These soap jellies are super simple to make and such a fun little treat for the shower. My girls love these and they are actually fairly pricey to buy at fancy bath stores. Lush sells a small version of these for $10 or a larger version for $20. You can make them in minutes for a fraction of the price and customize with any color or fragrance you like.
The jellie comes together and it is bouncy and squishy and fragrant and you can use it in the bath or shower as an alternative to bar soap or body wash. This is a perfect craft to do with older kids for quality time together or something for teens to make for friends. Pop your shower jellies in a mason jar and you are ready to go.
This recipe will make approximately 12 oz or so of jellies. I used (2) 8oz mason jars and they were not quite full.
You only need a few ingredients to make these:
- 1 package gelatin*
- ⅔ Cup Hot Water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup body wash or bubble bath
- Bring ⅔ cup water to very hot- almost boiling.
- Add to a mixing bowl and pour in 1 packet of gelatin. Stir well to dissolve and add salt- mixing to dissolve.
- Let cool for a few minutes and mix in ½ cup shower gel or soap or bubble bath.
- Drop in 1-4 drops food coloring and fragrance if desired.
- Pour contents into mason jars or molds or small containers of your choice.
- Cover with saran wrap or a lid and place in fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
*Gelatin is the simplest ingredient to find in the baking section at any grocery store. Lush uses vegetarian products that are organic. If you prefer to use a vegetarian product instead, Agar powder is a great substitute. (Find it here.)
A few notes:
I have tried both creamy body wash and clear body wash and the best results are always with a clear/gel wash not the creamy variety. I only add essential oils for extra fragrance if the soap is not already fragranced. Typically a shower gel will have a strong enough scent. I used a coconut + lemon soap and added just a few more drops of lemon essential oils.
Once you finish with the mixture you can fill a jar or make several small shower gels. A larger gel can be cut into pieces once it sets and gets firm. I made mine both ways and found that I prefer a larger jellie that is cut into pieces. Transfer a few of the jellies into a jar or container to use in the shower and the remainder can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.
Note the bubbles at the top of the mixture will stay with your jellies. I don’t mind those at all but if you prefer to scrape off the bubbles at the top before the mixture sets you will have a nice clean bottom for your jellies.
For the pink jellies I added a little fine silver glitter to my mixture. I used a glitter that is safe for bath products not a standard craft store glitter. It adds a really pretty and subtle sparkle to the jellie.
And to present as a gift you can use a mason jar and just cube the jellies or use a small mold or ice cube tray to make them instead of the jar. Add a ribbon and done! Note the larger your jelly, the easier it is to handle. My smaller jellies did tend to break a bit as I was handling them.
My girls always complain about showers so I love these fun little surprises to delight them.
If you decide to give these a whirl please come back and let me know what you think!
Here are some items you might like to make these jellies:
Mason Jars// Mini Soap Mold // Gelatin // Body Glitter //
And a complete video showing how I made these:
Here are a few other recipes you might also like:
I just found you. I can not wait to may all the things that i have seen on there. You have more body scrubs on here that i have not seen before.
I have made other shower jellys but they always need to be kept in the fridge or they will melt. How long do these ones last and do they need to be kept in the fridge?
Hi Sarah,
I have kept them in the shower just fine but I suppose it depends on how humid and hot your bathroom will be. I don’t tend to keep them in the shower in the dead of summer just because I am paranoid about ants but otherwise I have had no issues in mason jars in the shower for several days.
This recipe worked great! My jellies turned out perfectly. It was an easy project that I will use for gifts.
oh so happy to hear it! They are fun right?
so I made these and although they came out fine they didn’t produce much suds when used (am I doing something wrong?)
What size of gelatin packet?
Just made these with my 3yr old and she had a great time! We will package up for her grandmother’s, aunt and sisters for Christmas. Found demoulding a bit disastrous – had to use hot water as they would not budge and they melted a bit. Next time will just make in flat pans and use cookie cutters, can always melt the left overs and reset for squares too. Definitely a repeat treat/gift, Thanks!!
Shoot I am sorry to hear about the issue. I wonder what happened. Mine seem to just pop out. Maybe rub the molds with coconut oil before filling with liquid?
My jelly isn’t really soaping really well…
Did I do something wrong???
Cause it isn’t soaping in general so idk what to do.
I’m doing this for a school project so I reeeaaaallly need help ASAP…
Plz help!!!!!!
Hi Kaylee- Can you tell me what ingredients you used and how it feels? Is it all dry or what is the issue? What happens when you get the jelly wet? The majority of the jelly is actually soap so if there is an issue with it foaming up, I would suspect the soap you used might be the problem?
HTH!
It’s just like actual jelly but when it goes under the water, it doesn’t foam up at all. The soap I’m using is this one: https://yeswecoupon.com/wp-content/Images/2017/04/softsoap-body-wash-deal-yes-we-coupon.png
But I have yellow and purple ones too.
If you spray some rubbing alcohol on the top three bubbles will go away! It works for all soapy diys I make these all the time with my own recipe and they’re so great!
Hello, I noticed in the recipe it says 1 teaspoon of salt but the step by step doesn’t say when to include it to the recipe. I can’t wait to try these 🙂
What size gelatin package?
Hi NobleLee- 1oz size packets.
It is great and I can’t wait to try this recipe but if I want to ship these to other people would they melt and if so do you know any ways to stop them from melting?
Hmmm.. I am not sure if you will have melting issues with shipping. Its pretty cold right now in most places so I would think it would be OK but I guess it depends on where you are sending them and how they are handled by the freight company.
What do u do wit the teaspoon of salt in the jellies?
Can you use Coco Betaine in it for more bubbles?
Hi Leeann I am not familiar with that product so not sure if it would work.
-Charlene
I followed the recipe exactly as it said, and none of my jellies came out solidified. I used baby bubble bath and regular gelatin, and put them in the fridge over night. Any idea what happened??
HI I tried making some of these but I made them with Castile unfragranced soap base. The smell of this was awful when I mixed in the gelatin is that normal? I added orange essential oil to one batch and lavender to another but neither were great smelling! The lavender one had dissolved in the sink the next morning that was made with with one sachet of gelatin. Is it best to use a fragranced shower gel? Thanks for any advice. Kay
Oh darn. 🙁 No a bad smell is definitely not want you want at all. So odd. Can I ask what sort of gelatin you used? I wonder if that is the culprit?
Kayla, I am sorry that didn’t work out. My guess is the gelatin. Did you use hot water, dissolve the gelatin completely and is the package still fresh not expired? There is a video of exactly how I made the recipe in the post. Otherwise maybe the baby bubble bath was too thin? I don’t think I have tried bubble bath before- I use shower gel or body washes.
Hi Charlene, I was wondering what type of gelatin do you use is it the edible kind or is thee a special type? Plz answer fast I would love to make these today………… thx
Hi Maddy,
I use the Knox brand from Target and other stores in the baking aisle. It is edible.
Here is what it looks like:
https://www.amazon.com/Knox-Gelatin-Unflavored-Individual-Packets/dp/B007Y3HM5C/ref=sr_1_6_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1532634847&sr=1-6&keywords=gelatin
It is something like $2 a box at Target.
HTH!
i lobve this recipe i have used them for my friends birthday party and i love it
Yeah so happy to hear that Lauren!
Salt is one of the ingredients but it doesn’t describe using it in instructions. Please respond! Other people have asked this and there are no replies
Hi Katie,
You can add the salt after mixing together the gelatin and hot water. I will make that correction. There is also a video with the step by step process that you can watch to see exactly how it all comes together if that helps.
Take care,
Charlene
I’ve used this in molds with so-so results that became excellent results once I omitted the salt from the recipe. To get rid of the bubbles, I spritz with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle, similarly as you would with m&p soap.
Is there anything we can add to this recipe so that they don’t need to be kept in the fridge?
You can keep them in your shower Amy. You do need to let them set in the fridge after making but once they set you can keep them in the shower. If you make extra I would suggest the shower rather than a cupboard but in winter they should be totally fine.
Do I have to spray the mold with anything or did the jellies come out on their own?
Thnx
Mine came out perfectly without anything. They are soft like jello so I didn’t have any issues with the pliable molds I mentioned in the post or with the jars. 🙂
Mine will not stay solid at room temperature:(
Made this yesterday and I left it in the fridge last night my soap and the gelatine separated from eachother and it’s a mess
Really? Boo. I have never had gelatin separate. Can I ask what brand you used? Also do you know if the gelatin was fresh from the store or have you had it stored awhile in the cupboard? Was the water very close to boiling? There is a video in the post- did all the steps match the video? I have trouble with gelatin sometimes if the water isn’t hot enough. It won’t dissolve properly.
Do you know of any reason why the gelatin wouldnt stay jello-like at room temp? I moved them from my fridge, packaged them separately by scent and a few hours later… melted! I used johnsons vanilla oat body wash for sensitive skin and Knox gelatine
Skylar- I have not had the issue of melting so I’m not sure why that would happen. I do know gelatin melts at higher temperatures. Could your room have been on the warmer side or maybe the oven on in the kitchen? Did you include the salt? That helps it to set.