How to Make Wet Felted Soap: Easy Beginner's Tutorial

Wet felted soap is a simple and rewarding craft that’s perfect for beginners. By wrapping a bar of soap in soft wool roving and using warm water with a little soap, the wool fibres lock together to create a beautiful felted covering. The finished soap is long-lasting, gently exfoliating, and makes a lovely handmade gift or a natural addition to your bathroom.

I really enjoy making wet felting soap with my younger children. They love choosing colourful wool, wrapping it around the soap, and watching the loose fibres transform into felt with warm water and gentle rubbing. It’s a wonderfully hands-on activity that encourages creativity, develops fine motor skills, and gives children the satisfaction of making something they can use every day. Best of all, they have so much fun that they hardly realise they’re learning a traditional craft along the way.

Wool:

For wet felted soap, it’s best to use 100% sheep’s wool roving because the fibres felt together easily when combined with warm water, soap, and gentle rubbing. Fine to medium wool, such as Merino and Corriedale, all work well and produce a soft, smooth finish.

Choose carded or combed wool roving in your favourite colours, and if possible, look for naturally dyed wool for beautiful, earthy tones. Avoid superwash wool, as it has been treated to prevent felting and won’t bond together properly.

You only need a small amount of wool to cover each bar of soap. A thin, even layer is enough—the fibres will shrink and tighten around the soap as you felt them, creating a durable, colourful covering.

Soap:

For this project, I like to use a natural bar of soap made with simple, plant-based ingredients. Since the soap will be in direct contact with your skin every day, choosing a gentle, high-quality soap makes the finished felted soap even more enjoyable to use. Natural soaps also pair beautifully with wool, creating a handmade product that feels wholesome, practical, and inspired by nature. Simply choose your favourite natural soap, whether it’s unscented or lightly scented with essential oils.

Materials:

Carded wool, a bowl of water, and a bar of soap.

A bar of soap
Roving wool
A bowl of warm water

How to make the wet felted soap:

Step 1:

Pull thin pieces of wool in any colours you want to make a larger shape than the soap. Wet the soap with warm water and set it on the wool.

Wrap the soap with the wool; because the soap is wet, the wool will adhere to it. Cover with more wool if there are patches without wool.

A hand soaking a bar of soap, a hand setting a bar of soap on carded wool, and a bar of soap wrapped with carded wool.

A bar of soap wrapped with different colours of wool.

Step 2:

You can add more layers of different colours. Wrap them in the other direction, as shown in the pictures. Wet your hands if needed to help the wool adhere.

Step 3:

Start rubbing the soap very slowly and gently. It takes time, but slowly it will start to felt.

And as the wool starts to felt, you can increase the pressure and speed.