To Rebatch or not to Rebatch... that is the question!

I have done many standard cold process recipes and several of my own. I use both essential oils and fragrance oils in my recipes but (being based in the UK) the EU safety guidelines say a max of 2% of these should be used in our soap.

This means that the scent is mild unless you are using something powerful and it fades quickly.

My question is: Is 'rebatching/remilling' worth the extra effort? Both from a point of view of the scent and also with additives such as lavender seeds/rose petals/dried orange decoration etc etc...

Also, what other benefits does rebatching offer?
Thanks for your help & opinions!

Check the msds sheets for your FO's some can be used at a higher % and still adhere to UK regs. It's the amount of allergens in them that defines usage limit. I think milling would add a lot of extra time and energy and cost for little benefit. You could try hot process soap as an option too?

Hi - I did think it seemed a lot of trouble, its just I am so jealous of all those beautiful smelling soaps with colourful botanicals!

I didn't know that some fragrance oils cd be used at higher percentages - will check out the data sheets! I may try the hot process soap recipe, just put off by the mashed potato consistency that it is supposed to be!

As well as the fragrance % I am going to look into base essential oil mixes, cornstarch, clays, and botanicals. All said to help fix the scent! Thanks for your help.

I don't do hot process myself but I was reading one of the threads on here and adding something ( I think it was sodium lactate but I could be wrong) actually loosens up the hot process soap mix and makes it easier to work with and mold. If you look at your msds sheets for your fragrance oils you need to look at the maximum % use for category 9 which is the category relating to soaps. Most can be used up to a max of 5% and some even higher so I'm sure you could get your scents a bit stronger and stay legal.

I found powdered orange peel really helps hold citrus scents.

you can try sodium lactate for hp. it helps the consistency to be more workable. 1-2% is enough.

Rebatching is not the same as milling, contrary to popular opinion. You need a specialized roller mill to actually mill a soap.

I'd just make HP soap if the only reason was to make the strongest possible fragrance.

HP is awesome because you can guarantee your super fats will be Un saponified and you save money on eo and fo because you use less product for a stronger scent.

^^^

that's right. but you sacrifice design and smooth look only cp can give you. i guess that's a price worth paying if you only make simple soaps.

Aye - if you want to make very pretty soaps, HP can be an issue. But if you use few colours and don't worry about peaked tops or having it perfectly smooth, HP can give freedom with superfat and scents.

And to highlight again the point DeeAnna made - rebatching is not remilling, no matter how many bloggers try to say that it is!

Well, think I will keep to CP for the moment, I am still fairly new and have never even had cause to rebatch a mix! I like the pretty soaps but will try HP one day, like the idea of controlling things more! Thanks for your replies. What exactly is hand milling then?

Milling is the process of running relatively dry, cool soap through a process that squeezes the soap with pressure. This process hardens and polishes the soap to improve its appearance and make the soap more long lasting. Fragrance and color can also be mixed into the soap during milling. Because the soap stays relatively cool, delicate fragrances that would otherwise deteriorate from heat or excess water can be milled into a soap.

Soap was originally milled by hand by rubbing cool, dry soap into thin sheets, folding the soap over and over, using a specialized type of mortar and pestle. It took about 1/2 hour or better to hand mill a batch -- a tedious, labor intensive process. Automated equipment was developed to do the job. It consists of polished stone rollers that have a small gap between them -- the cool, dry soap is forced into that gap. The process is much like passing an article of clothing through the rollers in an old-fashioned wringer washer or forcing noodle dough through a pasta machine.

Can you see the difference now between rebatching soap versus milling it, whether by hand or machine?

...Milled Toilet Soaps.—Practically all high-class soaps now on the market pass through the French or milling process. This treatment, as its name implies, was first practised by the French who introduced it to this country, and consists briefly of (i.) drying, (ii.) milling and incorporating colour, perfume or medicament, (iii.) compressing, and (iv.) cutting and stamping.

The advantages of milled soap over toilet soap produced by other methods are that the former, containing less water and more actual soap, is more economical in use, possesses a better appearance, and more elegant finish, does not shrink or lose its shape, is more uniform in composition, and essential oils and delicate perfumes may be incorporated without fear of loss or deterioration....

Source: Simmons, W. H. & Appleton, H. A. Handbook of soap manufacture. 1908.

***

...The original manufacturers of milled soap were the French, whose product early attained a popularity which persists to-day, notwithstanding the fact that soap of equal quality is produced elsewhere. The prestige of the French in this respect was greatly aided by their skill as perfumers; but equal proficiency in this direction, as well as in the manufacture of milled-soap machinery, have displaced them from the preeminence which they so long occupied.

The early manufacture of milled soap was naturally very primitive, the dried shavings being reduced and mixed with perfume by means of a mortar and pestle and the agglomerated mass moulded into bars by the pressure of the hands. Subsequent mechanical devices have not departed from this simple procedure.

Milled soap was first made in the United States in Philadelphia in 1844 by Jules Haul, a Frenchman, who in that day kept a shop for the sale of imported soaps and perfumes. He began making toilet-soaps in a small way in the rear part of his store with a double iron roll sugar-mill and an old screw-press, both worked by hand. The dried chipped soap was passed between the rolls a number of times until homogeneous. It was then shaped by hand with a wooden paddle to as near the dimensions of the [finished soap bar] as possible....

Source: Lamborn, L.L. Modern soaps, candles, and glycerin. 1920.

Thank you for your comprehensive answer! They are totally different! Sounds an amazing process and finished product, perhaps I will even try it out in a few years time

DeeAnna said:

Milling is the process of running relatively dry, cool soap through a process that squeezes the soap with pressure. This process hardens and polishes the soap to improve its appearance and make the soap more long lasting. Fragrance and color can also be mixed into the soap during milling. Because the soap stays relatively cool, delicate fragrances that would otherwise deteriorate from heat or excess water can be milled into a soap.

Soap was originally milled by hand by rubbing cool, dry soap into thin sheets, folding the soap over and over, using a specialized type of mortar and pestle. It took about 1/2 hour or better to hand mill a batch -- a tedious, labor intensive process. Automated equipment was developed to do the job. It consists of polished stone rollers that have a small gap between them -- the cool, dry soap is forced into that gap. The process is much like passing an article of clothing through the rollers in an old-fashioned wringer washer or forcing noodle dough through a pasta machine.

Can you see the difference now between rebatching soap versus milling it, whether by hand or machine?

Click to expand...