Grating and melting glycerin soap is called rebatching. You can use commercial bars of glycerin soap, but you will find it easier and more successful to use glycerin melt-and-pour soaps available online from many sellers of soap making supplies. Read the ingredients of the melt-and-pour soap before purchasing; some manufacturers include additives you may not want in your soap. Many soap makers like to use melt-and-pour soaps to avoid working with lye and to focus more on the appearance, texture and scent of their handmade soap.
First Day
Step 1
Cut the opaque soap base into cubes and place in the crockpot. Heat slowly, stirring now and then, until the soap base is completely melted.
Step 2
Stir in the lavender essential oil and the ground oatmeal or ground herbs until completely blended.
Step 3
Pour the soap into the baking dish lined with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for 24 hours.
Second Day
Step 1
Remove the opaque soap from the freezer, take it out of the baking pan and cut it into cubes. Spread the cubes on plastic wrap and allow them to air dry while you make the second batch of soap.
Step 2
Cut the clear soap base into cubes and melt in the crockpot, stirring now and then until the soap is completely melted. Stir in the coloring and the essential oil until completely blended. Allow the soap to cool to about 120 degrees.
Step 3
Divide the opaque soap cubes among your soap molds. Pour the clear glycerine soap over the opaque cubes until the molds are full. Put the soap bars in the freezer for 24 hours to make it easy to remove them from the molds. Remove the bars and allow to air dry until hard. As soon as the soap is hard you can use it.
Tips and Warnings
- Use any essential oil that you prefer in your soap in place of the lavender essential oil. Use your favorite herbal tea to make ground herbs. Open a few tea bags and process the tea in a blender until powdered. Order food- and cosmetic-grade dye from suppliers of soap-making products, to assure they will blend with your soap. Instead of making the opaque soap cubes to put in your clear soap, use slices of a natural loofah. Place the slice of loofah in the mold to make sure it fits. Pour clear soap over the loofah slice until the mold is full. Bang it on the counter a few times to make sure the soap has completely filled the loofah slice and there are no air bubbles. You may need to add more soap a couple of times. Allow to dry as usual.
- Patch test essential oils and any other product you haven't used on your skin before. Apply a dab of the ingredient to your inner arm and cover with a bandage for 24 hours before checking to see if there are any adverse reactions.
Things You'll Need
- Crockpot
- Large metal spoon
- Spatula
- 1/2 lb.opaque glycerin melt-and-pour soap
- 2 tbsp. ground oatmeal or ground herbs
- 1/2 tsp. lavender essential oil
- 8-inch square baking dish lined with plastic wrap
- Large sharp knife
- 1 lb. clear glycerin melt-and-pour soap
- A few drops of soap coloring (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. lavender essential oil
- 6 soap molds, 4 oz.
References
- Pioneer Thinking: What is Glycerin
- "Soap Maker's Companion"; Susan Miller Cavitch; 1997
- "Basic Soap Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started";E. Letcavage, A. Wycheck, P. Buck; 2009
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