8 DIY Soap Recipes
DIY bar soap-making is an art form. And, traditionally, it hasn’t been an easy one. The traditional cold-process method of making soap is challenging and time consuming.
Luckily, melt-and-pour soap bases make the process much easier and quicker. The clue is in the title: All you have to do is melt the soap base and pour it into your mold! From there, it’s easy to customize with colors, fragrances, and decorations.
We have eight recipes to try below. Note that fragrance load is calculated by the amount of soap base used; do not exceed recommended amounts, as it may lead to skin irritation. Always check manufacturer safety sheets. Happy DIY bar soap-making!
Spring Sunshine
This recipe calls for a mango and coconut oil base paired with turmeric powder. This combo is moisturizing and soothing. Turmeric has been known to improve scarring and reduce inflammation making this a wonderful body wash.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Round mold
1 pound coco mango butter soap base
1/3 ounce blood orange and lime agave fragrance
1 teaspoon turmeric
12 dried orange slices
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol; this helps the soap set. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil and turmeric. Set your mold where you will leave your soap to harden once it’s poured, as moving the soap before it’s set may disrupt the appearance. Pour mixture into molds and quickly press a dried orange slice atop each round of soap; they won’t sink. Spray the top with rubbing alcohol and leave soap to harden for about 30-45 minutes. Pop out of the mold and enjoy!
Note: You can find coco mango butter soap base and blood orange and lime agave fragrance at makesy. You can find turmeric and dried orange slices at many locations (or learn how to dry orange slices here). We used this round mold from Amazon.
Milk and Honey
The shea butter and goat milk in the soap base, paired with soothing calendula flowers and honey, make this an ideal face soap for sensitive skin due to its anti-inflammatory and moisturizing magic.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Honeycomb mold
1 pound shea goat milk soap base
1/3 ounce milk and honey fragrance
1 teaspoon pearl mica
4 ounces calendula petals, divided
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil, pearl mica, and half of your calendula petals. Pour mixture into honeycomb mold and spray the top with rubbing alcohol. Quickly sprinkle remaining petals atop the soap. Leave soap to harden for 30-45 minutes, pop out of the mold, and enjoy!
Note: We found our ingredients at makesy. You can find shea goat milk soap base, manuka milk and bergamot honey fragrance, pearl mica, and calendula petals there. We used this honeycomb mold from Amazon.
Tropical Thunderstorm
Recreate the refreshing feel of a thunderstorm breaking and washing away all the dirt and pressure with this beautiful blue, tropical-scented soap. The combination of mango and coconut oil with blue matcha and cornflower petals makes for a moisturizing, antimicrobial, and toning face soap.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Cloud mold
1 pound coco mango butter soap base
1/3 ounce green bamboo and wild violet fragrance
1 teaspoon blue matcha powder
4 ounces blue cornflower petals, divided
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil, blue matcha powder, and half of your blue cornflower petals. To achieve a more “perfect” color, you can help the blue matcha fully dissolve by reheating the mixture slightly; for a more “stormy” effect, you can leave as is. Pour mixture into molds and spray the top with rubbing alcohol. Sprinkle remaining petals atop the soap; if they are sinking, you can wait for the soap to set slightly before adding petals so they float at the top. Leave soap to harden for 30-45 minutes, pop out of the mold, and enjoy!
Note: You can find coco mango butter soap base, green bamboo and wild violet fragrance, blue matcha powder, and blue cornflower petals at makesy. We used this cloud mold from Amazon.
Full Moon Fire
This coconut and charcoal-based soap is invigorating and will fire you up with its woodsy, smoky fragrance and moisturizing, rich orange safflower petals. The activated charcoal makes it the perfect exfoliant.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Sphere mold
1 pound black coco charcoal soap base
1/3 ounce fireside embers fragrance
1 teaspoon iridescent fine eco glitter
4 ounces safflower petals, divided
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol. Sprinkle half of your safflower petals in the bottom halves of your soap mold spheres. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil, glitter, and remaining safflower petals. Pour mixture into molds. Leave soap to harden for 30-45 minutes, pop out of the mold, and enjoy!
Note: We found our ingredients at makesy. You can find black coco charcoal soap base, fireside embers fragrance, iridescent fine eco glitter, and safflower petals there. We used this sphere mold from Amazon.
Faerie Forest
Both fruity, woodsy, and reminiscent of the sea, this enchanting soap is perfect for all seasons and occasions. It makes a perfect hand soap for guest bathrooms or gift baskets.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Rectangle mold
1 pound coco mango butter soap base
1/3 ounce driftwood and juniper fragrance
1 teaspoon iridescent fine eco glitter
4 ounces juniper sprigs
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil, eco glitter and juniper, breaking individual leaves and berries off the sprigs to mix in. Pour mixture into molds and spray the top with rubbing alcohol. Sprinkle with some extra glitter if desired; the glitter mixed into the soap will disappear slightly. Leave soap to harden for 30-45 minutes, pop out of the mold, and enjoy!
Note: You can find coco mango butter soap base, driftwood and juniper fragrance, iridescent fine eco glitter, and juniper sprigs at makesy. We used this rectangle mold from Amazon.
Lavender Fields
The rich, moisturizing properties of this shea butter and goat milk soap base paired with lavender’s blemish-blasting power make this the perfect balancing face soap.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Square mold
1 pound shea goat milk soap base
1/3 ounce ivory woods and lavender musk fragrance
1 teaspoon lilac mica
4 ounces dried lavender, divided
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil, lilac mica, and half of your dried lavender. Pour mixture into molds and spray the top with rubbing alcohol. Quickly sprinkle remaining lavender atop soap. Leave soap to harden for 30-45 minutes, pop out of the mold, and enjoy!
Note: You can find shea goat milk soap base, ivory woods and lavender musk fragrance, lilac mica, and lavender buds at makesy. We used this square mold from Amazon.
Seaside Siren
Embrace your inner siren with this salted and sea-scented soap. It’s the perfect anti-aging and exfoliating bath soap to turn your tub into your own personal lagoon.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Bar mold
1 pound coco mango butter soap base
1/3 ounce wildflowers and sea air fragrance
1 teaspoon spirulina
8 ounces pink Himalayan salt
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil. Pour ¼ of mixture into a smaller glass pitcher and set aside. Add spirulina to the larger mixture and stir to combine; as with the blue matcha, reheating the mixture slightly will help dissolve the spirulina for a more even coloration. Fill molds with your bluish-green mixture ¾ of the way to the top. Top up molds with your white mixture once the bottom green portion has set at least partially; the less set, the more the soap colors will swirl. (If your smaller soap mixture has begun to harden, you can microwave it again to melt before pouring.) Sprinkle salt atop soap once soap has set enough for the salt to float but not so set that the salt doesn’t stick. Leave soap to harden for 30-45 minutes, pop out of the mold, and enjoy!
Note: You can find coco mango butter soap base, wildflowers and sea air fragrance, spirulina, and coarse Himalayan pink salt at makesy. We used this bar mold from Amazon.
Romance Novel
This wonderfully pink, rosy, heart-shaped soap is as relaxing as it is romantic and makes for the perfect addition to your bath.
Ingredients:
A small spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Heart mold
1 pound shea goat milk soap base
1/3 ounce raspberries and fairy roses fragrance
1 teaspoon blush mica
2 ounces rose petals, divided
Method: Lightly spray your soap mold with rubbing alcohol. Place soap base in a glass pitcher and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir in fragrance oil, blush mica, and half of your rose petals. Pour mixture into molds and spray the top with rubbing alcohol. Quickly sprinkle remaining rose petals atop soap. Leave soap to harden for 30-45 minutes, pop out of the mold, and enjoy!
Note: You can find shea goat milk soap base, raspberries and fairy roses fragrance, blush mica, and rose petals at makesy. We used this heart mold from Amazon.
Feeling crafty? Try something new like DIY flower pressing!
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