How to Make Soap From Soap Slivers

Sometimes, we don’t want to throw away the soap slivers from our soap, so we put them in a separate container. Our grandmothers used to dry these remnants and use them instead of tailor’s chalk. And now, there is another way to give these pieces a second life — just turn them into soap again.

5-Minute Crafts offers simple instructions on how to make liquid soap and bars of soap yourself from the soap slivers that have piled up in your bathroom.

How to make liquid soap from soap slivers

To make liquid soap, you will need:

• soap slivers or old dried soap
• a fine grater
• a funnel
• hot water
• a cosmetic bottle with a dispenser

1. Grate the soap slivers on a fine grater and put them into a bottle using a funnel.

2. Place the grated soap in the bottle so that it takes up slightly more than 1/3 of the container.

3. Pour hot water over the grated soap, leaving some space at the bottle neck. Close the lid tightly and shake well.

4. Repeat the procedure 4-5 times throughout the day to completely dissolve the grated soap.

How to make solid soap from soap slivers

To make solid soap, you will need:

• soap slivers or old dried soap of the same color
• a small saucepan or a glass container
• a wide saucepan for a water bath
• a fine grater
• a spatula or a stirring stick
• milk (in the ratio of 1:1 to soap)
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• molds for solidifying soap (can be replaced with any small containers)

1. Grate the soap slivers using a fine grater. If they are dry enough, their consistency will be like flour. If not, they’ll remind you of shavings. The smaller the soap parts are, the faster they will melt.

2. Pour the milk over the grated soap. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and leave them for 3 hours.

3. After 3 hours, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and, if you want to, a few drops of scented shower gel to the mix. It’ll give the soap a pleasant smell.

4. Put a wide pot filled with water over heat and bring the water to a boil. Then place the container with soap and milk in it. Let the soap slivers melt in the water bath for 20-30 minutes. Stir the mixture constantly with a spatula and add a little bit of hot water. Make sure that the mixture doesn’t boil, but gradually melts at a temperature of 158-176°F. Optionally, you can add additional ingredients like dry lemon zest at the end of the process.

5. Smooth the bottom of the molds with olive oil. This will make it easier to remove the soap. When the soap shavings are completely melted, remove the container from the water bath and pour the mixture into the molds.

6. Let the soap bars harden in a cool dark place for 1-2 days, and then remove them from the molds.