Are you having guests over this Christmas? Sneak these Candy Cane Soaps into the guest bathroom for holiday ambiance. Just tell the little ones not to eat them, they look and smell like the real thing.
This project involves mixing melt and pour with glycerin to give it a softer, pliable texture. As soon as the soap is cool enough to handle, it’s cut into strips and molded into candy cane shapes. Timing is crucial for this project. Once you pour the soap into the mold, don’t walk away! The cooler and harder the soap, the more difficult it is to mold.
Once you start twisting and molding the candy canes, work quickly. We recommend having a soaping buddy for this process. If the slab of soap becomes too cold, it becomes very difficult to twist the soap without breaking.
6″ Silicone Slab Mold
SIX: Once all the candy canes have been twisted, melt 4 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base using 10 second bursts. Mix in about 1/4 teaspoon of Fine Silver Rainbow EcoGlitter. Feel free to add more glitter if you prefer. Dip the candy canes in the sparkly soap. Then, you can either lay the soap flat on a silicone mold to dry, or create a “hanging contraption” as shown below to allow the soap to drip off. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden. Enjoy!
- 6" Silicone Slab Mold
- 7 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Soap
- 3 oz. White Melt and Pour Soap
- 2 mL Peppermint Essential Oil
- 1 oz. Liquid Glycerin
- Red Mica
- Fine Silver Rainbow EcoGlitter
- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
- Melt 3 ounces of White Melt and Pour Soap Base in the microwave using 10 second bursts. Add 1 mL of peppermint essential oil and 0.5 ounces of liquid glycerin. Stir together. Pour the soap into the mold and spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to eliminate bubbles. Let the layer cool for about 5 minutes. If the soap has a skin on top that can support more soap, it's ready for the next layer.
- Melt 3 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave using 10 second bursts. Add 1 mL of Peppermint Essential Oil and 0.5 ounces of liquid glycerin. Stir together. Add about 1/16 teaspoon of the Red Mica and mix together. Once the red soap has cooled to 125 degrees F, spritz the white layer of soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol and pour the red soap into the mold. Let the soap cool for about 5 minutes.
- Once the soap has cooled enough to unmold but is still warm, remove it from the mold and place it on a cutting board. With a craft knife and ruler, cut the soap into thin strips (about ¼ inches or smaller).
- Place two of your freshly cut soap strands on top of each other (so they look like a checkered board) and squish them together as much as possible.
- Gently twist the soap and curl the top so it looks like a candy cane. Timing is very important. You need to work quickly to mold the candy canes while the soap is till pliable. You'll have about 5 minutes to do all of your twisting before the soap gets too hard to be pliable and just breaks in your hands.
- Once all the candy canes have been twisted, melt 4 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base and mix in about ¼ teaspoon of Fine Silver Rainbow EcoGlitter. Feel free to add more glitter if you prefer. Dip the candy canes in the sparkly soap. Then, you can either lay the soap flat on a silicone mold to dry, or create a "hanging contraption" to allow the soap to drip off.
Ok. .. .I’d also like to know where I can get the Jelly Red colorant. I clicked on the link above and can’t seem to find it on BB ?
Thanks
Whoops, looks like the link just needed updating. Thanks for letting us know! You can find Red Jelly Colorant by clicking the (updated) link above, or right here:
https://www.brambleberry.com/Red-Jelly-Color-P5399.aspx
Thanks again for catching that! =)
Kristen with Bramble Berry
New here and new to soaping.
These don’t look to hard though. . .
Is this a special kind of “gliter” ? Cause I can see it getting all over everything in the bath !
Hi Genet,
So glad you’re here! Glitters that are used in soap making are special because they are cosmetic grade, aka skin safe. Standard craft glitters aren’t appropriate for use in soaps or other body products because they aren’t tested for skin contact and may cause micro-abrasions. Bramble Berry carries a variety of skin safe glitters that can be found here:
https://www.brambleberry.com/Glitter-C42.aspx
I’ve never seen my tub or shower affected by glitter in soaps. Because only a little bit of soap is used per bath/shower, there isn’t really all that much glitter released per use. Hope this helps! =)
Kristen with Bramble Berry
I am about to try the jelly rolls to make lollipops. I am going to use as favors so I will need to make about 30 of them. How much melt & pour do you recommend I use?
It depends on what size you’d like to make. If you’d like to make a 4 oz. Jelly Lollipop, you’ll need approximately 120 ounces, or around 8 pounds of soap. Let me know if you want to make a different size – and always err on the side of caution and get a couple more pounds than you think you need just to be on the safe side, project-wise.
They are really realistic looking. One bite and those kids would definitely know they weren't for eating. Ha ha =)
I would love to make these but some of the kids in my family would eat them no matter what I said. They are sooo sooo cute !! I think I'll make them anyway.
LOL! Yes, that colorant is quite thick isn't it? You can plop it out on a spoon OR you can cut a bit of the tip off a plastic dropper and use that larger tip to draw the colorant into the dropper and then put into your soap.
I bought the Jelly Red colorant for this project and am not sure how to get it out of the bottle! It doesn't come out very easily do I need to heat it or something like that? Or do I just plop it onto a spoon?
Very beautiful and girly soaps, it really make me want to eat them, so dangerous! xD
i really liked this tutorial. it was lotz of fun. one little hint though, i found (after the fact) that i would have to place a light book or something (light enough not to crush them) on top of the candy canes as they started to curl "up"(litterally stuck straight in the air) while drying. they're on my tree now. they look really awesome! i also have the soapy wreaths i made on my tree. you can see them on the teach soap forum under the melt and pour area's "flaunt your stuff" thread. 🙂 Happy Holidays!
They look so real! They'd be great to give as stocking stuffers or holiday party favors.
Just in time to make teacher's gifts!
P.S. I just made the passionfruit rose chappy (that's what we call it!) recipe from May 2008. Loved it! I thought I'd have quite a few extras on hand but my kids stole them all. This stuff is so wonderful!
these are given me gorgeous and have given me a sugar craving!
OMG GREAT!!! tytyty
I'm not a big fan of Melt and Pour, but I love these adorable little soaps. Can't wait to make them and give as stocking stuffers to the kids. ( with a little note telling them not to eat, of course)
How Cute are these?
I think that a cute little Christmas Tree (the $2.50 ones at Tar-get) in a powder room, with mini candy canes, would be so cute. the most festive soap holder/decoration going. Now I jsut need a big Christmas Party to host 🙂 Thank you for the tutorial-awesome. Also, I adore the aqua color-very cute.
I agree with Teresa!
I think I love these tons more than I love real candy canes!
Thanks alot for sharing on how to do this. I was wondering how to make candy cane soaps.
Can't wait to make them and give them out as gifts!
Too cute! LOVE LOVE LOVE these!
These are so great! I love the fun colors you used for the candy canes. So adorable! Awesome new techniques!!
These are just absolutely adorable. So creative. I am going to have to make these. I did my first attempt at the candy soaps. They came out ok. I am hoping the second time around they are even better. Thanks for another great idea.
These are too too cute! I just love them! Thank you for sharing. How do you keep people from being tempted to eat them? They totally look edible. Awesome job, as always, A-M!