Soap Making

Inspiration & Exploration

Have you ever noticed how a great-smelling bar of soap can totally change your mood? Soap making is one of the oldest crafts around, and people in Utah have been making it at home forever — the pioneer tradition of using simple ingredients to create something useful is alive and well. Start by browsing r/soapmaking on Reddit to see what people are creating. Watch a few beginner videos on YouTube and check out the community at TheSage.com for free recipes. Walk through a craft store like JOANN in SLC and just look at what melt-and-pour soap bases look like. You don't need to buy anything yet — just get curious. You're ready for the next step when you can name three different soap bases and two scent options you want to try.

Tools & Techniques

Soap making has two beginner-friendly paths: melt-and-pour (totally safe, no lye needed) and cold process (more advanced, uses lye with adult supervision). For this quest you'll start with melt-and-pour. You'll need a soap base, fragrance or essential oils, colorants, and a mold. The free recipe database at TheSage.com has hundreds of starter formulas. Watch Royalty Soaps on YouTube — Katie is a pro and explains everything clearly. Key terms to know: trace (when soap thickens), curing (drying time), INCI names (the ingredient labels). Learn what a "fragrance load" means — it's the percentage of scent you add. You're ready for the next step when you can explain melt-and-pour vs. cold process and list the four supplies you need to make your first bar.

First Creations

Time to actually make soap! Melt your soap base in the microwave in 30-second bursts. Add colorant a drop at a time — less is more. Stir in your fragrance oil (stick to 1–3% of total weight to start). Pour into a mold and spritz the top with rubbing alcohol to pop air bubbles. Let it harden for a couple hours, then pop it out. Your first bar might be lumpy or lopsided — that's completely fine. The point is learning how the materials behave. Make two or three small bars with different scents or colors. Write down exactly what you used so you can repeat what works (or fix what doesn't). You're ready for the next step when you have made at least two complete bars of soap and written down your recipe for each.

Style Development

Now that you know the basics, develop your own style. Think about a theme — maybe you love the Wasatch mountains, so you make a pine-scented green bar shaped like a tree. Maybe you want a lavender honey bar inspired by local Utah beekeepers. Try layering two colors, embedding small shapes, or adding texture with dried flowers from a local shop like Cali's Natural at the downtown SLC farmers market. Experiment with different molds — silicone baking molds from a dollar store work great. Start a soap journal with photos of each batch. The difference between a hobby crafter and a real soap maker is documenting everything. You're ready for the next step when you have made five different bars and can describe what makes each one unique in look, scent, and feel.

Refine Your Craft

Step up your game with advanced techniques. Try hot-process soap (cooked in a slow cooker — look up tutorials on Brambleberry.com, which ships to Utah). Experiment with natural colorants: turmeric for yellow, spirulina for green, activated charcoal for black. Learn to calculate fragrance loads by weight using a kitchen scale. Try a simple swirl design — the "Taiwan swirl" is a classic beginner advanced move. Study soap chemistry: why does lye turn oils into soap? (It's called saponification.) If you want to try cold process, always work with an adult and wear gloves and goggles — lye is serious stuff. Brambleberry's free lye calculator at brambleberry.com helps you get ratios right. You're ready for the next step when you can make a patterned or naturally-colored bar and explain the saponification process in your own words.

Portfolio Piece

Create a collection of six bars that represent your signature style — your soap portfolio. Each bar should have a name, a scent story (why you chose that fragrance), and a list of ingredients. Design simple labels using free tools like Canva. Package them nicely and give a set to someone you know. Consider selling at a local farmers market — the Downtown SLC Farmers Market at Pioneer Park runs summer Saturdays and welcomes young vendors. Share your work on r/soapmaking or post photos to the Utah Arts Alliance community online. Write a one-page "maker statement" explaining your aesthetic and what inspires your soap designs. You're ready for the next step when you have a complete set of six labeled bars with ingredient lists and a written maker statement.