Making Melt & Pour Soap

Gather Supplies:  This is what I use - melt and pour soap base, 2 cup plastic measuring cup, mold, fragrance, coloring, vegetable oil and cotton balls, plastic spoon.  Be sure that your measuring cup has extra roon as the soap will foam up as it is melting.

Inside each mold cavity - wipe entire cavity with vegetable oil on a cotton ball.

Cut your M&P soap base - I use a large kitchen knife - each "square" is approximately one ounce.  So if your mold is a 4 ounce mold, use 4 blocks.

Put your blocks in the measuring cup - and microwave - if you are doing a small amount (4-5 ounces) start out with 30 seconds on high.

Check your melted soap - if you still have large chunks, put back in for another 20-30 seconds.  Keep doing this until it is melted.  Stir with a plastic spoon to check for the lumps of soap.  I did a larger batch as you can see and I started out with one minute, then went on to 20 second intervals until melted.   Do not be concerned if the soap foams during this process.  Give it a stir and continue on.

Now it is time to start adding goodies.  You can do either fragrance or color first - it doesn't make any difference.  Put in maybe 10 drops and smell to see if it is strong enough.  I tend to add extra because the fragrances will dilute some with time.  Same thing with color - this was about 10 drops for the entire batch that I was making.

Stir it in good.

If the color is not as dark as you would like, add a little more.  If it is too dark, add more soap base and remelt it.  It is OK to melt if there is color and fragrance.

As you can see the soap was already starting to harden, on the right side you can see the side has some hardened soap on the edge.  This is my final color.

Next we are going to pour into the molds, which have already been coated with vegetable oil.  If you are using a small plastic bowl for example, same process, wipe down with veggie oil.  If using a box, be sure to line first with saran wrap.  The plastic wrap will peel off when you are finished and it has cooled.  I put a towel under my molds just because the soap is hot at this stage and I don't want to damage my oak table.  It probably wouldn't but just to be safe :)

Once you have your soap poured into the molds - set aside, somewhere where they won't be bumped or knocked over.  Let set for at least an hour.  To unmold, sometimes you can invert it and just push from the center of the mold and it will pop right out.  If it doesn't want to pop out, put in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and try again.  It should release easily.

And here you go - Voila' - you have just made your own soap.  Wrap any way you want and give for gifts or keep for yourself. 

If you look closely - in my bottom sheep there are a couple spots on the head and one on the back leg - there was something in the mold that I missed.  I've had the mold for a couple of weeks and it was just sitting on the table waiting for me to use it - mybad.  Didn't get it cleaned out properly.