Firstly we gather all the materials, equipment and safety gear needed. 

We need to decide how many layers we want to have in our Rainbow Soap, I have chosen 5. Then work out how much soap base is needed to fill the mould and how much base per layer.  

Then it's a case of deciding how much pigment and glitter we want to use per layer to achieve the desired effect. A little bit of pigment and essential oil goes a long way, so it is worth experimenting with smaller amounts to find what works best for you.  

In this Rainbow Soap I have gone for a mix of Chunky and Super Chunky Frost and Flamingo Pink glitters. I find that these sizes work best for this soap but other sizes also look great. Once we have got it all figured out, it's time to get cooking!

Firstly make sure that we are wearing PPE, especially gloves, goggles and an apron. Concentrated essential oils can be an irritant so gloves are a must, then goggles and apron should protect from any hot spills.

We get the saucepan over a medium low heat and add the chopped up soap base. The trick is not to heat up the soap base too quickly and to avoid stirring too much, this will prevent creating air bubbles…. I know it's exciting but be patient. 

Once it is looking like the base has almost melted, it should turn from a cloudy white to transparent, then add the essential oils, pigments and glitters and mix slowly to prevent bubbles. Once it has all melted and mixed together we pour it into your mould, being careful as the soap mix will be hot. Once its all poured out it's time for the amateur soap maker's best friend…..alcohol! (No, not that kind of alcohol, it's too early to start celebrating!) We spray rubbing alcohol on the soap to pop any small bubbles that have appeared, being careful not to spray rubbing alcohol anywhere near open flames or a heat source, it is extremely flammable.  

We then let the soap cool naturally whilst cleaning the equipment ready for the next layer.

We then repeat the process of cooking, pouring, curing and cleaning for each layer until your mould is full.

When fully cured, we tease the stripy soap loaf out of the mould and behold the glory of our creation! 

To chop the soap we use a special soap loaf chopping tool to give us nice uniform slices but a carefully handled sharp knife works just fine too. 

Once we have chopped the soap we wrap them and then store them in an airtight container.