Glycerin soap recipe

Making my own soap several years ago, gathering all the supplies from every outlet I could find, I gave it a go and decided that store bought soap was not very bad. At the least, it was a whole lot less work than this. Then all these clear soaps with little frogs and bunnies and every imaginable item right in the middle of the bars started showing up at the stores. All the labels read glycerin based. If you have ever used a glycerin-based soap, you know how moisturizing it is. If not, once you try it, you will not want to use any other type of soap again. I had never tried making glycerin soap but I knew I had heard something about melt and pour glycerin blocks. Could soap making really be as easy as melt and pour? Yes!

If you have always wanted to try soap making, but had no idea where to start, this is it.

First, you will need to gather a few supplies. Some will need to be purchased. These items should be available at any medium to large craft store or outlet. Others you can also buy or improvise with items right from your kitchen. Many people that I have discussed this soap with and recipes call for a double boiler to melt the blocks. Going one step further towards ease, we will melt the glycerin blocks right in the microwave. The only downfall to this is once you use a container for this purpose, do not use it for anything related to food after. While the glycerin blocks are non-toxic, the soap when melted seems to adhere to the plastic and you will never be able to fully rid the containers of the soaps natural scent.

Supplies Needed

Clear Glycerin Melt and Pour Blocks (White and pre-colored are available)

Microwave safe sturdy plastic container (Square shape recommended so you have a corner for pouring)

Molds

Fragrance (Cosmetic grade)

Colorant

Wooden spoon for stirring and mixing (Wood works best but any long handled utensil can be used)

Potholders (Preferably, the mitts as soap will be extremely hot when first removed from the microwave)

For fun, you will want some small items to ‘sink’ into the middle of your soap. One-piece baby toys work well, dried flowers, small cars, almost anything you can think of. While smaller items that can be totally covered are perfect for this, a medium size works well too. For example, baby’s rubber ducks bathtub toy, submerged just on the bottom half in a round bar appears to be ‘swimming’ in the soap.

Start with one block of melt and pour. One block equals ¼ lb. Place in your microwave safe sturdy plastic container, and using a setting of medium to high, melt for approximately 45 seconds. Each microwave is different, so it is important that you closely watch the melt and pour as you do this step. Your goal is to melt the block, DO NOT BOIL. This is very important. While it will not render the soap unusable, it seems to lose the soaps natural lathering abilities if boiled. Also making it hot enough to melt the molds themselves, especially if you are using purchased molds of which many are plastic.

Remove melt and pour from the microwave with mitts. Add fragrance first. Only a cosmetic grade fragrance should be used. If soap is going to be used on a young child, no scent need even be added, as the melt and pour has a natural fresh scent of its own.

If coloring is being added, add now. There are many different products for coloring available on the market. Some are cream based, which personally, I find work best. Powder based coloring is another option. Of these, there are many, many variations. There is even coloring with mica that makes the soap glitter. Again though, this is an optional step, and if you are going to add items to the soap, clear really is best.

Next, it is time to pour the mixture into your molds. Purchased molds are fine, but many items right from your own kitchen will work equally well. Small Tupperware or Rubbermaid containers work good for single bars of soap. After pouring, submerge items of your choosing into soap. Spoon should be used so as not to burn yourself. Tall cardboard potato chip cans will make a long tube of soap. Once set, tear away the tube and slice the soap into desired thickness. Larger Tupperware or Rubbermaid containers can be filled one layer at a time, resulting in a block of soap that when sliced gives a rainbow effect. Finally, a bit of advice. Experiment, experiment, experiment! The possibilities with this fun process are limited only to your imagination.