Homemade Jelly Soap Recipe - Similar to Lush jellies, these little soaps are squishy, jiggly and lots of fun for hand or body washing!
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If you've never heard of soap or shower jellies, I'm happy to introduce you to them today. Lush started carrying a line of shower jellies and others began to follow suit. Just the other day I saw that Bath and Body Works has started advertising their own line.
The Homemade Jelly Soap recipe I'm sharing today can either be used for hand soap or body wash. I opted for hand soap, but if you'd like to use it as body wash, you can just substitute they type of soap you use in your recipe.
Jelly soap actually works quite well in the shower, because you can put smaller pieces of the jelly soap in loofahs and sponges, and it really helps create more suds and bubbles.
Kids tend to love jelly soap, but please use with caution around younger children. Jelly soap looks a lot like JELL-O but it's not to be eaten. If you have smaller kids in the house you may want to save this recipe for later. And no matter what the age, if you make this soap, make sure you tell your family members what it is. Because it keeps best in the fridge, you'll not want any accidental "tastings" by anyone in your home. Got it? Good.
Making Jelly Soap
To make jelly soap, gather the following ingredients and materials:
- .25 ounce pouch unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup liquid hand soap or body wash
- Food coloring, optional (I used blue and pink)
- Silicone mold for jelly soaps
In case you've never purchased unflavored gelatin, you can find it in the baking aisle of your local grocery store.
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I made two different scents of jelly hand soap - coconut water & mango and sweet watermelon.
To begin making the soap, dissolve the gelatin in boiling water, add the liquid soap or body wash and the food coloring.
Gently use a whisk to ensure the mixture is combined. You don't want to stir too hard or you're going to create tons of bubbles. Bubbles aren't great for when you pour the soap.
If you find that you've gotten overly excited in your stirring process, you can spray a little rubbing alcohol on top of the soap after you pour it into the mold, and it should take care of any bubbles.
For each batch of soap I made, I used two drops of food coloring to brighten up the soap.
Before you begin to pour the soap, make sure your mold is on top of a tray or cookie sheet for easy transporting to the fridge. Then, pour away.
Remember that every silicone mold is different. If you use the mold I did, you'll get about eight jelly soaps per batch. I didn't fill the cups all of the way because I didn't want the individual soaps too thick.
After allowing the soaps to set in the fridge for a few hours, I gently popped them out of the mold one by one.
Isn't this jelly soap cute? It's so much fun and I love that you can see right through it.
It feels a bit like a JELL-O jiggler. Do you remember those?
Once you get them nice and wet, they'll start to suds up.
And remember, if you leave them out at room temp for too long, they'll begin to melt.
So store them in an air tight container in the fridge.
Have fun with this jelly soap recipe! And if your kiddos are old enough, get them involved in the creation process!
Happy hand and body washing!
Jelly Soap Recipe
Ingredients & Materials
- .25 ounce pouch unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup liquid hand soap or body wash
- Food coloring, optional (I used blue and pink)
- Silicone mold for jelly soaps
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add gelatin to boiling water and whisk until dissolved.
- Add hand soap or body wash.
- If you'd like to add a deeper color to the soap, add 1-2 drops food coloring.
- Place the mold on a cookie sheet and pour the mixture into the mold.
- Place the soaps into the fridge for at least two hours or until set.
- Once set, pop the soaps carefully out of the mold.
- Store the soaps in the fridge when not in use.
Jelly Soap Recipe
Materials
- .25 ounce pouch unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup liquid hand soap or body wash
- Food coloring optional (I used blue and pink)
- Silicone mold for jelly soaps
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add gelatin to boiling water and whisk until dissolved.
- Add hand soap or body wash.
- If you'd like to add a deeper color to the soap, add 1-2 drops food coloring.
- Place the mold on a cookie sheet and pour the mixture into the mold.
- Place the soaps into the fridge for at least two hours or until set.
- Once set, pop the soaps carefully out of the mold.
- Store the soaps in the fridge when not in use.
Notes
- Balancing Act: Adjust the amount of food coloring to achieve your desired soap color. Start with 1-2 drops and gradually increase if you want a deeper hue. Remember, a little goes a long way, so be cautious not to overdo it, especially with vibrant colors.
- Mold Matters: Invest in a silicone mold specifically designed for jelly soaps to ensure easy removal once they're set. Silicone molds are flexible, making it simpler to pop out the finished soaps without damaging their shape or texture.
- Storage Considerations: Store your homemade jelly soaps in the fridge when not in use to maintain their firmness and prolong their shelf life. This helps prevent them from melting or becoming too soft, ensuring they remain intact and ready for use whenever needed.
Amanda
What type of coloring did you use??
Sara
I used food coloring. The amount used in the recipe isn't enough to stain your skin.
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Sara
They disintegrate as you use them especially with very warm water. Any extra soaps I would keep in the fridge!
Suzanne
This is so fun! What a great gift to make for friends or to enjoy yourself!
damilola
I love it
Megan
What is the shelf life whole stored in the fridge without using?
Katherine
How long do these last? Do they have to be stored in the fride?
Sara
I would store them in the fridge, yes. Once you get the soaps wet, they will dissolve quickly. Sometimes I like to cut them in pieces and just use a piece at the time.
Karen W
I made some yesterday and they didn’t set. I added a few drops of soap color and scented oil. I’m not sure what went wrong.
Sara
Maybe it was the scented oil that threw things off?
Kiersten Stone
I make these with scent oils and discovered that you have to adjust the recipe slightly to cover the oiliness of the scents. Follow this recipe but with 3/4c water, and 1.5 packs of gelatin. That's how I started making them and have had success each time!
teresinha emilia prezzi
Se não guardá-los na geladeira, estraga?
Sara
Sim, eles derreterão.
Kiersten Stone
I'm making these in a few days. Can I add fragrance oil to make them smell stronger? If so, any suggestion on how much I should add?
Thanks
Sara
You probably could, but if you're already using soap with a fragrance, not sure how it would all turn out.
Kiersten Stone
I was planning to use unscented soap so that I could use the fragrance oils to make them smell like cotton candy. I'm going to give it a try, I'll update with the results!
Sara
Yes, please do, Kiersten! Cotton candy is super fun scent for these!
Kiersten Stone
I had to play with the ingredients in order to get a good batch, but I got it to work!
I added an extra 3/4 cup soap, and an additional 1/2 package of gelatin in order to get them to set up correctly. I used unscented soap, and added about 15 drops of wild watermelon scented oil. They are AMAZING! I wish I could upload a picture but it's not allowing me to do so in the comments.
Fran
Sounds wonderful. But I need clarification. Did Kiersten use 1/2 c plus 3/4c of liquid soap? Did the soap shapes come out real thick?
Andrena
I tried this recipe twice. The first time t tried, it followed the recipe as written. They never set. The second time, I used twice the gelatin and refrigerated for 12 hours, still they didn't set up. What am I doing wrong?
Sara
Gosh, I'm not sure why they're not setting up for you. Are you adding the correct amount of liquid soap? I'v never had problems with them not setting up. I'm sorry it didn't work for you.