At TheRTAStore, we love a good DIY project, and during the holiday season, DIY gifts are the best of all! Here, we’ll talk about how to make festive homemade soaps right in your very own kitchen. So clear off a workstation on your kitchen island countertop, and let’s get started!
The Best Method For Beginners
First, you’ll need a few ingredients and tools from your kitchen pantry cabinet. According to The Complete Guide to Making Homemade Soap from Good Housekeeping, you can skip the lye (which can be hazardous to work with at home) and use a safer “melt and pour” method with a pre-purchased soap base. Other techniques for making soap from scratch, such as cold process and hot process, require a bit more skill and working with lye.
If you are a beginner DIY soap maker, start by purchasing a soap base made with a cleansing combination of soap and glycerin, along with plant butters that nourish the skin. You’ll also need cosmetic-grade fragrance oils in your favorite holiday-inspired scents. Good Housekeeping recommends Brambleberry Handcraft Provisions for the base, and Made Safe certified essential oils by Radiance.
The Tools You Will Need
As with any DIY project, gather your tools — in this case, from the kitchen pantry cabinet. If you have some old stainless steel pots in your cookware organizer that you are ready to replace, put them aside on the kitchen island for soap-making, or look for a heat-safe container you can use for melting, such as an inexpensive glass bowl with a spout for pouring. Whatever you use, these implements should be designated just for making soap to avoid cross contamination. You will also need:
- A stainless steel wire whisk
- Silicone molds
- Liquid measuring cups and spoons
- Pot Holders
Making Homemade Soap
Most melt and pour recipes can be achieved on the stovetop over low heat, using a double boiler method, or in a microwave. When making soap in the kitchen, make sure you have pot holders to protect your hands when touching hot pots and other utensils.
Once your soap base is melted, gently blend in your fragrance of choice with a wire whisk. This may take some experimenting, but start slow until you achieve your desired results. A good rule of thumb is about one teaspoon per pound of soap, according to Good Housekeeping.
Quickly and carefully fill your molds with the hot liquid, and then cool your soap at room temperature on a flat surface for at least 24 hours. This will allow enough time for the soap to fully set and easily pop out of the mold.
Like custom cabinets designed for your unique space, homemade soap can be personalized with holiday scents, colors and shapes, like Cinnamon Cocoa, Peppermint, or Milk and Honey. For some creative handmade soap recipes from The Spruce Crafts, click here. Best of all, soap is a wonderful (and affordable) DIY gift that can be made in your very own kitchen.
Happy holidays!
At TheRTAStore, we help make your dream home a reality with RTA (ready to assemble) and pre-assembled cabinets and accessories. Whether it’s your kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, home office, home bar, TV room, or closet, we offer the same (if not better) quality you would find at any retail store, but for a fraction of the price. Stop by our website or give us a call, and let us make your dreams come true with the help of our free room design service.
