While other types of soap have a long history spanning thousands of years, Melt and Pour soap is a relative newcomer. Melt and Pour is also known as "glycerin" or "casting" soap. Often it is translucent or transparent, and can be made opaque white by the addition of whiteners.

It started with the concept of making transparent soap in the 1800's. Soapmakers felt that a clear or transparent soap would appeal to the consumer as being more "natural" because it was clear. Also, clear soap has visual appeal.

At first, clear soap relied for the most part on grain alcohol for its clarity. The soapmaker made a cold process or hot process soap and added alcohol as a solvent. The more alcohol, the clearer the soap. But too much alcohol in a soap bar can have negative effects. First, it makes the soap drying to the skin. Second, as the soap ages, the alcohol evaporates out resulting in a misshapen and less clear bar. Also, alcohol is expensive and hazardous to work with, so soapmakers quickly began looking for substitutes. These included sugar, glycerin, castor oil and water. The book Transparent Soapmaking by Catherine Failor will teach you how to make this kind of clear soap. (Note: you will have to be willing to work with lye).

While the secrets to making transparent soap had been discovered, Melt and Pour (MP) soap is not merely transparent. It is also easily remeltable. In fact, working with MP soap is very much like working with candle wax, only less messy. The craftsperson buys pre-made blocks or tubs of MP soap which they melt down over a double boiler. When the soap is liquid, they add scents and color . Then they cast the soap into a mold. The soap can be ready for use within an hour. (See the Six Easy Steps for Working with Melt and Pour Soap).

For most MP soapcrafters, the fine details of how the soap is manufactured isn't very important. They have no intention of making it themselves any more than a candlemaker would fuss over making their wax from scratch. However to some soapcrafters, this information is very important. These soapcrafters are especially concerned with whether or not the soap is "natural". If you are especially concerned about this topic, we suggest you read the article entitled "Soap Box" which may help to dispel some of the confusion.

The beauty of Melt and Pour soap is that it is not just a soap. It is a casting and sculpting medium. As such, your creativity is limited only by your imagination. You can make a basic herbal bar, you can cast "loaf soaps" for use by the slice, you can embed toys in the soap, transfer pictures, hand shape agates and stones, etc, etc.