Felt Soaps

[Lyche]

My wife thinks they are gross and will clog the tub. I never tried to felt soap but sometimes i wanna make some to try it out.
Does anyone have any experience with felting soap? Is it a bad idea or good project?


Picture from a etsy shop not mine

FeltingByLaura

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

I had been gifted felted soap before, but never made it myself. As a user, I highly recommend! It's a built-in exfoliator, and when it's done, you have a little scrubby you can continue to use; specially great for the face. Because it's felted, it won't clog the drain, unless you let the whole thing go down the drain. However, I don't think people have drains that big. As you use it, it will continue to felt, so no small particle will fall off.

 

[dibbles]

I have felted soap before. I didn't do anything fancy like the soaps in your photo - I just bought multicolored roving and used that. They were pretty and other people liked them (I didn't so much). @CreativeWeirdo is correct - no wool pieces will go down the drain. One friend let the wool dry when the soap was gone and put it in his car as a 'freshener'. I used it in a drawer like a sachet. I watched a couple of YouTube videos about wet felting soap and used that process. There was also a felted soap challenge that might be of interest to you.
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/march-2019-smf-challenge-felted-soap.74063/

 

[DeeAnna]

I occasionally make felted soap. One of my good friends has a sweet grandson who liked to eat my handcrafted soap when he was a toddler. I felted some bars for him to use so he could enjoy the soap but wouldn't get in trouble from eating it.

I'm not fond of felted soap for everyday use, but it's nice for travel and kids.

 

[cmzaha]

I found it a good way to disguise really ugly soaps and had a few customers that loved felted soaps. I did not do fancy felted soaps like your picture and never had any fall apart and go down the drain. I made a few each year for my customers that wanted them.

 

[Shirley-D]

I bought a felted soap from another soaper just to try. The sensation of it grated on my nerves, something about the feel of the wool make me cringe. I decided to toss it out, but first I cut it open to see what was inside...guess what? Store bought soap!

 

[Ladka]

I always used store bought soap for felting as do all my soap felting friends. The felting itself has its price and if we used handmade soap I can't imagine who could afford it except for very rare customers.
I have not felted my handmade soap yet, primarily because I'm afraid the bar could not dry properly between uses.

 

[Shirley-D]

Well, I guess that makes sense...I just wasn't expecting it.

 

[DeeAnna]

I normally felt over bars of my "fugly" soap -- it usually smells good and is nice soap to bathe with.

The felted covering does prevent the soap from drying as quickly, so a soap that is highly soluble isn't a good choice for felting over. It's best if the soap is rich in lard, palm, or tallow -- fats higher in stearic and palmitic fatty acids.

There are a lot of felt makers who aren't soap makers, and they usually use store bought soap.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

You've inspired me -- Just ordered some wool to try my hand at felting. I've got lots of "fugly" bars to practice on!

 

[Carly B]

I got some roving too. I assume you should wait until the soap has fully cured so it doesn't shrink too much under the felt?

 

[Terri E]

I enjoy making them! I haven’t had the time lately but they are great to cover up imperfect soap and people like receiving them as gifts. I try to use the softest roving.

 

[Carly B]

I enjoy making them! I haven’t had the time lately but they are great to cover up imperfect soap and people like receiving them as gifts. I try to use the softest roving.

Those are BEAUTIFUL!!! Except for the spider one. I'm sure it's beautiful too, but you know, spiders......

 

[Terri E]

Those are BEAUTIFUL!!! Except for the spider one. I'm sure it's beautiful too, but you know, spiders......

Thank you so much! The spider I made for a Halloween challenge

 

[dibbles]

@Terri E those are stunning!

 

[MellonFriend]

*GASP* Hot darn, those are amazing, @Terri E.

What do you do when the soap is gone? Can you keep the cute little felt pocket?

 

[DeeAnna]

You can also felt freshly made soap. Only thing is it needs to cure, whether felted or naked.

Arianne Arsenault grates fresh soap, forms it by hand into "hamburger bun" shapes and felts over that. Shapes without sharp corners are easier to felt over.

I got some roving too. I assume you should wait until the soap has fully cured so it doesn't shrink too much under the felt?

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

@Terri E Your soaps are beautiful! You're quite the artist!

 

[Terri E]

*GASP* Hot darn, those are amazing, @Terri E.

What do you do when the soap is gone? Can you keep the cute little felt pocket?

Yes, you can keep it, scrub the sink with it maybe I have given all of them away but one so I haven’t had to think about it

@Terri E those are stunning!

Thank you so much!

@Terri E Your soaps are beautiful! You're quite the artist!

Thank you very much!

 

[Catscankim]

You are so talented! You drove me down the rabbit hole looking up felting...something I have never done before. But I cannot imagine I could do anything so stunning as your soaps. Beautiful.