Quick and Easy Butter Maple Shea Butter Soap

I love handcrafted soap but figured I shouldn't jump into another hobby that requires so much new equipment, is stinky, and makes a ton of stuff we may or may not like cold process soap. 

Then I found handmade glycerin soap. I can make small amounts if need be and play with scents, colors, and additives more easily - that’s my favorite part. 

Let's give it a whirl.

I bought my soap making supplies from Consumer Crafts and may have gotten a little carried away while I was shopping.   I made an unboxing video to show you what I got in my order because my $50 budget went a very long way. Yay! Now I have extra supplies to make Christmas gifts.

I did a little comparison shopping at Michael's yesterday. Can I just say woo to the hoo for Consumer Crafts bigger selection and lower prices?

How to Color Natural Shea Butter Soap With Kitchen Spices

You can use anything that will hold hot soap and not melt as a soap mold. I experimented with using a small glass Pyrex dish, a plastic yogurt cup, and a soap mold I bought from Consumer Crafts.

 After oiling the molds, the finished soap easily popped out of each mold. The exception is the glass dish I tested as an option for my plastic free peeps. I had to run a sharp knife around the edge of the dish to release the soap - no big deal.

For each bar of soap, you will need:

4 cubes (each cube equals 1 ounce) shea butter soap base

Butter maple syrup fragrance oil

Turmeric 

Cinnamon

Measuring spoon

Cooking oil and a pastry brush (I used olive because it is moisturizing but I don’t think that matters for this purpose)

Soap mold

Glass measuring cup

Metal fork

Microwave oven or stove and double boiler full of water

Small spray bottle full of rubbing alcohol

Make it.

1. Spread a thin layer of cooking oil with the pastry brush in your DIY soap mold.  

 Pretend this is a plastic yogurt cup because I forgot to take a photo of it - bad blogger!

2. Melt three cubes of soap base in the microwave or double boiler on the stove. It took 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave to melt this layer of soap base.

 

I'll stop the world and melt with you...

3. Add several drops of butter maple syrup fragrance oil to the melted soap base. How much you use depends one how heavily scented you want your soap. A general rule for a heavily scented bar of natural soap is to add 4 to 5 drops of fragrance oil per ounce of soap base.

Fragrance note: For every soap making resource that says you can use a pure essential oil in soap making I found one that says you can’t or shouldn’t. I went with fragrance oils, which are typically a blend of synthetic and natural ingredients. Since Husband and I sometimes have sensitive skin and use so very little synthetically scented items we are OK with this. As always, your mileage may vary.  

4. Color the soap by adding approximately 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon to the scented soap base and stir gently and thoroughly with a fork to reduce the chance of creating air bubbles in the soap. Use a light hand when you are putting additives in your soap. If you add too much the soap may not clean and lather as well as you like.  

 Be careful, the powdered spices like to clump

5. Pour the yellow soap into the mold.   

 Caution: The cinnamon will sink to the bottom and float to the top of the soap mold. It’s OK. When you get to Step 10 this will turn into a cool design element.

6. Spray the soap in the mold with rubbing alcohol to remove any air bubbles if needed.

 Spritz! Spritz!

7. Allow the soap to set for 10 to 20 minutes.

8. Melt the last cube of Shea butter soap base in the microwave or double boiler on the stove. It took approximately 5 to 10 seconds for this layer of soap base to melt in the microwave.

9. Color the soap by adding less than an 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir gently and thoroughly with a fork to reduce the chance of creating air bubbles in the soap.

A stirring tale of soap making, eh?

10. Spray the soap mold with rubbing alcohol to allow the liquid layer of soap to stick to cooling soap in the mold, and pour the brown layer of soap to the mold.

A couple of spritz will make it stick!

11. Allow the soap to set for several hours until hard. I let mine set overnight.

12. After the soap sets release the soap from the mold by pressing on sides of mold to loosen the soap from the soap mold. If you are using a glass dish, you may need to carefully run a knife around the sides of the mold to release the soap.

13. Rub a dub dub with your homemade soap in the tub!

Update 10/10/12: Consumer Crafts is giving away a $250 shopping spree! To enter the Consumer Crafts Refer a Friend Contest, sign up at  Consumer Crafts. After you submit your info, you will have the chance to share the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and through email. If you do, your chances of winning one of the six $250 shopping sprees will increase with the number of people you refer to the giveaway.  

Consumer Crafts on Facebook

Blog: Crafts Unleashed

Consumer Crafts on Twitter

Consumer Crafts on Pinterest 

Did you enjoy this post? Get more like it by subscribing to the Condo Blues RSS Feed or to Condo Blues by Email.

Find my post disclosure here http://cmp.ly/3/FdAzcC.