From David Fisher,
Your Guide to Candle & Soap Making.
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Jump Starting the Process
Making soap with a "melt and pour" base is sort of like making a cake with a cake mix. What you lose in control of your ingredients and customization of your recipe, you make up for in safety, ease and convenience.

With melt and pour soap making, you buy pre-made blocks of uncolored, unscented soap “base” from a craft store or soap supplier. You melt the soap base in the microwave or a double boiler. When the soap is fully melted, you add your fragrance, color and/or additives. Put it in a mold, and voila, you’re done. The soap is ready to use as soon as it hardens.

To get started making melt and pour soap you only need:

• A counter top or other clean workspace with a microwave or double boiler
• A heat resistant bowl for the microwave
• A couple of spoons or whisks
• Some melt and pour soap base
• A set of measuring spoons
• Fragrance, color, or additives, as desired
• Something to mold the soap in

That’s it. From your first try, you can have wonderful results.

Pros of Melt and Pour

• An easy and inexpensive way to start making soap
• No need to deal with dangerous lye mixture
• You don’t need a lot of ingredients to start
• Your soap is ready to use as soon as it hardens

Cons of Melt and Pour

• No control over your ingredients
• Melt and Pour is not quite as “natural” as other methods. (Many manufacturers add chemicals to increase lather or to better allow the soap to melt.)
• Your soap is only as good as the base you purchase