Make your own soap at specialised Sheffield shop for a special gift this Mother’s Day

The second thing I noticed was just how colourful it was. The shelves were lined with soaps of pink, purple, orange and green. They were rose shaped, butterfly shaped and square shaped.

I was at the shop to make my own bar of soap – something you can do yourself for as little as £5.

The process was much simpler, and hands on, than I imagined it would be. You start off with a melt and pour soap base known as SLS free glycerin. It looks like a thin clear paste, but it is in fact your base for what will become a beautiful and – importantly – eco-friendly and natural – soap.

First, you choose your scent. There are over 70 oils to choose from and scents range from the classic lavender to the more unusual fresh cut grass. I opted for a sweet strawberry scent.

Next, you choose your colour. There are a range of water based cosmetic colours to from, but I was drawn in by the micha powders - these give a peralised effect. The colour I chose was pink.

Finally, you add extras, such as different butters, dry ingredients like seeds to add texture and even - to my delight – cosmetic glitters. I added silver sparkle for good measure.

I made fairly simple choices with my soap, but the beauty of this process is you can get creative and experiment with as many different elements as you like.

Business owner Natasha Green sits with you throughout your workshop to advise you so you feel assured you are ‘doing it right’ - but there is no such thing as ‘going wrong’ with this.

“People love it because they can come in and make something exactly the way they want it. The only way you are going to get a bespoke product for every customer is to ask someone to do it themselves, but it’s a really fun and social process that people of all ages enjoy,” she told me.

Once you have your soap mixture you have to choose the mould to pour it in to. Shape choices range from flowers to flamingos. I chose a pretty star focused shape.

Then all you have to do is wait for the soap to set in the fridge and you have a lovely soap bar unique to you.

To finish the experience, you wrap the soap in an eco fully compostable wrap and add stickers and a gift tag so it's ready to give as a present.

This would make a fantastic Mother's Day gift; you could either make a soap to give to mum, or you could take her to a workshop and both make one together.

The Soap Loaf shop can be found at 400 Abbeydale Road. You can call in to make soap any time during opening hours. You can also make scrubs, body butters, moisturiser, lip balm, solid deodorant, solid perfume and shampoo bars by booking a workshop. Visit www.thesoaploafcompany.com for details.