Handmade Soap

It seems like we always have little slivers of soap lying around. They often sit in a pool of water on the side of the shower, waiting to be used up, only to be eventually thrown away. Now, that no longer needs to happen. You can use those slivers, as well as soap you might have saved from your hotel stays, to make bars pretty enough to give as gifts.

First, you need a tin can. A twenty-six ounce or larger can is preferable, as you will need extra space to stir. Place all your slivers and mini hotel soaps in the can and place it on the stove burner. The burner should be on the lowest setting possible, as the soap should be melted slowly. Add about ¼ cup water (more or less) to the soap. The amount of water depends on the amount of soap you are melting. You want the soap to melt to a thick, but stirable consistency.

While holding the can with hot mitts, stir the soap with a metal spoon. It is not necessary to add essential oils, as the soap usually has plenty of scent already, but if you are using the unscented type, feel free to add a few drops of oil at this point. When the soap is melted enough that it blends, scoop it onto wax paper. As it cools, you can shape it into whatever form you wish; such as round, square, rectangle, or star-shaped. When it completely cools, let it air dry for three to four days. This will let some of the water that you added in the cooking process evaporate.

 After the soap has hardened, you can either use it yourself, or give it as a gift. If you do give it as a gift, you can wrap it in plastic wrap, and then decorate it with a strip of corrugated cardboard and a raffia bow.

Of course, if you don't want to go through all this, there is a much simpler way to deal with soap slivers. Simply save the plastic mesh bags that some vegetables come in (or cut off a segment of an old shower puff), put the slivers inside and tie it off. If you want to make doubly sure that the knot doesn't come undone, you can secure it with a diaper pin.

Whatever method you choose, you can now get every last penny out of that bar of soap!

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