Homemade Soaps -- THANKS!

[justcruisin]

Thanks so much for the tip to make soap as gifts. My first trial yielded 8 bars of apricot scrub and 8 bars of honey oatmeal.

The cost is under $1.50 per bar. I'm going to order little plastic christmas characters from oriental trading to put into green and red bars of soap.

I used a double boiler (glass bowl on top of pot) and it and the heat coming off was extreme and every once in a while a bit of steam would escape.

Thanks so much for the inspiration!

diana

 

[jensmom]

I would love to know how to make the soap if you wouldn't mind sharing. Thanks!

 

[My2Cinderellas]

me too! I've spent a small fortune over the years buying unscented handmade soaps at farmer's markets and craft shows. I much prefer them to commercial soaps. If it's easy to make, I'd love to try!

 

[justcruisin]

I bought a book at Michaels (A.C. Moore has the same stuff).

I purchased 2 sheets of molds, with 4 forms each. The book gives quantities for 1 bar, so I guestimated what it would take to make 8.

You buy the ingredients (I had a lot of them at home - oatmeal, honey, cinnamon, chamomille tea bags): soap base, coloring, scent, wooden dowels for stirring

Then follow the directions in the book.

A few tips - buy a book first, make a shopping list, then return to the store. You can minimize the number of ingredients this way. Using the double boiler was HOT HOT HOT, so use caution. I learned to put the molds into the freezer about 20 minutes after pouring for about 15 minutes. Let them sit out for 2 or 3 minutes and they just about pop out! (my first attempt, I left them on the counter to harden, had to push so hard to get them out the tops are indented from my thumbs!)

Clean up was a snap!

PM me if you have more ? --- I send my cell number. It was so easy (sort of fun, but very easy and they look wonderful). FYI ... I'm a ZERO at crafts and cannot do anything without specific instructions.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

awesome! off to Michael's tomorrow. I'm not crafty either - but I can cook with the best of them - and this sounds more like cooking to me...

 

[justcruisin]

Yes! I agree with the cooking compared to crafts!

FYI ... found 100 celophane bags on ebay for about $8.00 --- a little Christmas ribbon and voila!

 

[jensmom]

Thanks!!

 

[my3kids]

I always melted my soap bases in the microwave. Very easy!

 

[we3disneygo]

I used a 2 cup measuring cup to melt the soap base in the microwave and it was so easy..... we got a big roll of cellophane at wal-mart and some tuelle and matching ribbon for packaging up the soaps. this was so much fun and easy. dd will be giving the soaps out for Christmas. I took a bath sponge on a rope and pushed down into a plain mold for just a bar of soap and poured the soap around it and it came out really nice. have fun!!!!!