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Home > Tips & Tricks > Working with Melt & Pour Soap
Tips and Tricks for Working with a Melt & Pour Glycerin Soap Recipe

General Guidelines

BE CAREFUL when cutting soap. Soap is slippery!

To prepare melt-and-pour soap base, cut it into 2" cubes with a large kitchen knife. A heavy, wedge-shaped blade provides more control than a thin or serrated one. Use a cutting board.

Place soap in a microwave-safe glass (Pyrex or Anchor Hocking) measuring cup and cover with plastic/cling wrap. This is important--it keeps moisture from escaping.

When melting your soap in a microwave, use the 50% setting, checking and stirring approximately every three minutes until nearly all of the soap has melted. Remove from the microwave and let it sit (covered) until the remaining pieces melt. You may continue to stir gently, but try not to introduce bubbles.

If you're using color, goat's milk (see Adding Other Ingredients), tea infusions, oils or butters in your glycerin soap recipe, add them now and stir gently. Do not add fragrance, essential oils or preservative until the mixture has cooled slightly.

Fill a spray bottle -- a recycled travel-size hair spray container is perfect -- with ordinary rubbing alcohol (clear 70% isopropyl), and keep it handy when pouring your soap.

A candy thermometer is highly recommended for melt and pour soapmaking. The soap should not be overheated or boiled!!! Also, many soap making molds should not be used at temperatures above 140 degrees.

Pour your soap into your molds (watch that temperature). Lightly mist the surface with rubbing alcohol to burst bubbles and prevent new ones from forming. You can let your soap harden at room temperature, or you can put it into the refrigerator for approximately 30 minutes. Freezing will not hurt the soap, but it is not recommended as it will make some soap molds brittle and prone to cracking.

Your soap is ready to be unmolded when the soap is cool and easily pulls away from the mold. Don't rush it. Gently release the soap onto a wax paper-covered surface, then cover it with more wax paper and a kitchen towel. Let it sit for 24 hours to ensure that it hardens properly.

Wrap your soap with plastic/cling wrap and label if you like. It is recommended that you list the ingredients on the label and keep it away from direct sunlight. A bedroom closet is perfect, the scent will greet you each time you open the door.

Handmade soaps make a very personal and thoughtful gift. Be sure to experiment and try all of the wonderful variations of oils, butters, aromas and additives to personalize your very own soaps. You will never purchase 'store-bought' soap again!

Adding Other Ingredients

Water: When making glycerine soap and water is called for, always use distilled water. Whenever water is present in a glycerine soap recipe--or might be introduced later [ e.g., in the shower]--a preservative, such as LiquaPar Optima (below), should also be included to prevent microbial growth.

Liquids, in general: Do not add more than 1/4 cup of liquid per 1 lb of soap base.

Oils and Butters: Up to 2 tablespoons of oils and/or butters per 1 lb of soap base.

Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils: ½ to 1 oz per 1 lb of soap base (subject to personal taste).

Liquapar Optima: ½ to 1 percent by weight of finished product – about 1 teaspoon per lb of soap base.

TherapyGarden™ Powdered Goat's Milk: 1 tablespoon per 1 lb of soap base. Before adding to melted soap base, reconstitute goat's milk powder by gradually combining it with no more than ¼ cup lukewarm water. Begin by making a paste, mixing a small amount of warm water with the powder. Continue mixing and adding the remaining warm water until the desired quantity and consistency is achieved.

Dye Colorant: A wide range of color depth may be achieved with less than ½ oz of liquid dye per lb of soap. For best control, gently blend 10-20 drops at a time into your melted soap base and watch the results.

Dried Botanicals: Add these as late as possible--right before pouring into molds (as the soap begins to thicken, but before it skins over). This is a little tricky, but it helps suspend the botanicals so that they do not sink. You'll get a feel for it.

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© 2004-2007 Meadows Studio Designs, TherapyGarden™, TherapyGarden.com™. All rights reserved.

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