Not Scary, Simple Soap a Newbie (like me) Can't Mess Up

Eventually, I want to make soap from scratch. With lye. People say it's scary, dangerous, Fight Club stuff. So naturally, I want to try it. 

Until then (and "then" will be next fall for me, after we've moved and settled into our new home), I will settle for a nice, easy melt & pour soap that I can customize. 

Two pounds of melt & pour made 24 small, square 2"x2" soap cubes. I made three varieties. 

Red Thyme: four drops red thyme essential oil and a tablespoon of dried thyme leaves mixed into 1/3 of my soap

Peppermint Mocha: four drops peppermint essential oil and a half-cup of coffee grounds mixed with cocoa powder mixed into 1/3 of my soap

Vanilla Lavender: one vanilla bean scraped into 1/3 of my soap, along with a tablespoon of vanilla extract and 3 drops of lavender essential oil

I already had everything to make this soap in my kitchen and craft drawers, so it was free for me. 

Melt & Pour Soap (link and link)

total time spent: 30 minutes hands-on plus curing time
total cost to me: FREE (but the mold was around $10, the soap around $10, and anything else you add will increase your total cost)
craftiness level: beginner 

Tips:

• do spray the tops of your soaps with rubbing alcohol. It's magic the way it gets rid of the bubbling
• be creative with your additives. You might choose to color your soaps, too. 
• don't forget to let the soaps sit before use. Some tutorials say up to several weeks. Some day several days. I'm going to let mine sit undisturbed until Christmas.