# Venturing into m&p



## Obsidian (Dec 24, 2019)

I finally ordered some good m&p in bulk, have 20 lbs of clear on the way.

Any tips and tricks you can give would be be greatly appreciated. Especially curious about FO amounts and how to properly store the base.


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## Carly B (Dec 24, 2019)

Hi @Obsidian
When I made M&P soap regularly, I would only make a couple bars at a time except for a friend who wanted to buy a mango butter and tea tree soap in 2 lb batches.  I would add fragrance as I stirred the melted base with the color and oils, but I would add fragrance with a pipette until it smelled like I wanted it to, even with the 2 pound batch.  Generally, the way it smells when it's melted is pretty much how it's going to smell--there's no saponification or anything like that to affect the fragrance, so it takes a LOT LESS fragrance.

 In terms of storing it, since you are bough it in bulk, just cut off what you want to use and keep the rest wrapped up.  If I don't use an entire 1 pound block, I wrap what's left in plastic wrap.  You don't want the air getting to it more that necessary.


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## Obsidian (Dec 24, 2019)

I will be making individual bars and will do the drop by drop scenting for those but when I make 1-2 lb batches, I'd prefer to weight out the FO.

Do you store your base at room temp or should it go someplace cool? I keep the house pretty warm in the winter but I can put it down in the basement where its considerably cooler.

I have plenty of micas for coloring but what about non shimmer colors? How does food color work?


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## zanzalawi (Dec 24, 2019)

the bases of m&p that i've used can accept a fragrance load of 3%, which for the scents i've used has been strongly scented
i generally like to have my blocks prepped so when i want to make a batch of whatever- its super easy to grab some and go. i cut the entire block into little cubes so they weigh out easily and i seal the bag back up and keep it in the box it came in. i keep mine in the same room my soaps are curing in- its cooler than the rest of the house but not by too terribly much
which base did you end up going with?


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## Obsidian (Dec 24, 2019)

Good idea to have some prepped ahead of time. I'll at least do a few pounds.

I got the super clear from Essentials by Catalina. Its the only mp that my skin likes and the one time I used it, it was easy to work with.


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## zanzalawi (Dec 24, 2019)

i've been looking at their website for a while and thinking about my wishlist
i've only used the crafters choice detergent free bases. i'll have to try the catalina sometime!


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## Obsidian (Dec 24, 2019)

Ugh, I ordered the wrong base. I wanted the ultra clear, not the super.

I emailed them, hoping since they are closed for the holidays that they will have time to see the email and correct my mistake.

I ordered some FO samples too, hope they are nice. The prices are kinda high.
I found that the scent load is 1% for this base. I'll probably go that much, I like a lot of scent.


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## cmzaha (Dec 24, 2019)

Let me know which you end up with and I will ask my daughter what you need to know. They are also very good at answering your questions since they make their bases in-house. She used their clear and ultra-clear exclusively. Believe me when I say she knew every little nuance with their bases.


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## Obsidian (Dec 24, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> Let me know which you end up with and I will ask my daughter what you need to know. They are also very good at answering your questions since they make their bases in-house. She used their clear and ultra-clear exclusively. Believe me when I say she knew every little nuance with their bases.



Thanks, I'll keep it in mind. I'm pretty sure it was the ultra I got from you before. I really liked it so want to stick with it.


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## cmzaha (Dec 25, 2019)

Yes, it was the ultra I sent you.


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## Todd Ziegler (Jan 13, 2020)

zanzalawi said:


> i've been looking at their website for a while and thinking about my wishlist
> i've only used the crafters choice detergent free bases. i'll have to try the catalina sometime!





Obsidian said:


> Ugh, I ordered the wrong base. I wanted the ultra clear, not the super.
> 
> I emailed them, hoping since they are closed for the holidays that they will have time to see the email and correct my mistake.
> 
> ...





Obsidian said:


> I finally ordered some good m&p in bulk, have 20 lbs of clear on the way.
> 
> Any tips and tricks you can give would be be greatly appreciated. Especially curious about FO amounts and how to properly store the base.


I know this is a late response but you helped me out, now it's my turn. I have been doing M&P for 6 months now. First I store mine in the bag they come in and then put it in another plastic box and that has worked well. I also recommend using your FO a mg/ml at a time. I use a 1ml syringe to draw it out and then squirt it in. This way if you reach the desired strength you can put the left over back in the bottle. I don't use essential oils because they leave M&P soap soft. If you plan to add anything like pumice or jojoba beads it's very difficult to do. By the time your soap is cool enough to suspend them it's very difficult to pour because it is getting to thick. If you plan to use color keep in mind that it will take very little mica to color your soap. I use a half a teaspoon for 2 pounds of M&P. Dyes are my preferred coloring because embeds will still show through with dyed clear M&P. I also learned that going above 1 tablespoon of oils will leave your soap soft. However water soluble shea butter will make a huge difference in your soap. My friends love it! The great thing about M&P soap is that you can add cool embeds like printed paper and people can read it. For some of my friends I printed out "don't b***h it's free" for the samples I gave them and they laughed so hard. I also made a gumball machine soap and used bubble gum scent. You can have a lot of fun with MP soap and great thing is, if you mess up, you can re-melt it and start over. I tried many oils and the water soluble shea worked the best. Again I know that this is a late reply and you have probably already made your MP soap already but if you have any questions please ask.


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## Carly B (Jan 13, 2020)

Is water soluble shea butter different than normal shea butter, and if so, where do you get it? I've never heard of that.


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## Todd Ziegler (Jan 14, 2020)

Carly B said:


> Is water soluble shea butter different than normal shea butter, and if so, where do you get it? I've never heard of that.


Yes water soluble shea is different. It is sometimes called shea-50. I believe that it is a fractionated product and I use it in place of regular shea butter any time I can. Lotioncrafter (shea WS) and Make Your Own (shea olien) are two companies that carry it. I prefer lotioncrafters shea and I don't know if MYO's is water soluble. I think it is much better than the solid butter and I have used it in shower gels, foaming soap, hard lotion, lip balm, M&P and many other things.


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## Carly B (Jan 14, 2020)

Interesting.  Thanks!


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## Todd Ziegler (Jan 14, 2020)

Carly B said:


> Interesting.  Thanks!


Your welcome! It feels good to help someone instead of always asking questions.


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## Wyndham Dennison (Jan 16, 2020)

How much ws shea per lb is a good ratio. I'm filling up a ref notebook on this type of info thanks'


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## Todd Ziegler (Jan 16, 2020)

Wyndham Dennison said:


> How much ws shea per lb is a good ratio. I'm filling up a ref notebook on this type of info thanks'


I use 1 tablespoon per pound


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