I’ve always been intrigued by the world of soap making. Choosing your own ingredients to make your own special scent, adding colors and textures to make it aesthetically pleasing, and then getting to share those goodies with friends and family just sounds like the best thing ever. I’ll admit that I’ve been an admirer for some time, but the thought of taking on another hobby that can be very involved was pretty intimidating … until I heard about melt-and-pour soap bases, that is. Craft stores sell soap bases that you literally heat up in your microwave (or on your stove top) and then add whatever ingredients you want to customize your own soap bars. Now THAT I can get on board with.
Ingredients:
-10 oz goat’s milk melt-and-pour soap base
-1 grapefruit (only zest half the grapefruit)
-1 tbsp poppy seeds
-10 drops of grapefruit essential oil
-4 drops of peppermint essential oil
Supplies:
-plastic bowl for heating in microwave or pot and glass bowl for double boiling
-grater (for zest)
–silicone mold
Step One: Cut your soap base into cubes. I used 10 oz of soap for 5-6 bars.
Step Two: Zest your grapefruit and have your poppy seeds and oils handy.
Step Three: Melt the soap base in the microwave (in a plastic bowl) or double boil it on the stove top. I used a wooden coffee stirrer to stir as I went. It’s really important not to burn the soap while melting, so I microwaved in 30-second increments.
Step Four: Once your soap base is entirely melted, pour into a measuring cup. Add your oils, grapefruit zest, and poppy seeds. Give a quick couple of stirs to evenly disperse.
Step Five: Pour the soap into the silicone mold and let harden. I transferred mine to a glass measuring cup with a pour spout for easier pouring. Mine took about 2–3 hours to harden completely, but I let it sit in the molds for longer just to be sure!
Step Six: Once your soap has hardened, pop the bars out of the molds and wrap up to gift to all of your friends! This is my favorite part by far!
The poppy seeds in this soap are great for exfoliating the skin, the goat’s milk is great for moisturizing, and the grapefruit oil is said to balance skin discolorations and keep skin glowing. I love any sort of citrus scent, so paired with a small amount of mint this is one of the best soaps I’ve ever smelled. So fresh!
I have to admit, I was a little nervous about adding fresh ingredients to soap since it just sits on a shelf, but the glycerine in the goat’s milk base that I used is supposed to act as a preservative and keep the grapefruit rind from molding. Whew. That’s good news because no one wants a moldy bar of soap as a gift, no matter how sweet the gesture! Happy soap making! xo. Katie
Credits // Author: Katie Shelton, Photography: Sarah Rhodes. Photos edited with Piper from the Signature Collection
69 Comments
Ooh I’ve been wanting to make my own soap for a while now and this makes it look easier than I thought! Thanks!
I love the idea of homemade bath and beauty products and am always looking for new recipes. Thanks so much for sharing this, Katie! 🙂
Love and Luck,
Laurali Star
http://www.thesecretsurprisinista.com
Beautiful!! I love using artesan soaps – always feels extra luxurious!
I only wish that you would have shared a recipe without animal products. I’m sure you can replace the milk with something healthier and cruelty free for moisture. any ideas?
There are several Melt and Pour soap options. Instead of the Goats Milk, just substitute Oatmeal, Shea or Castile. They can all be ordered online or if you’re lucky, maybe you have a local soap supplier. Also check out Hobby Lobby. So FUN!!
I’m always nervous to give away soap products as gifts, but these are beautiful and cheery,they’d brighten up any bathroom! I’ve always wanted to try making soap.
Marlenne Baeza, you could use a base made from either hemp seed oil, aloe vera, olive oil, etc. The organic and/or vegan options are bountiful! This site has a wonderful selection to chose from: http://www.organic-creations.com
Katie, this is a great DIY offering! Very inspiring; I want to make these for my mother, grandmother and other mom friends for Mother’s Day. Thanks!
Oh my gosh, I have to try this!
-Anna @ Banana and Bear (http://www.bananaandbear.blogspot.com)
I have always wanted to make my own soap. This looks great though. I might have to make some of these to give away for Mother’s Day.
This is so cute! I love it :).
Oh this sounds like something I should try once. But I might be to obsessed with Lush to do so.. But this is cheaper..
x
http://www.seriouslydaph.com
Such an easy and affordable.Thanks for sharing I think I’m gonna try this. Please visit my blog people
Just get a non-goat milk melt & pour base. There are tons of pre-made bases out there of all different kinds. Check out Bramble Berry or Wholesale Supplies Plus. If you want even more control over what goes in your soap you should look into REAL soap making, cold process. 🙂
what a fabulous idea – and I bet they smell so yummy too! xo
http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/
cool! looks like fun. thanks for sharing.
This is so great! Thanks for sharing!
Jordyn
Pretty Lovely
I just made my own body scrub for the first time and was amazed how easy it is! I definitely will give soap making a try, and I love the poppy seeds for exfoliating:)
This is such a fun idea! Perfect for a Mother’s Day gift!
Marianne
thematimes.com
That looks fun !
Can you melt normal soap and customise like this ?
Xoxo
I had no idea making soap could be so simple. I love the specks of color from the grapefuit and poppy seeds, so pretty!
I have once made my own soap before, it was so much fun! Also a lovely little present.
http://sincerelylara.com
These are some of my favorite smells so I’m sure the combo is really great!
I’ve been wanting to try something like this for the longest time! These will also be really great as a cute gift.
http://cursive-type.blogspot.nl
I bet that smells just lovely! I’m on the lookout for a natural, non-animal soap base for easy soap making.
http://www.aileenbarker.com/
Wow this is great, I’m gonna do it and show mine experiment on my blog, and of course, I will give it as a present to my friend next week, such a beautiful idea! Thanks! 😀
These look gorgeous! I have been making and selling candles on etsy for some time, and I think it’s time I venture into soap making. Thanks for the lovely tutorial!
Woww!! What a grate idea! I wish I could smell it through my laptop haha
http://shibarita.blogspot.com/
I was thinking about make some lavender scented soap from my mother. This post will really help me.
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12172327
what a cool idea!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
I could hug you right now – what a wonderful recipe! Hope I can find the base ingredient here, so I can make a butch. And how gorgeous are they?! Can only imagine the fragrance… x
Wow – that looks much more straightforward than I thought! I’d really like to give this ago 🙂
That is so cute and its so simple. This is a cute gift idea!
Omg this made me so happy!
mmm! This sounds wonderful! I cannot wait to try it out!
xoxo
Taylor
While reading this post and looking at the pictures I couldn’t help having the sensation I was about to smell something…guess technology is not there yet!:)
I also have always wanted to try soap making, but have been kind of intimidated by it. Last Christmas, my husband and I made vanilla and peppermint candles for Christmas gifts! It was so much fun! Now seeing this process that you did with these soaps, looks almost exactly like how we made our candles! I’m so going to have to do this now! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
All my favorite foods in a soap? Yes please! Great DIY as usual.
xox Logan
http://ourzeal.blogspot.com
Looks good enough to eat!
http://talisatalksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/eos-obsession.html
Those soaps look so nice….I usually use body wash but I would definitely try these out! They look very moisturizing 🙂
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
That sounds amazing! I can just smell the fresh grapefruit and mint from the other side of the screen hahaha I’ll definitely have to try this out! I tried making bath bombs once… but they didn’t turn out too well… hahaha
http://www.pshawscorner.com
I make loads of my own cosmetics, but I’ve never tried soap because I want to use things instantly and the thought of waiting weeks has always put me off. I love the idea of the microwaveable base, definitely makes the whole thing a bit more simple!
This looks so fun and I can smell it from here! Great DIY I want to give this a go.
http://www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com
I always keep a glass vase in the bathroom full of handmade soaps bought from small boutiques. It’s really a statement piece in the bathroom. Time to make my own! Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this, I always thought soap making is difficult – but this seems to be pretty easy and I can’t wait to give it a try
Looks so pretty!
http://www.myownloves.com
I wanna try making those!! <3 Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Do these need to age like other homemade soaps?
Great instructions, thanks
The best soap I ever bought had poppy seeds in it! I could never find it again though anywhere! Never occurred to me to make my own soap! Will give this a try! Thanks for sharing
Anneka
http://mamaandthree.blogspot.co.uk/
Quinceneara packages from the Dress PHOTOGRAPHY by appointment and booking only Coordinating Dance Damas Dresses TUXEDO RENTAL Crown & Pillows Center Pieces for Quinceanera, Baby showers and Parties Memorabilia, Guestbook & Album, Bibles and much more. Women clothing
Great pics! do you have a link to the instructions for the rug she is making? I would love to make a rug like that!
Stay tuned for the DIY rug post 🙂
-Jacki
Two of my favourite scents, I have to try this!! Do you know if you could use metal molds for this? I have some pretty shapes I would love to try.
Anyone try this yet & know how it feels on your skin? I’m trying to avoid that tight, squeeky feeling that some soaps give.
We make soaps regularly at work using melt and pour bases. We chop up the soap base and melt it in a slow cooker…this sounds like it takes longer than your method of the microwave, but there is no chance of the soap burning. It is also less fiddly than a double boiler method. We only add the essential oils just before pouring, so as not to evaporate them off whilst we are melting the soap.
Love this, where did you find your soap mold?
Oh I cannot wait to make some of these!!!
This is just beautiful! I love Katie’s DIYs.
I am a blogger and a soapmaker. I have my own small homemade soap business and I’ve been looking for a silicone mould that looks exactly like these. Does anyone know where I can get it? 🙂
http://www.joanofjuly.com
These look amazing! I would pay for these, but even more exciting to know I can make them 🙂
I made a version of these bars this weekend, thanks for the inspiration and the tutorial!!
http://www.edieandandy.com/2014/05/make-11.html
Where do you get soap base from?
It’s linked in the post (from Amazon) 🙂
I didn’t know that it is so easy to make a soap! The recipe looks gorgeous, I definitely will try it. 🙂
Hi!
I am making these now. I don’t have a weigh to measure mass – is 10 ounces about 10 cubes? Is that how you measured it??
Hi! I have friends allergic to peppermint oil so I could just leave that out right? I’m not sure about allergies to the grapefruit oil but if there are the poppy seeds and the real grapefruit chills be able to do it right?
Yes- just omit it or replace it with Spearmint. xx
I’ve tested this receipe and it’s so great ! the smell is really great. thank you !
I have tried adding things to melt and pour and most things all fall to the bottom. (Becoming the top)How do you keep the zest suspended? Thanks in advance.
when I make soaps with something in it, it always falls down to the bottom (or in some cases) rises to the top. At which temperature do I have to pour the soap to guarantee suspension? Or anything else I need to do? Thank you! k