Question about rebatching/ soap recipe that I would like to know how to make.

[Shay]

Hello,

I wonder if anyone would be able to help me with this specific rebatch/ soap recipe.

My question will follow a very short (hopefully) explanation.

There is 'someone I know' who makes HP soap in bulk (talking about many kilograms at a time) for resale. The best thing about this soap is when you melt it to mould it melts to a liquid (like when you have just added your lye to oils- it's still liquid). And it can remelted many times without ruining it. You just pour it (after it has cooled a bit) into a mould and let it set,then unmould it and wrap it (or let it dry out for a bit to make a harder bar). And there's not hing fancy about melting it. Just stick in a pan on low heat until it's melted. Takes a few minutes. I'd compare it to M+P.

My question is- does anyone know how this is possible because (maybe now I am really going to show my newbie-ness) every time I rebatch and melt down soap it looks like lumpy vaseline and does NOT look good rebatched.

I know what her ingredients are (just not the exact portions for everything. She says she uses 90% coconut, 10% palm oil and some kaolin clay (no idea how much). Could the 'secret' be the kaolin?

If anyone knows and would be willing to share 'the secret' it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Hazel]

Hi Shay,

I don't know but I doubt it would be the clay. What liquid is she using? I've used sodium lactate in HP to help make it more pourable but it's still a bit gloppy. The only time I had pourable HP which was similar to CP or MP was when I used wine for 100% liquid amount. I thought I had done something wrong because it was so fluid. I've read ethanol or high-proof alcohol is used to make transparent soap so maybe your friend is adding some alcohol.

I'll melt a bar from this batch and let you know if melts easily and is easily poured. Please be patient because it might take me a little time to get to it.

 

[Genny]

Are you positive that it only has coconut oil, palm oil and clay in it (besides water & lye obviously). I can honestly say that with just those ingredients I don't see how it could be melted all the way back down to a liquid again. I've HP'd 100% olive oil batches & then only a couple days later rebatched them and even those don't get liquidy.

 

[lsg]

Are you sure it is not hot process melt & pour. Here is a link to a video tutorial. This is the easiest M&P recipe I have found.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nw4CBN_RC0[/ame]

 

[Hazel]

That's a great video! Thanks for sharing because I've been thinking I'd like to try to make my own MP base.

 

[Genny]

Irena (Soapbudd) has a really good video on making her own MP base somewhere on you tube & I can not find it on there

 

[hoegarden]

That is a great video. But too bad I cannot find Propylene Glycol here.

 

[Kansas Farm Girl]

I made this melt and pour last week. It was the first batch of HP I had ever made and found it easy to follow. The soap did not turn out transparent, but then she didn't say it would be, nor did she show it that way. It did remelt very easily.

Others use alcohol, but I haven't tried that, but I did find a video on that here, she used only used coconut and castor oils:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrCGSU3XHhA[/ame]
Various things I have read make it sound like high percents of coconut oil is needed to make clear soap, and they don't seem to SF it either. Typically I don't like more than 20% coconut oil so not sure I would like this one without the SF. I don't know if the glycerin makes up the difference, does anyone else?

 

[Shay]

Thank you everyone for responding.

I am now thinking maybe there is alcohol added. Perhaps it is a kind of MP type of soap though it does't FEEL like glycerine soap (not the same texture) though it is as easy to melt and liquifies similarly. It is also a solid colour, makes any colourant added to it a pastel/ soften the colour- which is maybe what the clay in it is responsible for.

I wish I could just hand you a bar and then you could see exactly what I am talking about

I am thinking that the alcohol could possibly be the secret (she didn't go into much detail with ingredients when I asked only gave me the oils and clay and said it was HP) as if when Hazel used the wine in her soap it went liquid when she remelted it that might be the proof.

I would just really like to be able to make a soap like hers as I loathe rebatching (not only because it takes so long but mainly as it doesn't look 'good' -to me). Also I need to be able to do bulk as I get a lot of orders from supermarkets and it would really cut time down if I could make bulk and just melt and pour as needed. But I don't want glycerine (aka MP) soap.

Hazel- if you do test one of your wine soaps it would be greatly appreciated, and I am a patient person so I can wait

Thanks Isg and Kansas Farm Girl for the videos-I'll give them both a try and see if I can't base 'what I want to do' on those methods.

 

[lsg]

That is a great video. But too bad I cannot find Propylene Glycol here.

Try the local livestock supply store. I found some cheaper there and checked the label. It is the same thing that you pay bigger bucks for from bath & body supply companies.

 

[Hazel]

I tested a few ounces of the wine soap and it didn't melt at all. But I still feel alcohol or propylene glycol as was suggested above has something to do with how easily her soap melts.

@ Kansas Farm Girl - From the little bit I've read, the glycerin is the "superfat" or at least it makes the soap milder and less drying.

 

[melstan775]

I've seen some of the shops on Etsy that use formulas that appear to be an M&P base. I had assumed they were using someone else's base, but maybe it is their own. Has anyone made an M&P base for themselves before and found it useful on a regular basis, or do you use it for fast projects like embeds only?

 

[lsg]

Yes, I have made the one on the YouTube video. I have also made transparent soap using Everclear. Believe me the recipe on the video is much faster and easier.

 

[melstan775]

What about m&p sweating? Is there any way to reduce or stop it? More and more I love the idea of having a base of my own recipe which I can make in bulk and chop as I need and remelt. Also I guess there is the CP method of melting oils together and masterbatching lye so I can just mix later, too. I don't know. I haven't got that far yet. Though I did finally get around to finding a stick mixer and a can of lye I can afford. all I need now is some bowls and a crock pot, unless I can melt my oils on the stove?

 

[Shay]

Melstan- it is fine to melt the oils without using a crock pot. I melt mine on the stove on low heat. Or higher if I am watching it

To reduce sweating, I am not aware of any special routine. I live in a mostly dry weather climate but I find on the slightly humid days my soap tends to sweat if I don't either put it in a container or in the wind (I live in a very windy city). I have a 'drying' rack which is to the side of a window so I usually put them there.

I too like the idea of bulk making my soaps. Though I hate rebatching as I just don't like the look of rebatched soap which is where my original questions stems from.

 

[2lilboots]

I melt my hard oils in my microwave. I am just melting them, not cooking them. I add them to my olive oil, and castor oil that are at room temp.