Q&A for How to Make 'Melt and Pour' Soap

You can try, but be aware that the dye may not mix into the soap base well and that it may stain your skin. Soap making dye is made specifically for soap and does not come off on skin.

Adding water may affect the way the soap hardens. Do not add it to the mixture.

Use a good quality soap base. The better the original soap base you use, the better the finished soap will be, and it will make pouring easier.

You would get better results adding powdered goat's milk, buttermilk, or powdered milk (1 to 2 tablespoons). Pre-mix the milk powder with an equal amount of water until it's smooth. Then strain the milk to make sure all the lumps are out of it.

When you are finished melting your soap, you will add the shea butter, but melt the shea butter first because if it is too creamy the soap will not solidify.

Evaluate your oils. How many hard oils versus soft oils did you use in your soap recipe? Olive and castor oils both harden well during the curing process.

It should be, but you might want to read the ingredient label to ensure that it contains no ingredients that you are allergic to. You might also want to limit the dyes and fragrances.

The "sweating" is actually condensation. This is because melt and pour soaps are high in glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant, which means it attracts water. The glycerin dew droplets are harmless to the soap and your skin. You can wrap the soap tightly with plastic wrap and/or store the soap in a low humidity environment to reduce glycerin dew.

Yes, you should always wrap the soap in cling film immediately.

You should use fragrance oils formulated specifically for soap making or skin-safe essential oils to add scent to your soap. Fragrances made for candles can be irritating to the skin.

Amazon.com and Walmart.com sell it, but there is a markup. There are better prices online from BulkApothecary.com and SoapExpressions.com. There may be a place near you that sells the soap base, but you would have to Google that to find one near you.

You could try to smooth it with a sponge, or rub it down if you need to keep it for a while. That probably will not be necessary if it’s being used immediately.

Put in a rubber box, or use any box and then cover the inside with parchment paper.

Yes. Adding oils moisturizes skin. But only add a very small amount, as oil has already been included. Too much will make your soap soft and mushy.

It is probably because you have too much oil. With coconut usually being the culprit, when looking for a melt n pour soap base, ask the seller or company if it is made with coconut oil. If it is, ask them for one that does not use it and also make sure your temperature is not hot, which is a big mistake with melt n pour bases.

Yes, you can. Mica powder would give your soap a pearly, metallic look if the soap is clear.

Yes, it would make the soap moisturizing. If you would like, you could also use olive oil or shea butter.

You can use a sharp knife, or a piece of wire. Simply wrap the wire around the place you want to cut, then putt the ends in opposite directions.

You should be able to use whatever extracts work best for you if you don't have the ones in the original recipe.