Easy Melt & Pour Patriotic Soap
Not too long ago I discovered a new craft obsession: soap making! This red, white and blue melt & pour soap project that I'm bringing you today was one of my first soaping projects, so it's perfect for beginners or soap makers of all levels.
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Red White & Blue Soap
To make this, you'll need:
Cosmetic spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
These items can be found at local soap specialty stores, ordered online, or are available at some local craft stores.
You'll also need a kitchen scale, some spatulas, and a couple of Pyrex or other microwave safe glass bowls or measuring cups to melt your soap in.
To start, you need to chop up the clear glycerin soap and put it in a microwave container. I use large Pyrex measuring cups for melting my soap. Using 30 second bursts (or shorter when the soap is nearly melted so you don't burn it) in the microwave, melt the soap to a liquid. Be careful not to boil it, though, by overheating it!
measuring melt and pour soap
Once the soap is melted, follow package instructions to add your fragrance. After the fragrance is mixed in, divide the soap evenly into two containers. Color one of the containers with blue and one with red.
Spritz your mold with rubbing alcohol. Pour each color into one section of your soap mold, spritz the top of the soap with rubbing alcohol to pop bubbles that were created during pouring, and allow the soap to cool. (Ignore the round one below - that is a color swirling experiment I made with some extra soap!)
melt and pour soap
It will take a few hours for the blue and red soaps to cool enough to work with. When they have, pop them out of the mold and chop part of them into small cubes. Place the cubes back into the molds, arranged randomly. (You can use the leftover red and blue soap to make more of these red white & blue bars, or as small travel soap bars, or for other soap design projects.)
melt and pour soap
Chop up the white glycerin soap just like the clear glycerin and heat it in the microwave as well using the same method. When it is melted, mix in your selected fragrance following the package directions.
Spritz the mold and the red & blue soap pieces with rubbing alcohol. Then carefully (I highly recommend using a Pyrex measuring cup with a spout for this task) pour the white soap into the mold around the red and blue soap pieces. Stop right before the white soap level reaches to tops of the colored soap pieces, so they will not get covered up. Spritz the top of the soap with rubbing alcohol to pop any bubbles that occurred on the surface from the pouring.
melt and pour patriotic soap
Leave the soap to cool for a few hours and then it can be removed from the mold! Imperfect edges can be cleaned up with a knife or by wiping the soap with a wet cloth.
melt and pour patriotic soap
And now it is time to enjoy your soap! This design makes a great way to add a festive touch to your guest bath or holiday home for July 4th.
This soap making project isn't just for the 4th of July. A simple change in color scheme could make this a fun school spirit gift - send some off to school with your favorite college freshman! Or make it in red and green to make Christmas holiday decor for your bathroom. The possibilities are endless, and since the soap comes in 2 pound packs, you can try several versions with your supply purchase! This is a great way to learn the basics of handling melt and pour soap.
I hope you enjoyed my soap tutorial today! If you are interested in making soap, please check out my other soapmaking articles 7 Things I've Learned Starting Soap Making and Celebrate Star Wars with Frozen Han Solo Soap to learn more about it!
