Melt & Pour Soap Questions?! HELP me PLEASE!!!

[luvinbeingmommy]

Okay, I have several questions in regard to melt and pour soap.

I recently made a batch of soap and placed it in the freezer to speed up the "curing" process. Sometimes when I remove the soap, it is hard and performs just as it should, other times it is incredibly soft and mushy...and after I use it (bathe with it) it shrinks or changes color. Is there a reason why it does this and how can I prevent it from happening? Also, how long does it take for melt and pour soap to harden completely if I leave it out to "cure"?

Second question, how do you properly put swirls in melt and pour soap?

Third, is there a certain amount of carrier oils that must be put in a MP soap? Will too much make the soap "sweat" oil?

Lastly, do you know of any tried and true ultra moisturizing melt and pour soap recipes? This would REALLY help.

Thank you so much.

I'm new to soap and don't quite understand the percentages and the lingo, so please be as detailed as possible....I would really appreciate it.

 

[Chay]

As you are still very new to soap making, I would recommend you start out by going to your local library and checking out some books on M&P. They have some great books out there that will teach how to make many different kinds of wonderful M&P creations and will answer a lot of your questions.

 

[carillon]

Unless you are adding additional oils or too much fragrance oil or colorant, m&p soaps should not be mushy. M&P soaps don't really "cure." You are only temporarily altering its state from solid to liquid and then back to solid again after it has cooled, which is most definitely solid between 4-8 hours under ordinary circumstances.

It is natural for soaps to start "shrinking" after being exposed to water, and they may also change in color, whether or not they have been wet due to the fragrance oils you use. Fragrances with vanilla in them are notorious for altering the color of soaps. It can eventually change a white bar of soap to any variation in color from cream to brown. Maybe that is what happened to your soap.

M&P does not require carrier oils of any kind. However, if you choose to add oils, too much will make your bar mushy and it may not ever firm up.

M&P bars generally do not produce attractive swirled bars as you see with CP soap.

How are you making your m&p? How many pounds are you making at a time and how much oil, or fragrance oils are adding to it?

 

[Tabitha]

M&P does not need carrier oils. It should already be made of oils.

Is the color change a darkening? If so it may be due to your fragrance oil containing vanilla. Vanilla darkens soap over time.

M&P will get hard in justa couple hours, hard enough to unmold. You can wrap it right away or let it set out over night first.

 

[Thesoaplady]

Okay, I have several questions in regard to melt and pour soap.

I recently made a batch of soap and placed it in the freezer to speed up the "curing" process. Sometimes when I remove the soap, it is hard and performs just as it should, other times it is incredibly soft and mushy...and after I use it (bathe with it) it shrinks or changes color. Is there a reason why it does this and how can I prevent it from happening? Also, how long does it take for melt and pour soap to harden completely if I leave it out to "cure"?

Second question, how do you properly put swirls in melt and pour soap?

Third, is there a certain amount of carrier oils that must be put in a MP soap? Will too much make the soap "sweat" oil?

Lastly, do you know of any tried and true ultra moisturizing melt and pour soap recipes? This would REALLY help.

Thank you so much.

I'm new to soap and don't quite understand the percentages and the lingo, so please be as detailed as possible....I would really appreciate it.

I get beautiful Swirls in my Melt and pour what I do is I make three different colors I keep a white and do whatever to other colors I want I’ll let it cool down until the soap gets a skin and it’s in its pore cup. Then take those soaps or all three and pour at the same time. You’ve to let it cool down to do this

 

[lsg]

If you are using M&P base it doesn't need to cure. If you are making your own M&P, it is probably hot process and doesn't need to go in the freezer.