This Valentine rose melt and pour soap has a heart-shaped window cut into a pink bar, with a little pink rose and green leaves floating inside crystal clear soap. It’s a sweet Valentine’s Day gift, and the cookie cutter trick works for lots of other shapes too.
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Materials & Tools
Soap Bases
- Shea butter melt and pour soap base, about 4 oz per bar
- Premium clear melt and pour soap base, unscented, for the heart window
Color & Scent
- Pink Watermelon, Poppin Pink and Tail Green from this Stardust mica set or individual Stardust micas
- Fragrance oil for the shea butter only (I used Energy; try Barnhouse fragrance oils)
Tools
- Pink 6 cavity bar mold
- Heart cookie cutters in graduated sizes
- Rose silicone mold and a leaf mold
- Pipettes, skewers and a spatula
- Spray bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol
- Thermometer
Fragrance Amount
Keep the clear soap unscented so it stays clear. In the shea butter, use up to 5 ml of fragrance oil per 16 oz (1 lb) of soap base. You can always use less, but don’t go over 5 ml per 16 oz.
How to Make Valentine Rose Melt and Pour Soap
1. Pick a Cookie Cutter That Fits
Find a heart cookie cutter that fits inside your bar mold with a little room around it. Mine came in three sizes, and the middle one fit.
2. Color the Pink Bar Soap
Melt shea butter base and add fragrance. Mix Pink Watermelon with alcohol and stir it in. For a subtle swirl, mix a little Poppin Pink with alcohol in a dropper and squirt it in when the soap has cooled to about 118°F.
3. Make the Leaf and Rose Embeds
Color a little shea butter with Tail Green and pour it into a leaf mold, scraping off the extra with a spatula. Make leaves in two sizes so you can choose later. Pour pink into the rose mold and squeegee it off. Let the embeds set.
4. Pour the Pink Bars
Pour the pink soap into the bar mold, spray with alcohol and let it set.
5. Unmold the Embeds
Pop out the rose and leaves and lay them on the bar to see which size leaves look best.
6. Cut Out the Heart
Unmold the pink bar. Make sure the cutter clears the edges, then press it straight down in the middle of the bar and lift out the heart. Go slowly near the edges so the soap doesn’t tear. Save the cut-out heart for another project.
7. Set the Rose in Clear Soap
Put the bar back in the mold with the front facing down. Spray the rose and the inside of the heart with alcohol. Pour a little clear soap at about 135°F into the heart, set the rose in face down, and hold it in place with a skewer while you pour around it. The embeds need to sit below the top so the clear soap covers them.
8. Add the Leaves and Seal
Drop the leaves in and nudge them into place with a skewer. Let it set, then pour a thin layer of clear soap at about 131°F to seal everything in. Never pour the clear soap above 135°F, or it will melt your embeds.
9. Finish the Back
Score the pink back with hash marks, but not over the clear window. Spray with alcohol and pour a thin layer of leftover green and pink soap for a pretty swirled back. Let it set.
10. Unmold
Pop the soap out. The rose and leaves show through the clear heart window from both sides.
Tips & What I Learned
- Choose a cutter with room around it. It keeps the edges of the bar from tearing.
- Keep clear soap under 135°F. That protects the embeds.
- Make leaves in two sizes. Then pick what fits best.
- Hold the rose with a skewer. It likes to float while you pour.
- Use leftovers for the back. A swirl of leftover colors looks lovely.
Troubleshooting
The bar tore when I cut the heart.
Make sure the cutter has room on all sides, and press slowly.
The rose floated out of place.
Hold it down with a skewer while you pour, and pour a little at a time.
The embeds melted.
The clear soap was too hot. Let it cool to 135°F or below.
FAQ
How much fragrance oil should I use?
Up to 5 ml per 16 oz of soap base, in the shea butter only. You can always use less, but don’t use more than 5 ml per 16 oz.
What do I do with the cut-out hearts?
Save them as embeds for another soap.
Can I use other shapes?
Yes. Any cookie cutter that fits your bar will work.
More Valentine Soap Ideas
- Heart Embed Melt and Pour Soap
- Candy Stripe Swirl Melt and Pour Soap
- Mini Rose Embed Melt and Pour Soap
- Rose Embed Melt and Pour Soap
- All my melt and pour soap tutorials on YouTube
If you make this, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram or Pinterest, and subscribe on YouTube for new soap tutorials.
