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I started a tradition on my first Disney event when I brought along Avengers Tattoos. When it was time to head to the D23 EXPO, I gave out earrings. With the #JungleBookEvent right around the corner, I was racking my brain for a DIY to bring and coming up totally empty.
I should have known that inspiration would eventually strike. Unfortunately, it also hit the day before I was set to get on the plane. A little thing like lack of time wasn’t going to stop me from making 25 Jungle Book-inspired soaps, however. Lucky for me, making soap is pretty easy!
To make your Jungle Book-inspired soaps you’ll need:
- Small Jungle Animals
- Soap Molds
- Glycerin Soap Base
- Small spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- Food Color and Scented Oil (optional)
Since I was on a time crunch, shopping around for the best prices wasn’t an option. Luckily there was a 30% off of everything coupon for Michaels when I visited. It took the entire five-pound block of soap base to make the 25 soaps I created, keeping in mind that I had different sized molds and there was some waste.
I found every conceivable animal collection possible except “jungle animals” when I was shopping. Farm animals? Of course! Desert animals? Why not! Reptiles? Absolutely! I eventually settled on a “wild animal” set I found at Target. To keep these perfectly Jungle Book-appropriate, I had to remove the camels, zebras and rhinos.
I was left with elephants, apes, bears and tigers. All Kipling-approved.
To make your Jungle Book-inspired soaps, start by placing an animal in each well of the soap molds.
You’ll then want to chop your glycerin soap base into small cubes and melt it in the microwave at half power at 30-second intervals. You can use a spoon, but I found it really helpful to stir with craft sticks. Once you have fully melted the soap base, add color and scent, if desired. Use both in whatever quantity you’d like, but expect to add a little more scented oil and a little less food coloring than you might have thought. Just two-four drops of color were enough to fully tint most batches. They make soap colorings, but I decided to avoid buying those and use the food color I already had on hand. You’ll want to stick with liquid colors only. I attempted one batch with some gel color and ended up with small specs in some soaps.
Once you’ve added your extras to the soap base, simply pour it into the molds. Stop filling just below the lip of the well. It’s helpful to melt your soap base in a large, glass measuring cup for easy pouring. Once you’ve poured, quickly spray each soap with rubbing alcohol. That will get rid of any bubbles that have formed.
If the soap cools at all before you finish pouring, you may notice a skin starting to form. Use a craft stick or spoon to remove that to keep the soaps as clear as possible. If any soap skin does get in the poured soap, immediately remove it with the stick or spoon.
You’ll want to give the soaps at least an hour to harden before you attempt to remove them from the molds. Avoid trying to speed along the process by putting the soaps in the freezer. This can cause condensation and create a cloudy effect.
It’s much easier to remove the soaps from a silicone mold than a rigid plastic one. (That’s true for many things you may mold.) If you’re not in a rush like me, I’d recommend trying to find those first when making your soaps. I also found it easier to bag the soaps for gifting in gusseted plastic bags I found in the food/party section of the craft store rather than the non-gusseted bags sold in the soap aisle.
You can fill your homemade soaps with all kinds of toys and objects, too. Not just jungle animals. It’s easy and fun to make soaps. Just try to avoid making 25 at once the night before you want to hand them out!
You can follow along with all of my #JungleBookEvent coverage here!
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