Be mine! Valentine’s Day soaps

Difficulty: Beginners
Time: 1 hr
Yields: 10 soap hearts

Be Mine takes inspiration from the sugar candy hearts that used to be so popular in the 80s, especially around Valentine’s Day.

These pastel heart-shaped soaps are quick and easy to make with white melt and pour soap base and non-bleeding micas.

ONE: First, cut the white melt and pour soap base into small cubes. Add a couple of cubes, you don’t need much for the first part, to a small heat proof Pyrex jug and heat on high in the microwave in 10 second bursts, until the soap has melted. Try to avoid the soap from reaching boiling point!

TWO: When the soap has melted, pour it into a small beaker and stir in a little of the mica until you have reached the desired colour. You can use any colour, except for the yellow, which you need for the base colour. I’m using Juicy Pink mica and Magic Purple mica from Pure Nature here.

THREE: Next, pour a little of the soap into the words. Don’t worry if it spills over, we’ll clean it up later. The soap mold I’m using here is an old one from Milky Way molds, from way back when they were still a small company. As you can see, it has quite yellowed with age! Using this mold also made me realise how much I appreciate the silicon molds we use nowadays. Unmolding soap has become so easy now!

FOUR: Let the soap harden completely, and then using a spoon lightly scrape of the soap until the letters appear. Don’t put too much pressure when scraping, or you might take out some of the letters. If that happens, don’t worry, just push some soap back into the letter. Once you’ve scraped away most of the extra soap, use a little wet wipe to clean away the last little flecks of soap. Make sure all the cavities are clean!

FIVE: Now for the main soap. Cut up sufficient soap to fill all cavities. Place them into a heat proof Pyrex jug and melt in the microwave on high in 20 second bursts until the soap has melted.

SIX: Add yellow mica to the soap and stir. I achieved this pretty pastel yellow by using the Magic Yellow mica from Pure Nature.

Next, your fragrance. You’ll want to choose a candy-like scent for these candy hearts, like the sweet and fruity Mango and Tangerine fragrance from Candlescience that I’m using. I use about 1/2 teaspoon of fragrance for every cup of soap base.

SEVEN: Now before you pour, spritz the cavity and the letters with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Then pour the soap into the cavity, and spritz the surface again with the alcohol to get rid of the bubbles. Fill all the cavities the same way: spritz, pour, spritz.

EIGHT: Leave the soaps to cool down and harden completely before removing them from the mold. If you are using plastic molds like this one, it will be a little struggle to get them out. Try to gently pull the sides away from the soap to allow some air between the soap and mold, which helps to release the soaps. This is why I really, really appreciate the silicon molds!

Place the soaps into little cellophane bags or wrap them up in plastic cling wrap. Melt and pour soap will sweat (attract moisture) if left unwrapped.

Happy Valentine’s Day!