What do you think about Melt and Pour

[jkm8113]

I am so very new to soap making, have only done two batches of soap and one hard lotion batch, but I have a question about something and hope that I don't make anyone mad. I see an awful lot of recipes and ideas for Melt and Pour. For those that make cold process and also do some melt and pour, do you see melt and pour as sort of an easy way out? I sort of wondered if maybe there wasn't as much work/effort involved in melt and pour and if you were still just as proud to give it as gifts. As I haven't done melt and pour, there may be more to it than I realize, and I may be way off base with this. Just wondering and exploring all the options.

Do cold process soap people look down on melt and pour soap?

 

[Lilahblossom]

I don't believe M&P is an easy way out. Just different genre. There are some uneducted people who don't understand the complications of M&P.
As for myself. I made cp first but I have alot of fun with the MP too. I am keeping some honey MP around for when family or close friends have an injury or wound that their Doc has ordered soap and water. I add some lavender essential oil to it. You can't just come up with a special cp that way.

Also the MP crowd gets extremely stylistic with their creations and some take several hours to put together. I say take advantage of both.

 

[Genny]

I do MP & CP and I think that if anyone thinks that MP is just an easy way out, then they're crazy. The artistry that you can do with MP is just amazing. I can do a lot more detailed work with MP than I can with cp. Most of my mp soaps take much longer to make than my cp soaps. But, it's nice that I can use MP right away if I want.

If you check out Go Planet Earth's blog, Soapqueeen blog or Soapylove, you can see all the different things that you can do with mp that you can't do with cp and the artistry behind it.

I know there are some CP makers that look down on MP. But there are also the EO people that look down on the FO people, the natural colorant people that look down on the FD & C color people, etc. I see the same thing in the knitting and crocheting community, Wool vs cotton, cotton vs polyster, knitting needles vs knitting looms.

 

[jkm8113]

Thanks for the perspective ladies. It looked to me from the videos I had watched that melt and pour could be used almost right away, and I liked that aspect. I truly wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, still learning my way around the soaping world.

 

[Hazel]

I agree with the OP. For me, CP is the easy way out. MP can be very time consuming if you're making something intricate. I did glow in the dark skulls for a Halloween swap and it seemed to take forever to make the skulls and then embed them. I really don't have the patience for MP and basically I only do it now for Halloween soaps.

llineb (a member) makes very detailed MP and she has posted some good examples. I'm just going to give you the link to her shop because it's easier than searching for her pics in the Photo Gallery. http://www.etsy.com/shop/jollybeesoap

 

[IrishLass]

I started out with MP and it's a great medium to work with. It's as easy or as complex/difficult as you want to make it to be- the only limit is your own creativity. I'm mainly a CP soaper nowadays, but I have a high regard for the talented MP artists out there. I'm just amazed at what they can do.

I still keep MP around to use in some of my CP batches. One can get some really cool looking soap when the 2 are used together.

IrishLass

 

[Lindy]

I think that MP soaps get to be very, very artistic. I am a CP soapmaker, but I do play with MP but I've not gotten into the creative side of it.

There is room in this world for every type of soapmaker there is out there...

 

[Lyric]

I enjoy the chemistry, the mixing of oils and lye to get the end result of whatever I am aiming at versus having that done for me in the form of a pre-made M&P concoction. Thus, I find CP, HP, etc. to be more creative. I am thinking I am into the utilitarian of soaping. It's soap, to get one clean . . . so the artsy, etc., etc., for me, is not the main thing.

 

[Soapsugoii]

I think MP looks like a blast, and I've wanted to try it for quite a while. Like Lyric said tho, I enjoy the thought of creating the soap recipe myself - it feels really rewarding when you get a soap that you and others love.

 

[jkm8113]

I have appreciated and enjoyed all the different perspectives. Ya'll have answered a lot of questions for me in your responses.

 

[Maythorn]

I think you can buy really high quality kinds but I found with any m and p that I had to use individual molds, could not pour it into a loaf and cut it. No way! :roll: Plus those darn bubbles on the surface. I always got those. So I don't think it's easier than cold process in ways.

 

[saltydog]

i started out making m&p and i still love it! ..i adore it

i think it's apples and oranges, why not enjoy them both?
i'm looking forward to making some for an upcoming fair, now that i have my cold process all done.
m&p can take hours, depending on how intricate, so i wouldn't say it is easier, just different.
with m&P, the soap almost always comes out just as i envision it, as opposed to cp, which hardly ever does, lol.

 

[Rains Mirage]

I am a M&P person previously, but i never got creative. now 8 years later i am giving it another wack. I am also planning a CP excursion in December when I have 2 weeks winter break. I plan on getting the basic kit from Bramble Berry and a wood loaf mold of Art fire. I am still a little concerned about the lye with my kitties..

 

[semplice]

I think you can buy really high quality kinds but I found with any m and p that I had to use individual molds, could not pour it into a loaf and cut it. No way! :roll: Plus those darn bubbles on the surface. I always got those. So I don't think it's easier than cold process in ways.

I made these in a loaf:

I sell M&P because I've only been making CP since January and am not ready to sell to the public. I enjoy both forms. I've seen some incredible things done with both M&P and CP. Both get you clean, so quite frankly I don't really get into the "M&P isn't REAL soap making thing."

Do you - whatever that is.

 

[Hazel]

semplice-

Those are gorgeous!

 

[semplice]

Thanks, Hazel! I'm pretty proud of those because those were the first creative soaps I ever made. Up until that point I was wondering if I had ANY creative soaping genes!

 

[Hazel]

You should be proud. I think they're very creative. I admire your ability to think of these ideas and your patience for doing it. How much time did it take to create them?

 

[semplice]

The first one, which I call Strawberry Passion, took about an hour and a half. The second one, Black Raspberry Vanilla, took about three hours with the layers and curly things.

 

[Hazel]

Yowza! Good job! I couldn't do this because I just don't have the patience.

 

[Maythorn]

Semplice, I used a small loaf mold and it was Bramble Berry melt and pour. It defied any knife. So I don't know how you cut those but they are really nice.