Four Methods of Making Soap at Home

There are four basic methods for making soap at home:

Melt and Pour - melt pre-made blocks of soap and add your own fragrance
Cold Process - the most common - making soap from scratch with oils and lye
Hot Process - a variation of cold process where the soap is actually cooked
Rebatching - grinding up bars of soap, adding milk or water, and re-blending them

Each method has pros, and cons, and variations.

Pros of Melt and Pour

An easy and inexpensive way to start making soap.
No need to deal with dangerous lye mixture.
You don’t need a lot of ingredients to start.
Your soap is ready to use as soon as it hardens.

Cons of Melt and Pour

No control over your ingredients.
Melt and Pour is not quite as “natural” as other methods. (Many manufacturers add chemicals to increase lather or to better allow the soap to melt.)
Your soap is only as good as the base you purchase.

Pros of Cold Process Soap Making

Your soap is truly made from scratch
You control all of the ingredients in the soap
You can tailor your recipe into unlimited variations

Cons of Cold Process Soap Making
You need to learn how to safely work with lye
You’ll need more ingredients and tools to start
It takes longer to make and there is more cleanup involved
You need to wait several weeks before your soap is ready to use