by Alex Kunce

Here are the steps to make homemade melt-and-pour Almonds & Oats scented soap.

For my local 4-H Craft Fair, I made up a batch of my own homemade soap to sell to my friends. Follow through the steps I took to make melt-and-pour Almonds & Oats scented soap so that you can enjoy my recipe for simple home-crafted cleanliness. Let’s begin!

Ingredients & Tools:

-Melt-and-pour soap base
-Soap mold(s)
-Optional fragrances (I used honey almond soap scent)
-Optional add-ins (I am using honey and oats)
-Microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl
-Sharp kitchen knife
-Cutting board
-Stir stick
-Baking sheet
-1/2 Teaspoon measuring spoon

If you include oats like I have, you will additionally need:

-Food processor (unless you’ve purchased pre-ground oats)

Here are my ingredients laid out:

Step 1: Cut the Soap

Before you can heat the soap, you will need to cut it into smaller chunks for easier and faster melting. If you have purchased a pack that has already pre-cut or sectioned fills in the container, you can move on to step #2, but if you are using a big block of soap base as I have, then you should follow the following instructions. I purchased a Soap Expressions five-pound block of shea butter melt-and-pour soap base, and I cut it in half to split it with my sister, who also made her own brand of soap. I used a plain, relatively sharp kitchen knife to cut it into pieces. Make sure to get a grown-up’s help, if needed. It cut through the soap pretty well, and you don’t need to find an old one since the soap will wash off and you can go back to using it as you had before. (It is soap, after all.) When you are done, you should have a pile of small chunks about one inch by one inch. These are going to be melted down, so they don’t need to be particularly shapely or perfectly straight on their edges. Add your blocks into the measuring cup.* Now you are ready to heat them.

*Tip: Put in any shavings in the cup as well. They will be melted down just the same and allow you that much more to work with.

Step 2: Heat your soap base

You are now ready to heat your soap cubes so that you can incorporate your other ingredients and pour the mixture into your molds. Before you start, you should set out the materials necessary for the following step (Step 3). Nothing too special is required for the heating process; I just used the microwave. Heat it on regular heat for thirty-second increments. You want it to be entirely fluid, so check for lumps and stir in between each heating. Once it has all melted evenly, take your cup of liquid soap to your table or workspace. Depending on what kind of table you have, you might want to cover it with a cloth or towel to keep it from overheating; your container will be hot.

Step 3: Mix in your ingredients

Now you can mix in your ingredients, like fragrances and add-ins such as oats or honey. Remember to work efficiently, as the soap will cool quickly. If you feel the soap is hardening before you are done, put it in the microwave again for thirty seconds as you did on the last step. I added ground oats for gentle exfoliation, honey, and vanilla. In half of my batch, I also mixed in some cinnamon for a nice smell. Stir well with your craft stick. Once you feel everything is well-incorporated, you can move onto the next step.

I also have a photograph of the oats that I ground up to add to my mixture. I simply used the food processor and ground them into small pieces, not quite until they became a powder.

Step 4: Pour your soap into your molds

Now it is time to pour your soap. Set your mold(s) out on a flat surface. I suggest placing them on a cookie sheet or large cutting board in case you need to move them before they are set. If you are adding oats as I did, pour them evenly in the bottom of each section. You can alternatively add them on top once the soap has been poured—I tried it both ways and they worked about the same. Carefully pour your soap base into each section of the mold. I found it helpful to use a measuring cup with a spout. Fill each section to the top.

Here are the oats in the bottoms of the containers before I poured the soap into them:

And here are the filled soap molds. We found that a 5-pound block of soap filled four mold pans to make 24 individual bars.

Step 5: Wait

Perhaps the hardest step…wait for the soap to cool. It should sit undisturbed for at least 2 hours or until set. We left them overnight to be on the safe side.

Step 6: Remove your soaps

Once they are cooled and hard, you can remove your fresh soap bars from their sections. They hardly stuck to my molds, so I just pulled the silicone mold away and popped out the soap. (Don’t worry if some oats fall off when they are removed.) Now they are ready to be used, as simple as that! They are also great for gifts, as most everybody needs soap one time or another. Or you can keep them around and use them yourself.

Step 7: Package your soaps

This last step is completely optional, but I thought that I would add it since it was kind of fun. First I drew a picture of some oat stalks with almonds and honeycomb. I then scanned it and used Adobe Illustrator to create some simple additions like a circular outline and some type. I printed it onto scrapbooking paper and cut the paper into tags with a special tag punch at was in my mom’s craft stash. With a little hole punched in the top, I tied some off-white yarn around cut burlap for a rustic, natural-feeling packaging.

That is all for how to make your own soap! My sister also created her own soap brand. If you would like to try to make her lavender soap, check out her project too. Have fun!