Soap Leftover Tips
If you use bars of soap, you may end up with those little pieces of the bar left over.
Here are three ideas for those pieces.
1. You can make those pieces into a new bar of soap.
Just save up the little pieces until you have enough to make a new bar. Keep a plastic bag in your bathroom drawer.
When you see a little piece left on the soap dish, move it to the bag. Once you have collected enough pieces,
put them in a glass microwave safe measuring cup, add a little water and microwave.
Do 30 seconds at a time and check and stir. Once the soap is fairly well melted.
Once you have melted your soap, you can add scent and color. Use only cosmetically approved scents (like essential oils).
Many do use unapproved scent and color like perfumes and crayons, but these kinds of ingredients can cause chemical reactions
with the soap base like seizing (soap instantly sets up and you can’t pour into molds) or be too harsh for human skin.
Also you need to be aware if anyone using the soap has allergies and avoid using any ingredients that might cause skin reactions.
A little goes a long way with scent. A few drops of an essential oil or soap scent is all you need.
If using a commercial soap scent always follow the manufacturer’s measurements and instructions.
To add scent you must first remove the thin skin of soap that has been created by the soap cooling.
Add the scent drops and stir slowly, but thoroughly to mix the scent well.
Vigorous stirring will cause air bubbles which you do not want in your soap so slow is best.
Use a metal utensil to mix the scent. Wood utensils will cause air bubbles.
Once the scent is added it is time to add color to your soap.
You can use all kinds of things to add color to soap. Adding coffee grounds not only adds an exfoliate to your soap, but also a pretty brown color.
Spices are great to use to add color to soap. Paprika give a salmon hue, crushed basil adds a soft green with speckles of green, and a pinch
of turmeric creates a muted yellow. There are commercial soap colorants available at crafts stores and online.
Some are liquid while others solid in form. Some soap makers do use scrapings of crayons to add color to soap.
Add color a little at a time until you are happy with the hue. Solid colorants need to be melted into
liquid form and added to the melted soap. Stir as you do with scent, slowly with a metal utensil.Now when everything is ready
pour it into one of those travel snap close soap dishes and put it in the refrigerator to cool.
Once it’s hardened back, I pop it out of the mold and viola! You have a usable bar of soap.
2. You can also make liquid soap out of your left over soap pieces
To make liquid soap, collect enough to make about 1 whole bar of soap (if they almost fill the travel type snap closed soap dish,
you have enough) and grate them using a cheese grater. Mix the grated pieces in a glass microwave safe dish or
measuring cup along with 3 cups of hot water. Microwave at 30 second increments until it is completely melted.
Once all the pieces are melted, let it cool and then pour into a container to store and use.
3. You can make dish detergent.
For dish detergent, grate the pieces of soap until you have ¼ cup.
Melt the pieces into 2 cups of water either in the microwave or on the stove top.
Once it’s melted, allow it to cool then add one teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice.
I have found that the detergent using lemon juice doesn’t last quite as long as when it is made with vinegar.
