When I first thought about soap making I knew I was going to use the melt and pour method. For those who don't know, when you make melt and pour soap you buy the base soaps already made as opposed to making them yourself. I have the utmost respect for soapers who make their own soap. It is truly an art. I knew however, that was not for me. I also knew that I would not be able to get the beautiful designs that soapers who make cold processed soap get using the melt and pour method... what to do? I researched the topic and tried the techniques suggested for making designs in melt and pour. As you can guess there were quite a number of disappointments in the beginning. The soap was fine but the design was, shall we say interesting. You may be saying to yourself, design for soap? Yes! How I approached my new endeavor was that I wanted the soap to look unique, aesthetically pleasing, and be of high quality. Nature has always been a great source of inspiration for me and I believe that we should bring beauty into our lives wherever we can. Whether it is how we landscape our garden, decorate our homes, or simply looking at a pretty soap that smells good in the shower in the morning! By creating something pleasing it gives us a chance in our busy lives to, hopefully, stop and enjoy it. Nature is also a big influence for creating soaps with fragrances. After all the art of fragrance making is just trying to recreate all the wonderful scents that are all around us. If essential oil is used it is actually using the oils from certain plants.
Getting back to creating interesting melt and pour soap... After I experimented with designing, I started to develop my own way of creating interesting patterns on the soap. I always have a color theme in mind that usually goes along with the soap scent. Again, nature is an ever present influence; with some soaps I may have a very simple landscape theme within the design, for example, a beach. I try to use techniques that are different from those I have seen. Sometimes it is a lot of thinking on my feet to come up with a different design, but I love the challenge!
If you are thinking about trying the melt and pour method of soap making, do your research, but have fun and experiment with the design of your soap! Melt and pour lends itself very nicely to layering, as shown in the time lapse video below. The key to layering is to wait anywhere from 15-40 minutes in between layering, depending on the soap base you are using, and the usage of sprayed alcohol to bind the two layers. Think of different ways to make your designs; an example might be pouring a thin colored layer of soap in a shape, waiting about 15 minutes and then pouring the rest of your soap. The designs are endless, you just have to think them up! I have included a link on layering: Layering Melt and Pour Soap
Visit my Etsy shop to see some of the designs I have created. Here is a link to receive a 10% discount if you purchase two soaps. Coupon Code
Ginađź’—
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| Finished product, Lemon Verbena Castile Handmade Soap |
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