Everything worked out just peachy for me. The ingredients in the kit come pre-measured — the base bars are 1 lb. each — but the molds do not make standard sized bars. The fragrance included in the kit is designed for soaps and lotions, but they don’t tell you how much to add. I could see someone adding the entire bottle and getting quite the nose-ful!

As for my alternative coloring agent I used food-grade dye which is designed to be non-toxic, so I felt pretty safe there.

I would also recommend measuring your soap base chunks – 4 oz of soap base=one standard bar of soap.

I would advise that you do a little research regarding colorants and additives before you attempt this project. Too much, especially additives, can cause severe skin reactions.

My dear friend did soaps as the favors for another friend’s wedding – they were half circles that she dropped those little cheapy ‘wedding rings’ into. Unscented but typed in tulle and green ribbon, they were lovely! (I still have 2 of them that I use!!)

I am thinking of doing soaps should the day come – a nice, consumable favor.

It’s nice to see you here!

Imagine what the plumber must have thought was going on…

And Today’s Soap PSA:
I had a friend who’d been doing a lot of cooking, which entailed pouring grease down the drain of her sink. It started to get blocked up, so she poured lye into the sink to unblock it, since she was going to be entertaining.

Then she called the plumber, who took out the piece of pipe that had a beautifully pure block of snow-white soap in it, courtesy of the fat and the lye. And she knew better! She does re-enacting! We all learn in grammar school that fat plus lye equals soap! Especially in the entrails of your sink, apparently.

Soap is my go-to Holiday gift when I’m poor. You can buy base at any craft shop (like Michael’s). I used Stonyfield Yogurt cups for round soaps and very small Ziploc containers for bar. I’ve stopped scenting my soaps with the perfume they give you because many people in my family are sensitive to that. I generally use things in my pantry to make the soap special – oatmeal and clove is a popular one, or clove and a few drops of orange extract. Vanilla extract and cinnamon in the goat based soap is great. For kids I color the clear soaps (DO use the dyes they give you – generally hypo-allergenic and don’t stain skin or clothing) and I put little figures in them, like ninjas and toy soldiers for little boys, fairies and princesses (or lady nights) for the girls, and duckies and bears for babies or non-gender specific. Just little trinkets from the party shop that people put in goodie bags.

Having a microwave makes this WAY esier. I melt the soap in a 2c liquid measuring cup with a pour spout. I mix things right in the molds (can’t do layering like that – but I’m too lazy to clean up a million dishes). I also pop the molds in the freezer. You have to trim the bottom a little bit to make it flat, but it looks nice still.