Soap Making Secret

Making handmade soap using the Melt and Pour method is a simple and gentle alternative to using store bought soaps.  It is as easy as following your favorite dessert recipe and it works the same way too. The better the ingredients you use, the better the soap. You can always tweak the recipe a little until it is yours.

The first step when you make homemade soap is to prepare your work area. You will need to set out all your ingredients and tools on a clean work area:

You will need the following items before you start:

1. A clean cutting board, clothes, and paper towels
2. Measuring spoons and a Pyrex container that can go in the microwave
3. A scale to weight the Melt and pour soap base
4. Fragrance oil and Ramekin for Fragrance oil.
5. Your preferred Melt and Pour Soap Base and soap safe dye of color
6. Metal whisks, large knife and rubble spatula
7. Soap molds (a popular choice is a mold that makes six five-ounce bars of soap)

Now that you have all of the tools needed and your work area is ready you should check your recipe to see how much melt and pour soap base you need. Weigh the appropriate amount ensuring that you take into account the weight of the container as well. Once you have weighed the right amount it must be melted. This can be done in the microwave heating one minute at a time (or if you prefer you can use a double boiler). Two pounds of soap base will take approximately 4 minutes to melt but microwaves will vary.

Next, you will want to measure out your fragrance in its ramekin. A good starting point is usually 0.4 ounces of fragrance for each pound of soap base though you can adjust this amount to suit your preference. Add the fragrance to the soap base and stir in gently (the soap base will still be very hot).

If you want to add color to your soap (this is completely optional), make sure that you use a soap safe dye.  Stir the mixture until all fragrance and color is completely blended. If you stir too hard and get bubbles a spray of rubbing alcohol from a spray bottle will help get rid of them.

Now you are ready to carefully pour the mixture into the soap molds. You can move your molds to a safe place until they are hard enough to take out of the molds. This will usually take several hours on the counter or an hour or two in the refrigerator.

While you are waiting for your soap to harden, it is a good idea to write the combination of ingredients that you used. How much and what type of soap base exactly, how much and what scent of fragrance and how many drops of color you used. This will allow you to perfect the recipe you use whenever you make homemade soap using the Melt and Pour or any other method you choose.