cp unscented and undyed, then handmill?

[Saltysteele]

just curious as to how much better handmilling makes soap? my wife bought me a book with handmilled recipes in it, and the lady hardly even got the pieces melted. in other words, it was just like the grated pieces of soap with some added oils and a little bit of melted soap gluing the pieces together.

i had always seen the handmilled soaps that were smooth.

anyway, does handmilling really do anything for the soap?

 

[Dixie]

The first handmilled soap I ever made has been thus far my best soap ever and I did it by pure accident I made a bar that was scented with Gardenia. For some reason the soap was very crumbly so after about a week I rebatched it. It was still crumbly ! Why I didn't throw it away I don't know. Just hard to throw soap away So I let it sit in my closet for 6 weeks or so and one day decided I needed to get it down and throw it away. To my suprise it was brick hard. It is so gentle. It has lasted longer than any soap I have ever made. I put a bar in my bathroom 2-1/2 mo. ago and we are still using it!!!
I have been trying to make more since. I'm not real good a re-batching. I have several on the shelf that I am waiting on.
I couple I am testing now.
IMO Handmilled soap lasts longer. YOu'll have to try it for yourself and see if you like it Good luck

 

[Saltysteele]

Thanks, Dixie!!

So, is there a time frame you have to wait before you rebatch?

 

[Guest]

I just rebatched my ends of my soaps that I trim off. I put them into the microwave with a couple tbs water and a dash of grapeseed oil. Covered with sarah wrap and melted. It does come out kinda chunky, not smooth. I made soap balls with my rebatch. It stays quite thick and is chunky, so I believe it is a bit harder to get into molds. Have fun with it.

 

[MikeInPdx]

Try using milk as your rebatch liquid.....you get smoother results in the end.

 

[Milla]

I used milk and my hand mixer (not stickblender) and then I can mold them. I color and scent them. If I added enough milk mine are smooth. If not I get the speckled kind of rebatched look.

I'm experimenting with rebatching shampoo bars because mine have a lot of olive oil in them. The rebatched ones are nice and hard when wet in the shower. I let my rebatched ones harden until they are rock hard. Use them sooner and they get mushy! In the end I think you get a denser bar of soap, probably why you see triple milled castile soaps. That way they are rock hard.