Simple Layered Christmas Soap

Home-made soap is a little more complex than making bath salts, but it's lots of fun and fairly easy.

You can find the materials you need at craft and hobby stores that carry soap-making supplies or online at Brambleberry.com. 


Peppermint Christmas Soap
This is a recipe that I've used to make batches of cute, refreshing soap bars for Christmas gifts. It's pretty simple. You may need to test it out to get a level of fragrance that you like. This recipe makes approximately 8 to 10 small soap bars, sliced about 1/2" thick. 

Utensils Needed:

• 2 large glass measuring cups   
    
• 2 metal spoons
    
• 1 small loaf mold (approx. 9x3x2; if you can find them with flat sides and bottom, great; if not, a disposable foil loaf tin approx. 9x3x2 from the grocery store will work fine, too) 
    
• Small squirt bottle filled with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
    
• Clear plastic wrap
    
• Cellophane bags and ribbons

Ingredients Needed:

• 2 lb. Clear Melt and Pour Base (24 fluid ozs, melted)
    
• 1 lb. White Melt and Pour Base (12 fluid ozs, melted)
    
• 2 Urban Botanic fragrance oils, Peppermint and Coconut (or any two fragrances you like together; or you can use just one fragrance.) (Urban Botanic oils are cosmetic grade and safe for use in bath and body products.)
    
• Red liquid colorant (I sometimes use just a few drops of food coloring; if you only use a tiny bit, it won't stain)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Gather all your supplies.
     
2. You will need a total of 24 fluid ozs of melted Clear Melt and Pour Base and 12 fluid ozs of melted White Melt and Pour Base. I suggest cutting your bulk bars into 1/2" to 1" chunks and then melting a handful to see how many chunks you need to make 6 ozs (1 white layer) and 8 ozs (1 red layer).
     
   
   Make Red Layer:
3. Place enough chunks of Clear Melt and Pour Base to make just under 8 fluid ounces of base in a glass measuring cup. Microwave on 50% heat, for about a minute. Stir any remaining clumps until base is smooth. If you need to, put it back in the microwave for a few more seconds.
     
4. As soon as it's melted and smooth, add 10 drops of Urban Botanic peppermint fragrance oil to the melt. Stir well. (You can substitute other fragrances; increase or decrease the drops of fragrance according to personal preference.)
     
5. Add colorant to the melt until you have the shade of red you want. If you're using food coloring, only add 3 to 5 drops. Stir well.
     
6. You will probably have a little more than 8 ounces of fluid in your cup. Carefully pour 8 ounces into the loaf mold or tin.
     
7. Set aside and let cool until it is set up. (You can put it in the fridge to cool, just make sure it is tightly covered with plastic wrap, as it will absorb the odors in your fridge.)
   
     
   Make White Layer:
8. Repeat step 3, adding enough chunks of the White Melt and Pour Base to make just under 6 fluid ounces of base in a glass measuring cup. Heat and stir.
     
9. Repeat step 4, adding 10 drops of Urban Botanic coconut fragrance oil to the melt. Stir well. (Or you may add another fragrance that will blend well, or no fragrance at all.) You should have approximately 6 ounces of White Melt in your cup. Let cool slightly.
     
10. Take loaf pan out of fridge and spritz the top with rubbing alcohol. This keeps air bubbles out and helps the layers to adhere.
      
11. While White Melt is still warm, carefully pour 6 ounces over the red layer of melt. Repeat step 7.
    
      
    Make Additional Layers:
12. Follow the above directions to make another layer of Red Melt, then another of White, then a final of Red, for a total of five layers. Be sure to let each layer set up before pouring the next layer, and ALWAYS spritz the top layer with rubbing alcohol!
    
      
    Final Steps:
13. As soon as the final layer has set up completely, you can remove the soap from the mold. To speed the set-up process, you can either put the loaf mold in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or back in the fridge for an hour or two. Remember to cover it tightly with plastic wrap before putting in fridge or freezer.
      
14. Remove mold from fridge or freezer and let sit on counter for about 5 minutes. Then carefully turn mold over and gently ease soap out of mold.
      
15. Turn the soap so that the bottom (smaller) side is on top. Using a sharp, smooth knife, make soap slices approximately 1/2 inch thick.
      
16. Immediately place each bar of soap into a cellophane bag and seal, or wrap with plastic wrap. If you let it set out, it may bubble and crack. Tie with a ribbon and there you have it—a perfect Peppermint soap!
 

You can also use this basic Melt and Pour process to make molded soaps. Just melt, scent, color and pour into soap molds. Easy and delightful!



For detailed instructions with images and ideas for making Pour & Melt Soaps, visit:

• Basic Melt and Pour Instructions from Teach Soap
    
• How to Make Melt and Pour Soap from About.com
    
• Swirled Mint Soaps
    
• Gem Stone Soaps
    
• Chunky Soaps

Note: I forgot to take a photo of my soap before I used it. I borrowed this image from Magic Senses.

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