Easy DIY Soap Bar Recipes
Making a DIY soap bar can be a complicated process. Or like something only people in Little House on the Prairie did. But by making your own soap, you’ll be able to control what ingredients go into your bars, the scent combinations and you’ll probably save money in the process.
There are a number of basic methods, ranging from easy to on the more complicated side involving highly corrosive lye. Odds are, if you’ve ever cooked successfully, you can make your own DIY soap bar at home. Below are two of the easiest methods to get you started on your soap-making journey. No lye required.
The beauty of these DIY soap bar methods is that they allow you to use:
- A wider array of essential oils (as some don’t mix well with straight lye).
- Exfoliators like jojoba beads that can be melted in the traditional process.
- Light fragrances that can be overpowered with traditional soap making.
- Flower petal additives that can be discolored by lye.
Read on to find out how to easily make your own DIY soap bar.
The Melt And Pour Method
This is perhaps the easiest method and is exactly what it sounds like. To make melt and pour soap, first purchase a melt and pour soap base product. These come in bricks, and you can even find them wholesale. They come in a variety of types, as well, from clear glycerin to goat milk glycerin to shea butter glycerin.
Cut the blocks into cubes, and measure out how much soap you want with a food scale. Put the cubes in a glass container and cover with saran wrap. You then can melt the soap base right in the microwave, going for one minute at a time on high. Stir after each minute until the mixture is completely melted.
Add essential oils of your choice to the melted soap base to your scent preference. You can also add skin-safe dyes, either natural or premade. Stir well, and then pour the mixture into a mold, let cool and you’re done.
The Rebatching Method
The rebatching method is where you take premade soap and give it new life. The beauty of this is that you can reuse the soap you made above or give new life to soap you already have. You’ll be able to add your own fragrances and skin-nourishing oils, though two of the most common reasons to use this method are to fix a previous batch or use the ingredients that react poorly to the straight lye solution in more traditional soap making.
Just be warned that this process will turn out a more rustic soap. Bubbles can form more easily and the bar may not be as smooth as you are used to.
To rebatch soap, you’ll want your soap to be in little slivers. You can grate it with a cheese grater or cut it into fine pieces using a knife. If you’re redoing a fresh batch of soap, the knife will be your best bet.
Then add a liquid, which will help the soap melt. You can use water, but for more skin-nourishing benefits and to make the soap smoother, you can use regular cow’s milk, goat milk or coconut milk. Add enough liquid to make sure the soap is saturated, but not swimming.
Like the melt and pour bars above, melt the mixture in a microwave on high for one minute and stir. Repeat until the mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add a splash or two of liquid. Stir to make the mixture thinner. Then introduce any fun additives like petals or oils and stir. Work the mixture into molds and let cool.
You can also boil the soap. This works better for older or hard soap. Place the cut soap into a Ziploc bag, and double bag it. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the bagged soap, put down to medium or low heat and boil for an hour. Carefully remove the bag from the water, as it will be hot. Use mitts. Mush the bag until the soap is the consistency of mashed potatoes, and boil in 20-minute increments if there are still chunks. Add more liquid if needed during reheating. Then add oils and other extras, and mush the bag some more. Pipe the mixture into molds like frosting by cutting the end of the bag. Let cool.
Be sure to let us know how your DIY soap bar recipes turned out!
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