Melt and Pour Soap: All You Need to Know

If soap-making just caught your interest, then melt-and-pour soap is for you. This soap-making technique is best for beginners because it’s inexpensive and easy. Like its name implies, you just have to “melt” the soap base, “pour” it into the mold, and ta-daaa!!! Your very own hand-made soap.

Because of its easy process, you can spend more time on the creative parts of making soap, like choosing a color, design, fragrance, additives, and mold shape. You can also share this activity with your children! You kids will love this safe and fun project.

Speaking of safety, your final soap product is only as safe as the ingredients you put in it. Below, we’ll give you all-natural options to make your soap-making journey toxin-free.

Keep reading to learn everything you need about Melt and Pour Soap.

Soap Base

There are a couple of different options for a soap base. Soap base primarily consists of plant oil, glycerin, water, and sodium hydroxide (lye). Natural ingredients like shea butter, aloe vera, and goat milk are added to improve the soap’s properties.

It may be easiest to start with white and clear bases since you can easily apply colorants if you choose to do so. A white soap base will create a more pastel soap, while a clear soap base will make the color more vibrant.

Here’s a more in-depth article about soap bases: What Melt and Pour Soap Base Should I Use?

Colorants

Color is the first thing you notice in a bar of soap. While many artificial colorants provide vibrant colors, we recommend using natural colorants from herbs and spices. Using artificial colorants can cause skin irritation and is not recommended for bath and body products.

There are so many great, toxin-free options for an all-natural soap colorant. You can choose Beetroot, Cranberry, Alkanet Root, Turmeric, Allspice, Cocoa, Nutmeg, Matcha, Spirulina, and more. Check out our Natural Colorants for DIY Beauty Recipes blog post to learn more about natural colorants.

Fragrance

Of course, you will want a good-smelling soap. You can choose from fragrance oils and essential oils. A good rule of thumb is to use about 2 teaspoons (0.3 oz) of scent per pound of soap base. 

While most fragrance oils claim to be all-natural and skin-safe, manufacturers aren’t required to disclose their ingredients, which can be pretty skeptical. I prefer to use 100% pure and all-natural essential oils. Essential oils also provide an added array of skin-soothing and aromatherapy benefits.

Another tip is to match your essential oil with the soap design. Look at this Orange Grove Exfoliating Soap recipe, which pairs orange peels with bergamot essential oil to create an uplifting, exfoliating, and pretty soap!

Molds

You can also get creative with the shape of your soap. Countless options of all shapes and sizes are available to purchase online or at your local craft store. We prefer silicone molds since they are flexible, meaning the soap can easily be popped out from the mold once cooled. Here’s a non-toxic and 100% handmade silicone mold, which is an excellent option for beginners!

From your kitchen, you can also use ice trays, baking tins, and anything else you can think of that will hold and shape your soap. Just ensure it can withstand high temperatures so it won’t melt when the hot soap is poured in.

Soap Recipe

To improve your soap-making skills, check out this article, Fun Soap Design Ideas, Tips, and Recipes to Try.

Melt and Pour Soap Recipes

You can also try some of these fun soap recipes below. Feel free to make changes according to your preference!

• Rose Quartz Soap
• Cocoa Marble Soap
• Flower, Spice & Something Nice Soap
• Happy Joy Face Soap
• Elve’s Special Pine Soap

Stick To an All-Natural Soap

Start experimenting and customizing your all-natural soap ingredients to limit dry skin and irritation. If you love using handmade soap and other fun DIYs, you will love our essential oil recipe box! Are you interested in becoming an Earthie? We’d love to hear your questions and comments on social media with @fromsimplyearth and in the comments below!

Are you ready to master essential oils? You get FREE access to our Hero Course if you subscribe to our Monthly Essential Oil Recipe Box. With it, you’ll receive 4 pure essential oils, 6 aromatherapist-created recipes, and more—all delivered directly to your door each month for just $44.99/month. Plus, we’ll give you a FREE Big Bonus Box!

Don’t miss out on the all-natural fun with the Recipe Box; get yours today. Subscribe now to learn how to use essential oils!