Homemade Glittery Sand Dollar Soaps

If you want to learn how to make soap, start with a batch of this glittery sand dollar homemade soap with a relaxing scent that will transport you to the beach.

I’ve discovered a new creative passion lately.

Making my own soap and bath and beauty products. My kitchen smells amazing lately, and it’s not from anything I’m cooking!

My latest DIY bath product are these handmade soap sand dollars which would make a great Mother’s Day gift. Or at our house, guest soaps for use in the sophisticated coastal guest bedroom suite.

I’ll be sharing the recipe for these pretty soaps as part of this month’s Celebrations of Home blog hop, a monthly collaboration where bloggers share seasonal DIY, crafts, recipes and decorating projects. This month, we’re focusing on things you can make for Mother’s Day, since it’s right around the corner.

You can see all the DIY projects for mom at the end of this post.

I think every mom enjoys the gift of relaxation, and these soaps deliver that. (Now, if any mom of young children has the secret to getting to take a bath or a shower uninterrupted, can you let me know? I hadn’t been in the shower for a minute this morning, when my son was at the door asking me a question.)

Serenity now!

If you’re looking to learn how to make soap, the easiest way to start is with melt-and-pour soap. You can make it in using your microwave in minutes.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, but I only recommend products I love. If you make a purchase, I earn a small commission based on my referral, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.

My favorite place to buy soap-making supplies is from Bramble Berry. That’s where I found most of the ingredients used for these sand dollar soaps. I’m also a big fan of Bramble Berry’s companion blog, Soap Queen. They are the experts in how to make soap!

Supplies

• Large glass measuring cup or bowl
• whisk
• 1 pound clear melt and pour soap base
• 4 ML sweet almond oil
• 10-15 ML Relaxing fragrance oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons iridescent glitter
• 1 teaspoon super pearly white mica
• sand dollar soap mold
• spray bottle
• rubbing alcohol

Instructions

Cut the melt and pour soap into cubes, weighing about 2 ounces each.

Heat in the microwave, in 30 second bursts, until melted, stirring frequently.

Use a dropper to mix in sweet almond oil and fragrance oil. Stir to incorporate the scent completely throughout the soap.

Then, add 1 teaspoon of pearly white mica powder. Whisk until the mica powder is fully combined into the liquid soap. Make sure there are no clumps.

The mica powder will give the soap a creamy, shimmery white color. (You can dilute the mica powder in alcohol, per the instructions from Soap Queen, but if you whisk vigorously, you should have no issues.)

Next, add iridescent glitter and whisk to combine.

Pour soap into sand dollar molds, filling as close to the top without overfilling.

Spritz each soap with 4-6 sprays of rubbing alcohol to get rid of bubbles. Allow to cool and set for four to six hours, then turn the molds over and gently press to release soap.

I really love how these sand dollar soaps turned out. The mica  powder and glitter give them a realistic look, and the relaxing scent is divine.

With homemade soaps, it’s always best to wrap them in plastic for storage.

To make the presentation a little more appealing, I put each one in a cellophane bag tied with jute twine. I decorated plain white gift tags by stamping them with with relaxing words using a small alphabet stamp.

More Homemade Soap Projects

If you’re looking for other handmade Mother’s Day gift ideas, be sure to check out these projects:

Mini Succulent Garden Tins

Homemade Bath Bombs

Scrapbook Paper Gift Bags