Making Single-Use Soap

Three years ago, at the beginning of the Covid lockdowns, I was focused on making single-use soap that I could carry in my purse in case I needed it. I came up with several options…and then many public places closed and I wasn’t going anywhere anyway. Oh well!

Those first attempts were made by melting Melt & Pour Soap, pouring it onto wax paper, letting it cool and then cutting out hearts with a cookie cutter.

This was a test of patience and I ended up with a few tins of single-use soap that I tucked away just in case.

Recently, I was reading an article about Cheryl Hines. Cheryl is an actress and is married to Robert Kennedy, Jr. She and her daughter, Catherine (Cat) have started a beauty products line that focuses on using less plastic waste. Apparently, plastic waste in the beauty industry is one of the highest contributors to plastic pollution in the world! The company, Hines+Young (see www.shophinesyoung.com) makes high-end products with less plastic waste. Products are packaged in recyclable glass and aluminum tins.

I was interested to read about this company and found one of their products was a tin of single-use soap! How about that!

I can’t seem to post one of their pictures here, but the pieces of soap look like they were poured into a round mold and then cut like a pizza. That made sense! It would be quicker and easier to pour with less waste.

Of course, the website included the ingredients in the soap! They listed:

Oat protein, vitamin-rich sustainable palm oil, hydrating coconut oil and an invigorating blend of clove, sweet orange, and tea tree essential oils.

OK. I could do something similar…

Colloidal Oatmeal and Shea Butter Melt & Pour Soap Bases, Sweet Orange and Manuka Essential Oils, Vitamin E oil, soap tint. (I prefer Manuka Oil to Tea Tree Oil).

I started with a brand I frequently buy:

I chopped up 1 pound of Oatmeal Soap Base and 1/2 pound of Shea Butter Soap Base.

I put the chunks in my 4-cup heat-safe glass measuring cup.

Then the cup is placed in a saucepan with water. Water is brought to a simmer and the soap melts without getting too hot.

Of course, I usually make two at a time:

It made a lumpy mixture because of the oatmeal.

When melted, I added 1/2 tsp. of Vitamin E oil, Sweet Orange and Manuka Essential Oils. One drop of soap tint made the soap a very light orange color.

Pouring into the mold was the hardest part. I wanted a thin circle, however, the oatmeal soap got thicker as it cooled and by the time I was done pouring it made circles about 1/4″ thick.

I made a total of 32 round disks of oatmeal soap, each about 1/4″ thick.

The rest I poured into regular molds and my travel size heart shapes.

Next, I took my soap cutter and cut each circle into 6 pieces:

Each piece seemed about the right size to wash my hands. About 8 pieces fit into one of my 2 oz. tins:

I made 20 tins with about 8 pieces each. Perfect to share with my high school friends at our next luncheon to see if the size of each piece is right to wash hands. I’ll also see if the Oatmeal/Shea Butter is popular. I suspect a thinner piece would work better…I used one piece all day in the kitchen before I wanted to throw away what was left! Enjoy!