Title: Soap Balls
Categories: Soap *
Yield: 1 Batch

TEXT ONLY

Soap balls can be made from fresher, still-somewhat soft soap, or from shredded strips of soap.

From fresh soap: To make soap balls from fresh soap, allow your soap to stay in the mold for a day or so, until it is firm to the touch but not rock hard. Cut into bars, but don't be concerned with symmetry. Remove the bars from the mold and slice off any residue on the surface. Roll each bar into a tightly compacted ball using the innermost portion of your palms, squeezing out any pockets of air. Allow the soap balls to rest on a dry, porous surface. Periodically, over the next few days, repeat the squeezing process a few times to smooth any large imperfections.

From shredded soap: Shredded soap can be kneaded with a little water to form another kind of soap ball. Use the plastic (flexible) moister shreds from one to three week old soap. Cut the bars into manageable chunks and shred them in a food processor or with a hand shredder. Once you have a pile of shredded soap, add a tablespoon of water and a few drops of essential oil (if the soap is scented, only use water) for every cup of shredded soap, and knead the mixture until the water is fully incorporated. Make whatever slight adjustments you need until the mixture is smooth and firm and plastic. If the mixture is sticky, add more soap shreds; if it is dry, add a few drops of water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Roll into compact balls, as described above.

Variation: You can vary soap balls by incorporating different colors and textures of soap. Into mostly dark soap shreds, scatter a few shreds of lightly colored soap. Into a white base, add a variety of colored shreds for a confetti look. When soap balls are made with fresher, more plastic shreds, you can roll the outsides of the balls in finely shredded soap; these soap balls look like they are coated with shredded coconut.

Source: "The Soapmaker's Companion" by Susan Miller Cavitch

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