One 4-ounce bar of handmade soap typically lasts an adult user 25 to 30 showers once in use. Prior to use, handmade soap has an active shelf-life of one to two years depending on the amount and type of extra (unsaponified) oils contained in the bar.

This is completely normal. All of our organic liquid soap products will return to their normal clear amber color as they warm back to room temperatures. Cold temps and freezing may also cause some white soap to precipitate to the bottom of the bottle. This does not harm the function of the product.

Ideally, 4-6 hours will be enough for the soap in the molds to harden enough to be removed. If not, the molds can be placed in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to facilitate the hardening process, though this should be avoided if possible. Once unmolded, the soap bars will be ready to use.

Soap does expire, but if it still lathers when you wash your hands, it should be effective. Most commercial store-bought soaps expire after two to three years. Natural or handmade soaps may expire sooner, within one year, as the essential oils and fragrances can get rancid or moldy.

Conclusion: making nice soap is the same cost as buying cheap soap at the store. Making basic soap is cheaper than buying it.

Expect to spend at least $200 on ingredients, including lye and fats or oils. Your specific recipe will work to make your soaps stand out, so ingredient expenses may vary depending on your personal touches. Equipment costs for soap-making start at around $300, but often exceed that number.

Pricing Your Melt and Pour Soaps

Whip with a hand or stand mixer until it’s fluffy. Then, transfer to the bag and pipe onto melt and pour soap. We’ve had the best luck piping on soap that has dried and cooled for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Because melt and pour soap contains extra glycerin, it is prone to glycerin dew/sweating. This means some swirls that can be made with cold process soap are not possible with melt and pour. Melt and pour soap can burn if it becomes too hot. Once burned, the base becomes thick, gloopy and difficult to work with.

It can be tempting to add oils and butters to melt and pour soap base. I recommend 1/2 teaspoon per pound when adding honey to melt and pour soap base. Too much honey in melt and pour will cause the soap to become soft, increase glycerin dew, or the honey may separate from the base.

Based on our guide above, that means we need roughly 22 drops of essential oil (1.1ml x 20 drops per ml) for each bar of soap.

Heat a pot of water till is boiling and place the bowl containing the soap cubes on top of the pot of boiling water. This will help melt the soap base and turn it into a liquid consistency. After the glycerin soap cubes have melted, add the aloe vera gel to it and stir the mixture until it’s completely mixed.

Never leave the microwave unattended and keep a check on the melting process. Once melted, add one teaspoon of mint essential oil or add as much as you like until satisfied. Be aware that the essential oils are quite potent, so don’t get too carried away! Then add the extracted Aloe Vera gel to the minty mixture.

For soap makers, having a solution of vinegar prepared and ready during soap making is essential because it can be used to clean up any lye spills and should be part of your lye safety arsenal. Both classic white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are acetic acid solutions.

Vegetable butters and vegetable oils can be added during the heating of the melt and pour soap base. Adding additional oil or butter will add greater moisturizing and nutritive properties to your final bars. A good rule of thumb is to use approximately 1-2 tbs.

To store your soap, whether it’s melt and pour or another form of handmade soap, place it in a cool (not cold), DRY location out of direct sunlight. A linen cupboard or shelf works well.

Yes, you can put it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes. If you completely freeze your soap, you will risk it sweating when it returns to room air. Try to avoid the freezer fan (this causes sweating also).