What to do with those ugly end bits?

[amd]

I use my scraps at the kitchen sink for hand washing. I save a lot of dish soap that way. I never realized how often I washed my hands at the kitchen sink using dish soap until I started using the soap scraps. My dish soap lasts three times what it used to.

Haha, I just chewed out (lovingly and gently) my husband and his boys for using Dawn to wash their hands before dinner. I couldn't figure out why I was going through dish soap so fast! Boys, use the bar soap unless your hands are greasy. Three bars of soap at the kitchen sink, one of which is from my very first batch of soap, and I'm the only one that uses them!

 

[IrishLass]

When I've collected enough of them, I gather my ends and scraps, spritz them with a little water out of a spray bottle and gently heat them until soft/moldable like clay, then I squish them into decorative indy soap molds to make pretty and practical bars out of them that we use at the sink for washing hands:

IrishLass

 

[lucycat]

I embed them in other soaps. In a formulation of 53 ounces of oil I use 11 ounces of ends/bevels. I chop the ends small and use bevels. I spray them with water and let them set about an hour before adding to the oils. Then I stick blend them in the oils well before adding the lye and proceeding normally. How much texture the finished soap has is based on how fresh the soap ends and how much stickblending. I like the look and my best selling soap is a shred soap. The soap batter is thicker so I like this best on fragrances that don't accelerate.

I love your marbled "indy" soaps Irish Lass; I am going to order a pretty mold and try.

 

[Susie]

One of my favorite soaps was made by re-batching all my scraps and bits in a crock pot and scenting with my "bug off" EO blend: lemongrass, eucalyptus citronella and lavender. I put it in a loaf mold and cut it into generous rustic slabs, cut a hole in the middle and ran some para-cord through it and sold it as camping soap. The strong scent overpowered all the other scents so it became a truly new product. It was really well received. I like trying something wild with scraps because I'm not as afraid of wasting ingredients.

How do you cut a hole in the middle? I have family that could totally use a "bug off" soap for camping!

 

[DeeAnna]

My business is based in my home and I'm da boss. We have a big restaurant sink in the shop area for shop-related use. My coworker will NOT use the bar of soap in the bathroom to wash her hands after using the restroom or before lunch. She always goes to the shop sink and uses Dawn.

I put a bar of soap next to the Dawn bottle by the shop sink. Nope, still uses Dawn.

The bottle has run empty a time or two. She'll put some water in the bottle to rinse out the traces and wash with that.

It's become kind of a gentle internal challenge for me to see if she ever uses my bar soap. So far, I'm losing the game badly. Maybe I should put my liquid soap in the Dawn bottle and see if she uses that without commenting on the odd color?

She's a jewel to work with and puts up with me and my foibles, so I can put up with her preference for Dawn.

 

[Domestic Delight]

How do you cut a hole in the middle? I have family that could totally use a "bug off" soap for camping!

I used the very delicate procedure of shoving a knitting needle through a rather soft bar of soap, wiggling it around until I had a hole large enough for some paracord to go through like I said, rustic!

 

[Misschief]

Knitting needles.. good for so much more than just knitting!

 

[amd]

It's become kind of a gentle internal challenge for me to see if she ever uses my bar soap. So far, I'm losing the game badly.

I have hidden the Dawn in the kitchen so the boys can't use it. They now go down to the soap lab and use the sink and the Dawn there. I too am losing the game badly!

 

[DeeAnna]

@Susie -- I vaguely recall a video from the Soaping 101 lady that showed her solution to putting a hole in soap. She poured soap into individual bar molds and stuck a short length of drinking straw into the top of soap until it touched the bottom of the mold. When she unmolded the bars, she pushed the straw through and out of the bar, leaving a hole behind.

You could also experiment with a length of thin metal or plastic tubing of the right diameter -- slowly push the tubing through the soap to form a hole. The edge of the tubing could be sharpened to make it easier. I wouldn't make a super sharp knife edge, just a butter knife sharpness should be fine if your soap isn't too hard.

A knitting needle sounds good too.

 

[Marebear]

I put a bunch of end pieces in snack bags with my business card last week at a market. I offered them as free soap samples and they disappeared very quickly. Usually family gets these pieces but sometimes there are just too many.

 

[Soapaddict_Kay]

I just stumbled upon felt soap and thought that was a cool idea for color challenged soaps or end pieces, but I need more practice, it’s a bit work intense (10-15 min per soap)

 

[OldHippie]

File a piece from each batch labeled with the date. In the unlikely event that you have a liability issue, you'll have the original soap as a defense.

 

[earlene]

View attachment 31769 I just stumbled upon felt soap and thought that was a cool idea for color challenged soaps or end pieces, but I need more practice, it’s a bit work intense (10-15 min per soap)

Looks great, Soapaddict_Kay. It gets easier with practice. But then you'll probably try more intricate designs that take even more time. But the fun factor and the creative opportunity can make up for the time intensity.

 

[greenfire]

I make hot process soaps, but this will work with cold process as well. I grate them (and any unsellable bars), put them in a covered pot in the oven at 200 degrees with a couple of teaspoons of water or milk. I use a hand mixer on it, every half hour or so, adding more water as needed, until its a mashed potatoes consistency. I put the soap into a box mold, and when it's cooled, I cut it into bars for my family to use. If you do this, how well blended the soap is, depends on what you like. I have no problem with a confetti type of soap! This way, nothing gets thrown out, and I still get full bars in my shower.

 

[silvia]

Hi
I collect them, and after I have about 2 pounds shredded and make a new soap, in the crock pot. Because rebaching makes the soap milder, I used for my face.

 

[SudsanSoaps]

Bar soap will cut mechanic grease far better than dawn will from my experience.

 

[HobbyMom]

The ugly bits are my favorite. I buy lots of them everytime I find them for sale. I put them in different sized mason jars with twine or ribbons. They look nice in my kitchen and bathrooms. I like how each and everyone is unique. I love them. Also I like cleaning the sinks out with them and when we use them as hand soaps, if we don't like them, we didn't waste a whole 8 dollar full bar of someone's hard work.