Soap is one of those everyday items that you can't really do without. Soap can be bought pretty cheaply, but is also incredibly versatile and easy to add a bit of Magick to. It only takes minutes, and becomes a lot of fun when you start adding your own herbs, essential oils, and even colourings.
You can create a soap for pretty much any occasion! I have used lavender and sage to create a cleansing soap before. You could use a combination of rosemary, basil and lemon balm if you need additional focus or mental clarity (could be good to use before an exam), or petals from wild flowers to help you connect with nature; I find most of the fun is coming up with and trying out new recipes.
To make your own soap you can either use melt and pour kits, which can be bought online, or just buy soap bars from the store to melt. Melt and pour kits have the advantage of being pretty fool-proof, and also unfragranced, allowing you to easily mix in whatever you want. However, they can be pricey, and if you want to get going now then just buying a bar of soap from your local store could be easier. If you invest in melt and pour soap, it will come with instructions, so best to follow those. I use store bought soap, so I will focus on working with that for this post.
You can create a soap for pretty much any occasion! I have used lavender and sage to create a cleansing soap before. You could use a combination of rosemary, basil and lemon balm if you need additional focus or mental clarity (could be good to use before an exam), or petals from wild flowers to help you connect with nature; I find most of the fun is coming up with and trying out new recipes.
To make your own soap you can either use melt and pour kits, which can be bought online, or just buy soap bars from the store to melt. Melt and pour kits have the advantage of being pretty fool-proof, and also unfragranced, allowing you to easily mix in whatever you want. However, they can be pricey, and if you want to get going now then just buying a bar of soap from your local store could be easier. If you invest in melt and pour soap, it will come with instructions, so best to follow those. I use store bought soap, so I will focus on working with that for this post.
Just follow this simple method. It uses the double boiler method which you may be familiar with, but just in case I have outlined the instructions below:
You Will Need:
Soap Bar
Herbs and essential oils for your soap, and any colouring you want to add. Avoid using food dye or wax crayons for colouring, and instead opt for natural herbs and powders (such as cocoa powder) that will create the colour you want.
Cheese grater or knife
Access to a Hob
Saucepan
Metal or Glass Bowl (heat-proof)
Water
A heat-proof mould for your soap; I use little plastic pots
You Will Need:
Soap Bar
Herbs and essential oils for your soap, and any colouring you want to add. Avoid using food dye or wax crayons for colouring, and instead opt for natural herbs and powders (such as cocoa powder) that will create the colour you want.
Cheese grater or knife
Access to a Hob
Saucepan
Metal or Glass Bowl (heat-proof)
Water
A heat-proof mould for your soap; I use little plastic pots
Method:
1. First you need to chop up the soap into small pieces to allow it to melt more easily. Many recommend grating it using a cheese grater, but I find it is a pain to clean afterwards. I just use a bog-standard kitchen knife to chop the soap into small pieces
2. Separately, place water in the saucepan and heat it over the hob until it is simmering. You don't need much - enough that the water won't evaporate right away but not so much that the bottom of the bowl will touch the water when you place it in the saucepan.
3. Place the bowl with the soap in/on the saucepan. As mentioned above, the bottom of the bowl must not touch the water - the idea is to melt the soap with the heat from the water. If the bowl fits inside the saucepan then you need a bigger bowl or smaller saucepan.
4. Pour a little bit of water into the bowl with the soap. This is a must - if you don't, the soap won't melt (trust me). Just add a little at a time and stir to avoid putting too much in.
5. Keep an eye on the water in the saucepan and make sure you keep it topped up, because if the water evaporates completely then you will ruin your pan (you will soon realize if that has happened from the burning smell it produces, again, trust me on that one). Remember that the bowl will be hot so always make sure that you are using gloves or something heatproof to cover your hands when handling it.
6. As the soap begins to melt, keep stirring and add in your herbs. For this particular soap, I used rose petals which turned the soap a green colour! Add in anything (powders, etc.), that you want to use to colour it.
7. Once your soap is melted to a consistency you are happy with, turn off the hob. Some soap bars melt better than others, and you may find that your mixture is a bit lumpy. That's OK! As long as it has a thick enough consistency that it will form a solid block, you're good to go. I tend to finish my mixture when it is thick enough that I have to scrape it off the spoon rather that it being so liquified it loses it becomes runny.
8. Spoon the mixture into the receptacle you will be using. As you will see below, I am using a plastic pot that contained Mango Chutney from an Indian we ordered a couple of weeks back (nothing fancy here). Once it has cooled, it will slip out of the pot easily, and it will also create an idea shape. In the past I have made the mistake of using moulds which were too small; the soap itself was fine, but it was impossible to use.
9. Once it has started to cool, add any essential oils you want
10. Put it in the fridge and leave it to set and Voila! Custom made soap to suit whatever your purpose! As you will see, despite using the rose petals it has turned a shade of green, and despite being a bit lumpy the mixture set perfectly.
1. First you need to chop up the soap into small pieces to allow it to melt more easily. Many recommend grating it using a cheese grater, but I find it is a pain to clean afterwards. I just use a bog-standard kitchen knife to chop the soap into small pieces
2. Separately, place water in the saucepan and heat it over the hob until it is simmering. You don't need much - enough that the water won't evaporate right away but not so much that the bottom of the bowl will touch the water when you place it in the saucepan.
3. Place the bowl with the soap in/on the saucepan. As mentioned above, the bottom of the bowl must not touch the water - the idea is to melt the soap with the heat from the water. If the bowl fits inside the saucepan then you need a bigger bowl or smaller saucepan.
4. Pour a little bit of water into the bowl with the soap. This is a must - if you don't, the soap won't melt (trust me). Just add a little at a time and stir to avoid putting too much in.
5. Keep an eye on the water in the saucepan and make sure you keep it topped up, because if the water evaporates completely then you will ruin your pan (you will soon realize if that has happened from the burning smell it produces, again, trust me on that one). Remember that the bowl will be hot so always make sure that you are using gloves or something heatproof to cover your hands when handling it.
6. As the soap begins to melt, keep stirring and add in your herbs. For this particular soap, I used rose petals which turned the soap a green colour! Add in anything (powders, etc.), that you want to use to colour it.
7. Once your soap is melted to a consistency you are happy with, turn off the hob. Some soap bars melt better than others, and you may find that your mixture is a bit lumpy. That's OK! As long as it has a thick enough consistency that it will form a solid block, you're good to go. I tend to finish my mixture when it is thick enough that I have to scrape it off the spoon rather that it being so liquified it loses it becomes runny.
8. Spoon the mixture into the receptacle you will be using. As you will see below, I am using a plastic pot that contained Mango Chutney from an Indian we ordered a couple of weeks back (nothing fancy here). Once it has cooled, it will slip out of the pot easily, and it will also create an idea shape. In the past I have made the mistake of using moulds which were too small; the soap itself was fine, but it was impossible to use.
9. Once it has started to cool, add any essential oils you want
10. Put it in the fridge and leave it to set and Voila! Custom made soap to suit whatever your purpose! As you will see, despite using the rose petals it has turned a shade of green, and despite being a bit lumpy the mixture set perfectly.
