Handmade Soap

Have you ever wanted to make your own soap but, like me, the thought of working with lye put you off a little? A great alternative is the simple melt and pour method. It's so easy, takes very little time and the results are awesome~ you can avoid handling the chemicals and still create amazing handmade soap. 

What you'll need:

Soap base

Silicone mold 

Soap fragrance/ essential oil (optional)

​Crushed lavender (optional)

Overview:

Step 1: cut the soap base into small squares
Step 2: slowly melt the soap- a double boiler works best!
Step 3: add desired fragrance/essential oils 
Step 4: pour into molds- the slower you pour, the fewer bubbles!
Step 5: wait at least 1 hour before removing soap from molds

I chose to use a shea butter base and I tried two different brands: Life of the Party which I ordered off Amazon and ArtMinds which I purchased from Michael's. I thought both were pretty similar except when it came to setting-up time- the Life of the Party soap was hard in less than an hour whereas the ArtMinds soap was still bendable 3+ hours later. 

I tried using the microwave method to melt the soap base but I found using a double boiler worked much faster. I used ArtMinds lavender scented soap fragrance (also from Michael's) and for every package of soap base, I added two full droppers of oil which gave the soap a really subtle smell, not overwhelming at all. I used square and rectangular molds, both of which I ordered from Amazon- I would recommend using silicone molds as they are much more flexible which makes removing the soap a snap! Before pouring the base into the molds I sprinkled some dried lavender on the bottom. 

When the soaps were finished I had some fun packaging them; there are so many great ideas out there and they can end up looking pretty legit!

Has anyone used Goat's Milk for a base? I'm considering going this route the next time round- I'd love to know what your experience was!