Making melt and pour bar soap from scratch! First Time EVA!

Heidi gets hippie!

Now, here comes the fun. I promise if you keep reading we will teach you how to make the easiest bar soap ever.  Honestly, if Heidi can do it, anyone can do it.

This is called the melt and pour method

Ingredients you will need:

• Soap base (see below)
• Essential Oils
• Soap Dye
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Funnel
• Ladle
• Isopropyl Alcohol (in a spray bottle)
• Microwave safe bowl, ideally with a spout
• Microwave or crockpot (both methods explained
• Large stirring spoon
• Soap Molds
• Add ons to your soap, like honey, coffee ground, pink Himalayan salt, oatmeal etc etc.

Ingredients to make soap

STEP 1:  Decide what type of base soap you are using (we are doing the melt and pour method—because we just aren’t ready to deal with lye yet, I mean, have you seen Fight Club?).  We bought our base soap at Michael’s, it was cheaper than Amazon with the coupon we had.  We chose the goat’s milk glycerin soap, it was the 2lb block and was about $7 by the time I applied the coupon.   We also did the shea butter base soap for variety, again from Michael’s, and use a coupon that brought it to around $7.

Shea Butter Soap from Micahel’s for Hippie Hobby night

STEP 2:  So, because Heidi is domestically challenged, we are just breaking this down to really basic terms….so it’s so simple, it’s too hard to mess up.  Open up the plastic and cut the soap into different chunks. It melts faster, and whether you use the microwave or crockpot for melting, it will just speed up the process (we will explain both, as we did both).  We recommend using a cutting board, knife (careful as it slips because of the soap) and please use common sense.

Heidi cutting the soap

STEP 3:  So, either choose your melting method between the crockpot or the microwave.  The crockpot is mainly if you have a lot of spare time on your hands to just sit and wait and stir; OR if you are doing a HUGE amount of soap, like 3-5 lbs.   Another tip, if you are going to use the crockpot method, you will want to stick to one color and one scent.  We learned the hard way ,it’s just too hard to pour into a separate bowl to try it out.  I mean we really messed up some soap trying this.

Tips if you are using the crockpot.

• Cut the soap into chunks just like it says in Step 2. The smaller, the better (not horribly small, but ya know, the point is to melt it, so cut that stuff up).

• I turned the crockpot on high and let it heat up for about 30 minutes.
• Then I had to stir every 15 minutes until it melted.
• Try not to let it get to the point where it boils because it changes the consistency. But if it does, whatever, we all mess up.  You will still have soap, it just might lather less.
• If you have a funnel and a ladle, it works best as you pour the soap into the molds at the end.  If not, use a big spoon or a small mug and pour into the molds.

It’s at a healthy liquid consistency, no boiling!

Now let’s look at the microwave method.  It’s pretty self explanatory, but we will give you step by step photos to help you.

• Get a microwave safe bowl, I use one that has a spout at the end, it helps for pouring when you go to pour into the soap molds.  Again, cut the soap into small chunks
• Put the chunks into your microwave safe bowl

• Put into the microwave for 30 seconds and then take out of the microwave to stir, it won’t be very melted at this point, but you still just want to take it out to stir.  Look at the photo, notice my cow slippers, they are comfortable…feel free to make a comment about them.

Stir briefly after 30 seconds. Note cow slippers

• Put back in microwave for 60 seconds

Back in microwave for 60 seconds (I ruined my manicure doing this, so I hope you didn’t just get one too).

• Take out of microwave, it should be liquid, be careful DO NOT BOIL this.  It will mess up the consistency.  Just hot enough to melt it.

STEP 4: Now you want to add essential oils to this.  I prefer Young Living Essential Oils, mainly because after all my research they are the purest, click here to research why (and let’s face it, the point of making your own soap is because you don’t want all the nasty chemicals in other soap seeping into your pours…just saying).  Word to the wise, you want therapeutic grade, not aromatherapy kind.  Total difference in the health benefits for you.  BUT you can buy oils at Whole Foods or Amazon.  So pick a scent you like and add 3-5 drops.  I would stop at that point as oils are very strong.  As you add in your drops make sure you stir it into the melted soap base.

Add in 3-5 drops

STEP 5:  If you are wanting to add color, you need to get your soap dye and add as much color as needed until you like the color.  I like mine deep and fierce, so I add a lot.  Sometimes, for face soap, I choose not to add the dye.  Helps with the purities in my mind.

STEP 5A: If you are adding anything like honey, salt, oatmeal, coffee grounds etc etc, now would be the time to add them in.

Stirring in the dye

STEP SIX:  After you completely stir the dye in and it’s a solid color, you’re going to want to pour either from the spout of your bowl, or grab a ladle and funnel or something so you can aim it into the soap mold.  I figured this out about 3 tries later, so learn from my mistake.

I added additional dye to some and made swirls…feel free to experiment, I did!

STEP SEVEN:  Now this part is SUPER important.  You will see that you have tiny little air bubbles after you pour into your mold.  You need to get a spray bottle kind of Isopropyl Alcohol and spray the molds 1-2 times to get those air bubbles out so it’s nice and smooth after you let it set.

Spray the mold with Isopropyl Alcohol to get out air bubbles and make smooth

STEP EIGHT: Carefully put in freezer for about 20 minutes, or until firm OR your refrigerator for 30-45 minutes or until firm.  The smaller the molds, the quicker they will set.  Again, all things I learned with different shapes and molds.

Stacked molds in freezer for quicker setting. Be careful when/if stacking.

STEP NINE:  Take out of the freezer and make sure they are solid.  Then turn the molds over and pop them out.  Sometimes you have to whack them pretty hard, but they will come out eventually.  Make sure to put in decorative bags.  I used just clear cellophane bags so I could see the colors.

See the variation of colors used.

STEP 10: Give to a friend, use for a birthday gift, Mothers day gift, Christmas gift or just keep them around your house!  Like, comment and share below.  We would love your feedback.

This is a photo of the end of the first night of The Hippie Hobby! Want to start your own?  Need help?  For $19 a month we will send you instructions on how to start and have a successful Hippie Hobby group in your area.  Just leave a comment with your information and we will reach out.