Leftover Batch Scraps - Upcycle!

[thinkativeone]

I ended up cutting off quite a few tops of bars from my last batch due to bubbles, and still have the end pieces, etc. Was wondering if I could "recycle" these and melt them down somehow, and add EOs? I have enough to make 2-3 or so bars from the scraps, and imagine this would be a cheap way to use EOs since I didn't want to add a lot being on a budget and not able to buy EOs in bulk yet. I was thinking sweet orange EO. How could I go about doing this? (Probably weigh everything, and .4 oz eo per lb, if I recall correctly - but beyond this how could I best do it?) Would you call it HP, rebatching, some mixture of the two? Or a kind of melt-and-pour?

The soap bits are 85% OO, 25% CO, at 8% SF. Thanks!

 

[paillo]

I'd suggest either a small rebatch adding a tiny amount of EO at the end before glop into molds, or make embeds out of them for a near batch in the future, by rolling them into balls (assuming it's still soft enough to roll) or cutting them into geometric shapes. I like to use embeds when they're still pretty fresh. If they get too old/cured they are much harder than the new soap, and can pull out of the soap too easily. Just my two cents!

Or you could even test your wings and make sugar scrubs out of them! No soap needs to go wasted, that's for sure

 

[thinkativeone]

I make regular sugar scrub without soap in it that I'm pretty happy with though. The rest of that I have no idea... Haha. I have never rebatched, or anything, so how do you rebatch? Is there a ratio of EO per lb. of scraps (when I weigh them) you suggest, since you mentioned a tiny amount? Thanks for your help! It's great to get your advice on this since I've never tried it before, heh.

ETA: Here is what I found on rebatching - seem accurate to you? https://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/library/rebatch.asp

 

[cmzaha]

I make extra scrubby mud bars with all my leftover soaps. Fragrance really does not matter, customers just buy them for the scrubby factor. If I do add fragrance it is usually lemongrass or lavender

 

[mel z]

Make confetti soap with them. Just cut into shreds or shapes of shavings, drop them in a mold, pour a new batch around, and tada, confetti soap.

Somewhere in the photos thread, someone took all his scraps and smushed them together into a nice big new soap. I think he heated them. I'll see if I can find it.

ETA: Here it is, kind of cool!

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=34291

 

[thinkativeone]

That DOES look really cool; however, none of my soaps have dyes or bits in them so it would look substantially less cool in my batches/with what I have on hand, I'm afraid. My soaps are all very basic and unscented, hence why I thought I could cheaply melt down my scraps and add a little EO since I feel like a treat - but within reason. I have a couple half ounce bottles of sweet orange eo and wanted to transform part of the soap into something nice for my combination facial skin.

Those smushed soaps are a great idea for the future though. When I can I would like to start adding natural dyes from herbs and flowers - right now it is really just about making inexpensive and effective organic soaps for me and my DH, with a few being given as gifts here and there. I wish I didn't have to be so cheap about it right now, but I'll get there (a big stash of materials just for fun) eventually. Thanks for the idea though - I'm adding it to my mental idea box for sure!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I have a number of plain Castile scraps that I won't even be able to give away. I think they'll be dumped in to the next Castile batter and end up in the mold - as a marketing point, these segments will be longer matured and therefore better.

Or rancid. Time will tell!

 

[Obsidian]

Shred your scraps up best you can, dump into a crock pot and add some water. I generally use 1/4 - 1/2 cup water per pound of rebatch. Cook it until its gooey and most of the bits are soft, you'll need to stir often. If its seems dry and crumbly, add more water, it needs to be liquid enough to stick together.
I'd start with trying .25 oz EO per pound and make sure you know the flash point of your EO and that your soap has cooled down past that. If your batter is above the flash point, the scent will burn away.

 

[lsg]

I just made cream soap with my scraps. Grate old cp soap up, add water & stearic acid and melt in an old crockpot. When melted add some coconut liquid soap and preservative. Stir well and sequester just like regular cream soap.
If you would like the complete recipe and a tutorial video, they are available from Rene Whitlock--Soap Making School

 

[thinkativeone]

Other than using the crockpot (not doing that, uncomfortable with them degrading and stuff in the crocks - just using a SS pot on very low temp) that all sounds good - but when making CP soap from scratch, don't people normally add EOs at trace, and not test for flash point? I've never heard of checking flash point before.

Also, the company I bought my organic sweet orange eo from no longer sells it (so I can't find that info from them)! Frustratingly... Google search brings up all kinds of different ranges for flash points for orange or sweet orange eo.

 

[judymoody]

I would make confetti soap with your scraps (or chunk them up for embeds) and make your new soap a contrasting color. You could use a little cocoa powder or some pureed tomato or pumpkin which you could probably find in your kitchen. You could add scent to your new soap batter.

Rebatching on that small a scale, IMO, is more likely to turn out kind of rough with dried up bits.

If money is a factor, anise, mint, lemongrass, and eucalyptus are reasonably priced and stick pretty well. You could pick up a small amount at a natural grocery or health food store if you don't want to order on line.

 

[thinkativeone]

Well, as fun as confetti soap and embeds sound it's not really what I'm looking to do right now due to cost of supplies for other colors, and another reason: this batch I have scraps from is a test batch (albeit a large one - I don't have any little SS pots - 12 qt. and 8 qt.) and I am trying to find my favorite base for soaps before investing in eos for the whole future batches - won't know if this is it till it has cured for at least a couple months probably. In essence if I don't love it it would be unfortunate to have it lingering in a future batch of soap, you know?

I weighed the scraps and ends and it came out to 2 lbs, 2 3/4 oz. (My only working scale now weighs the ounces in fractions, blagh! My other one kept sucking up batteries so fast and turning off in the middle of weighing so much, despite having plenty of battery in the display, that I'm pitching it, sadly.)

Money is definitely a factor. I'm not selling yet (someday, after I get the base thing figured out and have the money to buy huge bulk quantities of butters and eos). 99% of my soap is for DH and myself and so I try to keep it as bare-bones as possible since we use organic oils - colorants are not necessary, eos are very nice but not necessary. This just would have been a cheap way to have a few bars with scent in them. We are on one income really, I don't make very much with the work I do from home at all. That's one of the reasons I plan on getting into selling someday.

Another reason money is an issue is that I need to start saving for a better scale, one that doesn't take batteries and weigh in fractions!

 

[Obsidian]

When rebatching, the temps get get much higher then when doing CP. I like the idea of making cream soap, I'll have to try that sometime.

 

[cmzaha]

If you grate all your leftover soaps up put them in a pot with added liquid put it in the oven to melt down. (approx 200 degrees) I find rebatching in the oven gives me a smoother meltdown than a crockpot. If you have any charcoal you can make it into a charcoal soap or just add in some whole 1 minute oatmeal or coarse grind it to make a great hand or foot scrubby bar. I find the 1 minute oatmeal to be a little less scratchy in the soap. If you find your soap was a little to drying to your skin you can add in some shea or extra oil when rebatching

 

[thinkativeone]

If you grate all your leftover soaps up put them in a pot with added liquid put it in the oven to melt down. (approx 200 degrees) I find rebatching in the oven gives me a smoother meltdown than a crockpot. If you have any charcoal you can make it into a charcoal soap or just add in some whole 1 minute oatmeal or coarse grind it to make a great hand or foot scrubby bar. I find the 1 minute oatmeal to be a little less scratchy in the soap. If you find your soap was a little to drying to your skin you can add in some shea or extra oil when rebatching

Is it safe to put a cheap quality SS pot in the oven? I'm intrigued. I might try this...

I have both charcoal (activated) and a food processor to grind oats (I buy most of our food in bulk to save). Wouldn't the charcoal stain skin from soap? I ended up with a tattoo to this day from childhood when my parental unit thought it wise to stuff charcoal in a puncture wound.

 

[cmzaha]

Is it safe to put a cheap quality SS pot in the oven? I'm intrigued. I might try this...

I have both charcoal (activated) and a food processor to grind oats (I buy most of our food in bulk to save). Wouldn't the charcoal stain skin from soap? I ended up with a tattoo to this day from childhood when my parental unit thought it wise to stuff charcoal in a puncture wound.

Yes it is, plus when rebatching, unless you have an actual lye heavy soap, most of the lye is saponified so you are not dealing with raw lye in your pot. I very seldom rebatch in a crock-pot. You are really not using enough charcoal to create a permanent tattoo. A strong charcoal bar can leave a temporary stain on older very dry skin. I can understand it happening with a puncture wound since the skin would have healed around and over the charcoal