Di's Delightful Creations
& Crafts

Melt & Pour Soap

For me, this is the easiest way to make soap. I have never tried making soap from scratch (lye), but I hope to try it someday. I remember my grandmother making it, and there are alot of people who do like making it, (and I admire them for their patience and entusiasm to do so), but these recipes are only melt and pour.

TIPS & HINTS

Most of the recipes are created using Castile or Glycerin soap.
Castile soap is made from water and olive oil and has a white to green color. It comes in cake bars, and has virtually no scent.
Castile soap needs to be shredded before melting it with other ingredients. Use a cheese grater for easy shredding.
Castile soap can be replaced wtih baby soap or any other plain, unscented white soap.

Glycerin soap is made up from oil and glycerin.
Be sure to use the unscented form.
Glycerin soap is usually yellowish and transparent. It melts easily, and mixes well with oils and other ingredients.

Have fun with mixing fragrance oils. The recipes I am listing call for certain oils, but this is not a must. Use your imgaination (and nose), and try new mixtures.

REMOVING SOAPS FROM MOLDS
If the mold is glass or metal you can get stuck soap out by putting it in the oven at 100 degrees Celsius. When the soap next to the walls starts to take on that semi-transparent gelled quality it should slide right out. Smudge over the rough bits with your finger and later, with the edge of a knife to take off the uneven areas

TESTING OIL BLENDS
Toothpicks
Example: if you're making a blend with two parts lemongrass & one part cedarwood. Dip 1/2 of two toothpicks into the lemongrass and 1/2 of another one in the cedarwood then hold them all together to smell. You can also keep them together for a few days to see if one scent overpowers any others.

FRENCH VANILLA ALMOND SOAP
1/3 cup whole almonds
1 4-ounce bar Castile soap
1/4 cup distilled water
1 tablespoon almond oil
1/8 teaspoon French Vanilla fragrance oil
Grind the almonds to a fine powder in a food processor or coffee grinder and set aside.
Shred the soap and set aside.
In a heavy saucepan bring the water to a boil; then reduce heat to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and add the almond powder, almond oil, and vanilla fragrance oil, stirring until well blended.
Spoon the soap into a mold and let set for five hours or until hardened.

RASPBERRY OATMEAL SOAP
12 oz grated soap
5 oz water
1/4 cup finely ground oats
1/8 oz Raspberry Fragrance oil
Combine the grated soap and water in a saucepan, and set on medium heat.
When the soap has melted, add the ground oats, and raspberry fragrance.
Stir well, then pack into molds and let sit until hardened.

CHOCOLATE SOAP
12 oz grated soap
5 oz water
1/4 cup instand cocoa powder
1/8 oz Chocolate Fragrance oil
Combine the grated soap and water in a saucepan, and set on medium heat.
When the soap has melted, add the cocoa powder, and chocolate fragrance.
Stir well, then pack into molds and let sit until hardened.

HERBAL GLYCERIN SOAP
1 pound Glycerin
1/2 ounce fragrance oil or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon essential oil, amount depends on oil used.
1 T. herbal powder of your choice
and/or
1 T. dried flower of you choice
Melt the glycerin in the microwave until completely disolved. This usually takes one to two minutes. Avoid stirring as much as possible because stirring causes bubbles.
Pour in herbal powder, dried flowers, and fragrance oil while still in liquid state.
Stir lightly to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Pour in the mold of your choice and let set for 1 to 2 hours or longer if desired.
If you have trouble with the bar releasing from the mold, place in the freezer for a few minutes and the bar should release easily.
I have found that the bar of soap lathers better when it is allowed to cure for 3 to 7 days before use.
This recipe yields 4 - 4 ounce bars of Glycerin Soap.

COFFEE & CREAM SOAP
1 4oz. bar glycerin soap
1 teaspoon ground espresso
1 teaspoon powdered milk
10 drops coffee fragrance oil
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the bar of glycerin soap until liquefied.
Remove from heat and stir in ground espresso, powdered milk, and coffee fragance oil.
Pour soap into a mold and let set for three hours or until hardened.

LEMON LOOFAH SOAP
This delightful soap smells like fresh lemons, and when the powdered loofah is mixed in, it will make the soap a extra exfoliating.
Loofah, a plant that grows much like the cucumber, can be dried, shredded, and added to soap.
Note:To make the powder, loofah can be cut up into tiny pieces using a pair of sharp scissors, or you can purchase it in powder form.
1 4oz. bar glycerin soap
1 teaspoon powdered loofah
15 drops lemon oil
1 drop red food coloring
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt your bar of glycerin soap until liquefied.
Remove from heat and stir in powdered loofah, lemon oil, and food coloring.
Pour soap into a mold and let set for three hours, or until hardened.

LAYERED SOAPS
2 4oz. bars glycerin soap
10 drops fragrance oil (your choice)
10 drops fragrance oil (your choice, different than choice above)
2 drops different colored food coloring (your choice)
) In a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt one bar of glycerin soap until liquefied.
Remove from heat and stir in one drop food coloring and 10 drops fragrance oil.
Pour half of the mixture into two soap molds, filling each mold halfway.
Wait twenty minutes.
Melt your second bar of glycerin soap until liquefied. Remove from heat and stir in the other drop of food coloring and fragrance oil.
Pour this second layer on top of the first layer (already in molds).
Let soap set for three hours or until hardened.
Your finished bars should come out half one color and half another.

VANILLA AND ALMOND SOAP
1/3 cup whole almonds
1 4-ounce bar Castile soap
1/4 cup distilled water
1 tablespoon almond oil
1/8 teaspoon vanilla fragrance oil
Grind the almonds to a fine powder in a food processor or coffee grinder and set aside.
Shred the soap and set aside.
In a heavy saucepan bring the water to a boil; then reduce heat to a simmer; remove the pan from the heat and add the almond powder, almond oil, and vanilla fragrance oil, stirring until well blended.
Spoon the soap into a mold and let set for five hours or until hardened.

PEACHES AND CREAM SOAP
1 bar Castile soap
1/4 cup distilled water
1/4 cup powdered milk
1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
1/8 teaspoon peach fragrance oil
1 drop orange food coloring (optional)
Shred the Castile soap and set aside.
Heat the water in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in the shredded soap until it forms a sticky mass.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the powdered milk, Sweet almond oil, Peach fragrance oil, food coloring; stir until well-blended.
Spoon the soap into its mold and let set for four hours or until hardened.

CINNAMON SOAP
1 4-ounce bar glycerin soap
10 drops cinnamon oil
1 drop red food coloring (optional)
In a heavy saucepan, melt the glycerin soap over low heat until liquefied.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cinnamon oil and coloring until well mixed.
Pour the soap into a mold and let set for three hours or until hardened.

FRUITCAKE SOAP
3 - 4oz. Glycerine Soaps (12 oz)
Food Color
Fragrance Oils (Tangerine, Cherry, Pineapple, Lime, Gingerbread and Cinnamon)
You can use rectangular soap molds, small loaf pans or small bundt pans.
Melt 4 ounces of soap and pour into 4 square or rectangular soap molds.
Immediately add the following in this order:
Mold 1:
3 drops red food color and 5 drops Cherry fragrance oil
Mold 2:
2 drops red, 1 drop yellow food color and 5 drops Tangerine fragrance oil
Mold 3:
3 drops yellow food color and 5 drops Pineapple fragrance oil
Mold 4:
3 drops green food color and 5 drops Lime fragrance oil
Allow the 4 soap to set completely.
Remove them from the molds and cube.
Divide the colored cubes into soap molds.
If you are using pans spray with a very light coat of vegetable spray and wipe out with paper towel.
Melt remaining soap, when melted stir in 1/4 teaspoon Gingerbread fragrance oil and 5 drops Cinnamon fragrance oil. Add 5 drops caramel food color or brown paste food color just to create a 'fruitcake' color.
Pour soap slowly into molds over the cubes.
Set for at least three hours.
Just as the soap is starting to set stir them to spread the cubes around. Unmold. If you have trouble removing them from the pans, use a hair dryer to heat the molds slightly.

MECHANIC'S HAND CLEANSER
1 c. borax
1-2 t. pure turpentine
1 t. sweet orange essential oil
1 c. ground soap
With very clean hands, work the turpentine and essential oil into the borax until there are no lumps left, then work into the soap.
Keep it in a wide-mouthed jar or tin that's easy to open.

SHAVING SOAP
1/2 cup grated Castile soap
1 cup boiling distilled water (or a little less)
2 T. coconut oil, melted
3 T. almond oil
1 T. borax
Dissolve soap in boiling water and put in blender. Add remaining ingredients and mix until fluffy. Add 15 to 20 drops fragrance oil and pour slowly into shaving mug. (a large ceramic coffee mug would do fine for this).

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