Melt and Pour Soap Making: Helpful Tips for Beginners

Updated on November 7th, 2025

I have been seeing melt and pour soaps everywhere, and I wanted to try melt and pour soap making for myself and potentially give soaps as gifts to family and friends. In this post, I will share tips for beginners if you would like to make melt and pour soap too.

What is Melt and Pour Soap?

First off, you may be wondering what melt and pour soap is. Melt and pour soap is a ready-made soap base. Unlike cold process soap, where you have to mix your own ingredients together, including oils and lye to make a soap base, you can use melt and pour soap right away to make your soaps. However, since melt and pour is ready to use and has gone through the saponification process (the process of mixing the oils and lye together), there are ingredients you should avoid adding, as they could affect the lather or even make the soap rot. However, there are plenty of ingredients that are safe to add.

What Can You Add to a Melt and Pour Soap Base?

These additives are safe and will not ruin the soap.

• Soap colors – look for color blocks or liquid drops that are meant for soap making. You only need a few drops of color, as too many liquid drops can affect the lather of the soap
• Mica – an alternative to soap colors is mica, which is a color powder. However, there are ethical concerns around mica powder, as child labor is often used to mine natural mica. If you buy natural mica, ensure the mica does not use child labor, or as an alternative, you can use synthetic mica. You will want to premix the mica with isopropyl alcohol to avoid clumps in the soap
• If you want to use natural colorants that are not mica, there are natural additives you can use instead. Like with mica, you do want to premix them with isopropyl alcohol to avoid clumps in the soap. Some natural colorants you can use include:
  • Activated charcoal – black
  • Alkanet root powder – grey
  • Indigo powder – blue
  • Lemon peel powder – yellow
  • Madder root powder – mauve
  • Orange peel powder – orange
  • Purple Brazilian clay – purple
  • Rose clay – pink
  • Spinach powder – green
  • Turmeric powder – yellow
• Plastic-free and body-safe glitter – the glitter is better for the environment and safe for the skin and can be used in melt and pour soap
• Soap flowers, fruits, chunks, and other soap embeds – instead of using real flowers, fruits, etc. that can rot, you can use soap embeds instead. You can also shred the soap base with a cheese grater to add to the soap
• Coffee grounds, coconut shell powder, demerara sugar, and sea salt – these additives can be used if you want to make a soap with extra exfoliation
• Extracts such as aloe, chamomile, green tea, and oat – these extracts can be used if you want your soaps to be extra moisturizing

What Should You NOT Add to a Melt and Pour Soap Base?

These additives you should avoid, as they can cause the soap to not lather well or even rot. They can also be harmful to the skin.

• Fresh or dried flowers – the flowers will turn brown and rot
• Fresh or dried fruits, vegetables, or herbs – like with the flowers, they will rot in the soap
• Food coloring – the colors will fade and bleed, and potentially stain the hands when using the soap
• Water – the melt and pour soap has already gone through the saponification process, so adding water can affect the soap. You should also not add water-based liquids like brewed coffee and beer
• Cinnamon powder and cinnamon essential oil – the cinnamon will cause the skin to burn. However, a cinnamon fragrance oil is okay to use

What Ingredients Can You Add with Caution?

These additives you need to be careful with as they can ruin the soap or potentially harm an individual

• Calendula and cornflower petals – these two ingredients are supposed to be safe to add to melt and pour soap as they do not rot, unlike other fresh ingredients. However, I have seen some soap makers talk about how they still rot, so I would use them with caution
• Fragrance and essential oils that are safe for the body – fragrance and essential oils are safe to add to melt and pour soap, but you need to be careful and measure out the drops, as too much of the oil, such as peppermint oil, can be harmful to the skin. You do want to make sure the fragrance oils and the essential oils do not come in direct contact with the skin because it can cause irritation. If the oils do come in contact with your skin, wash the area immediately with warm water and soap
• Vanilla – vanilla will turn your soap brown, so keep that in mind if you want to make vanilla-scented soaps. You can purchase a Vanilla Color Stabilizer if you want to use fragrances with vanilla without it discoloring the soap
• Extra oil or butter (for example, coconut oil, olive oil, and shea butter) – you can add little amounts, but too much of the oils and butters can negatively affect the lather of the soap and can also cause the soap to not set

Where Can You Buy Melt and Pour Soap Base?

I was limited in Denmark, where I could purchase a soap base, but I purchased the Stephenson Melt & Pour Soap Crystal Soap Base from Urtegaarden. In the US, you can purchase soap bases from Bramble Berry, Candle Science, and Wholesale Supplies Plus, and craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s. As far as the UK, The Soap Kitchen and Hobbycraft are recommended.

What Melt and Pour Soap Base Should You Use?

As far as what base to use, it depends on what you want to make. Though for starting out, I recommend a clear base.

Clear Base

A clear melt and pour soap base is better if you want to use soap colors, as a white base will make the colors appear less vibrant. Clear melt and pour is also good if you want to add soap embeds, as you can easily see the embeds. Furthermore, the clear base is odorless, so it is great for adding your own scents. I recommend starting out with a clear base as a beginner, but there are other soap bases.

• Aloe Vera Base -The aloe vera base is a clear base with added aloe vera gel. The base has the same benefits as above, and it will also be soothing on the skin. This base is good if you want to make soaps for the face.
• Honey Base – The honey base is another clear base with added honey. The base has a sweet scent on its own, which may not be the best if you want to add your own scents. However, the honey base moisturizes the skin.

White Base

An alternative to a clear base is a white base. However, it is harder to see the embeds in a white base. If you want to make pastel soaps, then a white base would be better than a clear base because the white base dulls colors. The white base is also odorless. Therefore, you can add your own scents.

• Goat’s Milk Base – The goat’s milk base is a white base with added goat’s milk. The base has the same pros and cons as above, but the goat’s milk lathers well and is moisturizing.
• Shea Butter Base – The shea butter base is another white soap base with added natural shea butter. The shea butter is moisturizing, but it does not lather as well as the goat’s milk base. Shea butter is also not odorless, but you can add more natural scents.
• Cocoa Butter Base – Another white soap base is cocoa butter, and the lather is good, and the soap is moisturizing. The cocoa butter base is also good to use with your own scents.
• Oatmeal Base – Another white soap base is an oatmeal base. If you want to make soaps for the face, an oatmeal base is recommended as it is exfoliating and soothes the skin.
• Buttermilk Base – The buttermilk base is a white base with added buttermilk, and it is moisturizing and has a good lather. The buttermilk base also has a light scent.
• Donkey’s Milk Base – The donkey’s milk base is another white soap base with added donkey’s milk. The donkey’s milk is moisturizing and lathers well, but the base does set quickly, so you have to work fast when using it.

Olive Oil Base

The olive oil base is similar to a clear base, but it has a slight yellow tint. However, the base holds colors well. The base is also odorless, which is great if you want to add scents, and the base is also moisturizing.

• Hemp Base – The hemp base is an olive oil base with added natural hemp seed oil. The base is moisturizing and has a yellow tint like the olive oil base.

Where Can You Buy Soap Molds?

Again, I was limited on options in Denmark, but I ordered all my soap molds from Etsy, including the shop MoldShareYou. You can also buy soap molds from Bramble Berry, Candle Science, The Soap Kitchen, and hobby stores. I also know some soap makers buy molds on Amazon.

What Soap Molds Should You Use?

I recommend using silicone molds as they are easy to use and the soap is easy to get out of the mold. Silicone molds are also easy to clean, and they can be reused again and again. Plastic molds will be hard to get the soap out of, and the plastic can end up cracking. Therefore, you will not be able to reuse it. I also know some people will use wooden molds, but these are generally used for cold process soaps. If you do want a wooden mold, I recommend a wooden mold with a silicone liner, as the soap will be easier to unmold. Some soap makers also use metal molds such as baking tins, but again, the soap can be hard to get out of.

You can buy molds in all shapes and sizes, and I recommend starting out with a small mold so you can get the hang of making melt and pour soap. When you get more practice, you can try a loaf mold and make your own soap bars.

Where Can You Buy Additives (colors, scents, etc.)?

I purchased my soap colors and some soap fragrances from Panduro, which is a hobby store in Denmark, and fragrance oils from Urtegaarden. You can also look at Brambleberry, as they have a wide selection of additives, colorants, essential oils, and fragrance oils you can purchase. Wholesale Supplies Plus has additives, colors, and fragrances, while Candle Science has fragrance oils. Mad Micas has ethical mica and biodegradable glitter, and The Good Glitter also has biodegradable glitter. Other soap makers recommend Bulk Apothecary and Nature’s Garden.

How Do You Make Soap Using a Melt and Pour Base?

Now for the fun part of making the soap!

1. Pick out the soap base, mold, colors, scents, or other additives you want to use
2. Cut the soap base into small chunks
3. Microwave the soap base in a microwave-safe dish for 10-20 second bursts. Make sure you do not overheat the base, as it will start sweating (moisture will appear on the soap) and smell bad
   • As an alternative to a microwave, you can use a double boiler to melt the soap. To use a double boiler, first, fill a pot with water. Then place another pot or heat-resistant bowl on top of the pot of water and ensure the pot or bowl is stable and water does not touch the pot or bowl. Heat the pot on medium heat, and as the pot heats up, the steam will melt the soap. The process takes about 10-15 minutes, and you can continue with the next steps.
4. Once melted, add the colors, scents, and other additives to the soap base
5. Pour the soap into your mold
6. Spray the top of the soap with isopropyl alcohol (the highest proof you can find) to eliminate air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to pop air bubbles
7. If you use a loaf mold, let the soap set overnight at room temperature. Other soap molds will take at least 1 hour to set. Do not freeze or refrigerate the soap, as it will cause the soap to sweat
8. After the soap has set, you can unmold it and use it. If you end up not liking the soap, you can always remelt it, but make sure you do not overheat it, and just know that adding more colors or additives will affect the soap
9. If you are storing the soap for later use or giving the soap as a gift, it is recommended to wrap the soap in plastic wrap or parchment paper to avoid the soap sweating

I recommend joining The Real Melt n Pour Soap Makers Facebook group, as you can see what others have created using melt and pour soap, and if you have any questions about melt and pour, you can ask them in the group. For tutorials on making melt and pour soap, I recommend the YouTube channels Koala Soaps and Bramble Berry.

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Have you made melt and pour soap before?