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How can I Make Soap?

Kate Monteith
Kate Monteith

Making soap today is more of a pastime or hobby than a necessity. But, for people who enjoy a creative pursuit, modern melt and pour methods make it easy to make soap at home. Grabbing a book from your local library is another easy way to learn how to make soap.

Soap making has been around for more than 5,000 years. Until the 20th century, people would make soap from a concoction of melted animal fats (lard), water and lye, known as lard soap or lye soap. But, because it is so difficult to make, few people attempt to make lye soap anymore.

Modern soap making methods include the hand-milled technique and melt and pour. Melt and pour soap provides the most efficient and safe method. Hand milling takes more effort, but generally produces a superior bar of soap.

You can make soap in a microwave.
You can make soap in a microwave.

To make your own soap at home, you'll need a microwave, large glass measuring cup, stirring spoon, soap base, fragrances, colorants, and soap molds of your choice. There are hundreds of choices in scents as well as coloring combinations. If you are just learning to make soap at home, begin with soap making recipes written by an experienced soap maker.

A bar of soap.
A bar of soap.

Hand milling begins with grating several ounces (roughly 200 or so grams) of natural soap, commonly found in whole foods stores and sometimes in hobby stores. Water is added to the grated soap base and the mixture is carefully heated until melted. Before pouring the melted soap into the molds, the soap-maker adds her desired combinations of scents, coloring, and natural additives including grains, herbs or spices.

A bar of lye soap.
A bar of lye soap.

Melt and pour soap kits and supplies are commonly available in hobby stores everywhere. With adult supervision, children age 12 and up are capable of making melt and pour soaps. The soap base comes in easy to measure, one-ounce (about 28g) chunks. There are several types of base used to make soap, including clear and opaque soap bases made of glycerin, olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, shae butter, or olive and aloe.

It is important to use only fragrances and dyes specially formulated for soap making, and only in recommended amounts; other types of additives, or too much of some approved additives, can cause skin irritation.

Three bars of glycerin soap.
Three bars of glycerin soap.

Soap fragrances can be artfully blended to create pleasing and unique combinations. The different scents are broken into three categories, known as notes. The main scent is known as the “predominant note.” Secondary notes, known as “blenders,” are used to enhance the main scent. Lastly, “contrasts” add a lively little kick known as low notes.

Color mixing for soap making can be a little tricky. Dyes used to make soap are extremely concentrated and it is easy to ruin a batch of soap with too much experimentation. Try experimenting with soap coloring in a four-ounce (about 113g) glass of water. The water method offers a good preview of color mixing for clear glycerin soaps, but does not work as well to predict the color of opaque soaps.

Molds used to make soap come in a variety of shapes, from the typical bar or oval to elaborate floral molds. In general, most molds are between two and six ounces (56 to 170g) in volume.

A lot of the fun of making your own soaps can be in packaging the creations for gift giving. Some fancy tissue paper and ribbons, a special piece of pottery or a decorative box can go a long way to dress up your homemade soap.

Discussion Comments

Wisedly33

@Scrbblchick -- Soap making is fun. I've done it with my daughter. She made all these little soaps for Christmas presents for her friends at school. She had a blast.

Our kit came with molds, but I bought some small guest size molds, too. They were not expensive. They were little seahorses, shells and starfish. Her friends loved the soaps and they all came over during Christmas break and used up the last of the soap blocks making more. It was fine. It used up the soap and those girls had a great time. They were tickled to make their own soap. Funny what will send kids into the stratosphere.

Scrbblchick

I went through a phase a while back where I was doing hobby stuff and soap making was one of the hobbies I tried. I bought a kit from a craft store and gave it a shot. It was fun.

The kit was a good one. It included the soap blocks (it was a melt and pour kit), molds, dyes, fragrances and even some pearl powder. I had fun doing it and went through several soap blocks. I used the glycerin soap and it was easy to do. I melted it in the microwave in a big glass measuring cup. It was very easy. There's not a lot of scope for creativity, but it was fun as long as the soap blocks lasted.

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    • You can make soap in a microwave.
      You can make soap in a microwave.
    • A bar of soap.
      By: Nataliia
      A bar of soap.
    • A bar of lye soap.
      By: M S
      A bar of lye soap.
    • Three bars of glycerin soap.
      By: Mihai Simonia
      Three bars of glycerin soap.
    • Palm oil can be used to make soap.
      By: uckyo
      Palm oil can be used to make soap.
    • Handmade organic soap might include ingredients such as organic olive and coconut oils as well as sustainable palm oil.
      By: Hayati Kayhan
      Handmade organic soap might include ingredients such as organic olive and coconut oils as well as sustainable palm oil.
    • For centuries, people around the world made their own soaps with common items such as ash, salt, water and lard.
      By: Lsantilli
      For centuries, people around the world made their own soaps with common items such as ash, salt, water and lard.