�

The process of making your own soap is simplicity itself. The materials needed are easy to find and often solely depend on your own imagination. The basic material is transparent and odourless glycerine soap, as found in all homes. Other ingredients are: all sorts of products to decorate the interior of the soap (rubber dolls, dry leaves, lemon and orange rinds, flowers, seeds, rubber balls, seashells�), various colourings, scents, moulds of varying and original shapes (cakes moulds, milk cartons, jam jars), oil and a pan.

�

To work!
The first step is to prepare the soap. If we buy it of glycerine, the work is done and we only need to pour it into a container to be heated up later in a pan full of boiling water bain-marie style. The container can be another smaller pan or a clean can. If we choose to use other soaps in the house, we need to grate them, fill the container and add some water.

�

Once prepared, the soap is placed into the pan with boiling water until it becomes liquid. Then pour the soap mixture into a pre-selected mould. These can be of any shape and size, with the only requirement that they be heat-proof. Before pouring in the soap liquid, the interior of the mould needs to be greased with oil so that the soap can be easily removed once solid.

�

The third step is to add the liquid soap, heat and scent. To do this you must add some drops of colouring of our choosing and others of scent or even our favourite perfume. Then stir with a spoon so that all the colour is uniform. The final step is to add the decorative objects we have chosen for the interior of the soap.

�

The soap only needs to be left 24 hours to harden before removal. To do this you can place the mould into hot water for a few minutes and then push the soap out. If the mould is made of cardboard, another simpler option is to cut it with a knife, and if the mould is a can, open it with a can opener if we do not intend to reuse it as a mould. The soap is then ready to be used or given away as a gift.�