There is something that all of us use on a daily basis and we may not give it much thought. We use it in the morning when we wash our face and we use it again when we take a shower. I’m talking about soap, and it is one of those common items that we have around the home. Just because it is common, however, does not mean that you need to treat it like a common item.
The fact of the matter is, soap comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, scents and colors. For some of us, choosing the right soap for our needs is a very important and perhaps even a difficult decision. For others, we tend to grab whatever is on sale at the supermarket. It’s time to put those factors behind you and get on board with this DIY project that is fun and beneficial.
What I’m talking about doing is making your own soap. Many people know that it is possible to do so but they may avoid doing it, feeling as if it is too difficult to accomplish. In reality, soap is easy to make when you follow a recipe, such as this one. It makes soap easily but on top of that, it also makes it in a design that is going to be a lot of fun. The watermelon soap bars that it makes are the perfect summer DIY project and you can even get the children involved.
You can typically find what is necessary to make these watermelon soap bars at your local craft store but you can also order some off of Amazon. Once you begin making it, you will be surprised with how popular it becomes. Not only will you use it yourself, you will find that you are giving it as a fantastic gift as well.
Materials Needed:
Soap Mold
1/2 Cup Shea Butter Soap
2 1/2 Cups Clear Soap
Colorant (Red and Green)
Black Sesame Seeds
Essential Oils of Your Choice
Directions:
Use a knife to cut off a few cubes of the clear soap and place in a microwave safe dish. The exact measurement of soap with change depending on the size of the soap mold you’re using. For this layer we used about 2 cups.
Place your soap mold on a flat surface that won’t be disturbed. You don’t want to move the mold around before the soap is solid because it will slosh on the sides and won’t look as nice.
Carefully place a few black sesame seeds sporadically in your molds. These are supposed to be seeds so just a few is fine.
Heat your soap base in the microwave for 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between each interval.
Once it is melted add a few drops of red colorant and stir well – adding one drop at a time until you get the correct shade of red. You can also add any essential oils or fragrances at this point.
Carefully pour the red mixture into the soap mold- about 40% of the way up the side.
Sprinkle a few more sesame seeds conservatively into the red soap base. Do this quickly before the soap starts to harden.
If you find bubbles as you pour the soap base, you can fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and spritz lightly on the surface of the soap. The bubbles will immediately pop.
Now set aside for about an hour to set. You don’t want the soap to be wiggly consistency (like Jello) before you start the next layer or the layers will blend together. You really do want to be sure it is fairly solid on top.
Now melt the shea soap. This is a thinner layer so you don’t need much. We used about 1/2 cup.
Poor on top of the red layer and let cool for about an hour.
Finally melt a bit of clear soap (we used 1/2 cup) and add drops of green until you get your desired shade. Also add essential oils at this point if you like.
Pour the green soap on top of the white layer and let cool.
Once again, if you see any bubbles forming on the soap spray with rubbing alcohol.
Now your soap is ready to use!