Hello everyone - new to soap making

[TheMrs]

Hi there,
Newbie soap maker based in Dubai and I think I will have an interesting time getting supplies, but won't let that stop me.
Quick question...is it possible to collect lots of old soaps, melt them down and just pour into moulds. Would this work?
Looking forward to finding out lots of new exciting things to make.
Helen x. (aka TheMrs)

 

[IrishLass]

Hello and welcome, Helen!

What you are talking about doing is called 'rebatching'. The best way to rebatch is to shred the soaps up using a cheese grater and then heat the gratings on low heat with the addition of enough water to keep the gratings moist. But just so you know, unless the old soaps are the 'melt & pour' kind, they won't melt down smoothly. Instead, they will soften and reach a sort of thick vaseline or mashed potato consistency at best, at which time you can glop them into molds (it won't exactly be pourable). The resulting finished soap will be quite usable, but will look somewhat rustic in appearance.


IrishLass

 

[TheMrs]

Thank you so much for your reply IrishLass. Really appreciate it. May experiment to see how it works, just for fun. X