How to make homemade soaps with melt and pour soap base
In just a few minutes you can learn how to use melt and pour soap base to create gorgeous soaps, without the use of lye. It’s easy to get started, and you can enjoy all the fun from the comfort of home. You can order the items you need for this project by clicking the “Add Items to Cart” button below the supplies list.
Video Transcript:
Hi, I’m Rose from CandleScience.
Today I’m going to show you how easy it is to make your own handmade soap using Stephenson’s melt and pour soap base. In this video, we’ll create 8 bars of soap with two layers of color.
MATERIALS
Let’s go over the items you will need to make your soap.
One 2lb tray of the Stephenson’s High Clarity Vanilla Stable melt and pour soap base.
A 1oz bottle of your favorite fragrance. I’m using our Blood Orange fragrance oil.
Two 1oz bottles of liquid soap dye. I’ve chosen coral and red.
A funnel pouring pitcher.
A straight-sided soap cutter. You can also use a standard kitchen knife.
A glass container for pre-measuring fragrance.
A soap mold. This is an 8-Bar Slab Mold.
Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. You can pick up these two items at your local drug store.
A mixing utensil. I like to use a silicone spatula.
And a digital scale.
You’ll also need parchment paper, plastic wrap, paper towels, a stable surface for cutting, and easy access to a microwave.
SETUP TIPS
Before you begin, it’s a good idea to prep your workspace.
You’ll need enough space to prepare your soap base, mix your fragrance and color, and allow your base to set in the mold. A large countertop or table works great.
It’s a good idea to spray your workspace with rubbing alcohol to sanitize and clean the area. You can also cover your work surface with parchment paper to keep things sanitary and to make cleanup easier.
We also recommend sanitizing your soap mold, pitcher, and spatula with a little rubbing alcohol before getting started.
Now that we’ve prepared our materials and workspace, let’s begin!
DIRECTIONS
First, remove the soap base from the tray, and cut the 2lb block in half. For easy melting cut the first half of the soap base into small chunks - about 1” in size. This will form the first layer of our soap.
Next, place your pitcher on the scale, tare the scale to zero and measure out 1lb of the soap cubes.
After you’ve weighed your soap base, measure out your fragrance. It’s important to have this step done before heating the soap base because once the base is melted you’ll have a short window to add your scent and color before the soap starts to set.
Place the small jar on the scale, tare the scale, and weigh out .5oz of the fragrance.
Then, set the pre-measured fragrance in a safe spot off to the side until you’re ready to use it.
Cover the funnel pitcher with plastic wrap and place it in the microwave. Heat for 45 seconds...
Be aware that melt and pour soap base can overheat quickly, so you’ll want to keep a close eye on it while heating....
Once the time is up, remove the pitcher from the microwave, and give the base a good stir.
If some chunks remain after stirring, heat again for 20 seconds, stir, and repeat until melted. It’s OK if 1 or 2 small chunks remain after heating. Continue to stir until they melt.
Once the soap base has completely melted, it’s time to add the color.
Our coral soap dye is part of our vibrant collection, so I’ll only need about 2 drops to get the perfect shade of orange.
Stir until the color is evenly distributed in the base.
Next, add the pre-measured fragrance to the soap, and stir slowly for 20-30 seconds.
Once the fragrance and color have been added, the soap is now ready to pour into the mold. Slowly pour the base into the soap mold to create your first layer.
If air bubbles form on the surface, spray alcohol on them to break them up. You can spray multiple times if it’s needed.
After the first layer has been poured, wait 5-10 minutes for it to start setting. This will allow the first layer to partially set and will produce two distinct layers by the time the second one is poured.
You can check the first layer by lightly touching the surface. If it holds without breaking or rippling it is ready for the second layer.
Repeat the melting process with the remaining soap base - substituting the coral dye with the red liquid dye.
Once the second batch is melted and ready to pour, quickly apply an even coat of alcohol with the spray bottle. This will ensure that the two layers will bind together.
Then slowly and evenly pour the red color base across the coral layer.
Again, spray the surface of the base with alcohol to remove any bubbles on the surface.
Wait 30 minutes, then cover the mold with plastic wrap and allow the soap to set for 24 hours to harden.
Once the soap has completely hardened, give each side of the mold a slight tug to allow air in the sides of the mold, slowly turn the mold over and apply light pressure to the top of the mold until the square slab of soap comes out.
Then, take the soap cutter and cut out the 8 bars by cutting along the grooves in the slab.
The soap is now ready to use! Wrap it tightly with plastic and store it in a cool place. For gifting or selling, add an ingredients label and a decorative bag or box.
I hope you’ll enjoy making your first batch of soap - Thanks for watching!