Cedarwood & Clove Soap on a Rope (Melt & Pour)

This cedarwood melt and pour soap recipe has a warm woodsy scent and boasts a rope for easy hanging in the shower!

branch of evergreen tree with berries on top with soap on a rope laying on wood below

French green clay adds a soft green color, but if you have dry skin, you may wish to use chlorella or spirulina powder instead.

A soap stamp completes the look and makes this bar ready for gifting or using for yourself. (I purchased the soap stamp shown from a shop on Etsy called Soap Republic.)

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz (454 g) shea, goat milk, or other white soap base, cut into cubes
1 tsp French green clay mixed with 2 tsp rubbing alcohol
1 tsp honey or agave syrup, optional
2 g (about 1/2 tsp) cedarwood essential oil
0.25 g (about 10 drops) clove essential oil
Mold with 4-ounce cavities
Rubbing alcohol, for spritzing
4 (15” [38-cm]) pieces of soap rope or twine
2 drinking straws, cut into thirds

YIELD: Four 4-ounce soaps

picture of soap with straw inserted in bar to make hole

HOW TO MAKE:

Melt the soap base, using the double boiler method, heating over medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes; or the microwave method, heating for 10 to 20 seconds at a time, until melted.

Stir in the diluted French green clay, honey or agave syrup, and essential oils. For best results, cool the soap before pouring until the temperature is between 125 to 135°F (52 to 57°C). This helps minimize speckling from the clay settling to the bottom of the mold.

Fill four mold cavities about one-third of the way full with the hot soap and spritz with alcohol to remove air bubbles. Cover the rest of the soap in the melting container with a saucer or a piece of plastic wrap to help it stay warm until needed.

Let the soap in the molds sit for a minute or two to start developing a thin skin, then position a small piece of cut drinking straw where you’d like the hole for each soap’s rope to go. Hold each straw piece in place for a few seconds, then prop them up with skewers or chopsticks if any try to fall over. Let this layer sit for about 5 minutes.

straw inserted into liquid soap being held up by wooden skewers

Spritz the soaps in the mold with alcohol and divide the remaining soap batter equally between them. Spritz the tops again with alcohol. Keep in the mold for several hours, or until cooled and hardened.

Remove from the molds and push each straw piece forward toward the front of the soap. Push it in and out a few times, using your fingers to smooth the edges and create a neat hole for the rope.

Thread a piece of rope through the hole and tie in a knot at the top. While the soap is still fresh, you may wish to use an acrylic stamp to stamp a design on the front of each soap, if you’d like.

Wrap the finished soaps in airtight packaging and store in a cool, dry place, out of direct sunlight.