at the beginner to the more experienced soap maker. The kits are ideal, coming with everything you need to make your soap, including the moulds, colours and fragrances and a detailed instruction booklet and a wonderful chart showing how to mix the primary colours to create secondary and tertiary colours.
Aussie Soap Supplies
Based in Western Australia, this company also sells the melt and pour base, and a limited range of kits. The kits are aimed more at the experienced melt and pour soap maker. They also come with detailed instructions on how to create the soaps.
Where to buy Isopropyl alcohol
Most chemists/pharmacies stock it, and some supermarkets (in the health and beauty aisle). It's not expensive and a bottle will last for ages, I've had the same bottle for about 5 years. It can also be used in the laundry as a stain lifter and for cleaning and sanitising around the house (it's especially good for sanitising plastic cutting boards).