Making your own bars of soap can be a fun pastime, a way to ensure that your bathroom soap perfectly matches your home decor, or given as practical homemade gifts to friends and family. You can even save money by using up the ends of old soap bars in a creative way.
Whatever your reason for making soap, you'll need a soap mould. Silicone soap moulds are heat resistant and release the soap easily, and with plenty of designs to choose from, you'll be able to create attractive-looking soaps to suit various occasions. For those in need of inspiration, we've even ranked the 10 best moulds for soap making in the UK, available to buy from Amazon!
For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:
For a more in-depth look at the comprehensive top 10 selection, make sure to read on to learn more about the different types of soap moulds available and understand how our ranking was determined.
This article’s chosen EC site price listings are reflective of its publishing date.
Image | 1 ![]() Walfos | 2 ![]() BOOWAN NICOLE | 3 ![]() FineGood | 4 ![]() COOKNBAKE | 5 ![]() Cozihom | 6 ![]() Jodsen | 7 ![]() LIN YANZHEN | 8 ![]() Cozihom | 9 ![]() Selecto Bake | 10 ![]() OLaXin |
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Name | Rectangular Silicone Soap Molds | 1.2 kg Silicone Soap Mold Kit | 13 Soap Making Molds | 100% Handmade Silicone Soap Moulds | Silicone Cloud Moulds | Sun and Moon Face Shape Silicone Soap Mold | 3D Honeycomb Silicone Soap Mould | Flower Silicone Soap Moulds | 6 Cavity Paw Print Silicone Mould | Large Silicone Letters Moulds |
Features | Make 24 Professional-Looking Soap Bars With This Cost-Effective Set | A Complete Set for Moulding and Cutting Plain or Swirly Soap Bars | A Bargain Selection Allowing for a Variety of Soap Bar Designs | Food-Grade Moulds to Make it Very Clear That Your Soap is Handmade | Cloud-Shaped Moulds for Slim and Chunky Soaps | Make Classic Sun and Moon Soaps With This Silicone Mould | Hexagonal Honeycomb Moulds Perfect for Making Honey Soaps | Sturdy Mould for Making Elegant Floral Soaps | Paw Print Soap Moulds That Pet Lovers Will Adore | Mini Alphabet Soaps to Encourage Even Reluctant Kids Into the Bath or Shower |
Price | £11.99 | £19.99 | £10.90 | £13.60 | £8.29 | £8.49 | £6.99 | £7.99 | £3.40 | £7.99 |
Best For | Everyday soaps | Everyday soaps | Novelty and everyday soap for gifting | Everyday soaps | Novelty soaps | Novelty soaps | Novelty soaps | Novelty soaps | Novelty soaps | Novelty soaps |
Number of Bars | 24 bars | Approximately 12 (large) bars | 18 bars | 15 bars | 12 bars | 4 bars | 6 bars | 4 bars | 6 (small) bars | 26 (very small) bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 8 x 5.5 x 2 cm | Can be cut to your desired bar size | Blue square-shaped: 6.9 x 6.5 x 2 cm, purple square-shaped clover: 7.2 x 6.9 x 2.5 cm, rose pink round-shaped: 7.3 x 2.5 cm, light green round-shaped: 8 x 2.5 cm, blue oval-shaped: 9 x 6 x 2 cm, purple rectangle-shaped: 9 x 5.8 x 1 cm | 5.5 x 5.5 x 2 cm | 7 x 3.8 x 3 cm | 6.4 x 2.5 cm | 7.5 x 6.8 x 2 cm | 6.8 x 2.3 cm | 5.5 x 5 x 1.5 cm | 4 x 3 x 1 cm (approximately) |
Mould Dimensions | 23 x 20.5 x 2 cm | 24 x 16 x 6.5 cm | 6-cavity rectangle: 23.5 x 21.3 x 2.5 cm | 5.5 x 5.5 x 2 cm | 17 x 16 x 3.3 cm | 16.4 x 16.4 x 2.7 cm | 24.5 x 18 x 2.4 cm | 17 x 17 x 2.5 cm | 18.5 x 14 x 1.5 cm | 27.2 x 18.2 x 1.3 cm |
Material | Silicone | Pine wood (with a removeable silicone liner) | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone | Silicone |
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If you are new to soap making then you may wish to play it safe and stick to a simple bar shaped soap at first. They will come out of the mould with ease and are useful as everyday soap to use around the house, for hand washing and in the shower. Additions can also be incorporated into bar soaps, such as scents, petals and exfoliating seeds as you grow in confidence.
Those wishing to make soaps for specific occasions, such as good luck gifts, tokens to welcome overnight guests or as party favours, should opt for a novelty soap mould. These may incorporate text, embossed images, or allow the entire soap to emerge as a quirky shape. These soaps are often smaller than traditional bars, so consider the dimensions if you are intending to use your whimsical creations every day.
If you're interested in the science behind soap making, then why not try a home brewing kit?
Carefully check the number of individual soaps which can be produced before you commit to buying a soap mould, as the 'number of moulds' may refer to moulds with multiple cavities, or individual-cavity moulds. Those wishing to make numerous soaps can find packs of multiple cavity moulds, which make producing at scale a breeze. These are convenient for storage too, as individual cavity moulds can be stacked together when not in use.
Remember that the greater the number of cavities present on a soap mould, the smaller each is likely to be. When making your choice, take a moment to think whether you want a robust soap to hold in your palm for everyday use, or are happy to produce smaller bars that may be less practical?
Here are ten of the best soap dishes, to keep your creations in!
Silicone is a highly flexible form of plastic, which can withstand extremes of temperature and is naturally non-stick. It's the ideal material for soap moulds, as the melted soap is extremely hot when first poured. Once set, the silicone can then be easily peeled off without damaging the solid soap. A silicone mould is reusable and can be handy for baking too, as long as you aren't producing heavily-scented soaps.
Note that silicone soap moulds need to be robust to hold the setting soap securely, or distortion will occur. For extra support, you can purchase silicone moulds which sit inside a wooden or bamboo box. Just make sure that 'push holes' are present within the base of the box to allow for easy separation of the silicone mould and the outer casing.
If you would rather let someone else do the hard work, check out our favourite natural soap bars.
This ranking has been compiled by the writing team at mybest UK via careful evaluation of the points made in the buying guide and thorough research of each product and comparing multiple verified customer reviews across the EC sites used.
£11.99
Best For | Everyday soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 24 bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 8 x 5.5 x 2 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 23 x 20.5 x 2 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£19.99
Best For | Everyday soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | Approximately 12 (large) bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | Can be cut to your desired bar size |
Mould Dimensions | 24 x 16 x 6.5 cm |
Material | Pine wood (with a removeable silicone liner) |
£10.90
Best For | Novelty and everyday soap for gifting |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 18 bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | Blue square-shaped: 6.9 x 6.5 x 2 cm, purple square-shaped clover: 7.2 x 6.9 x 2.5 cm, rose pink round-shaped: 7.3 x 2.5 cm, light green round-shaped: 8 x 2.5 cm, blue oval-shaped: 9 x 6 x 2 cm, purple rectangle-shaped: 9 x 5.8 x 1 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 6-cavity rectangle: 23.5 x 21.3 x 2.5 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£13.60
Best For | Everyday soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 15 bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 5.5 x 5.5 x 2 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 5.5 x 5.5 x 2 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£8.29
Best For | Novelty soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 12 bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 7 x 3.8 x 3 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 17 x 16 x 3.3 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£8.49
Best For | Novelty soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 4 bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 6.4 x 2.5 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 16.4 x 16.4 x 2.7 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£6.99
Best For | Novelty soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 6 bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 7.5 x 6.8 x 2 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 24.5 x 18 x 2.4 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£7.99
Best For | Novelty soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 4 bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 6.8 x 2.3 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 17 x 17 x 2.5 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£3.40
Best For | Novelty soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 6 (small) bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 5.5 x 5 x 1.5 cm |
Mould Dimensions | 18.5 x 14 x 1.5 cm |
Material | Silicone |
£7.99
Best For | Novelty soaps |
---|---|
Number of Bars | 26 (very small) bars |
Soap Bar Dimensions | 4 x 3 x 1 cm (approximately) |
Mould Dimensions | 27.2 x 18.2 x 1.3 cm |
Material | Silicone |
You can either use a pre-mixed melt and pour kit, which avoids the dangerous chemical reactions involved in traditional soap making, or you can use sodium hydroxide and water to make ‘lye’ (which is very corrosive), plus solid oils, liquid oils and optional essential oils.
Traditional soap making can be dangerous as it uses sodium hydroxide to make lye. We advise that you read all instructions carefully, follow a reputable recipe, wear protective goggles and appropriate gloves, and ensure that the soap is left to cure (neutralizing the strong alkali) before using the finished soap.
Yes, you can! Chop up small pieces of old soap. Heat 2 cups of soap scraps, plus 1 tbsp of tap water using a double boiler pan, until melted. Pour into 2 or 3 moulds and leave to set for 1 week. Remove from moulds and allow to harden for 3 weeks.
Written and researched by Lucy Smith
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