Melt & Pour vs Cold Process Soap: Which Is Best for Beginners?

Handmade Pink Lychee & Raspberry glycerine soap bars displayed on a textured surface.

I’d always wanted to try DIY soap making but didn’t know where to start. Honestly, it seemed overwhelming at first — so much information and talk about lye! That’s when I discovered melt and pour soap, and everything clicked.

If you’re deciding between melt and pour and cold process soap, here’s a breakdown to help you choose the method that suits your soap-making style!

🔥 Why Choose Melt and Pour Soap?

✅ Melt and pour soap is super beginner-friendly.
✅ No need to handle lye — yay for safer soap making!
✅ Quick process — just melt, add colour or fragrance, pour, and let cool.
✅ Ready in hours, not weeks!

Perfect for small projects or if you want fast results. 

🧑🔬 What About Cold Process Soap?

✅ Full control over every ingredient — from oils to scents.
✅ Richer, longer-lasting soap bars.
✅ Customizable formulas for moisturising, exfoliating, or scented soaps.

⚠ Cold process requires handling lye and a longer cure time (4-6 weeks).

🎨 Customization Options

• Melt and pour soap: Easy to add colours, fragrances, and fun extras like oats or honey. The base formula stays the same.

• Cold process soap: Full freedom to design your recipe from scratch — choose oils, butters, and additives exactly how you want.

🌿 Ingredients Comparison

• Melt and pour: Typically made with glycerine — great for moisturizing. Some bases include shea butter or goat’s milk.

• Cold process: Choose natural oils (olive, coconut) and essential oils. No synthetic additives unless you choose to add them.

⚡ Texture & Performance

• Melt and pour: Smooth texture, gentle on skin, but may not last as long.

• Cold process: Luxurious feel, harder bar, longer-lasting soap.

🛡 Safety

• Melt and pour: No lye handling = safer for beginners. Just take care when melting (it gets hot!).

• Cold process: Requires gloves, goggles, and ventilation due to lye.

💸 Cost

• Melt and pour: Slightly more expensive per bar (since you buy pre-made base) — ideal for small batches.

• Cold process: Higher upfront cost, but cheaper for larger batches over time.

💡 Final Thoughts

Here’s how I see it: it’s like making a curry — whether you use a base or cook from scratch, you’re still creating something delicious!

Melt and pour soap works best for me — it’s easy, creative, and fits my busy life alongside candle making. My customers love it, and I love making it!

Both methods are fun. The best one? The one that fits your style!

💬 What’s Your Favourite Way to Make Soap?

Let me know in the comments!

Back to blog
  • natural soap bar scene
  • Assessments
  • Different coloured soap bars

FAQ

Do I need to add anything to melt and pour soap?

You don't have to add anything to the base as its very high in glycerine anyway so it will lather up and moisturise well. You can add fragrance oils and specific dyes to make the bars a bit more unique. Scent typically smells stronger and lasts longer in these types of soap.

Can you sell soap made from melt and pour?

Yes, you can sell soap. As long as you comply with the CLP (Classification, Labelling, and Packaging) regulations and you have been assessed.

Do i need an assessment for selling soap?

To sell soap to the public, you must undergo an assessment, whether you're using a melt and pour base or cold process soap. Whenever we make any product hat is in contact with the skin, eg soaps, make up, lip balm we need to know the ingredients we are using are correct.

This assessment is a document certificate that includes all the ingredients used to create the final soap bar. With Melt and Pour assessments, there are restrictions on the ingredients you can incorporate into your soap bars. For instance, my assessment permits me to add butters like cocoa butter and shea butter, but it doesn't allow the use of a shea butter melt and pour base. Additionally, I can only use the scents specified in my assessment. This is because the ingredients listed in your assessment have been tested and proven to be effective in the soap bars. Introducing untested ingredients might not work properly in the soap base and could cause skin irritation.

As for cold process soaps, you will still need an assessment in order to sell them but you will input the ingredients you used along with the weight.