Gift Idea: Homemade Soaps

Disclosure: I was chosen to be a Michael’s Maker. All opinions and ideas are 100% my own. 

Is there a craft you have always wanted to try but just never taken the time? For me, there are several. Some may be surprised by this since I write a DIY/Craft blog, but there are actually a lot of things that have been on my must-try list for a long time. Like making Homemade Soaps!

For this month’s Michaels Maker Challenge is was all about going back to class and trying something new! Did you know that Michaels offers free classes in their stores? You can try out a new craft skill for just the cost of supplies.

If your Michaels Store doesn’t offer classes, another great way to explore your creativity is by trying out a craft kit. Michaels has everything from sewing kits to art kits and everything in between.

For this challenge I decided to purchase one of their many craft kits and make Homemade Soaps for Mother’s Day Gifts!
We completed these gifts in just over an hour from start to finish. That includes gift wrap! My kids had fun helping me make gifts for the grandma’s and loved watching the process of pouring the molds and creating something they use everyday.

These were so easy to make, the kit has everything you need to make 5 soap bars in adorable molds! Since I had never made soaps before I was completely in the dark on what I needed, so it was great to have everything all in one place.

The kit includes a block of shae butter soap, vanilla scent, yellow color and oatmeal. You also get four molds and decorative paper for wrapping.

I cut up the soap into cubes. I was expecting it to be hard like wax cubes, but it was super soft. For my soaps I used the oatmeal and vanilla scent, I chose not to use the yellow coloring because I wanted an organic look. 
Now this is the part where things got a little confusing for me.  In the directions it says to heat the soap stir,  heat again, stir until melted. I wasn’t sure what ‘melted’ meant to them, whether it meant until I could cream the soap together or until it was in liquid form. They stress not to overheat so I was scared to keep heating it. So here is what I learned during this process.

TIP: Only heat 3 cubs at a time (enough for one mold). I tried to do 12 for all the molds at that was too much. Heat until in liquid form and then pour into the mold. Repeat for each mold.

I placed my mold in the freezer and they were done in 10 minutes. Carefully pull them out and you are done!

I used the included paper to create a little decorative band and then added some paper flowers from Michaels.

This soap is super soft and smells amazing. I’m really excited to give them as gifts!

I finished off the soaps with some gift boxes (found in the baking section), delicate paper flowers and a wood monogram (all found at Michaels). 

Making soap was so much easier than I expected. It was fast, fun and something I will definitely do again and I loved getting to try something new that we could do together. I love it when I can learn and craft with my kids! I can’t wait to try new scents and combinations!

About Taryn Whiteaker

Taryn Whiteaker is the voice of style behind TarynWhiteaker.com (formerly Design, Dining and Diapers) ! Taryn is a previous PR/Marketing professional who got back to her creative roots after becoming a mom and now shares her passion for home decor and design for the world to see. Taryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and three kids and loves coffee, the outdoors, and exploring with her family.