I’ve always been intrigued by the world of soap making. Choosing your own ingredients to make your own special scent, adding colors and textures to make it aesthetically pleasing, and then getting to share those goodies with friends and family just sounds like the best thing ever. I’ll admit that I’ve been an admirer for some time, but the thought of taking on another hobby that can be very involved was pretty intimidating … until I heard about melt-and-pour soap bases, that is. Craft stores sell soap bases that you literally heat up in your microwave (or on your stove top) and then add whatever ingredients you want to customize your own soap bars. Now THAT I can get on board with.
Ingredients:
-10 oz goat’s milk melt-and-pour soap base
-1 grapefruit (only zest half the grapefruit)
-1 tbsp poppy seeds
-10 drops of grapefruit essential oil
-4 drops of peppermint essential oil
Supplies:
-plastic bowl for heating in microwave or pot and glass bowl for double boiling
–grater (for zest)
–silicone mold
Step One: Cut your soap base into cubes. I used 10 oz of soap for 5-6 bars.
Step Two: Zest your grapefruit and have your poppy seeds and oils handy.
Step Three: Melt the soap base in the microwave (in a plastic bowl) or double boil it on the stove top. I used a wooden coffee stirrer to stir as I went. It’s really important not to burn the soap while melting, so I microwaved in 30-second increments.
Step Four: Once your soap base is entirely melted, pour into a measuring cup. Add your oils, grapefruit zest, and poppy seeds. Give a quick couple of stirs to evenly disperse.
Step Five: Pour the soap into the silicone mold and let harden. I transferred mine to a glass measuring cup with a pour spout for easier pouring. Mine took about 2–3 hours to harden completely, but I let it sit in the molds for longer just to be sure!
Step Six: Once your soap has hardened, pop the bars out of the molds and wrap up to gift to all of your friends! This is my favorite part by far!
The poppy seeds in this soap are great for exfoliating the skin, the goat’s milk is great for moisturizing, and the grapefruit oil is said to balance skin discolorations and keep skin glowing. I love any sort of citrus scent, so paired with a small amount of mint this is one of the best soaps I’ve ever smelled. So fresh!
I have to admit, I was a little nervous about adding fresh ingredients to soap since it just sits on a shelf, but the glycerine in the goat’s milk base that I used is supposed to act as a preservative and keep the grapefruit rind from molding. Whew. That’s good news because no one wants a moldy bar of soap as a gift, no matter how sweet the gesture! And if you want some soap without the DIY aspect, we love this one and this one to keep for yourself or give as gifts (this novelty soap is so cute too!). Happy soap making! xo. Katie
P.S. If you liked this post, we’ve got lots more DIY soap recipes in our archives.
P.S.S. Check out our favorite clean beauty products on our wishlist and shopping pages!
Grapefruit Mint Poppyseed Soap Bars
Ingredients
- 10 oz goat’s milk melt-and-pour soap base
- 1 grapefruit (only zest half the grapefruit)
- 1 tbsp. poppyseeds
- 10 drops grapefruit essential oil
- 4 drops peppermint essential oil
Instructions
-
Step One: Cut your soap base into cubes. I used 10 oz of soap for 5-6 bars.
-
Step Three: Melt the soap base in the microwave (in a plastic bowl) or double boil it on the stove top. I used a wooden coffee stirrer to stir as I went. It’s really important not to burn the soap while melting, so I microwaved in 30-second increments.
-
Step Four: Once your soap base is entirely melted, pour into a measuring cup. Add your oils, grapefruit zest, and poppy seeds. Give a quick couple of stirs to evenly disperse.
-
Step Five: Pour the soap into the silicone mold and let harden. I transferred mine to a glass measuring cup with a pour spout for easier pouring. Mine took about 2–3 hours to harden completely, but I let it sit in the molds for longer just to be sure!
-
Step Six: Once your soap has hardened, pop the bars out of the molds and wrap up to gift to all of your friends! This is my favorite part by far!
Credits // Author: Katie Shelton, Photography: Sarah Rhodes. Photos edited with Piper from the Signature Collection
73 Comments
Just made these as Xmas gifts. It has just occurred to me will they keep until Xmas with the rind in them? Will they go mouldy?
Hi, I have just come across this site and recipe, I did all that was instructed but the sent is really minimal, I assume the oil it too hot for teh seesntial oil but I am aware that there is a limit to how much I should add for safety on the skin.
quality Tissarand and Plant Therapy oils were used.
Any suggestions? Im just practising for Xmas gifts
Thanks
This is amazing! i am a beginner and this seems so pretty. thank you !
when I make soaps with something in it, it always falls down to the bottom (or in some cases) rises to the top. At which temperature do I have to pour the soap to guarantee suspension? Or anything else I need to do? Thank you! k
I have tried adding things to melt and pour and most things all fall to the bottom. (Becoming the top)How do you keep the zest suspended? Thanks in advance.
I’ve tested this receipe and it’s so great ! the smell is really great. thank you !
Hi! I have friends allergic to peppermint oil so I could just leave that out right? I’m not sure about allergies to the grapefruit oil but if there are the poppy seeds and the real grapefruit chills be able to do it right?
Yes- just omit it or replace it with Spearmint. xx
Hi!
I am making these now. I don’t have a weigh to measure mass – is 10 ounces about 10 cubes? Is that how you measured it??
I didn’t know that it is so easy to make a soap! The recipe looks gorgeous, I definitely will try it. 🙂
Where do you get soap base from?
It’s linked in the post (from Amazon) 🙂
I made a version of these bars this weekend, thanks for the inspiration and the tutorial!!
http://www.edieandandy.com/2014/05/make-11.html
These look amazing! I would pay for these, but even more exciting to know I can make them 🙂
This is just beautiful! I love Katie’s DIYs.
I am a blogger and a soapmaker. I have my own small homemade soap business and I’ve been looking for a silicone mould that looks exactly like these. Does anyone know where I can get it? 🙂
www.joanofjuly.com
Oh I cannot wait to make some of these!!!
Love this, where did you find your soap mold?
We make soaps regularly at work using melt and pour bases. We chop up the soap base and melt it in a slow cooker…this sounds like it takes longer than your method of the microwave, but there is no chance of the soap burning. It is also less fiddly than a double boiler method. We only add the essential oils just before pouring, so as not to evaporate them off whilst we are melting the soap.
Anyone try this yet & know how it feels on your skin? I’m trying to avoid that tight, squeeky feeling that some soaps give.
Two of my favourite scents, I have to try this!! Do you know if you could use metal molds for this? I have some pretty shapes I would love to try.
Stay tuned for the DIY rug post 🙂
-Jacki
Great pics! do you have a link to the instructions for the rug she is making? I would love to make a rug like that!
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The best soap I ever bought had poppy seeds in it! I could never find it again though anywhere! Never occurred to me to make my own soap! Will give this a try! Thanks for sharing
Anneka
http://mamaandthree.blogspot.co.uk/
Great instructions, thanks
Do these need to age like other homemade soaps?
I wanna try making those!! <3 Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Looks so pretty!
www.myownloves.com
Thank you for sharing this, I always thought soap making is difficult – but this seems to be pretty easy and I can’t wait to give it a try
I always keep a glass vase in the bathroom full of handmade soaps bought from small boutiques. It’s really a statement piece in the bathroom. Time to make my own! Thanks!
This looks so fun and I can smell it from here! Great DIY I want to give this a go.
www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com
That sounds amazing! I can just smell the fresh grapefruit and mint from the other side of the screen hahaha I’ll definitely have to try this out! I tried making bath bombs once… but they didn’t turn out too well… hahaha
http://www.pshawscorner.com
Those soaps look so nice….I usually use body wash but I would definitely try these out! They look very moisturizing 🙂
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
I make loads of my own cosmetics, but I’ve never tried soap because I want to use things instantly and the thought of waiting weeks has always put me off. I love the idea of the microwaveable base, definitely makes the whole thing a bit more simple!
Looks good enough to eat!
http://talisatalksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/eos-obsession.html
All my favorite foods in a soap? Yes please! Great DIY as usual.
xox Logan
http://ourzeal.blogspot.com
I also have always wanted to try soap making, but have been kind of intimidated by it. Last Christmas, my husband and I made vanilla and peppermint candles for Christmas gifts! It was so much fun! Now seeing this process that you did with these soaps, looks almost exactly like how we made our candles! I’m so going to have to do this now! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
While reading this post and looking at the pictures I couldn’t help having the sensation I was about to smell something…guess technology is not there yet!:)
mmm! This sounds wonderful! I cannot wait to try it out!
xoxo
Taylor
Omg this made me so happy!
That is so cute and its so simple. This is a cute gift idea!
Wow – that looks much more straightforward than I thought! I’d really like to give this ago 🙂
I was thinking about make some lavender scented soap from my mother. This post will really help me.
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12172327
I could hug you right now – what a wonderful recipe! Hope I can find the base ingredient here, so I can make a butch. And how gorgeous are they?! Can only imagine the fragrance… x
Woww!! What a grate idea! I wish I could smell it through my laptop haha
http://shibarita.blogspot.com/
what a cool idea!
xxoo,
nikki
www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
I bet that smells just lovely! I’m on the lookout for a natural, non-animal soap base for easy soap making.
http://www.aileenbarker.com/
I’ve been wanting to try something like this for the longest time! These will also be really great as a cute gift.
http://cursive-type.blogspot.nl
I have once made my own soap before, it was so much fun! Also a lovely little present.
http://sincerelylara.com
These look gorgeous! I have been making and selling candles on etsy for some time, and I think it’s time I venture into soap making. Thanks for the lovely tutorial!
Wow this is great, I’m gonna do it and show mine experiment on my blog, and of course, I will give it as a present to my friend next week, such a beautiful idea! Thanks! 😀
These are some of my favorite smells so I’m sure the combo is really great!
I had no idea making soap could be so simple. I love the specks of color from the grapefuit and poppy seeds, so pretty!
what a fabulous idea – and I bet they smell so yummy too! xo
http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/
That looks fun !
Can you melt normal soap and customise like this ?
Xoxo
Oh this sounds like something I should try once. But I might be to obsessed with Lush to do so.. But this is cheaper..
x
http://www.seriouslydaph.com
This is such a fun idea! Perfect for a Mother’s Day gift!
Marianne
thematimes.com
I just made my own body scrub for the first time and was amazed how easy it is! I definitely will give soap making a try, and I love the poppy seeds for exfoliating:)
Oh my gosh, I have to try this!
-Anna @ Banana and Bear (http://www.bananaandbear.blogspot.com)
This is so great! Thanks for sharing!
Jordyn
Pretty Lovely
cool! looks like fun. thanks for sharing.
I love the idea of homemade bath and beauty products and am always looking for new recipes. Thanks so much for sharing this, Katie! 🙂
Love and Luck,
Laurali Star
http://www.thesecretsurprisinista.com
Just get a non-goat milk melt & pour base. There are tons of pre-made bases out there of all different kinds. Check out Bramble Berry or Wholesale Supplies Plus. If you want even more control over what goes in your soap you should look into REAL soap making, cold process. 🙂
Such an easy and affordable.Thanks for sharing I think I’m gonna try this. Please visit my blog people
This is so cute! I love it :).
I have always wanted to make my own soap. This looks great though. I might have to make some of these to give away for Mother’s Day.
Marlenne Baeza, you could use a base made from either hemp seed oil, aloe vera, olive oil, etc. The organic and/or vegan options are bountiful! This site has a wonderful selection to chose from: www.organic-creations.com
Katie, this is a great DIY offering! Very inspiring; I want to make these for my mother, grandmother and other mom friends for Mother’s Day. Thanks!
I’m always nervous to give away soap products as gifts, but these are beautiful and cheery,they’d brighten up any bathroom! I’ve always wanted to try making soap.
I only wish that you would have shared a recipe without animal products. I’m sure you can replace the milk with something healthier and cruelty free for moisture. any ideas?
There are several Melt and Pour soap options. Instead of the Goats Milk, just substitute Oatmeal, Shea or Castile. They can all be ordered online or if you’re lucky, maybe you have a local soap supplier. Also check out Hobby Lobby. So FUN!!
You can just you regular soap base, I assume, right?
Beautiful!! I love using artesan soaps – always feels extra luxurious!
Ooh I’ve been wanting to make my own soap for a while now and this makes it look easier than I thought! Thanks!