DIY SOAP ON A ROPE

Hi, friends! It's Katie here again.I've been dying to make soap on a rope since I spotted some BEAUTIFUL soaps at a farmers market recently. When I got home that day I was full of inspiration, so I quickly went to work at developing my own method. I knew I wanted them to be neutral in color, smell amazing (duh, it's soap), and easy to make with things around the house. Here's what I came up with:

Supplies:
-glycerin melt and pour soap base (available at most craft stores)
-essential oils—I used lemon, lavender, rose, and mint
-rope
-household containers in any shape or size you'd like

To begin, cut your soap base into cubes. DO NOT swing your knife around like a sword. Okay, okay... do it. Just be careful! I think it's impossible for me not to pretend to be a samurai while holding a large knife. It's one of those things.

Now it's time to figure out how much soap base to melt. A little bit of this melt and pour base goes farther than you would imagine. For the ice cream bucket I used about four or five 2" x 2" cubes for a pint size container. Once you figure out how much you'd like to use, melt it in the microwave or use the double broiler method on the stove.

Once your soap base is melted entirely, stir in whatever essential oils you'd like. I put in around 20-25 drops for these soaps. When I initially poured them in I thought I had gone way overboard, but once the soap was set they were perfectly scented!

Now it's time to rig up a system to position your rope perfectly in your container! At first I had the rope clamped to the side, but I soon realized that the rope wouldn't be centered in the soap. Mason jars and a ruler were the perfect solution!

Once your soap is completely set (I let mine sit overnight just to be sure), it's time for extraction. Boy, oh, boy, do I have some tips. As you saw above, I used three different household containers as soap molds. The cup and the ice cream container were both plastic, so I stuck those in the freezer for several hours, and the soap just popped out. The tin can, however, was a different story. I left the can in the freezer for an entire weekend and still couldn't get that bugger out. I tried banging and squeezing, but still nothing. After many failed attempts and coming close to giving up, I fired up the stove and brought a pot of water to a boil. Dipping the can in the boiling water for a few seconds softened up the outside of the soap enough for me to slide it right out. Success! Be careful not to burn yourself on that boiling water. Wear an oven mit if you have one handy.

Thanks to those of you who have been tagging us on Instagram and Twitter when you post soap pics! Be sure to keep them coming!