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Time for Tea Soap

teasoaps
Drinking tea is such a lovely ceremony, what with the dainty cups and small spoons and little dishes reserved only for steeped tea bags. The aroma is such a huge part of that experience. Sadly, I’m finding that one can only drink so much tea in a day. So why not pull those luscious scents into our lives in other ways? This was my thinking when this idea popped into my head. I whipped up a batch of small Earl Grey tea soaps (see my instructions below) and folded them into individual tissue tea bags.
teasoaps2
I have included a full, rather detailed tutorial for you to make these yourself. You can even download my tea soap tags, if you are so inclined. Each tag has a “Made by” and “For” on the back, so you can give these little soaps as gifts. You could also write a tiny message on the inside of the tag. I assure you that these are extremely easy to make, and cheap as well.
Click through below for the free tag download and how to!

teasoap_diagram
You can buy all the materials you need here.
(a) Soap: I used a Melt & Pour Soap Base which some may think is cheating, but I think it’s fantastic. It’s incredibly easy - you just cut up the block of soap and melt it in the microwave (or if you are like me and don’t have a microwave, use a double-boiler) and add in whatever ingredients you want.
I used Earl Greyer Tea which has more bergamot than usual. Then just pour it into a mold or pan and let it set. After a few hours mine was set and I cut it into rectangles about 1″ x 2″. These are small (think hotel soap) and I was able to get eight soaps from a 1 lb. block, plus scraps that I can melt down into another one or two. You can see more detailed instructions here. I would recommend wrapping each soap in a dark-colored paper.
(b)Tags: You can create your own tags, or download mine here. Each sheet has tags for Earl Grey Tea Soap, Green Tea Soap, Citrus Mint Tea Soap, Ginger Peach Tea Soap, Rooibos Tea Soap, Jasmine Tea Soap, and Tea Soap (plain). Just cut them out, fold them in half, and snip little notches in the corners (see photos). [A note about the tags: Feel free to print out these tags for your personal, non-commercial use. Please do not redistribute in any way.]
(c)White tissue paper: Pieces cut to approximately 6″ x 9″, one per soap. *Not intended for use in the tub or shower.
(d)Tape
(e)String
(f)Stapler
(g)Scissors

How to fold, tea bag-style:

teasoap_howto1
1. Place one soap on the tissue paper, centered vertically but slightly higher than the middle.
2. Fold the two sides over the soap so that they overlap slightly. Tape closed.
3. Pinch the edges to form a rectangular box. Pleat the sides inward.
teasoap_howto2
4. Fold the bottom up over the soap and secure with a loop of tape (or double-sided tape)
5. Trim so that the front and back are the same height
6. Fold the two corners in to form a peak.
7. Pull the peak down and tape shut.
teasoap_howto3
8. Flip over and staple the string onto the bag, tying a knot in the end to keep it from slipping through. Staple tag on the other end of the string.
If you have any trouble with these instructions it might help to inspect a real tea bag. For the sake of comparison, here is a real tea bag with mine:
teasoap_compare
Here are the tags that are available (click here to view and print):
teasoaps_labels1
Now I’m off to have a cup of tea…
Thanks for reading.

20 responses to “Time for Tea Soap”

  1. Ryan McMaster

    Beautiful tags! You make a snobby designer husband proud! :-)

  2. serena

    brilliant! this may be just what brings me back to using bar soap!

  3. Kristi

    What a great idea! I love the thought of bathing in tea. The aroma would be simply delightful. =D Thanks for sharing!

  4. jennifer lorton Name *

    How cute?!!

  5. connie

    how cute! and the color of the soap turned out so well.

  6. dana

    Great idea. I am featuring you on my crafty blog.

  7. sabina Name *

    beautiful!!! thanks!

  8. Sarah

    Love your blog and your DIY projects! This one is gorgeous.

  9. mincir

    Wow…the looks of this soap is as refreshing as green tea. Thanks for this nice post. It is also refreshing….

  10. acai

    Hey…
    Bathing in tea is a great idea. The tea soap is an amazing concept. Am eager to try it.

  11. Lon

    You say it smells like Earl Grey, I think it smells like Christmas gifts….>D

  12. Roberta

    love this idea…did anyone else have trouble downloading the “tea bag” printables files? Thanks, Roberta

  13. Miss Whit Brown-Munn

    This is amazing! Im going to go do it today.

    You have a exquisite website. It’s now on my favorites.

  14. Angela

    This is a lovely idea, and just in time to start thinking of Christmas! On question: What was your tea to soap ratio? I’m thinking of using some loose vanilla chai mix that I have onhand, and perhaps some herbal lavender mix, as well.

  15. DudeCraft

    Fantastic tutorial! Just found your blog. Really nice!

  16. Daisy

    Hi, I was wondering how much tea you add to the melt n pour? And do you just make up that amount with water as usual but super strong? I cannot wait to try this, the labels are simply beautiful!

  17. Sasha

    I love love love this idea and tried it out myself using opaque melt&pour soap from Michael’s. I got really bad results– the soap doesn’t really lather, and doesn’t smell like tea. The Earl Grey in tea form smelled great but the EG soap smelled very unappetizing. I got slightly better results with a plum tea. Any insight or tips?

  18. sherrieg

    What a great idea, and perfect execution. :) I’m enjoying reading through your past posts!

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About

Britt McMaster is addicted to cucumbers. She and her husband, Ryan, live and work in a tiny apartment in downtown Vancouver, BC. Both Ryan and Britt love to write lists of all their ideas on action sheets, and they have pages and pages. They write especially quickly after they've each had a dry cappuccino or two. Most of those fanciful ideas will stay on paper, but Cucumbersome is Britt's platform to try some out.
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