Why did I choose to make a beautiful rose-scented soap? Little Memphis asked me to make rose-scented soap for her. She likes the lavender soap I made and gave her but she loves pink. Memphis let me know that she wants a rose-scented pink soap.
You will be surprised at how easy it is to make scented soaps that look beautiful, too.
Today, I’m making a ‘semi-homemade’ soap with a melt and pour soap base. The soap base has already been through the saponification process. Unlike the cold process soap making, which requires curing for a time, the ‘melt and pour’ soap base is ready to use as soon as it hardens. You skip right to the fun part of soap making and anyone can make their own soaps using this method!
Making Homemade Rose Soap Using A Soap Base
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Supplies You’ll Need:
- 1 pound Shea Butter Melt and Pour Soap Base
- 1 pound Clear Glycerin Soap
- Rose Essential Oil
1 teaspoon - (32 drops = 1/4 tsp.)
- Soap Mold
- 3/4 teaspoon bubble gum Mica Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon magenta Mica Powder
- *Stainless Steel Spoon For Mixing
- 99% Rubbing Alcohol in a Spray Bottle
- rubber or latex gloves
1 teaspoon
*You can use a silicone spatula, which I used at first. The soap base started setting up on it and it dawned on me that the metal spoon would retain the heat better so I ditched the silicone and used a large stainless steel spoon.
I bought this 24 box of mica powder
on Amazon. (We are an Amazon affiliate and may receive a small percentage of any sales through the links on this post at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting this website.)
There is enough colorant here to make many batches of soap, bath bombs, lip glosses, and other crafts. There is a perfect rose color and that is the one I used.
Before Starting The Soap
Before I started making the lavender soap in a previous post, I filled a measuring cup with 1 cup of water. Then, I poured water into the mold to see how much it would take to fill the individual molds. 1/2 cup of water filled the mold up to about 1/4-inch from the top.
The soap bases are 32-ounces. I cut both the shea butter base and the clear glycerin base in half and will be using half of each to make layered bars and that will be a total of 32-ounces. It would take 48-ounces of soap base to fill all of the molds. That means that I can fill 2/3 of the rectangular molds or make 8 bars of soaps. The wells in this mold measure 2″ x 3″ x 1-1/2″ deep. (In fact, I only made 6 bars of this rose-scented soap.)
Directions:
Lavender essential oil and 99% Isopropyl alcohol
First, sanitize your counter by spraying with the 99% rubbing alcohol. It’s a good idea to sanitize by misting your mold, measuring tools, and spatula with the alcohol, too.
Adding Rosebuds Or Rose Petals
Decide if you want to add tiny roses or rose petals to the soap bars. To make it easier, add the roses or rose petals before melting the soap bases and pouring the base into the molds.
FYI, in my mind, three little rosebuds would look pretty across the clear rose base. The visual in my mind looks better than the end product. Three just isn’t enough. They look lost.
The next time, I will use a layer of rose petals instead.
Melting The Soap Bases
The Shea Butter Base:
Begin by opening the shea butter base, cut the block in half through the middle and then, set one half back in the plastic container. Cut the remaining half of the block along the indentations with a sharp kitchen knife. You should have 16 cubes. (You can heat the base in a microwave but I chose to melt the blocks over simmering water using the double boiler method. I enjoy the slower process, especially when I’m taking pictures!)
Place the cubes in a glass or stainless steel heat-safe bowl.
The Clear Glycerin Base:
Begin by opening the clear glycerin base, cut the block in half through the middle and then, set one half back in the plastic container. Cut the remaining half of the block along the indentations with a sharp kitchen knife. You should once again have 16 cubes.
Place the cubes in a glass or stainless steel heat-safe bowl.
Melting The Soap Base
Fill the bottom of two saucepans with 2-inches of water.
Place the bowls with the soap cubes on the saucepans over the water and bring the water to a low simmer.
Allow the cubes to melt, stirring occasionally after mostly melted.
When the soap base is completely melted, remove the saucepan and the bowl from the pan, set on a silicone potholder or a heat-safe surface. I read that the soap base should be at a temperature of 120°F before adding the mica colorant. It took about 15 minutes for the cubes to melt after the water came to a simmer.
I checked the temperature of the soap base after the last few pieces of base melted. It read at 120°. Perfect.
*Caution: Be careful. Melted soap is hot! It's a good idea to wear protective gloves.
Turn off the burner. Leave the soap base over the simmering water while you prepare the mica powder and measure the rose essential oil.
(I read that if you add the color and fragrance to soap that is too hot, it can affect them negatively. After the soap base is melted, you have a short amount of time to add the coloring and the essential oil before the soap starts to set or forms a skin on top. If a little skim forms, stir the base to melt it. Don't walk away; you need to be prepared.)
The Rose Essential Oil
Quickly, measure the 1 teaspoon of rose essential oil, set to the side, and have the oil ready to add to the melted soap base. One teaspoon creates a soft rose scent. If you want a bolder scent, add more.
Add The Mica Colorant and Essential Oil
Moving quickly, once the soap base is completely melted, mix 1 tablespoon of 99% isopropyl alcohol with 3/4 teaspoon bubble gum and 1/4 teaspoon of magenta mica powder color, and stir gently until the color is completely dispersed. (To make the pink color, I used both the bubble gum mica colorant and the magenta colorant.)
Mix in 1/4 teaspoon of the alcohol mica powder mixture at a time to the soap base until you achieve the depth of color desired. (I used half of the mixture to the shea butter base and a half to the clear base and love the color!)
The recommendation from Dibble Dabble is to add 1/2 teaspoon of the mica – alcohol mixture per pound of soap base. I started with 1/4 teaspoon, stirred, then, poured half of the mixture, stirred, and then, poured the rest of the mixture into the base.
After adding and mixing in the mica colorant, add the rose essential oil and stir quickly to completely mix the color and the oil into each of the bases.
Filling the Molds With the Rose-scented Soap Mixture
Quickly, pour or spoon some of the tinted clear glycerin soap base into the molds. Divide the liquid base between six of the molds. (This only makes 6 bars of the rose soap unless you want thinner bars.)
Don't forget to add the mica and the rose oil to the clear base! I spooned a thin layer of clear in a couple of the molds before I realized I hadn't added the oil and the colorant! Shhhh! If you look closely in the final picture, you can see the layer. Lesson learned.
Before spooning the shea butter base over the clear base, spritz the clear base with the 99% isopropyl alcohol over the surface of the clear base. Somehow, this helps the two bases to meld together.
I used the large spoon to fill the cavities. It would probably be easier and faster if you had a spout on the bowl but the large spoon worked pretty well.
Gently tap the sides of the mold to release air bubbles.
If bubbles form on the top of the soap, spray some of the rubbing alcohol over the surface. Repeat if necessary. This works like a charm!
Wait for 30 minutes, then, cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent glycerin dew.
How Long The Rose-scented Soap Needs To Set
When I researched how to make the lavender soap earlier, I read on one blog that you should allow the soap to harden for 24 hours. Then, on the goat milk soap base instructions, it said to allow it to sit for at least 40 minutes.
The last bar I poured ended up being a little smaller and it was firming up pretty well at 45-minutes. The other bars still felt a little warm and not as firm. Patience…
We had to run out to pick up the grandkids and I covered the soaps with a sheet of plastic wrap and left. Four hours later, when we returned, they were completely set. I’m sure the bars were set much earlier.
Obviously, the time it takes to completely cool depends on the molds you use. One large block would take much longer.
The rose bars took about an hour to set up and easily popped out of the molds.
Be patient! Don’t try to expedite the hardening process by placing it in the fridge or the freezer! Just step away.
Unmolding and Storing The Rose-scented Soap
Gently push the sides of the mold away from the soap bars, turn upside down, and push the silicone bottom to release the bars from the molds. If the edges are damp, place the bars on a wire rack and allow them to dry for an hour. Drying time will definitely be affected by humidity.
A great thing about using a soap base is that the soap can be used as soon as it is unmolded. There is no need for curing like in the cold process method. You do need to store the soap bars in plastic.
Do I need to store the soap in plastic? Yes, storing the soap in plastic will keep it from sweating and forming glycerin dew. You don't have to go out and buy special shrinkwrap for this! Just use regular plastic wrap. Click here for a video on how to ►Shrinkwrap with plastic wrap.
For a few questions you might have and the answers, Click here ► for the answers to questions you might have about melt and pour soap making.
The Next Time Around
Making the two-layered soaps is a little more challenging. Next time around, I think I will make 1/2 of this recipe. It will be easier to quickly pour half as many bars, spray with the alcohol, and add the remaining layer. My next plan is to make a citrus bar. Check back!
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Oh how pretty, I want to make some too! Pinned 🙂
Thanks, Dee! It is fun to make these and everyone seems to be really happy with them, too! Sophie’s little friend said she loves it.