A few years ago I made soap for all my friends & family as Christmas gifts, so I decided to revive my soapmaking stuff to make something for a friend of mine. He’s a punk musician and a drum n bass DJ, so I figured he’d appreciate some ‘dirty’ soap to go with his basslines. I decided to add some thematic messages hidden in the soap by embedding a little plastic disc made from shrink plastic (also known as Shrinky Dinks in the US). Basically you just draw on a special plastic sheet with coloured pencils, then pop it into the oven on a low heat and it shrinks and hardens. It’s kinda fun and I picked up some sheets at a craft shop in Texas a few years ago when I was visiting my mother, but never quite knew what to do with it.

Here you can just about read the message inside: it says “Johnny Clash Rinsin’ It” which is a pun based on his DJ name. This soap was made with orange zest and essential oil for a fresh scent.

The other soap is clear on top, with an opaque ‘dirty’ base made with kaolin clay. You can’t yet read the message (it will appear as the soap is used) but it says “Dirty Punk Rocker” inside: