DIY PROJECT: Melt and Pour Goat Milk Soap

Hello, everyone! Turns out, today is Easter. My family does not really celebrate most holidays, so we didn't do any egg dipping, hunting, or anything bunny-related. We did, however, make some simple springy soaps today. 

Now, there is nothing super duper fancy or different about these soaps than what you may have done before. These are just simple melt and pour soaps. However, these are an excellent craft for kids of any age three and up to do! But, if doing this with little bitty ones, be sure they are able to understand to not touch any of the containers that hold the melted soap, because they are hot. I did this today with my two kids, ages 2 1/2 and almost 4. My 4-year-old daughter did a great job following directions and being sure not to touch anything I told her was hot. She knows hot = ouchie. My son, well... he was impatient. He loves to stir things and play with colors, so he was overly eager about using my food coloring. He also loves to mix things. It makes him feel like a big boy, so being told, "We need to stop mixing," just devastates him. It's awful to hear, I know. But, those are my kids. Every child is different. You have to make the call on if your kids can handle the project.

To make the soaps, we started with the absolute basics: Pour and melt soap base, peppermint essential oil, silicone molds, and food coloring. You can add extra things (I actually did mix in some cocoa powder into one of them), but for your first time, especially if you have really little ones or multiple kids, you might just want to start off simple.

 

This is the soap base I used, Goats milk Glycerin Soap Base- 2 Pound by Soap Expressions. 2 pounds for about $10, shipped with Prime. I used three out of eight rows (going horizontally) and we got five bars of soap. In total, depending on your mold size, this should make about 8-12 bars. That can change, too, depending on what sort of things you add in that can take more space, like coffee beans, flowers, or even plastic toys. 

Just cut them up into cubes in a microwave-safe bowl. It took about two minutes for them to get thoroughly melted, melted at one minute at a time. They do harden back up fairly quickly, but you can remelt them with no issue. 

Now, do take note, this stuff does have a funny smell. In my experience, though, pretty much all melt and pour soaps smell funny. Be sure to have some sort of essential oil to make these smell the way you want. We used NOW Foods Peppermint Oil (Liquid), 4 oz for these ones. It takes a few drops per bar, I'd say, but just add it in one or two drops at a time until is smells how you want it to smell. 

You can also add food coloring to this. I used a single drop of concentrated Ameri-Color food gels, found on Amazon. That blue swirl was later added by my daughter. You can use any food coloring. Don't use too much, or the lather will be too colorful and can tint your hands. 

My daughter decided to go with purple, and she chose a flower mold. You can make them solid colors, or you can make multiple small containers of different colors and swirl them, or layer them in the mold. Be sure to add your oils into the soaps BEFORE you swirl or layer, and before you put them in the mold. After that, you just wait and let them cool down. That's it. If you layer them, you will have to let each color cool down in the mold before adding the next layer on top, or they will mix together.

Now, I got my molds in various places. I actually have a pretty huge silicone mold collection. I love them. They are so versatile, easy to use, and come in almost any shape you can think of. The ones I used today were a sunflower one that my mother had bought for me from a garage sale, and a woodsy one from World Market. It's normally $6, but I purchased it for $3 during a sale. You can find these all over- Walmart, Amazon, Target, eBay, AliExpress... usually, they are very cheap. They can cost about $10 each on Amazon with Prime. I typically buy from China sellers on eBay, which brings them at only about $3 per mold, give or take. That does take longer to arrive, though.

Now, I know... It is a very simple task. Not much rocket science behind it. So, how does it benefit your child? Lets count the ways.

1) It allows experimentation with color. They get to see first hand how colors mix into new ones. 

2) It's a marketable skill. If they enjoy this, encourage it! Quality soaps can be sold online. As they grow older, they can learn more and more about which oils and add ins to use and what they do. Eventually, they can even learn how to make high-quality soaps from scratch. It's a product that can grow with them, so they can make money in the future as a side job or main source of income, if they choose.

3) It's a science lesson. Which soap base makes your skin feel softer- the plain glycerine, the goat milk base, or the honey base? What happens if you mix them? What do the different oils do for your skin? Why does the goat milk soften skin? What oils smell good when mixed together? These are all things you can research together, and experiment with. When they grow older (I would suggest at least age 12 because doing this from scratch can be dangerous, if you are not careful), you can all learn how to make these from different oils and lye. These will give you higher-quality soaps, but you do have to be extremely careful. Lye is in every soap out there except glycerine bases like this, but in its pure form, it can badly burn your skin. However, thousands of people do it all over the world just fine. You just need to take the proper precautions.

4) It's a great sensory and stimulation project. On top of the colors alone being fun to use (and of course, if you do not feel comfortable with food dyes, you can use natural ingredients and food colorings like beet powder), you can also add things nice to the touch. Coffee beans and oats are great for the skin as well as give texture to the soap. Just make sure they are small enough to go down the drain. Salt gives an exfoliating texture. Flower petals add a touch of natural color and are delicate on the skin.

5) You can make it a lesson in natural medicine. Have your kids smell the different oils and discuss how they make them feel. Which ones make them feel relaxed? Which ones make them feel rejuvenated? Which ones are healthiest for the skin? Let them pick out a scent, and research together and experiment with what else the oils can be used for. For instance, peppermint is also great for curing headaches and easing nausea, when sniffed. You can even use herbs and flower petals, as long as they are safe for the skin.

6) Show them how to make a home business with it. If this is something they enjoy, and keep asking over and over to do, show them how to sell some to earn money to buy more supplies. After all, the costs can get hefty. Research together what colors go with what smells- orange with orange, green with mint, yellow with lemon, etc. Also take time to associate shapes, colors, and ingredients with the seasons. Molds that make sunflower shapes would be great for spring or summer, and you can make them in citrus scents to match their yellow color. Learn about what soaps will appeal most to men, women, boys, and girls. Teach them to add and subtract supplies, profits, and if applicable, selling fees. It generally costs about a dollar per bar, on estimate, so figure out a profit margin you would like to help them make, and advertise away to friends and family, even neighbors. If you wish, you can even teach them about paying "employees." 

7) It encourages hygiene. Kids love using what they make themselves. They're going to love using their own soaps in the tub! Pair this with a lesson on germs and avoiding getting sick.

8) They make adorable gifts. You can make ones with more woodsy scents for Dad and Grandpa, pretty floral ones for Grandma, or fruity ones for friends- whatever they would like best! It's a gift that is completely custom made for them by the little loved ones in their life, and they can actually use them. They take thought, time, and love to make, which makes them even more special. I already have one grandma asking for some!

9) It's a great family bonding project. You all get to make something usable and enjoyable. They're pretty, functional, smell good... and hard to mess up. You may have a bit of dishes left over, but at least they are dirtied with soaps! 

10) It's great for all ages, boy and girl. Really, kids of all ages and genders can have fun with this. Just because it's a "spa item" doesn't mean it has to be all about pink, glitter and flowers, unless that's what your boys like. There are plenty of more "masculine" scents out there to use. Heck, if they are skeptical teen boys, encourage them to use scents that girls like on men, if that's what it takes. And come on... what girl would not swoon if a guy took time to make them pretty soaps? Buy an alphabet mold and help him make hand sized soaps that make a sweet message. Use your imagination!

10) It teaches patience. You do have to wait for them to cool down, after all! Good things come to those who wait- a lesson we all have to learn.

11) It's a confidence booster. Kids will be so proud of these! My son has been carrying his soaps for two hours now... sheesh.

Honestly, you can't really go wrong with this project. It's a lot more educational than people realize. 

Seriously, look how cute these are. Not bad for a couple kids under four.

Another neat thing, very little of the product goes to waste. It just peels right off the spatulas and bowls.

No joke, it just peeled right off. That made clean up so much easier. I just rolled it up into a ball, heated it for ten seconds, and smooshed it into a mold.

So, overall, this is a great thing to do with kids. You can even make a gift out of it and buy your kids extras like glitter, toys, and more to add in and have a big soap making day. Have fun!

In case you are wondering, here are links to what I used.