How to Make Soap without Lye

So you want to make your own soap but you don’t want to handle Lye!

I get you! When I first started making Melt and Pour soap I thought that it would be a fun little project. I didn’t know that it would become a huge hobby of mine!! The more I make soap, the more I consider learning hot process or cold process soapmaking. Both require handling lye. And I’m just not ready for all that: calculating, weighing, measuring, and scariest of all: testing! I’m afraid I’m going to mess it up and make an irritating soap. I’m also impatient! When I finish a bar I want to use it right away!

So if you’re not ready to jump into more advanced soap making, or you want to use your soap tonight, then this website can be a good resource to help you make your own soap. Now here’s my quick disclaimer: All soap is made with lye. Check out the what is soap post for the science lesson. I like to dabble with melt and pour soap because of the simplicity and the fact the lye handling part is already done! With the Melt and Pour method, you buy a soap base that’s already been made and cured – it’s ready to go!

You don’t have to worry about what weird chemicals and ingredients are in it. You don’t have to wonder if your soap is harming your children or yourself. You will know what’s in your soap and you can even make natural or organic soaps using this Melt and Pour method. Ready to learn how to make soap without lye? Let’s go!

Soap Ingredients & Materials

1 lb Melt & Pour Soap Base (I prefer SFIC brand)
1 tsp Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil
Herbs, Spices, or Botanicals (optional)
Pyrex Measuring Glass/Bowl
Big Spoon and/or Rubber Spatula
Measuring Equipment
Cutting Board & Knife
Soap Molds (I prefer Silicone Soap Molds)
Spray Bottle with Rubbing Alcohol

[Related Articles: Basic Soapmaking Supplies | Choosing a Soap Base | Choosing Soap Molds | Natural Soap Colorants ]

Melt & Pour Soap Tutorial

1. Gather all your soap ingredients and soap supplies

2. Cut your melt and pour soap base into cubes. (approximately 1″ cubes)

3. Place your soap cubes into a Pryex bowl or measuring glass. I highly recommend using a non-porous material, avoid plastic.

4. Microwave your soap starting with 30 seconds first.

5. Stir the soap and continue to microwave in 10 second bursts while stirring in between. The reason for this is so you don’t overheat your soap base and you can slowly melt the cubes evenly.

6. When the soap is melted with an even consistency, you can add in your essential oils, coloring, and any other additives like exfoliants or botanicals you desire.

7. Stir in the ingredients to incorporate them evenly. Sometimes a film will form along the top or the soap will begin to set up. You can put it back in the microwave for a couple seconds to remedy that or keep stirring to try to prevent it.

8. Pour your soap into a mold. I have really grown fond of silicone soap molds. I got This one on Amazon, and it perfectly fits a 1 lb soap batch!

9. After you pour, spray the surface with a fine mist of rubbing alcohol. This helps break up the bubbles and create a smooth surface.

10. Let the soaps cool and harden. This could take a couple hours: be patient. Do NOT attempt to speed up the process by placing the mold in the freezer – that will cause them to sweat more after you take them out. When they’re completely cooled and hardened, they will easily pop out of the mold!

When you’re ready to make your own soap, check out all of the melt and pour soap recipes or the getting started page

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase your soap mold using my link I’ll get a small commission to support this blog. If you would like to use the same soap mold I did, Here is the link to get it on Amazon!

So how did your soap turn out? Do you have any additional tips or tricks? Share below!