Tips On Packaging Soap

When making your basic, hand-milled, or liquid soap, you can do whatever you like with it. Many people enjoy making soap for their own use, freeing them from having to use the chemically enhanced detergent soaps available commercially.

For them, packaging soap is not much of an issue.

If this is your goal, then you need not worry too much about soap packaging. Wrap your bars in plastic wrap and store them in a cool, dark place to keep them from melting together.

However, if you want to either give your soaps as gifts or sell them, you will likely want to package them attractively.

If you decide to wrap your soap, it is important to remember that your soap must be dry before your wrap it, especially if you are using a non-breathable material such as plastic wrap.

Soap that is not dry may develop mold or mildew, and may start to smell bad.

To test whether your soap is dry enough for wrapping, wrap one or two bars and leave them for a week. At the end of the week, unwrap the bars and feel them to see if they are damp to the touch.

If they are, you will need to let the soap dry out for a little while longer.

There are many different ways to package your soap, and each of these will lend its own unique feel to your soap. Whether you choose to make your soap visible or to wrap it in an attractive covering, the packaging you choose can give your soap elegance and charm.

Here are a few decorative wrapping ideas:

Soap Basket

To create a soap basket, you would take two or more different types of soap packaged together in an attractive wicker basket. This basket can then be given as a gift or offered for sale over the Internet or at craft sales. Here are some of the supplies you may need for this packaging:

• Baskets of your choice -or-
• Small wooden or ceramic bowls
• Shredded paper in a color of your choice
• Ribbon, boughs, or strings

Soapbox

Your soapboxes may not be large enough for someone to stand and give a speech on, but small decorative wood boxes make great containers for bars of soap.

You can either look for these boxes in craft stores or online, or you can make them yourself out of light balsa wood or cedar (be careful that the scent of the wood you choose does not interfere with the scent of your soap.)

Making boxes is a great way to get the whole family involved, because while kids cannot help with the soap making process, they can certainly help to glue pieces of wood together!

Decorate your box with drawings or etchings and wrap it up with a colorful ribbon, and you have a pre-wrapped gift that you can give away or sell to someone looking for a unique gift idea.

You can make rough boxes or finish them off with a sliding lid.

Gift Wrapping

Of course, one of the easiest ways to package your soap is with gift-wrap or tissue paper.

To spice up this method, try tying the end with a colorful ribbon and fanning the top out, or placing the soap in a rolled up piece of tissue paper and tying both ends.

Let your creativity run wild, and do not be afraid to try materials such as twine, burlap, dimpled cardboard, and so on.

Go to soap making for additional information and more soap making tips.