Melt & Pour Additives

[Happy S]

Can I add cocoa powder and dried mint leaves in my melt and pour soap. I found a recipe that did just that, but I know things aren't always what they seem.

 

[Arimara]

Hopefully another user chimes in but dried mint leaves are one thing but the cocoa powder is another. The dried mint shouldn't do much save look a little suspect and/or float to the top in most bases. The cocoa powder would very likely stain every thing. You'd be better off getting melt and pour safe colorants.

 

[TheGecko]

Can I add cocoa powder and dried mint leaves in my melt and pour soap. I found a recipe that did just that, but I know things aren't always what they seem.

I know you can add botanicals to M&B with success so dried mint leaves would probably be on the same level. I know that Soap Queen has a soap that uses Cocoa Powder in her Cinnamon Cocoa M&P Soap recipe, but she uses brown oxide for the layers and just sprinkles the cocoa powder on top. I just did some quick research about adding cocoa powder to M&P and there are some different techniques (dry, mixed with glycerin, mixed with olive oil), but I do have to question them based on what I have read about what you can and cannot do with M&P. I did go though a bunch of SQ's M&P Recipes and found some older ones before color blocks and liquid dyes and noted that she mixed her clays with a small amount of 99% IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol), which would make sense.

My recommendation would be a small test batch...at least four bars worth (doesn't have to be full size). Package two bars as normal, leave the other bar and put them away securely and then review them once a week for a month, and then once a month for six months total to check for any reaction or spoilage.

 

[Happy S]

Hopefully another user chimes in but dried mint leaves are one thing but the cocoa powder is another. The dried mint shouldn't do much save look a little suspect and/or float to the top in most bases. The cocoa powder would very likely stain every thing. You'd be better off getting melt and pour safe colorants.

Thanks for help

 

[Happy S]

Thanks for help

I know you can add botanicals to M&B with success so dried mint leaves would probably be on the same level. I know that Soap Queen has a soap that uses Cocoa Powder in her Cinnamon Cocoa M&P Soap recipe, but she uses brown oxide for the layers and just sprinkles the cocoa powder on top. I just did some quick research about adding cocoa powder to M&P and there are some different techniques (dry, mixed with glycerin, mixed with olive oil), but I do have to question them based on what I have read about what you can and cannot do with M&P. I did go though a bunch of SQ's M&P Recipes and found some older ones before color blocks and liquid dyes and noted that she mixed her clays with a small amount of 99% IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol), which would make sense.

My recommendation would be a small test batch...at least four bars worth (doesn't have to be full size). Package two bars as normal, leave the other bar and put them away securely and then review them once a week for a month, and then once a month for six months total to check for any reaction or spoilage.

Thanks for info