Cold Process Soap Making, Melt And Pour And Rebatching Soap - Easy As Pie!

Cold Process Soap:

The type of soap my Great-Grandma made is called "Cold Process" soap (commonly referred to as "CP" soap). It is made by combining fatty acids (oils) and sodium hydroxide (lye) together. Fatty acids can be almost any oil - from beef tallow to olive oil to hemp oil. The combinations for making your own personal recipe are endless.

Cold process soapmaking is a combinations of an art and science. The condensed version of this type of soapmaking is that there is a certain proportion of lye (sodium hydroxide) and water to fatty acids that forms a chemical reaction called "saponifaction." During saponification, the oils and lye mix and become soap - the process takes approximately six weeks to fully complete.  Soap has to harden and dry before it can safely be used.

Cold process soapmaking requires the use of lye (you can't buy it just anywhere anymore) and the use of safety equipment, such as goggles and gloves. Please do not attempt to make cold process soap without researching the method thoroughly. Cold process soap is known for its hard, long lasting quality. Depending on the oils used, the bar can have great lather (coconut oil has excellent lathering properties), be incredibly mild (olive oil is renowned for its gentle qualities) or be very moisturizing (with the addition of oils, such as shea and cocoa butter or hemp oil).

Tips

• Using a stick blender rather than rubber utensils can make the mixture reach trace far more quickly.
• Measure out your oils before hand to make things move more efficiently.
• It is difficult to get the soap to trace if the ingredients cool down too much. Both the lye/water mixture and the oils should be no less than 100 degrees fahrenheit each when they are ready to be combined.
• A large plastic bowl may also be used for the lye/water mixture, rather than glass.

• Lye is extremely caustic. Do not make soap with children or pets present. Keep vinegar on hand in case of lye exposure to the skin.

• Always wear safety equipment - safety goggles and rubber gloves.

• The soap mixture will still be caustic as you pour it into the molds. Handle with care.  

Equipment you will need:

A 4-6 cup lye resistant container for mixing lye and water.  This container must be made of stainless steel, glass or heat resistant (212 degrees F) plastic.  It must not be made of aluminum or tin.

Another large heat resistant container or pot (stainless steel, enamel or plastic will work) for mixing the soap

A large saucepan for heating up the oils

Heavy duty rubber spatulas or wooden spoons for mixing

A good quality scale for measuring ingredients (it's nice to have one in ounces and another in grams if possible)

A soap mold - can be anything from a Rubbermaid(tm) type container to a wooden tray or even a heavy duty cardboard box.  Use your imagination and be on the look out for containers that will make nice molds.  It is adviseable to use something flexible so that the soap will come out easily with a little twist.

Wax paper or a plastic bag to line the molds with to prevent leaks and deterioration of the mold itself.  Replace cardboard molds when warped to avoid unshapely bars. We line our molds with wax paper for ease of  "plopping" out the soaps.

Two thermometers for checking the temperatures of the oils and the lye solution - the type used for candy making will work best (220 degrees F)

Goggles and rubber gloves

Melt and Pour Soap:

Technically, all hand made soap is "Glycerin Soap." In many commercial soaps, all the extra glycerin (formed naturally by the cold process soapmaking method) is harvested from the soap. Thus, all real handmade soap is glycerin rich (since handmade soapmakers don't take glycerin out of their soap).

In today's market, the term "Glycerin Soap" is commonly used to refer to clear soap. Generally, the clear soap has extra glycerin added to it to produce a very nourishing, moisturizing bar. Glycerin is a "humectant." It draws moisture to itself; the theory is that if you wash with glycerin soap, a thin layer of glycerin will remain, drawing moisture to your skin.  But, if the bar is opaque (ie, goat milk soap, etc.) it just has ingredients like milk or herbs that have darkened and thickened it.  The color doesn't have to be "clear" to be a true glycerin bar that is good for your skin.

Many kinds of soap base can be purchased in large blocks to be melted down, colored and fragranced, and scraped into molds (or used to make loaves of soap to be sliced). This type of soap is called "Melt and Pour" and the artistry of melt and pour is called "Soap Casting." Melt and Pour is gaining in popularity because of its ease of use. There are no significant safety measures (other than basic common sense - don't put your hand in the hot soap, don't cut your finger off with the knife, etc...) needed for soapcasting. Children can do it. It's a great outlet for creative types. You can stamp, color or mold your soap into anything your imagination conjures up.

Rebatching Soaps:

Rebatching is another form of cold process soapmaking. You make your cold process soap from scratch, grate it up, place it over a heat source in a kettle, (or your microwave) with a little liquid (water works very well), and the mixture melts down into a mushy mess to which you add herbs or colorants and fragrances. This method is often used to preserve the scent or the healing properties of some essential oils.  You can also rebatch to save that "ugly bar" of cold process soap that you can't give away.

What you Need for the method shown below:

• A cheese grater
• boiler or broiler bag with twisty tie
• a large pot (like you'd boil spagetti noodles in)
• a pound or two of used or "ugly" soap shavings
• 4 ounces of liquid (milk, water, tea, etc.)
• a mold for soap - NOT made of aluminum, zinc, copper, Teflon, or iron (we prefer WOOD)
• wax paper
• stainless steel or heavy plastic large spoon
• rubber/latex gloves
• pot holder 

**BOIL IN BAG METHOD**:  One of the most foolproof methods I have found for rebatching soaps is to shred your soap base or bars with a cheese grater or other device. 

I usually make 2 lbs at a time to keep it simple, add approx 1/2 cup of water or milk.  Use more liquid if the soap is really hard.  Cured soap will take more liquid to melt it with.  Fresher soap base will need less liquid to melt.  Use a broiler bag or boiling bag (like you cook a turkey, chicken or roast in) and tie it shut. 

Bring a large pot of water (about 3-4 inches of water will do, just enough to float your bag of soap) to a slow, bubbly boil.  Just steaming, is my advice.  Place the bag in the hot water for about 15 minutes (set your timer and don't walk away too fast!).  Take the bag out of the water when the timer goes off and using a pot holder (be careful because it's HOT) kneed the bag until the soap has fewer lumps.  Place back in the pot for 10-15 more minutes.  Keep an eye on it, it will get darker and liquid like pudding. 

When it is uniformly melted, open the bag carefully (my husband and I do this as a team) and add your colorants, fragrance or essential oils, herbs, flower petals, whatever blows your skirt up... seal the bag again or hold it firmly by the open end and knead the contents again until mixed.  

Cut the end of the bag off, like a pastry bag... and place over your molds.  Squeeze or let the soap run out (depending on the size of the hole you cut, it will come out really fast or really slowly).  It will set up in approx 24 hours.  You can then pop it out of the molds to dry on wax paper for 1 day to 3 weeks, depending on how long it takes for it to set up, you can use it pretty quickly.

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR SOAPS AT OUR SHOP ON BONANZLE!  LOW PRICES ON HANDMADE SOAPS, EVEN SOAPS FOR OUR DOGGIE FRIENDS!  We have other handmade beauty products, like creams and lotions, lip balms and spa clay facial masks!  Check it out at http://www.NeeNeesSoapShop.com.  Thanks!