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How To Make Soap (The Melt & Pour Method)Melt and pour is a soap base which is available either in translucent, white, goat's milk or Castile. It is easy to melt which is it's most unique feature. It comes to you in a solid form that is ready to melt, add scent, color and any other additives that you choose. Then mold into any design that your heart desires whether it is a three dimensional figure mold, loaf mold or a mold that you make yourself with items found around your home. The beauty of this soap making craft is that it allows you to be artistic and it is ready to be used or given as a gift in less than a day.The 5 steps listed below are basic instructions for making melt and pour soap: Ingredients:  Soap Base Colorant Fragrance Oils or Essential Oils Fixed & Carrier Oils Dried Flowers, Herbs & SeedsStep 1: Melting First you will start with your soap base that you will melt down into a liquid. There are a wide variety of types of soap bases to use and all have subtle differences that will affect what type of soap you end up with. A standard soap base to start out with is a glycerin soap base but feel free to experiment. We recommend to melt the soap in a double boiler (a melting pot within a pan of boiling water) on the stove top or in the microwave. Heat until the solid soap becomes a liquid. Step 2: Coloring Add the colorant to your melting pot when you add the solid soap base. The colorant will melt with the base at the same time which allows it to become more evenly dispersed. Stir gently, but infrequently to avoid bubbles. The amount of color to add depends on the type of colorant used. Since there are many colorants to choose from, make sure to follow specific directions that are on the label of the colorant you are using. Step 3: Scenting When it comes to scenting there are many options to choose from. The most common way to scent is by using Fragrance Oils or Essential Oils which come in a wide variety of scents, but you could also use perfumes. Add scent when the soap base is melted, but before casting into molds and stir in evenly to disperse the scent into the entire melted base. If added too soon, the scent can boil out of the liquid base. The amount of scent to add depends on the type of fragrance used and on personal preference of how strong you want your soap to smell. We recommend to start out with 1 teaspoon of fragrance oil per lb. of soap and work up from there. If you are using essential oils, start out with 5-10 drops per Ib. of soap and work up from there. Step 4: Adding Additives Adding additional ingredients to your soap can give it special characteristics to suit your needs. Additives such as fixed & carrier oils can give your soap special moisturizers and vitamins for your skin. Some carrier and fixed oils include almond oil, aloe vera oil and vitamin E oil. Other additives like herbs, seeds & dried flowers can act as exfolliants and scents and can also enhance the appearance of the soap. If you do add additional carrier oils to your soap, we do recommend to heat these for a short while before you add to the solid soap base and then melt the base with the oil. Carrier oils tend to pool in the soap base if it is not done in this manner. Step 5: Molding Once you have melted your soap, added color, scent and any other additives you are ready to mold it. Soap molds come in a wide variety of types from plastic and metal to polyurethane and latex. They also come in a wide variety of shapes to give your soap a personal touch. When you have poured your soap into the mold of your choice, you might notice air bubbles that have risen to the top. One "trick of the trade" to get rid of these air bubbles is to spray some rubbing alcohol on the soap immediately after you have poured it and you will see the bubbles disappear. Once the bubbles are gone, allow your soap to dry. The time depends on the size and type of mold that you use. We recommend to let the soap cool in the mold for at least 4-5 hours (longer if the mold is larger). You can speed up this process of cooling by sticking the soap in the freezer for about half an hour, but the soap will need to "dry" for a couple of hours once you have taken them out of the molds if you choose to use this method. Finished Once you take the soap out of the mold and let is set for a couple of hours, you are ready to go. As you can see, customizing the soap has endless possibilities depending on what you type of soap base you use and what you add to it. We recommend you experiment to find the perfect soap for you or create a whole collection of different types of soaps. You can purchase all of the supplies you will need to make soap from GloryBee Foods and can be assured that it will be all natural wholesome ingredients. Return to How-to Make Soap Home |
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