Use Your Crockpot to Make Festive, Holiday Soaps

Tired of giving food for Christmas, but not into the commercialism scene? Then fire up your crockpots: Soaps are just as easy to make as cookies and brownies, and your recipients will be honored at the time you took to make them, and the originality of the gift.

Soaps are perfect gifts for the holiday season because they can be easily personalized, or designed to fit the holiday, in addition to being easy to brew. Another incentive for making soap as Christmas gifts is the fact that most of the work is done while you're not there! Soap takes time to brew, melt, and solidify. While it's doing this you need not be watching it; in fact you don't even need to be there!

In order to brew a delicious, skin sensitive, and cleansing soap, you only need a few ingredients, most of which can be picked up at your local Wal-Mart. First, you'll need a crockpot. Some choose to use specialized soap makers, but all they are is a glorified crockpot with only two settings, melt and heat, which translates to high and low heat. You should not, however, use the same crockpot you use to make your meals. Soaps are not good to eat, plus, the scents you will use can stink up a stew, making it a less than appetizing dish.

Second, you'll need the soap, which requires one of two things. You can either brew the soap mixture yourself using a portion on lye and a fatty substance such as oil, or you can buy a pre-made glycerin soap mixture available at most craft stores, and in the craft isle of your Wal-Mart. If this is your first time making soap, and you need to have your gifts done in a hurry, the pre-made glycerin option is faster, and leaves less room for error. If you choose to brew the lye and fat mixture, helpful web resources and calculators will advice you what proportions to use for the size of your batch.

Once you have chosen and prepared your soap base, it is now time to start adding the ingredients that will personalize your soap-the smell and color. Put the block of glycerin or formula into your crockpot and set it on high heat. Then, add the color. To my mixtures, I usually add aromatherapy essential oils. These oils not only smell wonderful, but they are great for the skin. They can be purchased at most health food stores and at select health and beauty stores. It only takes a few drops for your mixture to start smelling wonderful. Add the oils drop by drop until your brew smells of the fragrance. Make sure not to overdo the scent! Leave the mixture for twenty minutes to an hour and then smell again. If the brew still smells richly of your fragrance, you're ready to move on to the soap's look and feel.

Here's where you can be really creative. For the holidays, you might choose red or greed soap, or maybe an aunt's favorite color is blue. Soap colors can be purchased at most Wal-Marts and in most craft stores. Make sure not to use food coloring, though, as the soap will be used on someone's skin, and you wouldn't want that skin turning blue or red! Natural means can also be used to color soaps. If you have rose petals, crushed herbs, or bits of confetti you want in your soap, you can add these objects to the mixture. If you want white soap, just add no color. Your soap will solidify white.

In addition to color, you can add oatmeal, herbs, flower petals, etc. for their cleansing or smoothing quality in addition to their looks. Adding Borax, which can be found at most Wal-Marts, to the mixture can increase the lather. This is a great way to personalize your gift. If you're not sure what to do, research the soaps made by other crafters on the internet to get some ideas. I love to leave my soap white, but pepper it with rosemary and crushed mint, but that's just one idea among millions!

Once you've added all of your ingredients, let your soap mix rest awhile on medium or low heat. During this time you can continue with your holiday baking, go out and see a play, or do virtually anything. As long as you've ensured that your mixture is not too close to the lid, you don't have to keep peeking in on the mix, though it is fun if you are around! In one to five hours or so, check the mixture. If it still smells richly of scent, and the ingredients are permeated throughout, then it's time to pour. If either scent or ingredients are not how you would like them, you can add more now, and let the mixture sit for another few minutes.

Once you're satisfied with your mixture, find a shoe-box sized plastic box. This can be lined with foil to make things easier on you, or it can be left unlined. Carefully pour the hot mixture into the box. The time the mixture will take to solidify will vary upon how deep it is. Put the mixture in the fridge, but make sure it is covered with a lid, foil, or plastic wrap so the smell does not infiltrate your food items. You can also pour your soap into molds, if you want it to be a certain shape or certain bar length.

After the mixture has solidified, it can be cut with a knife. The bottom of the mixture will be greasy and messy. You can cut this part off, and melt it for your next batch. Wrap the finished soap in festive packing, and stuff it in a stocking or basket for a great holiday gift!