Soap smells like rubbing alcohol
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The smell of alcohol will probably dissipate.
Hi Kandacee- I just answered your post in the other (older) thread from 2019. I don't know if you saw it or not. so I'll re-post my answer here:
You don't need to use alcohol to make a mica slurry for melt & pour soap. If you are bothered by the smell of alcohol, you can use glycerin or oil instead, as this video from WSP shows:
As for the alcohol sprayed between layers, how much do you use? I only ever use one small spritz from a fine sprayer and have never had it leave an alcohol smell behind once the soap is set up.
IrishLass
You don't need to use alcohol to make a mica slurry for melt & pour soap. If you are bothered by the smell of alcohol, you can use glycerin or oil instead, as this video from WSP shows:
As for the alcohol sprayed between layers, how much do you use? I only ever use one small spritz from a fine sprayer and have never had it leave an alcohol smell behind once the soap is set up.
IrishLass
Hi Kandacee- I just answered your post in the other (older) thread from 2019. I don't know if you saw it or not. so I'll re-post my answer here:
You don't need to use alcohol to make a mica slurry for melt & pour soap. If you are bothered by the smell of alcohol, you can use glycerin or oil instead, as this video from WSP shows:
As for the alcohol sprayed between layers, how much do you use? I only ever use one small spritz from a fine sprayer and have never had it leave an alcohol smell behind once the soap is set up.
IrishLass
Thanks for your response. I use about 3-4 spritz
I would cut it down to one or two spritzes. Sometimes, less is more.
IrishLass
IrishLass
Adam Bath
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Sometimes when I'm making a glycerine rich milled soap I will use nearly an entire bottle of rubbing alcohol in the slow cooker instead of water or other liquids and so far it's turned out fine. The alcohol boils off at a very low temperature relative to other liquids. I begin with a cold press, pour it into mold, and the next day I cut it into bars. I'll let those sit for about two days then shred them with a cheese grater, throw it in the cooker on low heat, dump in a little sweet almond oil (an ounce or two, no need to be precise), and at least a half bottle of rubbing alcohol (roughly 8 ounces.. so one cup, not all that much). I'll add about 2 ounces of essential oils. For this particular batch I used tea tree, cedarwood, and lavender. Experiment with mixtures of essential oils because you can make some really great scents that way. And don't be afraid to really lay it on thick. Soap making isn't really as difficult as people make it out to be. As long as you compensate for the additional oils with a pinch or two of lye (mixed in a very small amount of water first, of course) you'll end up with an incredible product. I've also found that many people are more worried about the appearance of soap rather than its quality. I would much rather have an ordinary slice of extraordinary soap than a cupcake-shaped gimmick that's made with crappy oils and questionable dyes/pigments. And it seems most people feel the same way because I get 2 to 3 dollars per ounce of my finished soap and I can't seem to make enough to fill the orders.
Just keep it simple, and focus on what's going IN your soap rather than whether it looks like a rosebud or a butterfly or a mug of beer or a Popsicle, etc. That stuff is just a gimmick and it's usually full of garbage. Hope this helps.
Hey @Adam Bath I am guessing by "milled" soap, you really mean "rebatched" soap, since the process you describe is rebatching, not milling.
True milled soap is pressed by heavy stainless rollers to remove the water and create a super hard product that hand-crafters simply cannot make. Here is an article about that.
I am not knocking your soap or your process; it sounds like customers really love it. However, I would like to gently suggest that advertising your soap as "milled" is not accurate.
One other point of language, and forgive me if this was just an auto-correct issue... but your soap is cold processed, not cold press. You probably know that, but it's important to clarify for others reading this who might get confused by the mixed-up terms.
True milled soap is pressed by heavy stainless rollers to remove the water and create a super hard product that hand-crafters simply cannot make. Here is an article about that.
I am not knocking your soap or your process; it sounds like customers really love it. However, I would like to gently suggest that advertising your soap as "milled" is not accurate.
One other point of language, and forgive me if this was just an auto-correct issue... but your soap is cold processed, not cold press. You probably know that, but it's important to clarify for others reading this who might get confused by the mixed-up terms.
Adam Bath
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I appreciate the education. I mean that sincerely. I'm pretty casual when it comes to things like this, though, and I honestly didn't know I was saying it wrong because I've heard it called press as well as process and I just figured it didn't matter. I also read an article once, perhaps it was on here, that milled soap was just soap that you process more than once. I've only been doing this for a couple of years now so there's so much i must yet learn. Thank you for the clarification! Much appreciated!
Thank you for understanding the spirit in which the information was offered.
Tone is hard to convey on a webpage, but we do try hard here to help one another in a way that uplifts, rather than scolding. That's part of why I love this community - that, and the fact that I continue to learn things even after more than a decade of soaping. Glad you have joined us and will look forward to learning from you, too. 
Yes. Tone is the hardest thing to convey in a written medium! I've gotten used to assuming there is no tone.
But I do overuse the emojis
But I do overuse the emojis
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