Melt and pour soap is a method for making soap which is very easy, quick and suitable to work on even with children.
It involves using a pre-made soap base, which we just need to melt, customise how we like it, and pour into our chosen shape!
Watch the tutorial on my Youtube Channel:
Think of it like a pre-made pizza base; you don’t have to prepare the dough, but you can have fun adding all your favourite toppings!
The melt and pour soap base comes in big blocks, which need to be chopped off depending on how much you need.
Ingredients
- 150 grams melt and pour soap base, yields 3 soaps
- 1 teaspoon french pink clay for the orange colour, dissolved in half teaspoon of which hazel
- 1 teaspoon french green clay for the green colour, dissolved in half teaspoon of which hazel
- 1 teaspoon activated charcoal for the black colour, dissolved in half teaspoon of sweet almond oil
- Essential oils: up to 15 drops for each soap of rose geranium, eucalyptus and tea tree
Tools
For your tool preparation, gather:
- 1 microwave or heat safe glass container
- 1 teaspoon
- 3 small beakers to mix the colours
- 1 silicone mould.
Instructions
We will start by preparing the colours. Bear in mind that colours do not act in the same way as in cold process soap.
Some colours that will not survive in cold process soap, in particular green, do really well in melt and pour soap, while other colours morph into different shades.
For example, pink clay usually morphs into an orange colour – perfect for a pumpkin!
Natural colours also need to be dissolved in a very specific way before added to the melted soap.
In our recipe, we will use natural clays and charcoal. If natural clays are added in the melted soap, they will clump in a very anaesthetic way.
Many tutorials recommend dissolving the clay in isopropyl alcool, which will evaporate, but I prepare to dissolve it in which hazel, a natural plant based astringent.
I will use half teaspoon of which hazel for 1 teaspoon of clay.
For this recipe we will use pink clay and green clay to obtain an orange and a green colour. To obtain a very Halloweeney-colour we will use black from activated charcoal, which also has amazing oil detoxifying properties.
Charcoal cannot be dissolved in water, so I will use sweet almond oil, although you can use any lightweight oil. I will use a half teaspoon of oil for 1 teaspoon of charcoal.
Then, place your melt and pour soap base in the microwave for about 2 minutes at medium heat, opening the door every 30 second to check on it and if liquid enough, stir.
If you leave the soap in the microwave for 2 minutes straight it will heat too fast and burst out of the container.
If you are making 3 colours, divide the soap blocks in 3 parts and melt then one by one, so when the block is completely melted, you have time to add in the colour, mix it in and pour it.
If you do all of them at the same time, by the time you have finished preparing one colour, the other ones would have already hardened up.
If this happens, it is safe to place the soap mix in the microwave again for a few seconds to re-melt the soap down.
Use a mini wisker or the back of your teaspoon to mix in the colours really well until there are no clumps left, then add up to 15 drops of your favourite essential oil.
Pour into your soap shape, and let harden for a couple of hours, or even overnight before unmoulding. You can also place the melt and pour soap in the fridge and it should be ready in about 30 minutes.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe!
Let me know in the comments below: are you going to try to make your own halloween soap? Which scary shape will you choose?