POPSUGAR

These Geeky DIY Soaps Are Downright Awesome

Jun 21 2015 - 7:05am

We've accumulated a mini collection of geeky ice cube trays lately — it started, if you remember, with our Han Solo in carbonate ice cube tray that we used to make Han Solo drawer pulls [1] (one of our first geek home projects [2]!). We were looking for another quick, easy geek DIY [3] project to put the trays to use, and remembered an OLD Martha Stewart [4] project [5] using ice cube trays and colorful ready-to-melt soap. So thanks, Martha, you've inspired us.

We’re not big on the idea of working with lye, so we went with a pre-made soap base [6], which you can get at Michael’s or other craft stores. If you prefer to make your own soap base, that of course works too! Otherwise, the ready-to-melt stuff is amazingly easy to use and comes in different varieties — shea butter, olive oil, goats milk, glycerin, etc. It comes in a big chunk, which you use a regular kitchen knife to cut into cubes, based on how much soap you need. We like to work in small amounts at a time, usually just 2-3 “cubes”.

Microwaving for 30 seconds, then in 10-second intervals until the portion you’re using is fully melted. Once it’s liquid (usually after 30 seconds), add in whatever you want. Coloring, essential oils, exfoliate scrubby things, etc. We went with soap dye [7] that we bought at the same place we bought our soap. Martha Stewart [8] says food coloring also works. And I’m not gonna step to that, so we’ll go ahead and say she’s probably right. We also added a couple drops of lavender oil to each batch.

Once you have the color and scent you want (work quickly, it thickens fast. If that happens to you, just re-microwave for 10 seconds), pour it into the mold. If you need gray coloring, like we did, mix together a couple of drops each of blue, red, and yellow, then add more of each until you get the right carbonite-esque tone.

That’s pretty much it (we mentioned this is an easy project, right?). While that hardens, move on to other colors/molds, to build your tiny sudsy geek soap army.

Let the soap sit in the tray for AT LEAST a couple of hours before trying to remove it. And then do it very gently.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.com/tech/DIY-Geeky-Soap-37691472