Discarded Soap Into Fresh Bars (Video)

In this video I'll be making fresh new soap bars from leftover soap slivers.

If you don't prefer to read, you can skip it and watch the video instead where I have explained all the steps in detail. If you do, then continue reading the written steps along with pictures in the following steps. Find out more similar projects and gadget reviews on my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/miibooth

This is what you need:

1. Leftover soap bars.

2. Food color. (Optional)

3. Fragrance oil. (I'using Lavender) [Optional]

4. Molds (any shape will work. I found out silicon molds work best but you can also use something like a muffin tray.)

5. Shower gel/Hand-wash liquid (Optional)

The whole process actually requires only the soap bars and the molds, the food color, fragrance oil and the shower gel are there to give it some extra color, scent and foam.

Step 1: Prep the Soap

1. Chop your soap bars into as small pieces as you can with a knife.

2. Transfer back to the bowl and cover with water and leave them in there for a couple of hours. Overnight is even better.

3. Transfer the whole mixture into a pan and place on medium heat on a stove top.

4. While the mixture is heating, take two small containers and mix in a couple drops of food coloring and the lavendar oil. Place this on the side for later.

Step 2: Get the Molds Ready

1. Once you have a consistent sludge, turn down the heat and pour in a table spoon of olive/vegetable oil.

2. Add another 2-3 tablespoons of shower gel for some renewed foam effect.

3. Finally add the fragrance oil to give it a nice scent. I emptied the remaining bottle after the food color mix.

4. At this point, you can use the mixture as it is or you can use a mixer or a hand blender to further break down any small chunks in there.

5. Pour the sludge into the molds, place a few drops of the scent infused food color mix we prepared earlier and use a toothpick to swirl it around.

Now leave the soap bars for a couple of hours before removing them from the molds.

Step 3: Unveil the New Soap

1. 12 hours later, I removed the soap bars from the molds and placed them on wax paper. I let them sit for another 12 hours as they were still pretty moist.

2. Another 12 hours later, the soap is ready to use. I would still let them sit for a couple of days but even at this stage they are completely usable. you can watch the video in the beginning of this instructable for a demo hand wash.

Note: You might notice the soap has a lot of air bubbles in it. That is because of the hand blender. When I whisked the mixture with a high speed blender, It trapped in a lot of air and after pouring it into the molds, it solidifies so quickly there isn’t enough time for the air bubbles to escape.

But don’t worry, it doesn’t affect the soap’s performance in anyway.

This is a very easy way to recycle old soap bars that you will throw away otherwise.

I hope you like this project and don't forget to share it with your friends and family.
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Comments

[sjeverett75]

I used to see ads in catalogs for used soap molds all the time back in the 80's. Put slivers in, when it fills up, soak on hot water and compress the two halves together. Presto, a larger bar ready to go. As body wash and the internet gained popularity, both the bar molds and the paper catalogs disappeared.

[Koncrete]

My dad used to have what he called a soap sam, for putting the small annoying slivers of old soap into to form into a new bar. I've often thought to try it, but usually the slivers just end up being used normally anyway.

[BeachsideHank]

Eons ago, when I was an assistant Scoutmaster, we used to save the slivers at our homes and use an old worn-out pair of pantyhose to hold the remains and knotted them off in the toes. Hung from a tree at the wash station, it made hand cleanups real easy by just wetting, then stroking the bunch of stubs to soap up and rinse off when done. More than one mom came up short a pair of new pantyhose, but it was all in a good cause. ☺