January 21st, 2011 
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The first video in our Melt & Pour soapmaking series features Anne-Marie demonstrating the basics of making soap. In this episode the Soap Queen explains the difference between fragrance and essential oils and demonstrates the fundamental components of making a bar of melt & pour soap. Are you a blogger? Please feel free to embed this video on your blog. If you need any help just let us know! info@brambleberry.com Anne-Marie Faiola is the owner of Bramble Berry www.brambleberry.com, author of Soap Queen Blog http and developer of Teach Soap www.teachsoap.com. Music is by the PsyWoofers and the song title is Dancing 4 Joy All of the supplies used can be purchased at http
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nice! I won’t use the rubbing alcohol though
@ulietjay That’s so great to hear. Thanks for posting.
Happy Soaping!
I finally got to make some of my own soaps this weekend. I was at my moms workroom and apparently she has a TON of essential oils and like a 30 lb block of glycerin from before I was born and was really into soap making so I have all the supplies I need, from colors to molds to fragrances. THANKS FOR THE VIDEOS! Oh! I forgot, I figured out how to make soap clay by brainstorming and It stays dough-y and works really well and some simple soap frosting
very nice video. well done, excellent demonstration. (thumbs up!)
@urbeautyurstyle Are you using a melt & pour soap base – or just a regular store bought soap? That sounds like what happens when you try to microwave some of the commercial soaps. But it can also happen if you microwave the M&P soap for too long, so you really need to microwave on short bursts and stir frequently. You can also use a double boiler or slow cooker – both are slower methods but safer.
Happy Soaping!
Anne-Marie
i’ve tried melt & pour soap making about 4 times in the microwave. each time they sort of blow up into this foam ball. why is this? please help!
@magerkaimic Yes, melt & pour soapmaking is a great project for kids. We have kid’s soapmaking parties at Otion the Soap Bar frequently!
Of course you want to supervise them and make sure they don’t overheat the soap or burn themselves. So this is probably a project that is best for a child that is capable of safely using a microwave?
Happy Soaping!
is this kid safe
i have a question can kids do this???
@flipthecoin888 Bramble Berry sells soap bases in quantities as small as 1 pound. Sounds like you were just looking at the bulk soap base page. We have way more soap bases than that!
How many soaps you can make depends on the size of your mold. For instance, if you have a 4 ounce mold you will be able to make 100 bars of soap from 25 pounds of soap. (25lbs x16 oz) รท 4oz = 100 bars
I have a question, hope you can answer Soap Queen!
How many soaps can 25 lbs of M&P make? I notice that’s the minimum in the website. Im looking into making around 70 square bars.
@xoMorbidAngelox You might try using a Melt & Pour base that is specifically formulated to give extra lather. Bramble Berry carries one called shaving soap and it uses castor oil – an all natural lather booster. Also be sure you aren’t adding any extra oils or butters, those can significantly decrease lather in soap. Some people like to add SLS to increase lather – but I haven’t had much luck with that myself. Happy Soaping!
i tried posting this earlier not sure if it worked buttt…. i need a suggestion … i have been playing around with melt and pour soap… a few people i have given my creations to to try say that the soap doesnt lather as much as they would like
any suggestions????
@msanjanetta It sounds like the base could be old. You could try remelting it and adding some extra glycerin to help with the texture. The soap is still safe to use though.
i used a melt and pour Olive oil soap base from Michaels and added apricot seeds to it as well as some peach fragrance. but my soaps turned our very rubbery. Has this ever happened to u.. can you tell me why and what I can do different.
THanks
@rabbiaj It depends on what bases you use. Bramble Berry posts all of the ingredients for each base we sell so you can see for yourself. None of our bases use animal fats – but some do contain milk or honey. So although they would all be considered vegetarian they wouldn’t all be considered vegan. Hope that helps!
do you know if the melt and pour soaps are vegeterian? thanks
@ju1850 You can try adding more fragrance oil to your soap. But since it’s soap it is designed to rinse off. So maybe a better solution is to make a lotion using the same fragrance and then use it after washing your hands!
@akSmmB17 some people do call melt & pour soap ‘glycerin soap’. If it melts down easily and sets back up in few hours it is probably the same thing.
is soap base the same thing as glycerin soap? because that is what i am using right now to make soap
Great vids! I am now making my own soaps , I have one question. I use oils to scent my soap , after I wash my hands the scent is gone. What can I do so that the scent can stick around?
You have a great speaking voice and inflection. Great job.
I love all of your videos can you do a video on how to use Brambleberry sodium lauryl sulfate in soap bath bombs and anything ele it can be used for. Thank you.
The melt & pour will always sort of solidify no matter what. For a soap that stays soft you will need a specially pre-made whipped base. We once carried a product called Foaming Bath Butter but had to discontinue it. You might do a search online – someone has to have it!
hi anne-marie thank you for replying I did find that tutorial which is what i am going to use for my cupcake soap but I am actually looking for a whipped soap that will stay soft and not harden on me. If i add distilled water and glycerin to the batch will i be able to achieve this or is it pretty much impossible as i dont want to loose my sudding action!