Thread: Why melt soap?

If you decide to melt just make sure it's a Glycerin based soap otherwise you will have a mess.

Yes you are correct in that it is to fit a bowl or mug -However- grating certain soaps can make them lather much easier... ie: Mitchell's Wool Fat, Williams, TOBS... just to name a few of the Hard Milled soaps that now lather way easier in my collection...

If you gently and slowly melt the Glycerin based pucks using the double boiler method it is much safer then the microwave... Plus you only have to melt them enough to even out in the bowl they don't have to be completely liqufied..

Hope that helps...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yes you are correct in that it is to fit a bowl or mug -However- grating certain soaps can make them lather much easier... ie: Mitchell's Wool Fat, Williams, TOBS... just to name a few of the Hard Milled soaps that now lather way easier in my collection...

Do you now why that is, or have any guesses? Do you think the heating changes the chemical composition in any way?

How many people do the shredding and melting thing? If you are one, how important is it to you that your soap fits? If someone, hypothetically speaking of course, would take your favorite mugs and make fresh, all natural soap, pouring it into your mug to harden and cure, to make a perfect fit, would it be worth the time and cost to ship the mug here, i mean, there and back?

Originally Posted by markevens

Do you now why that is, or have any guesses? Do you think the heating changes the chemical composition in any way?

I am not heating the grated hard milled soaps, I just grate them and press the grated soaps back into my soap bowls...
My theory is that basically you are re-milling the soaps again, and that's what makes them lather easier.. just a theory...

I just bought two pucks of soap. L'Occtaine and Penhaligons.
Neither would fit in the bowls I had for them. I could have, and have in the past, grated them. This time I just trimmed them around the edges and molded the pieces back onto the puck, wasting nothing...

P.S. A hand held cheese grater, the one that gives you a "fine" grate works wonderfully.

I just grated a puck of soap from Old Dominion Soap Company. I liked the smell and it seemed to lubricates pretty well, but didn't lather worth a darn. I grated it up with a small grater, pressed it into my soap dish and now it lathers like a dream.

Originally Posted by markevens

Do you now why that is, or have any guesses? Do you think the heating changes the chemical composition in any way?

I make soap from time to time with my mom. Nothing for shaving use but just for showering.

The point of a double boiler is not to let the soap come in direct contact with heat. If it does, such as a pan on stove, microwave it will dry out the soap. The glycerin will break down, fragrance will be stripped and sometimes the color diminishes. Using a double boiler is to allow the water to come into direct contact with the heat and using the steam to slowly melt soaps. The highest temp I use is about medium on the stove. And, stir frequently... sometimes those soaps won't melt properly and need to be stirred. Just as Glen said, just enough to melt it and pour. You really don't need much.

If you have a transparent mug and would like the soap to be a little more transparent, try tossing it in the freezer until hard. Be careful, expansion and contraction could crack your mug.

This same method works great for chocolate and strawberries.

This is just what I know from playing around with soaps. I am not a professional soap maker but what I have mentioned does work.

Just don't use your wife's good graters to grate your soap. Many women take a dim view of that.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Just don't use your wife's good graters to grate your soap. Many women take a dim view of that.

Really? I figured since it was soap, it wouldn't be a problem.