| Making Soap Today I made my first ever batch of soap. It was melt and pour glycerine soap, the easiest soap to make. I made n oatmeal soap, with vannila oil for frangrance. I am not only impressed, but I am hooked!! Here are a few simple and easy melt and pour soap recipes as well as a recipe for cold processsed soap. I have not tried to do old fashioned soap, but I will try to do it as soon as the weather warms up. I will be making my soap in my backyard, to avoid any stinky, messy and possibly dangerous mistakes when working with lye. MELT & POUR SOAP Melt and pour soap is the easiest soap to make. Use a premade glycerine soap base (available at craft stores and soap suppliers), melt it in the microwave or a double boiler, and add coloring, essential oils and additives or all of the above! Step 1: Cut and weigh out your base and place into the top half of a double boiler Don't worry if you don't have a double boiler, you can substitute two pots and create your own. Keep it covered as it's melting so as not lose moisture. Melt over low heat, you don't want to let it get too hot, try not to let it get over 160 degrees or you will get cloudy bars. A good tip is to let half of the base melt, then remove from the heat and leave it in the water until it melts the rest of the way. Try not to stir it as it's melting, if you have to, just gently nudge the soap around or you will create air bubbles which won't make very appealing bars. Step 2: Add your colorant. Many people use food coloring, but they can fade and bleed. You can purchase color nuggets, micas or pigments to help achieve a better color. Stir your coloring in gently. Color nuggets are very strong, it is better to add a little at a time, so you do not get an overly dark color. Step 3: Add any additives such as herbs when your base has cooled and started to thicken to help suspend them in the base. You can also add other ingredients at this time such as aloe vera gel, vitamin E, beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, etc. Melt your solids such as cocoa butter and beeswax before adding to the base. You can use 1 Tablespoon per pound of base. Step 4: Add fragrance. This is up to your own preferences, you may use fragrance oils or essential oils, just make sure the fragrances are safe for soapmaking and use on the skin. Fragrance is added at anywhere from 1 tsp. up to 1 Tbsp. per pound depending on how strong you want it to smell. Step 5: Pour into molds. This is where you can be very creative too! You can use just about anything as a mold. Some ideas are candy molds, pringles cans, pvc pipe, rubbermaid containers, yogurt containers, cat food cans (washed and dried, of course) be careful of any sharp edges.....some cat food cans don't have this edge. Step 6: Unmold after hardened and enjoy. M&P can be used right away! Tips: If you have trouble unmolding your soap, stick it in the refrigerator for a few minutes and try again.
Keep your soaps wrapped in plastic wrap, such as cling wrap or saran wrap to protect your bars from moisture.
When cooling your base to suspend herbs, gently keep stirring like with a bamboo chopstick just enough to keep a skin from forming. Oatmeal & Vanilla M&P Glycerine Soap One side for mild exfoliation, the other side for cleansing 
* this is my first recipe, that I made up myself (Anne) - Oatmeal (ground in a blender or with a mortor & pestle)
- M&P Glycerine soap base
- Vanilla essential oil or flavor nugget
- Coloring (I used just a tiny bit of brown)
- Molds to shape the soap, lightly brushed with vegetable oil (I used mini yogurt plastic cups from my recycling bag lol)
1. Cut your M&P soap base into cubes and place in a microwave safe glass bowl or measuring cup. 2. Microwave on high for 30 sec. or a minute, depending on how big of batch. Watch that your soap melts, but does not boil!! 3. Once your soap base has cooled and is starting to form a skin, mix in your essential oil and ground oatmeal and coloring. 4. Pour into molds and mist with rubbing alcohol in a mist bottle, this will get rid of any bubbles on the surface 5. Let the soap harden 6. Wrap finished soaps in plastic wrap, to maintain freshness |
