Are you feeling kinda flat and bored needing something to occupy your interests? Tired of playing online games for hours and no interest in anything on television? Hobbies can be the answer to your dilemma, it certainly was the answer for me. My main problem is that I want to do it all, I want to try every craft and hobby I run across!
There are hobbies that can serve a dual purpose by providing you with actual income from your hobby. Making soaps and bath salts is a hobby that can be safe, inexpensive and entertaining… not to mention it can actually pay for itself if you sell your finished products.
In this article I am going to provide you with step-by-step instruction along with recipes for items that you can make and use to decorate your home, give as gifts or even sell for profit.
To get a feel for what soap making involves, start simply by beginning with an easy recipe, Chocolate soap is a good starter and here is what you need:
12 oz grated soap
5 oz water
1/4 cup instant cocoa powder
1/8 oz Chocolate Fragrance oil
Combine your grated soap and water in a saucepan and set on medium heat; When the soap has melted combine cocoa powder and chocolate fragrance; Stir well and then pack into molds and allow to sit until completely hardened.
When you are ready step it up we will begin with making glycerine soaps… this is what you will need to make Apple Tart Soap:
4oz. Clear, Unscented Glycerine Soap
1 Tablespoon Liquid Soap
1 teaspoon Liquid Glycerine
1/2 teaspoon Apple Fragrance Oil
2 Drops Red Food Color
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
First you melt soap in small pan over low heat or in a glass cup in the microwave; Add Liquid Soap and glycerine and stir gently but well; Add fragrance and /or color; Add cinnamon and stir; Allow to stand for a couple minutes, just enough to start to thicken so when you stir again the cinnamon will be more evenly distributed; Pour into molds. Allow to set completely (in or out of freezer). When completely set you can wrap your soap in plastic wrap, cellophane candy bags also work very well.
Another type of glycerin soap that is interesting to make is Apricot Freesia and this is what you will need:
1 lb White Glycerin Soap Base
12 Drops Cosmic Color Canary Yellow
11 Drops Cosmic Color Red
1 t. Apricot Freesia FO
Ingredients For “Whipped Cream” Topping:
4 oz White Glycerin Soap Base
ΒΌ t. Apricot Freesia FO
First you melt soap base for tart in a double boiler; After it is completely melted, add color and fragrance; Pour mixture into a muffin tin and allow to harden; Remove from tin; Melt soap base for topping and add a shake of Sparkle Dust; Using an electric mixer, mix until thickened and bubbly; Spray with rubbing alcohol and spoon the topping onto the tarts and allow some of the topping to run over sides; Top with a dash of Sparkle Dust (optional)
Being one who does a lot of entertaining and spending time with children, Cookie Cutter Soap was a must! The making of this soap requires one to be creatively free and is a good craft for children, with adult supervision of course.
Melt and Pour soap base(opaque)
Scent (optional)
Color (must be liquid, like gels)
cookie sheet (must have at least a 1/2 in. edge on it)
knife (to swirl your colors!)
cookie cutters
First you will want to melt down the soap base and scents; You can give the main base a color if you wish or leave it white; Pour the base on the cookie sheet and add colors and swirl them all over – this is where you get to be creative! When this dries, pop the block of soap out of the cookie sheet. Use cookie cutters to cut up the soap.
There are lots of different things you can do with this for instance you can make…
Christmas Soap: Swirl red & green into white and use cookie cutters;
Candy Cane Soap: Swirl red into white with peppermint scent and candy cane cutters;
Easter/Spring: Swirl multiple pastels and find some fun cookie cutters;
4th of July: Patriotic white soap with a beautiful red & blue swirl (find a nice star cutter!)
So you see your options are limitless as far as what you can create and sell if you desire!
