Ideas for eco-friendly soap packaging for your own handcrafted gifts. All can be easily and affordably recreated with paper, string, lace, fabric, and other natural materials.
It’s the run-up to the holidays, and you’re probably thinking about gifts. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a long list of Handmade Soap Packaging gifts and treats on your to-do list. Making handmade gifts can be a lot of fun, save money, and add a personal touch to gift-giving. Making a few batches of soap and wrapping the bars in pretty materials is a good way to go if you’re smart about it. They can be given along with a small card, included in a small gift set, or stuffed into Christmas stockings.
These are some suggestions for making your Handmade Soap Packaging stand out as a gift. I prefer to use materials that are both natural in appearance and feel. All of the ideas below can be made at home with scraps of paper and string that you already have on hand. The rest is readily available at a craft store.
Make Your Own Soap To Give As Gifts.
Gift Packaging Ideas For Eco-Friendly Handmade Soap Packagingtart. My free natural soap making series will guide you through the process, whether you’re making it for yourself or as a gift. It covers the fundamentals, terminology, and step-by-step instructions for making soap from scratch.
- Ingredients
- Safety & Equipment
- Recipes for Beginners and Creating Your Own
- The Production of Soap: Making, Moulding, and Curing
- Cure for Handmade Soap Packaging
I also strongly advise that all of the soap you give as gifts be properly cured. The main goal of the curing process is to dry out the soap; wet soap will dampen paper and string, resulting in a big mess. Have faith in me.
Bows On Simple Soap Packaging
A bow is the most basic way to embellish Handmade Soap Packaging. You can make them out of a variety of materials, such as raffia ribbon, plain string, bakers twine, cooking twine, or even embroidery thread. Make do with what you already have or go to the craft or dollar store.
One thing I would advise is to use colours that contrast. Use colourful materials if your soap is all cream and white. Choose more natural tones, such as the raffia ribbon in the photo above, when using coloured soap. Even the most rustic of your soaps will look fantastic with a bow on top of them.
Taking this idea a step further, I’d recommend putting four small bars of soap in a box together, each in a different colour or scent. Consider how lovely they’ll be, each with its own bow.
Using Washcloths To Wrap Handmade Soap Packaging
Using a reusable material to decorate Handmade Soap Packaging is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to do so. You could use a piece of fabric, but a soft washcloth is the most obvious choice. It could be a standard terry cloth or a plain cloth like the one shown in the photo. Don’t you think it’s lovely? I’m going to reveal a little secret hidden beneath that cloth.
It’s not a face-washing cloth, to be clear. It’s a kitchen wash rag that comes in packs of five at my local supermarket. These can be found at the Co-op in the United Kingdom. You might be able to find them online or ask your mother or grandmother in other parts of the world. Grannies know where to get all of the necessities for the home.
You can also make your own soft cotton washcloths by knitting or crocheting them. I doubt they’d be difficult or expensive to make, and they’ll add even more value to your handcrafted gift.
Another brilliant and simple idea is to use lace to embellish Handmade Soap Packaging. Simply cut enough lace to wrap once around the soap bar and then place it in a gift box. Lace in various patterns and colours will look stunning when combined. I can see these looking really nice next to a vintage teacup candle. This could be a fun project if you enjoy making candles.
Lace can be found in fabric stores or on the internet. I’d probably avoid vintage lace because it’s so much more expensive. Another advantage is that most modern lace is made mostly of acrylic, which means it won’t absorb moisture as old lace might.
Though most lace is available in narrow ribbons, you can also find wider varieties. These could cover the majority of the bar and look stunning next to others with only a thin strip of lace. Contrasting decorations can really make your Handmade Soap Packaging bars look even more beautiful when it comes to decorating and gifting soap.
It’s fine to wrap your soap bars in the paper once they’ve fully cured. Brown parchment paper, gift wrapping paper, tissue paper, Handmade Soap Packaging, and even baking paper are all possibilities. Wrapping soap bars in the paper makes each one feel like a mini-present. Any piece of paper will suffice!
GreaseProof (Wax) Paper, Dried Herbs And Flowers, And Raffia Ribbon Are All Inexpensive Options.
Above is a picture of soap that I’ve wrapped in grease-proof translucent paper. Wax paper is a type of paper that comes in a variety of colours, including brown, white, and other hues. It’s even available in festive patterns during the holidays. I like it because I can tuck some dried flowers inside and use them to add even more natural decoration.
One thing you may discover is that some wax papers do not adhere to the tape. Tie a string around it to keep it in place in this case.
Handmade Soap Can Be Embellished With Herbs And Flowers.
When it comes to decorating handmade soap, you don’t have to limit yourself to ribbons and paper. To add even more interest, you can use both dried and fresh foliage and flowers. There are a few ways to do it, and if you’re using fresh materials, you’ll need to be extra cautious.
To begin with, you can use flowers or herbs to decorate Handmade Soap Packaging during the manufacturing process. The soap serves as the packaging in this case, and it can give as is or with a simple bow tied around it. On SirePrinting, I have a number of recipes that demonstrate how to do it. One that comes to mind is my recipe for making a natural leaf etching on handmade soap using fresh cedar leaves.
Greenery Use To Package Handmade Soap.
Another option is to use a bow to tie greenery or dried herbs to your bars. It could be a few stems of dried lavender, dried sage, or a sprig of holly, as seen above with the washcloth decorated soap. If you’re giving a gift to a gardener friend, take a cutting from one of your succulent plants and tie it in. They can propagate it into a new plant, making it a twofer.
If you’re using fresh greenery, make sure to decorate your soap the day before you want to give it away. Otherwise, it will wilt, dampening the soap and any other packaging materials and causing a sloppy mess.
Herbal bath fizzes are packaged with Herb Garden Soap. Both of the recipes can found on SirePrinting.
Soap Is Packaged With Other Cosmetics.
Making matching items is one of the most enjoyable aspects of making Handmade Soap Boxes. I have recipes for peppermint lip balm to go with peppermint soap, lavender body balm to go with lavender soap, and herb garden soap and bath fizzes if you like the photo above. Put them in a paper box, tie a ribbon around them, and you’ve got yourself some handmade gifts for a fraction of the price.
When it comes to making and packaging Handmade Soap Packaging, the sky is the limit. These are just a few suggestions; I’m sure you can come up with even more.
If you enjoyed this article, please take a look at some of my soap recipes. Some of them already have packaging and decorating ideas, and they’d all make lovely handmade gifts.
