# is it possible to make M&P base without SLES, Propylene Glycol free...



## Utkarsh (Mar 10, 2021)

today, i saw a website, which claims that they are making different kind of M&P Soap bases,
one of them is claimed :
Natural Transparent Melt and Pour Soap Base is *SULFATE FREE, PRESERVATIVE FREE, EDTA FREE, PEG FREE & MPG OR PROPYLENE GLYCOL FREE*

another one is claimed as : *Sulfate Free Transparent Soap Base is SLS & SLES Free, 100% Vegetarian, EO Free, Paraben Free*, Biodegradable.

as a beginner, its surprising for me...because till date, I made M&P base using Propylene Glycol, SLES, Myristic & Stearic Acid, Coconut & Castor oil etc.

is it possible. If yes, please suggest the way of its making with recipe.

humble request for guidance to all experienced members....


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## ResolvableOwl (Mar 11, 2021)

Yes, it is possible. Sulfate ester-based detergents (what they call “sulfates” but are in fact only a small fraction of all the sulfates out there, most of which, like epsom salt, are harmless) are fully optional. One reason of sulfate ester detergents to be popular is that they are insensitive towards water hardness, and (unlike fatty acid soaps from natural oils) ensure the M&P base to be clear and colourless. Even the usage of chemically pure fatty acid (myristic, stearic) can be replaced by ingredients that are more natural rather than chemical sounding and less tedious to work with during saponification (palm stearin, coconut oil, hydrogenated vegetable oils like “soy wax”).

You can replace EDTA by citric acid/sodium citrate (against rancidity and water hardness), or leave it out completely.

Propylene glycol is the most important additional ingredient of most M&P bases for good reasons, but still replaceable. Conceptually, you need a high enough amount of sugars+alcohols (usually referred to as “solvents”) to make the soap meltable. The most important ones are said proplyene glycol, glycerol, ethanol, beet/cane sugar, and sorbitol. Leave out whatever you dislike from those, and replace it by increased levels of the others.
“Glycerin soaps” that purely rely on glycerol are quite popular. Just be aware that the crazy hygroscopic nature of glycerol will make your soap attract moisture and make it sticky and dissolve quickly. This is partially also the case for the other polyols, and formulating a good compromise of clarity, remeltability and hygroscopy isn't easy, and depends on the fatty acid profile of the soap.

Starting with your recipe sketch, just leave out the SLES, and replace the propylene glycol by glycerol, will probably give you already a recipe with which you can work on!


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## KimW (Mar 11, 2021)

My recipe for M&P has always been close to the one used in this video, and I now use this _method_ with my recipe for making M&P:


Notes: The soap will start to go slightly more opaque as time passes, even when stored in a sealed bag, but I've used my M&P base that was 11 months old and it melted and poured with no problems.  I've also tried the exact recipe on the video and it works a treat.


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## gbtreasures (May 31, 2021)

KimW said:


> My recipe for M&P has always been close to the one used in this video, and I now use this _method_ with my recipe for making M&P:
> 
> 
> Notes: The soap will start to go slightly more opaque as time passes, even when stored in a sealed bag, but I've used my M&P base that was 11 months old and it melted and poured with no problems.  I've also tried the exact recipe on the video and it works a treat.



ThankYou for sharing! JW: how is the bubble action? Are there alot of soap bubbles with this?


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## KimW (May 31, 2021)

Since it's so much Coconut Oil, yes, it's pretty bubbly.     I will say that because of that it doesn't last long, but my hubs loves it.  He likes his bubbles that one.


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