Soap Sponge DIY: An Easy Way to Exfoliate Skin & Reduce Plastic Waste

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February 20, 2020 By Rebecca D. Dillon 6 Comments

Learn how to make a soap sponge to use as part of your daily skin care routine. These soaps are dual purpose with an exfoliating sponge and a soap in one product. With proper care, your homemade soap sponges will last about two months. And they offer a number of benefits, not just in skin care, but for the environment as well. Keep reading to discover the benefits of soap sponges, plus how to make your own with just two simple ingredients and a sponge.

The first time I saw a soap sponge in a soap making group on Facebook, I was intrigued. Was it a solid bar of soap with a sponge inside? Would that even be comfortable to use? How do you make one without making a mess?

Since I love playing with all things soap, I decided to take on the challenge and teach you how to make a DIY soap sponge without making a mess.

I was pleasantly surprised that a DIY soap sponge wasn’t messy or hard to make. It was actually one of the easier melt and pour soap making projects that I’ve done.

Unlike DIY loofah soap, which is a loofah embedded inside melt and pour soap, a soap sponge is a sponge that is infused with soap. It’s still soft and squishy, so it feels like and works like, well, a sponge.

Why Use a Soap Sponge?

First off, you may be wondering, what is a soap sponge? A soap sponge is exactly what the name implies. It’s soap in a sponge. So like body wash on a loofah, soap sponges lather and cleanse skin when used. But what are the benefit of using a soap sponge over traditional body wash?

They help reduce plastic use.

Going completely zero waste is nearly impossible. Everything comes in packaging even if it’s just the supplies for production. While bar soap and even syndet shampoo bars are a great way to reduce waste in your daily bath and beauty routine, not everyone loves bar soap.

There are a lot of body wash fans out there. This can make reducing plastic waste even more of a challenge. However, an easy way to ditch your plastic body wash bottle is by using a soap sponge! What makes this even more amazing, is that you can make your own DIY soap sponges yourself, at home.

Once the soap is gone from your soap sponges, you can reuse the sponges for household cleaning, such as tackling your grungy toilet or shower door.

They offer gentle skin exfoliation.

Another benefit of soap sponges is that they offer the added benefit of daily skin exfoliation without any extra steps.

Every day, skin cells die and rise to the surface of your skin before they eventually fall off. These dead skin cells make your skin look dull and sometimes feel itchy. The sponge I used exfoliates the skin to remove this top layer of dead skin cells.

Unlike a body scrub, this sponge is a gentle exfoliant. It’s safe for both kids and adults, even for sensitive skin. It gently removes dead skin cells without causing redness or irritation.

You won’t notice a big difference the first time you use it, but after several uses your skin will start to look brighter and healthier.

How to Make a Soap Sponge

The Best Sponges for Making Soap in a Sponge

I bought a set of 5 soft sponges to make my soap sponges. They are made with natural fibers and soft to the touch. They also have a rope in them so you can hang the sponges to dry after you use them.

These sponges are shipped in a vacuum sealed bag. As soon as I cut open the bag, they puffed up but they were deformed. I soaked them in water and squeezed them, and they looked great. Let them dry completely before dipping them in the soap.

The sponges I used measure 5.12 inches x 3.5 inches x 2 inches. If you use smaller or larger sponges, you may need to adjust the amount of melt and pour soap that you use.

Choosing Your Melt and Pour Soap Base

Since my sponges were multicolored, I decided to use a clear melt and pour soap. I didn’t add any colorant, but you can if you use a solid color sponge.

I used Crafter’s Choice clear melt and pour soap. Their clear soap is very clear and doesn’t set up too fast. It gives a decent lather for a melt and pour soap, so it makes a good soap for the bath. This brand also offers a number of options, including all natural options as well as bases with additives like aloe, shea butter, goat milk and even oatmeal.

While Stephenson’s also offers natural melt and pour soap bases, their bases tend to cool and set up more quickly. Therefore, I do not recommend their bases for this particular project.

Add a Natural Essential Oil Blend

Because I shower in the mornings, I wanted a fresh scent that would lift and lighten my mood. What better way to start a day, right? So I used the Happy Joy blend from Simply Earth. (It’s a recent, and one of my favorite additions, from their monthly essential oil recipe box.)

A blend of geranium, sweet orange, grapefruit, and ylang ylang, this natural essential oil blend works wonders at helping to get me motivated to start my day! It’s a light and fun scent. Plus, it’s also a synergy that can help boost your mood and uplift your spirits. I have a roller with this blend as well, and I keep it by my desk so I can use it while I’m working.

The Happy Joy essential oil blend is only kid safe for children over 10. Therefore, if you’re giving your DIY soap sponges to a child, try a kid safe essential oil blend. Alternately, you can also use a fragrance oil instead.

Ready to make your very first soap sponge? You can find the tutorial for making soap sponges below. But first, I wanted to share a few soap making tips before your get started.

Tips for Making Soap Sponges

I used sponges with a rope in them. The rope got dipped in the soap with the sponge, and it was fine. It got firm, but it wasn’t completely hard. The soap will dissolve the first few times you use it anyway.

You should be practicing safe soap making even with melt and pour soap. Always use heat proof gloves and eye protection when making a soap sponge because the soap is hot and can splatter. These gloves are PVC coated and liquid and heat resistant.

I put a clothes hanger on my cupboard knob and used S hooks to hang my soap sponges after they were done. They didn’t drip much, but I had newspapers on the counter to catch drips.

You will have some soap left over. Pour it into a small mold to use as a hand soap or save it for the next time you make soap sponges.

Unlike cold process soap, melt and pour soap doesn’t need time to cure. It’s ready to use as soon as it’s cool.

Soap Sponge Recipe

Ingredients:

2 sponges
8 ounces clear melt and pour soap
½ teaspoon Happy Joy essential oil blend

Instructions:

Use a digital scale to weigh out the melt and pour soap base. Then, using a sharp knife, cut the melt and pour soap into one inch cubes.

Next, combine the melt and pour soap cubes in a heat safe container. Melt the soap in the microwave in 30 second bursts until melted. You’ll want to stir the soap between each interval to help the soap melt faster, and ensure even heating.

Once the soap base melts, carefully remove the soap from the microwave. I recommend using a tea towel to handle the container as it may be hot.

Then, add the essential oil blend to the melted soap base. Stir well for at least 30 seconds to combine.

Now, while wearing heat resistant gloves, dip each edge of the sponge into the melted soap. Then dip the top and the bottom.

Squeeze gently to remove excess soap.

Repeat the process until the sponge will no longer hold any additional soap. Each sponge should soak up about 4 ounces of the melt and pour soap base.

If necessary, gently reheat the soap if it starts to solidify during the process.

Once you’ve completed making a soap sponge, hang to dry.

Your DIY soap sponge is ready to use once it’s cooled and hardened completely. However, I recommend waiting a day prior to use.

How to Use A Soap Sponge

The soap sponge isn’t a solid piece of soap, so it feels more like a sponge than a bar of soap. To use, just wet it and squeeze it to make a lather. Then use it like you would any soap.

How to Care for Soap Sponges

Water is the enemy of melt and pour soap. If you let this sit in water, the soap will dissolve quickly. To help it last longer, set it on a soap dish or hang it where it won’t get hit by water.

If you hang it up between uses, it should last about two months.

Yield: 2 Soap Sponges

DIY Soap Sponge

Make a dual purpose DIY soap sponge to use as part of your daily skin care routine to exfoliate and cleanse skin in one easy step for beautiful, glowing skin. An easy melt and pour soap recipe for beginners.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Active Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Difficulty Easy

Materials

8 ounces clear melt and pour soap
½ teaspoon skin safe essential oil blend

Tools

2 bath sponges with rope
heat resistant PVC coated gloves
knife to cut soap
scale to weigh soap
microwave
bowl

Instructions

Cut the melt and pour soap into one inch cubes.
Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts until melted. Stir between each interval to help the soap melt faster.
Remove the soap from the microwave carefully. Add the essential oil and stir well for at least 30 seconds.
Wear heat resistant gloves and dip each edge of the sponge into the soap. Then dip the top and the bottom. Squeeze gently to remove excess soap. Repeat the process until you each sponge is filled with half of the soap.
Hang to dry.

Zero waste skin care recipe for a DIY soap sponge. Learn how to make a soap sponge to use as part of your daily skin care routine. These soaps are dual purpose with an exfoliating sponge and a soap in one product. With proper care, your homemade soap sponges will last about two months. And they offer a number of benefits, not just in skin care, but for the environment as well. Discover the benefits of soap sponges, plus how to make your own with just two simple ingredients and a sponge.

Love this easy melt and pour soap making project for making DIY soap sponges? Then be sure to pin this recipe to Pinterest for later. And check out my Pinterest board for Easy Melt and Pour Soap Recipes for Beginners.

More Melt and Pour Soap Projects

If you enjoyed this tutorial and recipe for making DIY soap sponges, then you may also want to explore some of these other easy melt and pour soap recipes for beginners.

Discover more of my soap making projects by following me across all your favorite social media platforms. You can follow Soap Deli News blog on facebook, twitter and instagram. You can also find me on Blog Lovin‘. Or sign up to receive an email whenever I share a new post!

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, DIY Craft Project, Soapmaking Tagged With: bath and body, crafts, diy, easy, eco-friendly, gift idea, melt and pour soap, melt and pour soap recipe, melt and pour soapmaking, natural skin care, skin care recipes, soap tutorial, soapmaking, zero waste

Fall Soap Ideas: Creative Homemade Soap Recipes & DIY Ideas for Fall Soap Crafts

November 2, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 5 Comments

Looking for fall soap ideas? Whether you need soap making ideas for soaps to craft and sell, DIY ideas for autumnal make and take crafts or even seasonal homemade gifts, these fall soap making ideas are the perfect solution! Keep reading to discover a beautiful fall soap collection of creative homemade soap recipes for fall as well as DIY ideas for fall soap crafts. Many of these homemade fall soap ideas and recipes are easy enough for beginners. And they’re a beautiful way to decorate your bathroom sink for autumn as well as the holidays ahead.

Fall Soap Ideas for Therapy & Fun

As summer wraps up and fall takes hold, you’re probably finding that you’re spending more time indoors. Especially as the those nighttime temps begin to drop lower and lower. (Some of you were even getting snow in September!) I know that for me, as soon as Halloween is over, it feels like it’s full speed straight into the holidays. Literally, every single year, I blink and it’s suddenly Thanksgiving. Same with Christmas directly after.

It’s no wonder most of us feel stressed November through December. Everyone is demanding more time in one way or another and you can go broke just throwing a single holiday dinner. This is where soap making comes in for me. Studies show that art therapy, regardless of skill level, can really boost your mood. And it also helps with seasonal depression. So whether I take time out for self care and soap my little heart out solo – or with a few crafty divas I call friends – crafting soaps for fall throughout the holiday season is cheaper than therapy and way more awesome.

Here’s a brand new fall soap recipe I wanted to share. It uses the same silicone mold that I used for leaf embeds on my cold process soap recipe for fall, but with a melt and pour base instead. (Be sure to check out that post for some amazing fall essential oil blends for soap!) I then added jojoba beads to the main bar of soap for mild exfoliation and extra hydration for skin. (For super dry or eczema prone skin, also be sure to try this moisturizing triple Brazilian butter soap recipe.)

Once you learn how to make this fall inspired soap, be sure to check out the links to other fall soap ideas I’ve shared after the recipe!

Fall Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

Ingredients for Leaf Embeds:

2.5 oz. white melt and pour soap base, of choice
.05 oz. Honey Apple Champagne fragrance oil
red-orange or similar soap colorant of choice
biodegradable red or orange glitter, to suit

Ingredients for Round Soap Base:

30 oz. white melt and pour soap base, of choice
.6 oz. Honey Apple Champagne fragrance oil
green jojoba beads, to suit
gold or brass biodegradable glitter, to suit
liquid green soap colorant or mica, to suit

Tools & Materials:

Leaf embed silicone mold
Round soap mold
Large glass Pyrex measuring cups, or similar
Utensils for stirring
Chef’s knife or other sharp knife
Spray bottle with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
Digital scale

Fall Soap Making Tips & Tricks:

I used a white melt and pour soap base for this fall soap idea. However, you can change the final look of your homemade fall soaps entirely by simply swapping out the white base with a clear melt and pour soap base. Alternately, you can also use a suspension soap base to have the glitters and jojoba beads evenly embedded throughout your soap bars. It’s also important to note that the glitter will sink to the bottom of the mold as it’s heavier than the base. While the jojoba beads will rise to the top.

You can control the suspension of the jojoba beads to some extent, however. By pouring the soap with the jojoba beads at a temperature between 120-125 °F, they are more likely to stay suspended than if you pour the soap hot. You do not want to add jojoba beads to your soap base at temps over 140°F as they will melt. Therefore, you may want to use a thermometer for this fall soap idea. (I love this digital laser infrared thermometer for soap making.)

Instructions:

You’ll want to make your leaf embeds for you fall soaps first. To do this, simply weigh out 2.5 oz. of melt and pour soap using a digital scale. Then, cut the soap into cubes with a sharp knife. (I like to use a Chef’s knife.)

Next, place the soap into a microwave safe container. I recommend a glass Pyrex measuring cup with a spout so your soap is easy to pour. Now melt the soap in the microwave in 20-30 second increments until melted. Be sure to stir the soap base after each heating.

Once melted, weigh out the fragrance oil and stir into the melted soap base.

Then, add the colorant to the soap. You can use any color you like as well as you choice of colorant type – whether it’s a soap color cube, liquid soap colorant or skin safe, cosmetic mica powder. Stir well to ensure the colorant is evenly incorporated throughout the soap. Be careful, however, not to go overboard. Less is more. So start with a little bit of color and work your way up. Otherwise your finished soaps may bleed color when used. If you’d like a really bold soap color, use a clear melt and pour soap base in lieu of the white soap base.

Now add the glitter to the melted soap base. Mix to combine. (You can also dust some glitter inside of the mold cavities, if desired.)

Slowly pour the soap into the leaf embed mold. The spritz the top of the soap you just poured with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Set the mold with the soap aside to cool and harden.

While the embeds for your fall soaps harden, you can get started on the round soap base. I made my soap base in two separate steps with less color the second go round. Therefore the bottom half of my soap was a different color green than the top half. You can make the base in two steps if you’d like to use alternating colors. Or you can make it all at once so the round soap bars are the same color all the way through.

Weigh out 30 oz. of the melt and pour soap base. Cube the soap using a sharp knife, then combine in a large glass Pyrex measuring cup. Heat the soap the same as you did for the leaf embeds, in 30 second increments until melted.

Now add the soap colorant of your choice along with your favorite biodegradable glitter or bioglitter. Stir well to combine. Once the soap cools to between 120-125 °F, weigh out the fragrance oil and stir in.

Next, divide the soap mixture pouring one third of the soap into a separate container. Then add the desired amount of jojoba beads to the larger container of the melted soap base. Stir well to recombine, then pour the soap base into eight of the cavities of your round soap mold. They should each be filled about two thirds to three fourths of the way full.

Then spritz the tops of the soap you just poured with isopropyl alcohol to remove any air bubbles and set aside to harden.

Once your leaf soap embeds have hardened, carefully remove them from the mold. You’re ready for the next step as soon as the soaps in the round mold have solidified as well.

If necessary, reheat the remaining soap base, then add the desired amount of jojoba beads once the temperature cools. Mix well to combine.

Now spritz the round soaps in your mold with isopropyl alcohol. Place a leaf soap embed on top of each of the round soaps in the mold. Then carefully add the remaining melted soap base to the mold around each of the embeds. Spritz the tops of the soaps with isopropyl alcohol again to remove any air bubbles. Then set aside.

Once your fall soaps with leaf embeds have hardened, they can be unmolded. Wrap the unmolded soaps tightly in foodservice film for storage or for gifting.

More Fall Soap Ideas to DIY

Now that you’ve made my Honey Apple Champagne Fall Melt and Pour Soaps, be sure to try out one of these other fun fall soap ideas.

If you like these DIY fall soap ideas, then be sure to pin this post to Pinterest for later. You can also find and follow Soap Deli News blog on Pinterest here. Alternately, you can also discover more fall soap ideas here. Or try one of my other easy melt and pour soap recipes.

For more homemade soap recipes and DIY gift ideas, be sure to follow Soap Deli News on social media. You can follow me on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my newsletter.

Filed Under: Soapmaking Tagged With: autumn, cold process soap recipe, crafts, easy, fall, fall crafts, hot process soap recipe, melt and pour soap recipe, melt and pour soapmaking, soap tutorial, soapmaking

Easy Fall Melt and Pour Soap Recipes for Beginners

October 22, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 4 Comments

These easy fall melt and pour soap recipes are perfect for even beginner soapmakers. They can be scented with your favorite fall fragrance oils or your choice of fall essential oil blends. Keep reading to learn how to make six bars of homemade fall soaps in two designs using a single mold for seasonal holiday gifts.

A Celebration of Fall!

For as long as I can remember (or at least since the last time I stepped foot into a classroom) fall has been my favorite season. I love not just the crisp cool air that accompanies autumn’s entrance, but also the deep connection I feel with nature as wildlife change habits to prepare for the winter ahead. Fall is when I reflect on the things that have passed as well as the future to come.

The squirrels tease us with fluffy tails as dart in and out of trees foraging for nuts to store for winter. The colors of scenery change to burnt umber, reds and oranges. The leaves fall to rejuvenate the earth the following year in a cycle of life that reminds us, that though some things end, new things are always born.

When I was in the fourth grade, my class was given an assignment. We were to collect, at minimum, leaves from 40 different trees. These leaves were then preserved between two sheets of wax paper, identified and compiled into book form. My parents later used that book for one of their Boy Scout troop meetings.

While I, unfortunately, can no longer identify all forty of those tree leaves, that class project certainly brought me closer to nature. And it gave me a better appreciation of all the living things around us.

With this reflection in mind, I really wanted to create a few fall melt and pour soap recipes. So I picked up an acorn and leaf silicone mold at a local craft store. I then combined a variety of melt and pour soap bases with not just mica colorants, but some fun eco-friendly biodegradable glitter as well, to create unique one of a kind melt and pour soaps for fall.

Easy Fall Melt and Pour Soap Recipes for Beginners

I used a Wilton mold I picked up at Joann’s for my fall melt and pour soap recipes. If you aren’t able to find this particular mold, you can use any silicone mold of your choice. Simply adjust the follow melt and pour soap recipes accordingly to fit the size of the molds you’ve chosen. I do this by pouring unscented plain melt and pour soap into the molds cavities. Once hardened, I weigh the soap to figure out the amount needed for my fall melt and pour soap recipes. Alternately, you can purchase a similar fall silicone soap mold here.

Fall Acorn Melt and Pour Soap Recipe

This fall soap idea is pretty straightforward and the easiest of the two fall melt and pour soap recipes. It requires only a single melt and pour soap base, an Almond Milk & Chia fall fragrance oil, a soap colorant and a dash of glitter. The kids will have fun helping you make this fall acorn recipe to gift to their own friends and family members. This fall soap recipe yields three acorn shaped soap bars.