Ultimate Guide to Soap Molds Including Wooden, Silicone, and Custom Soap Molds
Tips on types of materials and containers that you can use as soap molds. Includes materials you should avoid and ideas for wooden, silicone, recycled, and custom soap molds.
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In most of my soap recipes I show the type of soap mold I use and/or recommend. In many of my more recent ones it’s often the pink six-bar mold you see below. It’s convenient, easy to use, lasts a long time, and fits a 1-lb soap recipe perfectly. There’s a WORLD of soap molds out there though, both that can be purchased and can be made. You don’t have to feel constrained by what you see in my recipes though. Choosing the right soap molds is one way that you can personalize soap recipes.
In this piece I’ll take you through common mold types, explain their pros and cons, and give ideas for where to can purchase them online. In some cases the molds will already be in your own home and in that case we’ll look at how they can be prepped to use in soap making.
Silicone Soap Molds
I have an entire collection of silicone soap molds. Heart shaped, flower shaped, basic rectangles, loaf molds, the list goes on. You name it and I probably have it. Silicone is my go-to for small to medium batches because they’re so diverse and very easy to release the finished bars from. A tug from the side and a push from the bottom is generally all you need to do to get them out.
Silicone is non-toxic, lasts for years, and doesn’t need lining or prepping. You pour your cold-process soap in and pop them out when it’s time. One of my favourite silicone molds is a loaf style mold that I can fit an 800g (28.2oz) batch in perfectly. I’m also a big fan of this rose shaped mold that I used in a recent Valentine’s Day soap recipe.
Gelling in Silicone Molds
Silicone molds come in loaf style and small cavities. The latter can come as individual molds or a one piece set of small cavities. With loaves you’ll need to pay close attention to soap making temperatures since the centers tend to gel and the outside doesn’t. This can leave darker rings inside the soap that you’ll only see when cutting the loaf into bars. If you don’t want your soap to gel at all, make it at a lower temperature and/or refrigerate after you pour it.
One downside that you’ll hear about small cavity silicone molds is that soap has trouble gelling in them. I have a trick for that. Silicone is heat-resistant and can be oven processed. After pouring your soap in the mold, pop it in an oven warmed to about 110°F, but turned off, and leave overnight. The color will be gelled and your soap won’t have soda ash. This applies to both loaf and cavity silicone molds.
Here are some of my picks for silicone soap molds you can buy online:
- Six cavity silicone soap mold (I use this one the most for small batches)
- Pretty floral silicone soap mold
- 42oz Loaf mold with silicone insert
- Rectangles with intricate patterning
Cooking & Soap Making Equipment
A lot of folks will already have silicone molds in their kitchen cupboards. Not only are they easy to make soap in but they’re a breeze to pop cupcakes and muffins out of too. Which begs the question: is it okay to use silicone molds that will be used for baking too?
For a long time I’ve held to the thought that soap making and kitchen equipment should be separate. Why? To avoid any lye, soap residues or essential oils getting in your food. I picked this idea up somewhere and even though I could find no evidence to the contrary, I stuck by it religiously.
These days I feel a bit more relaxed about the idea though. If you very thoroughly clean your silicone molds and other equipment I don’t see any scientific reason to not to use them for cooking. If you’ve heard otherwise, let me know as a comment down below.
What about lye on my bakeware
Lye, Sodium hydroxide, is a caustic substance that does not absorb into the inorganic polymers that silicone kitchenware is made of. If you’re meticulous about cleaning then you won’t be harmed by lye or accidentally end up with soap in your cake.
Did you know that lye is used in dilute amounts to make traditional pretzels? They’re dipped in it before they’re baked and give that characteristic sheen. In this case the Sodium hydroxide reacts with CO₂ and water in the baking process and is converted into a very safe-to-eat carbonate. I wonder if the cooks re-use their lye-solution pots and pans for other things though. I’m leaning towards yes.
Clean scents off thoroughly
Silicone does have a tendency to pick up scents, be they essential oils or fragrance oils, so you should be careful. In the first place, you probably don’t want your blueberry muffins smelling or tasting of peppermint soap. It probably wouldn’t be appetizing and in the case of many fragrances, won’t be good for you either.
If your mold smells of anything, clean it before using it to cook in. Advice on cleaning scents from silicone molds include soaking in salt water, soaking and cleaning in baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), or heating to evaporate the essential oils. Sometimes the scent will disappear (evaporate) with time if the mold is left sitting out. The bottom line is, if your mold smells of anything at all, don’t use it for cooking.
Wood can work as a mold and to insulate
After silicone, wooden molds are the most popular in soap making. They come in standard sizes for medium to large batches, tend to be made of non-treated pine, and will also insulate your soap as it hardens. The wood acts like a blanket to keep the soap warm and to guide it into gel phase.
For many years I used wooden boxes to place my silicone soap molds into. It was only to keep the soap insulated though. You can see a photo of how that worked above with wooden lids just behind and ready to be fit on top. I’d put a towel over the box before the wooden lid just to minimize drafts around the top. I could have used the wooden boxes on their own though had I constructed the boxes a little differently.
Wooden soap molds for large batches
Large wooden boxes are great soap molds when lined with grease-proof/baking paper. The paper stops the soap from sticking to the wood. Getting the big slab of soap out can be tricky though. You can use the overlapping flaps of paper help to lever the soap out but with large blocks it’s not enough. That’s why most wooden molds are designed for the sides to be disassembled and/or the bottom to come off. Without this feature it could be difficult to get soap out without damaging it.
If you’re comfortable with wood working or know of someone who is, you can make a custom soap mold suited to your needs. I’ve seen them small enough for a 1-lb batch and large enough to fill half a table. There are also plenty you can buy too.
For these larger molds you can also get impression mats to set at the bottom. These are silicone sheets that you can cut down to fit your mold exactly. Impression mats come in various patterns and leave a pretty 3-D pattern on one side of the soap. Although not wood, you can also find synthetic/Polyethylene molds in the same style as these wood molds. They sometimes come with mylar liners.
Metal Soap Molds
When it comes to using metal containers as soap molds you have to be very careful. Stainless steel is fine but avoid cast iron, aluminium, tin, or copper. That’s because those metals will react with the lye, release harmful gases, and potentially turn the metal black and ruin your soap. Not to mention the pan.
I’ve heard somewhere that in the past self-sufficient families would use their bread tin as the household soap mold. You can too just as long as yours is stainless steel. As with wooden molds, make sure to line the stainless steel container with baking/grease-proof paper to stop the soap sticking to the sides.
Another fun idea would be to pour a soap directly into a stainless steel tin as a product. A soap making pal of mine does that for a shaving soap.
Recycled Soap Molds
Name a type of food or product packaging and it can probably be converted into a soap mold. Especially if it’s made of sturdy paper or plastic.
In my classes I offer the choice of paper milk cartons that I’ve rinsed out or plastic takeaway containers. You know the kind that Chinese or Indian food gets delivered in? Both are perfect and can give plastic waste a second life.
In the case of takeaway containers, you can save them to use again and again. Just make sure to line them with appropriate paper to stop sticking. With paper cartons, you rip the sides down to get your block of soap out. In both cases you’d cut your soap into bars with a kitchen knife.
Other things that can be made into soap molds, although you will often need to line them with baking or grease-proof paper:
- Cereal boxes turned on their side with a large panel cut out
- Tetrapak juice and soup boxes (no lining required)
- Yoghurt pots
- Ice cream tubs or boxes
- Shoe boxes
- Pringle cans (no lining required)
Plastic Soap Molds
There are so many plastic and acrylic soap molds out there that I just want to cry. Beautifully designed with patterns and shapes perfect for all manner of soaps. The thing is that they’re designed more for melt-and-pour soaps, or even bath bombs, than cold-process soap recipes. Unless your recipe is made up of very hard oils, or has added Sodium lactate or salt to harden them up, it’s a nightmare to get soap out them.
Let me tell you a story about the pretty picture of soaps just below. When I first started my soap making business I found these amazing triple spiral designs perfect for the Isle of Man. The three legs of Mann is the Island’s symbol and we even have a 4000 year old triple spiral engraving on a stone outside Laxey. I just couldn’t get the darned things out of them!
I’d let the soap sit in them for weeks, tried chilling and even freezing the soap. Still around 50% would come out with the spiral design ruined. Do you see the round soaps sitting behind the spiral ones? I literally cut the tops off so that they’d at least look nice.
My advice: avoid plastic soap molds unless there’s a way that you can line them. Not only have I ruined a lot of soap with them but I’ve broken many of the molds just trying to get the soap out.
Custom Soap Mold Ideas
I’ve already touched on a couple ways that you could create custom soap molds. You could make wooden style boxes of any size and could customize waste packaging to create free soap molds. There are even more ideas you could use too.
For a honey or beeswax soap, line the bottom of a loaf or tray soap mold with bubble wrap. It will give the tops of your bars a honeycomb effect. Use the same idea but with textured vinyl wallpaper or stencils for pretty and whimsical designs. You can also make your own silicone impression mat like this one made with lace.
If you’re feeling really crafty, you can also create your own custom silicone soap molds. There’s a great piece over here detailing how one hubby was roped into making a Buddha soap mold for his wife. It’s pretty clever but a little labor intensive. If you have the dosh, there are folks on Etsy and other places online who can create custom silicone molds for you too.
I’ve been using wooden molds that allow me to double my batch and I love them. However, I’ve had a hard time breaking the molds down without hurting the soap. Mostly superficial, but I thought I’d try covering the molds in plastic wrap. I just put a batch in the fridge and after reading your blog l’m scared I just ruined a beautiful batch of mens scented goat milk soap! Please tell me this wasn’t a catastrophic mistake haha! Thank you for all your soap making help. You have been a lifesaver on my soap making adventures!
Hi Tory and hopefully your soap turned out alright? Plastic wrap on wooden molds isn’t a common practice since the plastic crinkles and leaves the edges of your soap a bit crinkly-looking. It might also be difficult to get the soap out of wooden molds without taking the mold apart.
What an informative page! I’m just breaking into making lye soap, and it’s to use the tallow and lard that we render from our beef and hog each year – my own nose-to-tail thing – and I’ve been looking for a website that explains the process in detail. Yours is it! And the links are great as well, especially the silicone lace one. Wow, what an idea that is!
I have a question about colorants. My very basic attempts at vibrant, rich, and dark colors have been quite unremarkable. I have soap making colorants, but they’re liquid ones in small bottles and they just don’t provide what I’m looking for. However, I also don’t want to invest a huge amount of money in really expensive colorants at this point. Do you have some suggestions on brands, types, portions, etc of colorants to get started? Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance,
BobbieLee
Hi BobbieLee and great to hear of your nose-to-tail soapmaking adventures! I’m a big fan of no-waste and you’ll find a couple of tallow soap recipes here. It sounds like you have liquid lab colors for soap? I use natural colorants instead which can give you some pretty incredible colors! There’s a list of them over here, and I’d also recommend that you push your soap into gel phase after it’s been poured. Oven processing is very helpful in this and entails you putting your soap in the oven at 170F/75C for 30-60 minutes, then turning the oven off and allowing the soap to cool to room temperature. Gelling will intensify the soap color and give the bars a lovely sheen.
Great article on molds. I’m using massage bar molds and it gets me crazy when I pull out the soap and a couple of tips of the bar are broken off which means I can’t sell them. What is causing this?
It could be a couple of things, but one thing that could help is gelling your soap. You’re probably making your soap around 100F/38C, pouring it, and leaving it on the counter to harden? Try pouring the soap and placing the molds in a warmed oven. Leave the oven on at 170F/75C for thirty minutes then turn it off and leave the soap in until it cools. Soap that gels can be initially harder, deeper in color, and easier to pop out of molds.
Hi there! Do you have any tips for spooning the soap into molds? Particularly the round silicone ones? I tried my first batch of soap last weekend, and although I think it went well, the soap didn’t make it to all the edges of the molds, so the bars weren’t very pretty when I popped them out. I’m not sure how to best avoid those air pockets.
I really appreciate all the time and care you’ve put into your website. I’m so excited to begin this new hobby with your guidance.
Hi Maggie, what has happened is that you put the soap in the molds too late. It was a thick trace which is difficult to pour. Next time, aim for medium thickness to your trace so that you can pour the soap into the molds easily. Good luck :)
Hello, Tanya,
Just recently discovered your site, and have been learning about making soap.
To start out, I want to just use some food containers, but have a question in that regard:
You mentioned in your blog that Pringles canisters can be used…aren’t those lined with a shiny aluminum-coated paper? I think some tetra-paks might be too…?
Hi Carol and yes they are. It doesn’t interact with the soap that’s poured inside so don’t worry. You could even recycle the tetrapak containers afterwards if that option is available in your area.
I agree. Especially since I make hot process soap and there is no lye active after the soap is cooked. I like to have scientific info myself but everyone has to do things the way that they are comfortable
I want to up circular molds, the weight of soap piece is about 200 grams.please give me information about price &shape
Regards
Sabri Azzouni
This may just be a personal preference for me, but I would never use something I cook in and turn around and make soap in it. Cross contamination is real and I don’t care how many times you clean it, some residue is still present…I just would not take the chance….
That’s how I felt for a long time. However, the evidence for cross contamination with lye/soap is just not there as far as I’m aware. To each their own when it comes down to choice but I feel that spreading a non-scientific sentiment as fact has caused a lot of confusion.
Hi
Can cold press soaps be placed in the freezer if it difficult to come out of what ever mold is being used.
Yes! You can even freeze them solid if you wish.
Janette,
but you wash your dishes with dish soap…
and who knows what goes into those little amazing pods that wash a whole dishwasher full of dishes…
the list could go on and on….
but… it is your personal choice in the end.
me…. i’d likely purchase “soap making equipment” just like i have “canning equipment” – that’s just me though.
I’ve never tried soap-making, but have become interested thanks to this delightful blog. If impression mats are common in the USA, why not arrange to trade for some? Most artisans I know are very happy to do this, but they don’t know about the need. Talk to me. I’m a fellow artisan. I do a lot of natural dyeing, which has a historic connection with soap-making.
I actually signed up to find out how in the world you manage to grow tomatoes and aubergines in your weather! Here in the sunny Southern California foothills, my biggest veggie foe are rats. They very quickly develop a taste for whatever I plant, including jalapeno peppers! We can’t use poison (not that we would, anyway) because everyone around us have pets, as do we. So growing our own veggies is more costly than just buying them at local Farmer’s Markets. The large containers will become flower pots as soon as the weather warms up a bit. — Bjo Trimble
Oh rats! It’s actually bad luck to say the word rat out loud on the Island — they’re called ringies or longtails here. Aside from traps, I’m not sure what else to offer as far as an idea.
Tomatoes and Aubergines are strictly greenhouse/poly tunnel crops here. Every once in a while someone will say that they’ve successfully grown an outdoor tomato plant but in my experience it’s not worth the effort. It’s too cool and the chance of Blight is too great.
Hi Tanya
Thank you for the latest newsletter.
I went onto Clara’s page on how to make impressions with lace and quite frankly it is far too complicated for me.
I will try to source a plastic doily and try to get a pattern this way.
Kind regards
Karen
Hello Tanya,
I put my batch in a loaf mold and next day when I cut some of my soaps were broking, cracking. What do think why happened that?
Did your recipe include honey, milk, or another sugar by chance? They can cause your soap to heat up dramatically after you pour it into molds and can cause cracking when you go to slice the bars. You could have just been soaping at an overly hot temperature too.
Another reason this might happen is having too much lye in your recipe. Can you see any white pockets, spots, crystals, or liquid oozing out? If so, check your pH and re-batch if it’s too lye heavy.
Thanks for that great review of soap molds and soap mats for decoration! Thanks for sharing your knowledge so generously!
Bless you for sharing your experience and knowledge with everyone. I truly appreciate your wisdom. Thank you to everyone who contributes through comments also.
Sincerely,
Lynne
What is your secret for getting such a smooth top when using the 6 bar mould? Mine generally are a bit textured but I prefer the clean lines of your example. Great article as always. Thanks!
I tend to pour my soap at a light trace — so still fairly runny. Then I give the mould a little jiggle to settle it.
Many thanks – will give that a go:-)
Great overview Tanya! I mainly use silicon moulds. Most are designed for soap but I got a few new and secondhand muffin and icecube trays that are handy too. I agree there is no problem using them for both soap and baking if you keep them clean. I do find that the silicon loaf moulds can bow with the weight of the soap making the middle soap bars wider, so I want to make a wooden brace for them. Have you tried impression mats? I can’t find a good source.
So funny that you commented first on this Liz — as YOU’RE the soap making pal who does shaving soap in tins :) Actually I seem to recall you making soap in large metal trays at first too. Or is my memory wrong? You’re obviously using silicone now too but any feedback on your experience with metal would be super helpful.
As for the bowing you mention. I’ve only ever had this issue with silicone loaf molds that were meant for baking. I have reinforced loaf molds made specifically for soap making and have never had that same issue. When I ordered mine donkeys years ago they had to be imported from the USA but I think they’re much more common now. I’ve put links in the piece for the ones I use.
Impression mats: sadly far more common in the USA. I don’t use them but the effects can be stunning.
I agree, that was a great article on molds. And you can get impression mats (also used for fondant) from any commercial baking/cake decorating supplier. Every large city seems to have one and they come in all sizes and work well.