Soap Making Recipes:

Melt and pour clear soap idea

This soap making recipe is the simpler one out of the two soap making recipes. Let's get started!

The soap making recipe for one block of soap:

• Mould (a large margarine tub)
• Petroleum jelly
• 1.2kg clear melt and pour soap base
• Kitchen knife
• Double boiler (or saucepan and heatproof bowl)
• Mixing spoon
• Mixing bowl
• 8ml liquid soap colorant
• Measuring spoons
• 12ml essential oil
• Knife, vegetable peeler or damp sponge
• Cheese wire or herb chopper
• Cling film
• Small spitzer containing alcohol (optional)

And now so that you have the ingredients for this soap making recipe, let's make the soap...

1. Lightly grease the mould with a small amount of petroleum jelly.
   
   
   
   
2. Cut the soap base into small pieces with a kitchen knife and melt over a gentle heat in the top half of a double boiler (or in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan containing a few centimeters of water.) Cover the pan while the soap melts, to keep moisture in. Do not stir, but occasionally lift the lid and give the soap a gentle nudge with the spoon. The ideal melting temperature of the soap is about 60 degree Celsius - if it overheats, the texture will suffer. Use a thermometer to check the soap's temperature.
   
   
3. When the soap has become fully liquid, remove from the hob. Pour a small amount into a separate bowl and add a little colorant, following the manufacturer's recommendation as to quantity. Use a measuring spoon to add this back to the melted base gradually until you reach the desired essential oils. (For citrus mint essential oils, do not exceed a 1 per cent dilution, but for gentle essential oils, such as lavender, use up to 3 per cent.) Stir gently.
   
   
4. Pour the soap gently and slowly into the mould. If you wish, spritz the surface with alcohol to remove surface bubbles. Leave to set (it may take several hours.) You can use the fridge to speed things up, but do not use the freezer, because the texture of the soap will spoil. 
   
   
5. When the soap has set, remove it from the mould. It should come out quiet easily, but if not, try flexing the mould gently or leaving it upside down in a warm room. To remove surface bubbles, slice off a thin layer with a knife or vegetable peeler or wipe with a damp sponge.
   
   
6. Slice into chunks with a cheese wire or herb chopper. Store in cling film to avoid moisture loss.

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