How to Make Soap Jelly

Creating the Base

Boil 2 c (470 ml) of water. Pour the water into a pot and put it on your stove over high heat. Wait until the water comes to a rolling boil before turning off your stove and removing the pot from heat. You can use either tap or distilled water for your soap.

Stir in 2 tablespoons (18 g) of plain gelatin until it dissolves. Slowly dump the gelatin into the hot water and mix it in with a whisk. Continue stirring the gelatin so it completely dissolves in the water and looks clear. You can buy gelatin from your local grocery store.Variation: You can also use plant agar in place of gelatin if you want to make vegan jelly soaps.

Add 1 c (240 ml) of liquid body soap to the pot. You can use any type of liquid body soap you want, so pick your favorite for your soap. Pour the soap into the pot with the water and gelatin and slowly stir it in with your whisk. Avoid stirring so quickly that suds form since it will give the soap a cloudy appearance and won’t form a lather when you use it. You can also use plain unscented castile soap if you want to add your own scents later on.

Customizing Your Soap

Put essential oils in the soap for a different scent. You can use any essential oil you want, so pick the scents that you enjoy the most. Common oils you can try include eucalyptus, peppermint, and lavender. Squeeze 10–15 drops of the essential oil into the mixture and stir it in with your whisk. You can buy essential oils online or from your local drugstore. Essential oils are extremely concentrated and can cause skin irritation if you use more than the recommended amount. Split the soap mixture between different bowls if you want to make different scents in a single batch.

Add some soap colorant if you want to change the color. Soap colorant is a type of dye that doesn’t stain and can make your jelly soap really pop. Choose a color you like and squeeze 3–4 drops into your soap mixture. Use your whisk to mix the colorant into the soap until it has a consistent shade throughout. You can buy soap colorant online or from home goods stores. Try mixing different colorants to get more colors. For example, you can mix red and blue colorants to make purple soap.Variation: In a pinch, you can use 1–2 drops of food coloring, but avoid using any more since it could stain your skin or tub.

Pour in 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of vitamin E oil to help soothe dry skin. Vitamin E has antioxidants that may protect and moisturize your skin. Get topical vitamin E oil from your local pharmacy and pour it into your soap mixture. Be sure to mix it thoroughly so it’s evenly distributed throughout your soap. Ask your doctor before using vitamin E oil since it could cause an allergic reaction.

Sprinkle edible glitter in your soap if you want it to sparkle. Pick up a container of edible glitter from a cooking store. Shake some glitter into your soap mixture and stir it thoroughly with your whisk. While the glitter won’t make your soap more effective, it will give your soap a sparkly appearance. Avoid using craft glitter, since it will feel abrasive and could damage your skin.

Shaping the Soap

Pour the warm soap mixture into a tray or mold. Opt for a silicone baking mold or an ice cube tray to shape your soap into bars. While the soap mixture is still warm, slowly dump it into the tray or mold and let it settle. You can use any size of mold you want depending on how large you want the bars of soap, but you’ll have enough to fill about 2 standard ice cube trays. If you have trouble pouring the soap from the pot, use a spoon or kitchen syringe to scoop it out.Tip: Look for baking molds that have different shapes, such as roses or seashells, if you want to make your soap look more decorative.

Spray the soap’s surface with rubbing alcohol to remove bubbles. Fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and turn the sprayer to the mist setting. If you see bubbles on the surface of the soap, lightly spray them with your rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will pop the bubbles so the soap bar has a clean, even surface. You do not need to spray the soap with rubbing alcohol if there aren't any large bubbles.

Chill the soap in your fridge for 4 hours. Transfer the tray or mold you’re using to the fridge and leave it uncovered for at least 4 hours. During that time, the gelatin will solidify and give your soap a solid gel-like consistency. After 4 hours, you can take the jelly soap out from the fridge and use it. The soap will also set if you leave it on your counter, but it will take around 5–6 hours instead.

Pop the soaps out of the mold once they solidify. Take your mold or tray out from the fridge and lift the soap out. If you used a silicone mold, flip it upside down and the soap will easily fall out. If the soap gets stuck, run a knife along the edges to loosen them up before flipping the mold over. If you use a large tray, you will need to cut the bars with a knife.

Store the soap jelly in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it. You can use a plastic container or glass jar with a lid to store your soap. Whenever you want to use your soap, take out a piece and lather it on a washcloth. Avoid storing your soap uncovered since it may start melting or lose its consistency. Soap jelly will last indefinitely, but it’s usually best to use it within a few weeks.