Glycerine base soap - comes in clear, white or goats milk.

Dye - soap dye comes in orange, brown, green, turquoise, purple, coral, in fact all the colours of the rainbow. You can even mix them together to make your own colour.

Scents - soap scents come in many varieties, although if you make your own, do not add alcohol as this curdles the soap.

Moulds - to make oatmeal soap can be anything from bread baking loaves to paper cup cakes, to jelly moulds. If you want to buy moulds especially for soap there are plenty to choose from.

Microwaveable glass or plastic jug.

Chop stick.

Microwave to heat the basic soap.

1. Cut your base soap into small one inch squares and place in a microwaveable jug and heat in the microwave for 40 seconds, then for 10 second intervals until completely melted.

2. Do not let the soap boil as this will cause bubbles which ruin the appearance of the final soap.

3. Add the desired colour and fragrance into the cooling base soap and gently stir using a chop stick.

4. Pour into mould(s) holding the jug close to the mould. Spray lightly with witch hazel to remove surface scum and bubbles.

5. Cool the soap in the moulds. When the soaps have cooled place into the fridge for 4 hours.

6. Remove from the fridge and remove the moulds. An easy way to remove the soap is to turn the moulds upside down and then heat with a hairdryer for a minute and after which the soap should just pop out.

• Half litre clear glycerine soap
• Half litre goats' milk glycerine soap
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• 2 drops honey fragrance
• 2 teaspoonfuls of Oatmeal
• Colouring
• bread mould

Pour into a loaf mould until it's half way. Allow to cool slightly until a skin forms onto the surface.

Melt the goats' milk soap and allow mixture to cool slightly before pouring into the mould with the first layer of soap which is not cold but is cold enough to have formed a skin on the surface.

Allow your soap to cool before placing in the fridge for 4 hours. Remove from the fridge, place upside down. Now get your hairdryer out and give the top of the loaf mould a blast of hot air until you hear the soap pop out.

Slice your soap and wrap in cling film.

Congratulations, you have made oatmeal soap, now you can add your own ingredients to make all sorts of wonderful aromas for your skin and bathroom.

• 500gr Clear base soap
• ½ tbls Coconut oil
• 3 drops lemon essential oil
• 3 drops grapefruit essential oil
• 3 drops orange essential oil
• Orange and yellow colouring

Melt the base soap and coconut oil as above in the microwave. When the soap mixture has melted gently stir with the chop stick.

Add the essential oils and again stir gently. Add a few drops of yellow/orange dye. Pour into molds. When I want to do each the "correct" color for each fruit wedge, I use plastic leftover yogurt cups, pour my base into it (after heating) then add the desired color.