Diabolical M & P Experiments

[Deyaniera]

Hey There! I am new here, just registered, and I was wondering:

Have any of you guys ever experimented with melting commercial soaps? (well 'so called' soaps like Dove, store bought glycerin, etc) And if so, have you successfully made a batch of soap out of it?

I am not completely new to Bath and Body. Ive been making my own body scrubs, balms, and butters for a few years now.

This weekend I decided to take a stab at soap making using some left over coconut oil, shea, and cocoa butter, along with an unscented bar of Dove. Can you say disaster? I dont know if it just isnt meant for M&P or if I added too much oil, but I have a soft lump of goo after 3 supposed days of 'curing'.

I know, I know...I think I have committed a cardinal sin here, but again, it was just for an experiment. I fully intend on getting my stuff in order and maybe experimenting with some M&P Goats Milk Bases.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated

BTW, Nice to Meet You All

~Dey

 

[Becky]

I've never tried it, but I get a lot of older ladies tell me they used to make soap, when what they mean is they used to grate up a commercial bar & re-shape it.

At a guess, I would say you went wrong in using the dove in the first place, but hey, if you don't experiment, you never find the new stuff! Without knowing how much extra oil you added I can't comment on if you added too much, but I'm pretty sure you can't add lots to M&P. I'm sure one of our talented M&P soapers will be able to chime in here and clarify 'lots'

Oh! And welcome to the forum!

 

[Tabitha]

There are several youtube videos of people melting dove type bars, they grow huge & get gooey or somthing, don't they? For a while kids were doing it for kicks.

 

[Deyaniera]

Oh yeah boy did that sucker blow up like a cow. Reminded me of that Mythbusters episode where they filled a car with foam by leaving things in the backseat of a car, in the blazing heat.

I usually buy Shea, Cocoa butter, and Coconut oil. I had a giant pail of coconut oil left, so I wound up adding equal parts of coconut oil to the amount of melted Dove. Goop I tell you, Goop.

I CAN tell you that I found a M&P block of Goats Milk soap at my local AC Moore and tried that last night. I added Olive and Coconut oil to that in Equal parts (half soap, half oil), and threw in some orange peel, blackberry seeds, and essential oils to the mix. Then i topped it off with oatmeal after I poured it into the mold. I woke up this morn and tapped em. Hard as a rock! I am going to let them cure until the weekend and see how it goes.

BTW, I have found conflicting advice on the web regarding M&P curing times. Some places say you dont have to cure the soap, some say you do. What is your take on it?

 

[Tabitha]

M&P does not have to cure. You cure CP soap to allow the saponification process to completed & for water to evaporate. M&P is already formed so there is no saponification taking place nor is water evaporating. Some people say they like to wait a few days before they wrap the soaps to make them harder, but then you run the risk of the soap pulling glycerin out of the air & binding it to the bar making them sticky & wet, attracting lint, hair, dust & other ick.

 

[Sayuri]

Tabitha is spot on with the curing advice. Just wanted to add that with M&P I only add 1 tablespoon of oil (mixed or on it's own) per LB of M&P maximum! Otherwise it takes away the lather from your soap and will become extremely gloopy.