CRAFTS Learn to make soap for good clean fun

Washing up can become a mini spa-style experience.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
Melt-and-pour soapmaking is a cinch. Put prescored cubes of glycerin in a glass measuring cup, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and pour it into a mold. The trick is in deciding what to add.
Craft stores sell an array of glitters, scents and specially formulated colors for soap. (It defeats the purpose if you use, say, food coloring, which will stain skin.)
Depending on what you mix, layer or embed in a piece of soap, washing up can become a mini spa-style experience. And think how much more willing kids will be to scrub up when they realize that the more they wash, the sooner they'll get to the goodies in the center.
Start off with something simple, like a small plastic toy. Use a mold that has a smooth surface and is deep enough to hold the item. Pour in a layer of clear glycerin (figure it should be about equal to the space behind the toy) and let it harden. Carefully pop it in the fridge or freezer to speed up the process.
Then spray the surface with a little rubbing alcohol (it helps the layers bind) and put the toy, face down, in the center. Carefully add soap until the mold is filled.
You can use the same basic method to insert silk flower petals or craft-foam shapes. Little ones should keep their distance from the hot soap, but they can help out by using a glue stick to form 3-D flowers or patterns with the shapes.
Add depth and sparkle
Once you get the hang of it, experiment by adding a third layer of opaque soap, which will make the object stand out. You can even add some glitter to the second clear layer to give it depth and sparkle.
You can also put one soap into another. Cut chunks of colored or opaque soap, or make small shapes by using a novelty ice-cube tray as a mold. Leave them in the freezer for a few hours to get them good and cold; then be sure the melted soap is relatively cool before you pour it. Otherwise, the first soaps will dissolve.
Simpler still is to add herbs or something rough, like oatmeal, as an exfoliant. Mix in dried chamomile, lavender, orange or lemon zest, marigold flowers, even a few tea leaves. Add a few drops of a complimentary scent or essential oil and a hint of color to a clear glycerin; again, to make the herbs stand out, back them with a layer of opaque soap. These work well in both plain and patterned molds.
Or accentuate the design of a mold -- fill the crevices with an opaque soap, being careful not to get any on the raised areas. Once it's cool, add layers of different colors. (You can either use liquid or powered colors, or buy pre-tinted soap -- which is also available in fluorescent colors.)
Once you master the basics, buy a book on soaps or check the Internet for recipes; some verge on basic chemistry. Recipes can include everything from clays, coconut oil, beeswax and proteins to powdered milk, brewed tea, nutmeg, molasses and honey.
Instructions included
Many molds and most meltable soaps come with basic instructions on heating. The more soap, the longer the heating time, but the standard wait is 40 seconds; if there are still chunks, heat for 10-second increments. Don't overheat soap -- it can burn or bubble, which will mar the finished product. You also run the risk of melting the mold.
If bubbles form on the back of the soap, either quickly burst them or spray with rubbing alcohol.
Skin forms as the soap cools. Try not to let the skin from the measuring cup fall into the mold. Don't disturb the one that forms in the mold.
Don't waste too much time scraping hot soap from the measuring cup -- let it form a skin, which should peel right off.
Spray detailed molds with a little cooking spray to make it easier to get the cooled soap out.
If you're putting an object into soap, make sure it doesn't have sharp edges. Also be sure it's something that won't be ruined if soap seeps into its hollow areas.
Stick with products recommended for use with soaps; candle colors and scents are not interchangeable.