Best soap making kits: Creative, budget-friendly melt and pour soap making sets

Much like candle making, soap making is one of those old-school crafts that never goes out of style. And there’s nothing like trying out a few soap making kits to test the waters!

There’s a lot you can get out of by taking up this creative hobby, whether that translates into making personalized, affordable gifts, starting a small business from home, or reducing the consumption of plastic hand and body gel containers.

Luckily, there’s a world of soap making kits for beginners available for all walks of life at great prices, with simple instructions and lots of fun resources to experiment with.

Check our lineup and quick picks for the best melt and pour soap making kits below!

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Best soap making kits

Here’s our roundup of some of the best melt and pour soap making kits for beginners! If you’d like a bit more guidance, scroll down to the bottom of the list for our in-depth buyer’s guide.

Life of the Party Soap Making 101 Kit

First up is one of the best soap making kits for beginners who want to enjoy easy peasy crafting from home.

With enough materials to make up to 10 boutique-like soap bars, this kit includes the basics to get you started: clear and white soap bases, fresh fragrances, color dyes, and molds.

It also includes five projects to jumpstart your crafting, and while not as comprehensive as the next kit below, it’s a great pick if you’re seeking quality on a budget.

At ~$20, this kit makes for a great entryway into the craft, whether you want to learn soap-making with some buddies or do this activity on your own. Since it isn’t overly complex and the materials are safe, this set is also a fun option to enjoy with younger crafters.

Know that outsourcing items such as a double boiler, wooden stirring sticks, and a knife will be needed to complete projects. Other sets I recommend by Life of the Party are its Botanical and Oatmeal Vanilla soap making kits — I especially love the latter!

ZenseMe Soap Making Kit

If you’re willing to spend a bit more on a larger soap making kit, this is an excellent, super unique pick for under $50.

This vegan-friendly set contains everything you need (and then some!) to make eight organic soap bars: essential oils, dried flowers, silicone molds, shea butter base, color dyes, and more. Fragrances include timeless scents such as Jasmine, Tea Tree, Lavender, and Geranium.

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An undeniable highlight of this kit is its impressive packaging — it’s one of my favorites — making it a fantastic gift for any hip crafter. However, if your plan is to gift personalized soap bars instead, you’ll be happy to know that the set includes lovely labels and wrapping accessories too.

And, if you’re anything like me, you’ll appreciate that besides your soap looking and smelling like heaven, they’ll also lather up really well.

SOLIGT DIY Melt & Pour Shea Butter Soap Making Kit

As one of the most expensive soap making kits for beginners on the list, this shea butter soap set is also one of the most complete and is packed with stunning, quality items.

For almost $60, you’ll be getting a generous amount of shea butter soap base, different types of dried flowers, liquid dye, gift labels, and an array of fragrances to play with — enough materials to make 10-12 bars of soap.

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However, besides these items, the most enticing feature of this kit is that it also includes additional tools to help you craft from start to finish, which is especially beneficial if you’re a beginner.

You’ll receive a measuring cup, a reusable silicone stirring stick, a rectangular wooden mold, and a wavy and straight scraper in your set. This pour and melt soap making kit is an excellent investment if you want every supply to start crafting right away!

Eco-Friendly Soap Making Kit by Trueli Nature

Next on our list is this beautifully packaged, eco-friendly kit sold by Trueli Nature on Etsy.

Ideal for vegans and/or beginners, the kit includes an elegant tree-shaped mold, natural dyes, argan oil, stirring sticks, white vegan soap, quality lime essential oil, and butterfly pea powder.

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Butterfly pea powder and argan oil have excellent skin benefits and are known to lather very well. I especially love the lime scent; perfect if you love fresh, citrus aromas.

This all-natural kit costs ~$25 and combines the best of all worlds: quality, originality, and affordability. And if not for you, it certainly makes for a fantastic gift without burning a hole in your pocket!

However, this product, like the one below, only ships to the UK.

Other soap making kits by the brand worth considering are its Lavender, Honey, Sweet Orange, and Tumeric, Activated Charcoal, and Peppermint Green Tea & Olive Oil sets.

Make Your Own Soap Kit — Natural Vegan by The Crafting Cartel

If you’re looking for natural, item-packed soap making kits, this set is a fantastic pick no matter your experience level.

Upon purchase, you can select between clear or opaque soap base as well as citrus or floral fragrances. Depending on your choice, some materials may vary (soap base types require different supplies), but the price is the same across all options.

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The clear soap is your best option if you want to play with botanicals and see-through details. On the other hand, if you like to experiment with color and mix and match pigments, the opaque soap base set is likely to suit you best.

This kit makes a gorgeous gift with its elegant, boho-inspired boxing and quality materials and costs under $60. It’s also the perfect pick if you’re looking for plastic-free packaging and eco-friendly products.

Like the soap kit above, this item is only available within the UK.

Klutz Make Your Own Soap Activity Kit

Young creatives will absolutely love this soap making kit for kids!

For roughly $20, this complete set is ideal for ages 6+ and contains an exciting selection of tools and materials to craft up to 10 bars of soap from scratch.

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Including fun molds of cat faces, stars, cupcakes, and others, as well as clear soap base, coconut papaya fragrance, stickers, glitter, ribbon, and more, this easy-to-follow kit will bring joy to any craft-loving child.

One of the best parts of this particular set is that besides instructions, it also contains a 35-page book with loads of fun facts about the chemistry behind soap-making — a great way to teach your child something new through an engaging, hands-on activity.

Other popular and educational soap making kits for kids and teens within a similar price range is the B Me Super Soap Studio and Soap Making Kit by Klever.

Craft Soap Kit by KUinternational

This soap making kit for beginners is one of my favorites and gets extra points for originality!

You’ll love this all-natural soap kit if you’re into the spacey-psychedelic vibe. Including a downloadable instructional video, your pack will contain enough supplies to create 2-3 pieces of soap.

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The kit includes clear soap base, powder pigments, and wooden stirring sticks and containers. In addition, this product contains glycerin and hyaluronic acid for superior moisturization.

However, this is not a scented soap, so bear in mind that the highlight here is visual appeal. You’ll definitely feel tempted to keep them for showcasing only — the outcome is just so pretty!

This product is shipped from the US and delivered worldwide. For more soap making kits by this seller, check these out: Toy Soap Making Kit and Donut Soap Making Kit.

Life of the Party Men’s Shave & Bar Soap Making Kit

Next up is another Life of the Party soap making kit that makes for a really original gift!

The theme of this kit is shaving soap for men and includes fun molds, creamy shea butter base, color dyes, and cedar wood mint fragrance — an appealing combination every dude will appreciate.

You’ll be able to make up to 10 soap bars, making it a great project to enjoy as a group, whether at a craftsy bachelor’s party, gathering with friends, or with your teenage son on a lazy weekend!

Keep in mind that this kit is under $20; therefore, while items are pretty good quality, they might not meet your standards if you have previous experience with more premium soap making kits. Nevertheless, the rich shea butter base included in this pack will guarantee a super smooth shaving experience!

This is more of a fun set to gift on special occasions rather than a comprehensive starters kit for beginners.

Pifito Melt and Pour Soap Base Sampler

This is undoubtedly one of the most resource-packed soap making kits out there, perfect for craftsy entrepreneurs-in-the-making aiming to take the craft a step further.

The pack includes seven samples of the most popular natural soap bases to let you test the waters: clear, hemp seed oil, aloe vera, goat’s milk, cocoa butter, shea butter, and Castile.

All of these bases work very well with all kinds of dyes and essential oils, making it an excellent buy if you’re determining which base type you’d like to craft more with moving forward, whether for business or pleasure.

Although you won’t be getting additional crafting supplies, you’ll be provided with enough bases to make up to 28 premium quality bars of soap. That said, this is a better option if you’re somewhat experienced with this craft and already own some soap-making tools like a double boiler, molds, etc.

Pifito is a renowned brand for soap making kits and offers a wide range of options beyond this product including different combinations of sample bases — click on the Etsy button below to see another alternative with charcoal and a few other interesting bases!

How to choose the best soap making kit for you

If you’re hesitant about choosing the best soap making kit for you or a loved one, keep reading for some guidance before purchase!

While researching soap-making kits, you might come across a few labeled as cold process sets. Although these are also appropriate for beginners, they are usually slightly more complex and expensive.

In addition, and most importantly, know that this method is lengthier and will take quite a while until your soap is fully hardened. For that reason we highly recommend starting with melt and pour soap making kits if you’re a newbie— these are more affordable, straightforward, and easier to find.

Already have some experience with soap making? In that case, you might save a few dollars by purchasing a kit that isn’t as comprehensive, as you’re likely to already own some of the standard crafting supplies (molds, measuring cups, stirring sticks, etc.).

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However, if you’re soap-making for the first time, buying a more extensive set will pay off as these provide everything you need and lots of instructions to get you started — not to mention great money for value vs. buying items individually.

It’s also essential to know exactly what your kit will contain. Are materials vegan-friendly? Is packaging eco-friendly and plastic-free? Is soap base clear or opaque? Are you allergic to specific essential oils?

If these are items you will eventually use, ensure you pick a product that is compatible with your skin sensitivity and any other personal preferences you have. The same goes for gifting!

It’s also a great idea to buy soap making kits with reusable items such as scrapers, stirring sticks, and silicone molds. This is not only a cost-effective approach for future soap making ventures but a great way to reduce buying plastic supplies that also tend to break or damage more easily.

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That’s it for our guide of the best soap making kits you can buy! Any advice for other intrepid crafters? Let everyone know in the comments below!