Valentine's Day is long behind us and as the weather warms up, we start to look at ahead to Easter and spring. One of the first herald's of brighter days is St. Patrick's Day, when rivers and beer pumps run green, and everyone celebrates their Irish ancestry (even if they don't have any!) because on March 17, we're all Irish :)
The parades will look a little different this year and it's hard to kiss someone because they're Irish when they're covered in a face mask and shield but that doesn't mean we can't find other ways to celebrate.
One of the key takeaways from the pandemic has been the "now wash your hands" mantra, so why not create a super-cute St. Patrick's Day theme soap to gift to your loved ones. The green beer soap is made using glycerin melt and pour soap base. You can pick this up on Amazon or at craft stores like Michaels. I got most of my supplies from Brambleberry or Wholesale Supplies Plus but you can shop around to find some great deals.
SOAP TUTORIAL : TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS
0.4oz (3 teaspoons) summer ale fragrance oil (optional)
3 tablespoons natural castile liquid soap
rubbing alcohol
SOAP TUTORIAL : STEP BY STEP
Step One: Melt 12 ounces of Honey Ale Melt and Pour soap base in the microwave, in short 30-second blasts, until all the soap is melted. Don't allow it to boil. Mix in 0.3oz (2 teaspoons) of your choice of fragrance oil. I like Summer Ale, which is pretty expensive but Michael's carries some great options in smaller quantities, so you might want to check those out. The soap base has a great, subtle "just brewed" beer scent on it's own so you could even skip the fragrance oil completely if you like. Next, stir in some green color using a Non-Bleeding liquid soap color. If you don't have soap color available, you can use green food coloring.
Step Two: Whisk the melted soap until you have frothy bubbles on top. You can do this by hand or with a hand mixer. Don't use a stand mixer as it is difficult to control the process. Switch between whisking and stirring the soap. The goal is to suspend the bubbles in the soap (to look like fizzy beer bubbles). Stir until the soap is thick and gelatinous and pour into the mold.
Step Three: Once the soap has cooled make your frosting recipe for the “foam”. Combine, 3 tablespoons of liquid soap, with 5oz of softened White Melt and Pour and .1oz (1 teaspoon) of fragrance oil and blend on medium/high with an electric mixer until thick and creamy like frosting. Note: if you don't want to make frosting, you can just use the white soap base on its own - melt in the microwave in 30-second bursts until melted, add the fragrance oil and stir to combine. Allow to cool and thicken.
Step Four: Once the “beer” portion of the soap is completely cool and the frosting recipe is nice and frothy (or the white soap is cooled and thickened), spritz the layer of green soap with rubbing alcohol - don't be stingy with it, the rubbing alcohol is the "glue" that sticks the two layers together. Pour the soap frosting on top - work quickly because it sets up fast. If it sets before you get all the froth finish you can give it a quick 15-second zap in the microwave to soften it up. If you want to add decorations to the top, now's the time - use green jojoba beads, cosmetic glitter or even baking sprinkles (I used a combination of cosmetic glitter and Walmart's Easter Sprinkles).
Step Five: Allow everything to set and harden fully before removing from the molds. Wrap in wax paper, cling wrap or even themed party bags from the Dollar store, green ribbon or twine completes the look.
