DIY Soap

One of my friends recently got married, and I made a DIY basket full of goodies for them, since I'm a college student. lol  One of the gifts I made them was soap.  Everything I made them was teal, white and light green.  I was going for a peaceful/beachy feel.

I had some extra soap while in the process, so I whipped some up for myself, and my other friends and family.

1.  Gather your ingredients.  I bought a chunk of soap at Michael's, instead of making it completely from scratch.  I used essential oils and/or natural food extracts to scent my soaps.  You could buy soap dyes, but I just went with grocery store food coloring. For the containers, I used silicone muffin pans.

2. I also bought some dried strawberry seeds, to be used as a natural exfoliant. I've heard of coffee grounds being used in soaps as well.

3.  Cut your soap into chunks, the giant piece already had ridges in it, so I used that as a guide.  (All the measurements were arbitrary, so start with small measurements at first until you find the right balance.)  I started out with almost two cups of soap chunks.  Melt in a microwave-safe container, stirring occasionally until smooth.

4.  Mix in your strawberry seeds until you like the texture.

5.  Add in your color.  Start out with one drop, stir and add more if desired.

6.  Stir completely, or you could try to not mix it completely, so a marbleized appearance is the result.

7.  Pour the soap mixture into your containers.  I did multiple layers of different colors, so I only filled the cups part way.

8.  Wait for it to solidify, or be impatient like me and speed it up with the fridge.  When the soap feels slightly cool and solid, it's good to pour more on top. Pour the next layer evenly and slowly so that the colors stick together.

9.  Fill the cups to your desired finish level and let cool completely.  I just left mine in the fridge overnight.  The silicone baking pans make removal and cleaning a breeze.

And you're done!  Individually wrap each soap and tie off with a bow!  I've always had problems with little bubble-holes in the top of the final layer.  If anyone has advice on how to avoid this, please let me know!  :)  

And oh course I gave the pretty ones away, and kept the imperfect ones for myself, like always.  I even do that when I make baked goods. lol