You don’t have to be a professional soapmaker to create your own batch of personalized (and oh-so-giftable) soaps this holiday season. While the traditional cold-process method can take four to six weeks – and a lot of experience – to perfect, this melt-and-pour technique yields several small bars of soap in just one day and is totally approachable for beginners.
What I like most about this project are the endless possibilities for personalization – the color, shape, scent and letters you choose are all up to you. The result is a set of completely custom soaps perfect for gifting or giving out as party (or wedding) favors.

You will need:
- White glycerin melt and pour soap base
- Clear glycerin melt and pour soap base
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Heat resistant measuring cup
- Spoon
- Microwave (not pictured)
- Alphabet silicone mold
- Silicone mold in your choice of shape (I used circles)
- Transfer pipettes
- Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle
- Fragrance oil or essential oil of your choice (optional)
- Liquid or powder soap colorant of your choice
- Parchment or wax paper (not pictured)

The monogrammed soap featured in this project is comprised of three parts: white soap letters (first part); a circular shape comprised of clear soap (second part); and colored soap (third part). For each stage of the process, you will be melting glycerin in the microwave and pouring it into the molds.
With that in mind, here are a few tips before you get started:
- Melted soap can be very hot! Use caution when handling to avoid injury.
- If at any time during this process the melted soap in your measuring cup starts to harden before you’ve transferred it all into your molds, re-heat in the microwave for 10-second intervals until it returns to its liquid state.
- When transferring melted soap into the molds, bubbles will form on the surface of the soap. An easy solution for bursting those bubbles? Spray them with rubbing alcohol as they appear.
Step 1: Make Soap Letters

Cut white soap base into small pieces using a sharp knife.

Place enough pieces to fill 1/2 cup in a heat-safe measuring cup. Microwave on high for 30-second intervals until the soap is fully melted, stirring between each interval to avoid burning.

With a transfer pipette and rubbing alcohol in hand, pour small, steady amounts of the melted soap base into the letters of your alphabet mold. Set aside for 20 minutes, or until fully hardened.

Once the letters have hardened, glide your knife blade along the mold’s surface to remove excess soap.


On a workspace lined with parchment paper, gently remove your letters from the mold; set aside.
Step 2: Add a Layer of Clear Soap, Set Letters

Use the same method outlined in step one to melt approximately 2 cups of clear soap base.

Optional: Stir in fragrance or essential oil. (I used about half a pipette of fragrance for my batch; if you aren’t sure how much fragrance to add, there are many resources available online for finding the right ratio.)

Pour the clear melted soap into each of the circular mold cavities, filling about ⅓ of each. Set aside for 15 minutes, or until fully hardened.

Spray your original soap letters with rubbing alcohol (which will act as a bonding agent between layers) and carefully place them backwards on the surface of the clear soap layer.

Once all the letters are in the molds, add another 1-2 spritzes of rubbing alcohol to prepare the surface for the next layer.

Pour another layer of clear soap base into the mold, being conscious of the temperature. If the soap is too hot, it will melt the letters.
Step 3: Add the Final Layer (Color!)

Now we’re ready to add color. Begin by melting down a batch of white soap base large enough to fill the remainder of your molds – approximately 2 cups. Mix in a few drops of your colorant, per the manufacturer’s instructions, until you’ve achieved the shade you like. Optional: Add additional fragrance.

Add 1-2 spritzes of rubbing alcohol to prepare the surface for your next layer. Pour the colored soap base into each mold until full. Set aside for an hour, or until fully hardened.

Once your soaps have fully hardened, remove them from the mold. Ta-da! Now you have a full set of custom monogram soaps.

Tip: Be sure to place your soaps in an airtight container or package them in cling wrap so they stay nice and fresh!

–
If you find you’ve caught the soap-making bug upon completing this project (like me!), try experimenting with larger molds and additional letters to spell out names, words and phrases in the soap. The sky is the limit!
Concept and styling by Clare McGibbon; photos by Clare McGibbon and Romain Laurent.
More How-To Projects | Shop Personalized Gifts
99 comments
Poster Locker from PosterLocker said 4 years ago
These are super nice! As you wrote, would be a great party or wedding favors.
fragilecircuit from fragilecircuit said 4 years ago
one - of - a - kind gifts and yet so cute.
Mirra from PLANTMEcards said 4 years ago
What an outstanding idea ! Very fun !
Sele from Matissaworld said 4 years ago
It's a great idea! Thank you!
Ionela Pascan from thesecretcolors said 4 years ago
Beautiful idea!
Relly from RelsFindsNapaValley said 4 years ago
WOW! Clare, thank you for featuring the step-by-step process of soap making... very interesting!
Matejka Max from NattyMatty said 4 years ago
Adorable!
DecadesOfVintage from DecadesOfVintage said 4 years ago
Oh I love this idea and am so thankful for the detailed tutorial. You are fabulous!
Colette from ColettesBoutique said 4 years ago
This looks like a fun project. would be a fun personal touch for guests :-)
Dorothy from JewelrybyDorothy said 4 years ago
Looks like fun! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer Juniper from PoleStar said 4 years ago
super adorable.
Jafeth Moiane from handicraftafrica said 4 years ago
Good imagination. Congrats!
Donna Robinson from DucksCove said 4 years ago
Yes! A very cute personal touch for your guests!
Tina from sierramoontreasures said 4 years ago
Congratulations on your feature article! I enjoyed seeing your shop hands on photos. Continue to prosper!
Tara from inspiredartprints said 4 years ago
Oh these are too cute! Love them
Sue from SuesAkornShop said 4 years ago
Lovely! How fun!!!
Katie Anne from MiddleCoast said 4 years ago
Such a cute idea!! Will have to try! :)
Francine from HomespunHeartofMine said 4 years ago
Thanks for sharing such a fun project! I think they would indeed make great gifts!!! :)
Asma from AsmaOriginal said 4 years ago
Very nice idea!
Andrii from OakKitchenBoards said 4 years ago
Cool ☃☃☃
Megan from MegansMenagerie said 4 years ago
Very neat!
accentonvintage from accentonvintage said 4 years ago
Great project!
Amy Gunderson from amysfunkyfibers said 4 years ago
looks like a fun project-
Leda Design from LedaDesign said 4 years ago
Wonderful idea! Love them!
Tahir Ismail from Barismil said 4 years ago
amazing, thanks for sharing
Natalia from KMalinkaVintage said 4 years ago
Good to know! Thank you :O)
Priscilla from Gardenmis said 4 years ago
Love this gift idea! Thanks for sharing :)
silkyskyjewelry from silkyskyjewelry said 4 years ago
cuuuuuuute!!!!!!!! love the colour
Madeleine Keller from ThoseGoodVibrations said 4 years ago
They look like typewriter keys! Very modern, i like it :) also the process photos are great, kudos to the photographer!
G Vega from GVEGA said 4 years ago
Fun Tutorial!
Monica from ThreeBarDGifts said 4 years ago
Very cute! I'd love to try it some day! Thanks!
TropicalGarden from TropicalGarden said 4 years ago
Wonderful idea, so inspiring! Thanks for sharing the step-by-step process:)
Ashlee Fujimoto from KauaiDryGoods said 4 years ago
that is the cutest :)
Radosław from maraArtPatchwork said 4 years ago
Great idea - super cute. :)
Jacqueline from JacquelineTribble said 4 years ago
Very cute, thanks for sharing!
Paula Mucha from ilPiccoloGiardino said 4 years ago
Wonderful project!
Vintage Gypsy Studios from BohemianGypsyCaravan said 4 years ago
If they could be made in black they would look like typewriter keys. Groovy !
Tagetes from lovemyskinsoaps said 4 years ago
Such fun!
Jeri Aiello from JeriAielloartstore said 4 years ago
How generous you are with your info. Thank you
ACR from WoodsyWools said 4 years ago
Adorable!
Mel Ser and Lu Compte from Matelele said 4 years ago
Love this!
M. Rekers said 4 years ago
Adorable. Thanks for this clear tutorial to make these gorgeous soaps myself.
Wirat J. from SkylaBoutique said 4 years ago
Thank you for this wonderful DIY tips.
Sung-jin, SEO from MyElevenEleven said 4 years ago
Wow.. How lovely!!! Thank you for sharing!! :-)
LivingVintage from LivingVintage said 4 years ago
Cool.
Proton ThreeD from Proton3D said 4 years ago
great post, thank you!
ronda Tedder from simplethymeprims said 4 years ago
Love this!,, thanks for sharing!
Michelle White from SPARKLESandSASS said 4 years ago
These are the cutest! Thanks for sharing.. must try :)
StillVintage from StillVintage said 4 years ago
Looks like a great gift for the holidays
Katrina Nikolajevna from Audumelj said 4 years ago
very nice project!!!! usefull idea for nice cute gift!
5erg from 5erg said 4 years ago
This is a great project, it has got me all excited about wanting to try these tips for another thing besides soap! Now...I wonder if I can find the letter form *-* Thank you for sharing, it's really nice of you
ArtistiKat from ArtistiKat said 4 years ago
Well this is a wonderful idea! Can't wait to try it. ;)
Elizabeth and Sharon from RedHatVintage said 4 years ago
Thanks for sharing! This is such a cute project. Great tutorial to follow.
Sandra from patternific said 4 years ago
Always wanted to try and make some! I'll try it one day for sure! Thanks for sharing! :)
Bridget Miller from astronette said 4 years ago
Cool tutorial. I love these! Thanku : )
Rebecca De Hoyos-Boussen said 4 years ago
Great tutorial and wedding favor idea. Thanks!
ArcanaAntiquities from ArcanaAntiquities said 4 years ago
great tutorial, thank you!
Megan C from AlaskaBagCompany said 4 years ago
wow super cute! Will have to try this
Cathy from msbijouxbeads said 4 years ago
Fun! thanks for posting this, maybe fun with the grandchildren
Elena Belyaeva from LenabelyStudio said 4 years ago
Great! Thank you!
Stacy from TinySacredThings said 4 years ago
The soap looks beautiful. I like that blue color. Thanks for sharing the tutorial!
MangoLover from MangoLover said 4 years ago
Thank you for sharing, great project to try out, very cute soap!
rb salon from rbsalon said 4 years ago
Fun idea! good for holiday gift and wedding gift!
Julia K Walton from FireHorseVintageHQ said 4 years ago
Very neat! The perfect stocking fillers :o)
Sissi Hand from SissiHand said 4 years ago
Very very nice tutorial. It's so sweet. Thank you for sharing
Helen from BESLOV said 4 years ago
Nice idea!
Ombretta from indielabvintage said 4 years ago
great idea! thanks for sharing!
Kashuen Collectibles from Kashuen said 4 years ago
This is so cool. I've got to try it. Thanks for sharing.
Kemal YLM from ShopAnarshe said 4 years ago
Creative idea, it could be very special gift. Thank you.
Pollen for Bones from PollenforBones said 4 years ago
The outcome looks great, and so easy to follow. Thanks for the tutorial, it'll come handy!
Blake from Love4paintings said 4 years ago
I always wanted to learn to make my own soap.
Brainisms from Brainisms said 4 years ago
How have I never seen this?
Blake from Love4paintings said 4 years ago
I always wanted to make castro oil soap for my skin. I plan on buying books in the near future to learn to make my own.
Kristof Polleunis from BeneficialCultures said 4 years ago
Excellent idea
Meghan Barr from OkMegga said 4 years ago
Oh this is fun. I haven't tried melt and pour soap yet. Great gift idea!
Ziva Javersek from VivasProject said 4 years ago
Great idea! Than you for that :)
Sukran Kirtis from SukranKirtisJewelry said 4 years ago
what a great gift idea...love it
Book Clutches Store from BookClutchStore said 4 years ago
WE LOVE EVERYTHING PERSONALIZED <3
Brenda from DiviningSeer said 4 years ago
I and going to try this.
Angie from SudsNSuch said 4 years ago
Soap making is very addictive!
Joanne Ko from KokoCeladon said 4 years ago
Great idea~!
Vera Noritsa from CobraQueensGift said 4 years ago
So beautiful!
Katrina Dzerkale from Dominna said 3 years ago
thats my christmas presents right here :)
Hajira Gibb from HajiraKG said 3 years ago
Thanks for the tutorial. Its a great give idea and got to try it :)
Nancy from PiacereMioPaperie said 3 years ago
Super idea. I can't wait to get started!
UNEMPLOYED Custom Orders Wanted USA Made Superhero Cufflinks Wedding Jewelry from boloties said 3 years ago
Looks like a fun craft with unlimited possibilities!
Laura from PetalAlley said 3 years ago
This is such a fun (and not too difficult) project!
BumbleBug from BumbleBugClothing said 3 years ago
Your post is so pretty and inspiring! Love Love! :)
Rasa Rabaciene from PRINTDECOstudio said 3 years ago
I have to try it!
Nadia B from BasicKnitwear said 3 years ago
Wonderful idea! Thank you!
Marianne from ArizonaMarmaladeShop said 3 years ago
Adorable soaps and great tutorial! Thank you!
little Lia from LittleLiaGraphic said 3 years ago
Thank you for the tutorial! very inspiring, I will definitely try this one :D
Katy Allgeyer from ArtBarn said 3 years ago
So much fun! I want to try this with my grand nieces when they visit me this summer.
Mammino from Mammino said 3 years ago
Very good and creative idea, so fun project !
Piece of Print from pieceofprint said 3 years ago
Perfect! I love them!
Amit Bar from ILoVeBarushka said 3 years ago
Beautiful!!!
OldLikeUs from OldLikeUs said 3 years ago
Great idea that inspires many more...thanks!
Maha Saedaway from Sundrench said 3 years ago
five star
Flair Nouri from FlairPaintings said 3 years ago
very nice idea!!!