Easy DIY Soaps

These soaps are extremely easy to make
and involve no lye, so let's begin!

You will need melt and pour soap base
You can find this online and in craft stores. These particular soaps did not work well for me, so I do not recommend them. This is my favorite soap base. You decide if you want a white or clear based soap; to day I'm using white soap base.

Also you will need a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. I'm using 91% (rubbing is about 70%) isopropyl alcohol because that is what I have. This will prevent bubbles in your soap

Then to customize your soap you will need colorants and fragrance.
Colorants can be liquid FD&C dyes (food coloring),mica, powder colorants, and special soap making colorants. Make sure they are WATER SOLUBLE AND BODY SAFE!
Do NOT use candle colorants.

Fragrances also must be body safe. Some fragrances are okay for candles but are NOT body safe. Make sure to read the label before purchasing. Some beginning selections, I suggest fruity scents. Here and here you can purchase body safe fragrances(as well as many other places). You can also use essential oils, you can find some here. Also obtain a pipette to get the fragrance out of the bottle.

Lastly you will need a soap mold. This is very important without this, you can not cast your soap into anything! You can use chocolate molds, silicone ice cube trays (ones from Ikea are nice and affordable), or even a yogurt container!

Next you will need a Pyrex cup to melt everything in, a microwave, a couple of stirring utensils, and patience!

First unwrap your soap and cut it up into smaller chunks for easier melting.

Then put it into your Pyrex cup and melt it down at 20 second bursts. You do not want to overheat your soap or cause it to boil because your end result\will be rubbery soap.
After it is melted, you will have to act fast before your soap sets up again.
Add your desired colorant and fragrance. The amount of your colorant depends on how dark or light you want the soap. Remember that this is a product that will be in contact with water, so make your soap a bit darker because it will lighten will use. Fragrance is normally 1 ml per 4 oz. of soap. Depending on the size of your mold, adjust your fragrance. For one heart, I used about 6 drops of fragrance. Experiment to find the best amount for you! Stir SLOWLY to reduce bubbles.
Before pouring your soap into your mold, spritz it with isopropyl alcohol/rubbing alcohol to break the surface tension which pops the bubbles. Then pour into your mold and spritz again.

Now the waiting begins! Leave your soap for about an hour or two to set. If you are as impatient as I am, after the top layer has set, pop it into the freezer or fridge to speed it up.

Voila! Beautiful, colorful soaps!

These were scented orange, perfect for summer!

Rainbow Soap Fruit Salad (strawberry, orange, lemongrass, honeydew)

-Phia R