Melt and pour soaps is an easy and safe way to make soap without messing around with harmful lye products. It is easy to melt, add your mix ins, and pour into a mold. The soap will be ready to use after just a few hours of cooling. Melt and pour soap contains a high level of glycerin which is known for its moisturizing properties.
What Do You Need to Make Soap?
How to Make Soap
Make sure to use the appropriate amount of mix ins. Adding too much of an additive can result in chemical breakdowns that can cause issues. Avoid using fresh ingredients that can spoil in your soap.
What to Put in Your Soap Base?
Colors
Popular cosmetic-grade colorants include oxides, pigments, liquid colorants, micas, and clays. Make sure to use a colorant that is skin-safe and won’t dye the skin. Micas are pearlescent, shimmery powders that can be mixed with a small amount of oil or glycerin. This mix can then be added to your soap base. Clays and herbs can be used to create natural colorings that don’t fade. Clays should be mixed with water before adding to your base to avoid cracking and crumbling. Pigments are powdered dyes that should be mixed with water before adding to your base. Pigments such as oxides and ultramarines leave vibrant colors in your soap.
Moisturizers
Moisturizers such as butters and oils can also be added to your soap base. Moisturizers help the skin to retain moisture and combat dryness and fine lines. Examples include mango, shea, and cocoa butters, rosehipand fractionated coconut oils, and even certain clays like Rhassoul.
Fragrances
When adding scent to your soaps, you can use synthetic fragrance oils or natural essential oils. Scents are added into the warm, melted soaps where they can absorb properly into the base. Fragrance oils can sometimes cause the soap to “weep” or become too oily, so it’s best to test fragrance oils in soaps or use the manufacturer's recommended amounts.
Exfoliants
If you’d like to add an exfoliant to your soap, there are a number of good options. Exfoliants help to remove the dead skin cells and reveal healthy, glowing skin. To prevent the exfoliant from separating from the soap base, the mixture needs to be stirred continuously until poured into the molds. Examples of exfoliants include ground oatmeal, jojoba beads, sea salts, sugar, shredded natural loofah, and coffee grounds. In general, add 1-2 tablespoons of exfoliants per pound of soap.
Extracts
Natural plant extracts can add antioxidant properties and vitamins into your soap base. Add 1-2 tablespoons of extract per soap just before pouring into molds. Examples include chamomile, grapefruit, green tea, and papaya extracts.
Melt and pour soaps can be used immediately after drying. Store in a clean, cool, and dark place. Sunlight can break down fragrances, so keeping your soap out of the sun will help it stay fragrant for longer.