Casting soap is simple, fun, and super satisfying – AND can happen in under 5 minutes, once you have all the materials you need of course! :D

To make the soaps in this instructable, I used clear glycerin soap (for the gem shape) and shea butter soap (for the ducky one), both of which I added color and scent to.

PSST... The soap materials I used melt in minutes in the microwave, which is how this process can be done so quicky!

Step 1: Supplies

Here are the tool and ingredient lists for making both translucent and opaque soaps:

Tools

Microwave safe glass measuring cup
Cutting board
Sharp chef's knife
Small spoons or wooden stir sticks
Soap molds*

*The molds I use in this 'ible are from my Mold Making & Casting Class. If you'd like to learn how to make your own custom molds – for making anything from soap to cakes to candy and chocolate – enroll for free today!

For more instant gratification, commercially made soap molds are available in all sorts of fun shapes (like these) on amazon.com! :D

Translucent Soap

Glycerine soap base
Liquid soap coloring
Essential oils ( Any scent works! I used different combinations of peppermint, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, and sweet orange for these - but feel free to use whichever scents you love!)

Opaque Soap

Shea butter soap base
Liquid soap coloring
Essential oils (I used a combination of lemon & lemongrass for these.)

Step 2: 5 Minutes of Soap Making

Step 1: Figure out how much soap base to melt.

In order to know how much soap base to melt for each soap mold, fill the mold with water (right to the top edge) and dump the water out into a measuring cup. This is the amount of soap you need to melt to fill that mold.

Step 2: Cut soap base into chunks and add required amount to glass measuring cup.

Cut the soap base you're using into small cubes or chunks with a sharp chef's knife. Add pieces to a microwavable glass measuring cup until they reach the line that is twice as much as the final amount you need.

For example: If you need 4 oz of melted soap base to fill your mold, fill the measuring cup to the 8oz line. We do this to compensate for all the spaces and gaps between the pieces.

Step 3: Melt the soap.

To melt the soap, place it in the microwave, one batch at a time, for 30 second intervals until it is completely liquid with no chunks.

If you miscalculated and need to add more soap chunks to the melted amount in order to end up with the correct volume, that's ok to do! Just add them in, and microwave in 15 second intervals until those have melted.

Step 4: Add the coloring and scents.

Once the soap is completely melted, add color and essential oils if you wish.

For the 4 fl oz bar sized translucent 'gem' soap, I added 10 drops of color and 4-5 drops of essential oil. For the 11 fl oz opaque 'ducky' soap, I added 40 drops of color and 10 drops of essential oil.

Step 5: Mix and pour.

Stir the mix well and pour it slowly into the molds until the mix reaches the top edge of the mold.

Let sit undisturbed until the soap has solidified. The time this takes will depend on the size of your mold – anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. The great news is though, that your 5 minutes of making are up! So you can now just kick back and do another thing while the soap hardens. :D