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Health and Beauty

Simple soap making: beautiful roses

A mix of solid colour and translucent soaps creates a pretty display inside a glass jar

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With all the ingredients and moulds readily available, soap making has never been easier.

The basic technique

● Cut amount of soap base you need with a knife – 200g/7oz will make a medium bar.
● Slice soap base into small chunks for quick melting. Place in a glass jug and microwave in 15-second intervals till melted.
● Once melted, add any extra ingredients, such as colour, fragrance and exfoliants.
● Pour into a mould and, once set, place in a freezer for 20 mins. Remove from mould.

To make

You will need white soap base, clear soap base, rose-shaped moulds and pink soap colouring. We used a silicone tray mould with 15 rose shapes to make multiple soaps in one go. You can also use silicone tray moulds that you may already have at home for ice- cube or cake making. Add colouring to melted white soap base drop by drop to achieve desired colour. Pour into mould and set, as instructed on packet. Repeat using the clear soap base.

■ White and clear soap bases, rose-shaped moulds and soap colouring, all from Hobbycraft

Feature: Kirsty Robertson. Photo: Richard Burns