Soap Ministry: Make Your Own Custom Soaps & Have Some Clean Fun At Clarke Quay

When you’re at Clarke Quay, you’re more likely to go get a glass of bubbly in a bar, rather than make a bubbly bar of soap.

But that’s exactly what we did at Soap Ministry. Soap Ministry is a shop in Liang Court that sells handcrafted soaps and holds workshops for people who want to custom make their own soaps.

Despite being a person who generally favours liquid soap because of its ease of use, I found myself charmed by these cute little bars of soap that smell absolutely phenomenal.

There are tonnes of fragrant essential oils as well as mineral-laden powders that you can choose from to add to your soap.

All of these ingredients that go into the soaps are of a premium quality, such as goat’s milk and baobab tree bark. The difference between these soaps and regular bars of soap that you buy elsewhere is that these will not dry your skin out.

You can even use the baobab bark soap (which has healing properties) to treat your cuts and scrapes without any pain! As there are so little chemicals and virtually no preservatives in the soap, you can use it on both your face and body without worries.

At most, the only chemicals used are Vitamin E (for anti-UV properties), glycerin (for increased moisture), and ethanol (to prevent bubbles from rising in the soap).

I must admit, I used to be a little sceptical about these soaps that claim to have natural benefits, but after being briefed on what is put into a bar of soap, making it myself, and trying the end result, I am glad to say that I like the idea of using natural soaps now!

You too can sign up for a soap making workshop like we did, to try it for yourself. We went for the Basic Upsize Workshop ($86) which yields 10 to 12 bars of soap depending on what sizes you choose. If the price is out of your budget, you can try the Basic Workshop ($48) instead, which yields five to six bars of soap.

In such workshops, you get to start with a whole block of soap. You will be guided on how to slice and melt the soap before adding colourings and essential oils.

There were plenty of scents to choose from, but I decided on a rosemary essential oil (one of my favourites), for the goat’s milk soap.

We also had the option of adding colour to the goat’s milk soap, so I chose to mix red and yellow dyes for a slightly peachy tone.

As for our clear soap base, we chose peppermint powder and added a few drops of grapefruit extract that really complemented the peppermint.

Soap Ministry also has handy charts that show you which extracts go well with another, so you’ll have a bit of a guide!

Next, we had to select moulds for our soaps. I swear, selecting moulds was the most exciting and difficult part of this workshop as Soap Ministry has over 400 moulds to choose from, and they are all so cute.

The moulds are stocked in various drawers, with categories such as animals, flowers, food, and so much more.

When we finally selected all the moulds we wanted to use, we started pouring the molten soap in and then refrigerated it before pouring in the second layer.

When the soaps had finally solidified (about 10 – 15 minutes later) they were ready to be popped out of the moulds. It was a pretty satisfying experience, though it really took a lot of patience with the more complicated moulds.

It was cool to see how detailed the different shapes were once we took them out of the moulds.

We loved how cool our soaps looked and enjoyed the unique scents that they gave off. A part of me doesn’t want to use the soap as the carvings would inevitably disappear. But then again, they smell so good, I don’t think I will hold back.

If you love fragrances and crafting things as I do, consider setting some money aside for this soap workshop by Soap Ministry. It is slightly expensive, but the level of customisation, as well as the high-quality ingredients, warrant the hefty price tag.

Sign up now for your own soap making experience. Soap Ministry also has a variety of other workshops that let you explore different techniques of soap making. You can check out the website for more information.

Make a date for good, clean fun at Clarke Quay!

Prices: $48 (Basic Workshop), $86 (Basic Upsize Workshop), $182 (Intermediate Workshop)

Soap Ministry: Clarke Quay, Liang Court, 177 River Valley Rd, Singapore 179030 | Opening Hours: (Daily) 10am – 9pm | Website | More Info