Christmas soaps

Difficulty: Beginners
Time: 30 mins
Yields: approx. 20 small soaps

It’s Christmas soon! Are you ready yet? Or are you like me, right in the middle of trying to get everything done in time? You should see my kitchen, it is one big chaos and dinners consist of BBQ and salads at the moment while the soap making has taken over the kitchen.

Here’s a little project that is quick and easy to make and doesn’t need a lot of extra ingredients. Something that you can do last minute, because these cute little soaps will be ready to gift in a couple of hours. They make great stocking fillers. Or how about getting the kids to make their own Christmas gifts this year? Something for nana, granddad, family, friends… All you need is some clear melt and pour soap base, food colouring, fragrance, some glitter, and these cute Christmassy soap molds that I found at the Warehouse for $3 each.

The instructions are based on 2 molds of each, two Christmas tree molds (green) and two Christmas presents (red) molds. I did the little green Christmas trees first, and then repeated the whole process for the little red presents.

ONE: To prepare, sprinkle some glitter into each cavity of the mold. Pure Nature has these great bio-glitters that are not only safe to use on skin, but are also bio-degradable and sourced from renewable raw materials. You can also use other glitters, but do be aware that they are usually made plastic.

TWO: Cut approximately 2 rows of clear melt and pour soap base into small cubes and add to a heat proof Pyrex jug. Heat on high in the microwave in 20 second bursts, until the soap has melted. Try to avoid the soap from reaching boiling point!

THREE: Once your soap base is completely melted, add 3-4 drops of green food colouring, and  give it a good stir.

FOUR: Add approximately 15-20 drops of fragrance, and stir the soap until the colour and the fragrance has been thoroughly dispersed throughout the soap.

For the Christmas trees, I used the aptly named Christmas tree fragrance from Candlescience, which has a fresh Christmassy scent, and for the Christmas presents I used the delicious, sweet Holly Berry fragrance from Candlescience. I love both fragrances, because although they do remind you of Christmas, they’re not the usual standard fragrances, that everyone seems to use for their Christmas soaps.

When you choose your fragrance, make sure they are safe to use on skin. This is particular important when using candle fragrances. Not all candle fragrances are suitable for use in body care products and soap. So don’t forget to read the safety data of the fragrances you intend to use, or check back with the supplier.

FIVE: Pour into your mold, and spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol (optional) to get rid of any bubbles on the surface.

Let the soaps cool down completely and harden before carefully unmolding. Remember, melt and pour soap bases contain a lot of glycerin and the soaps will sweat (attract moisture) in humid conditions, so they will need to be wrapped (Glad Wrap or cello bags).