Using Soap Bits

[Stacy]

Hi folks, I'm still around. In case I haven't mentioned, I'm a lurker at heart. I read all the time, but rarely post because either someone else already answered perfectly, or I'm interested in the answer myself ;-)

But I do have a question. I realize it's been asked before, but I'm interested in some details I don't think I've seen.

I've been making soap lately (LOTS AND LOTS OF SOAP). I already have a bunch of shavings and soap bits from other batches, and when these are ready, I'll have lots more.

I don't really make confetti soap. The one time I tried with Castile I wasn't really in love with the look. I can't bring myself to just throw it out though so I figured maybe I can do something with it and give it to the local food bank or shelter.

I tried 2 to 1 new to old on my confetti Castile before and it worked well, so I'll be doing that again if I go ahead.

My question is more about the ingredients and fragrance. These shavings are from different batches, but mostly similar recipes. It there any special consideration to what I have to use for the base of the new soap? None of the shavings are lye heavy or off in any way.

For those of you that have tried this, does the scent burn out from the second addition of lye? While the current mix isn't unpleasant, it's a little strange with a mix of apples, mint, chocolate, Lavender, etc ;-)

As scent is already in the old batches my assumption is any new fragrance would have to be discounted about 33% (ie. .66 oz ppo instead of 1oz.) whether the older smells stick or not since the chemicals of the FO are still in there.

Any pointers or advice is appreciated as always.

Thanks!

 

[dixiedragon]

I keep a few lard buckets of soap bits. I try to roughly group them by what I think smells good together - so fruit and floral goes together; chocolate, coffee, vanilla and spice, etc.

I think it really depends on the scent. Some scents seem to come through better than others. For example, WSP's black raspberry vanilla survived a complete melt down for rebatch and it's very noticeable in a confetti bar. Another time I used some shreds scented with an apple pie fragrance and the new soap was scented with white tea and ginger, and I really didn't notice the apple pie fragrance at all.

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm not sure what you mean by discounting the new fragrance. I use the appropriate amount of fragrance for the NEW soap I am making. So if I am making a batch of soap with 2 lbs of new soap and 2 lbs of scraps, then I use the correct amount of FO for that 2 lb batch. I use the higher amount recommended.

In making confetti soap, gelling is key, I think. It melts the old soap a bit so it bonds with the new soap.

Another key is to keep the soap shreds in a sealed container, especially if you have pets! dust and pet hair will really stick to those shreds and there's not much you can do about it. I suppose maybe rinse them in a colander if you are very dedicated?

 

[Stacy]

I'm not sure what you mean by discounting the new fragrance. I use the appropriate amount of fragrance for the NEW soap I am making. So if I am making a batch of soap with 2 lbs of new soap and 2 lbs of scraps, then I use the correct amount of FO for that 2 lb batch. I use the higher amount recommended

Yes this is exactly what I meant, you just said it much clearer than I did ;-)

I have it in buckets . Two dogs and two cats have made me well aware of the pervasiveness of pet hair. In fact my work area is in another building separate from the house and no animals are allowed no matter how much they guilt me out about it.

Separating it out by scent family is a good idea. I had the forethought to not include any pine-tar in there but hadn't though about it much more than that.

 

[dibbles]

I don't really make confetti soap. The one time I tried with Castile I wasn't really in love with the look. I can't bring myself to just throw it out though so I figured maybe I can do something with it and give it to the local food bank or shelter.

If you don't want to deal with repurposing the shreds at all, I'm pretty sure that Clean the World accepts shreds and scraps from planing, etc. They accept used soap from hotels, etc. They sanitize (salt it out?) and rebatch. Just a thought.

https://cleantheworld.org/

 

[MySoapyHeart]

I just match, or keep similar scents together, when I have confetti lying around. If I have confetti with 5-fold orange, I feel free to use it in whatever I am making. Orange just mixes with everything in my book.

If I have confetti with specific scents around, I mix the confetti with a scent I know won`t clash with a fragrance/essential oil.

Recently I had a batch of confettis that had a fragrance from Nurtures, that is called Fairy Garden.

I made a batch with the same recipe as the confetti was made out of, and added orange 5-fold as a fragrance the raw batter I was mixing the confetti in.

The result was one of the most lovely scents I have ever mixed, it got undertones of both sweet Apricot and tart orange, and is now a favourite of mine. I did ot expect that from this confetti soap.

You can see the soap here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIZ3OdgrDu/?taken-by=norway.dreaming

 

[IrishLass]

If you don't feel like making confetti soap and you have some decorative MilkyWay-type molds laying around, you can just spritz the shreds with a little water and then warm them up in the oven just long enough to soften them to the point that they become smoosh-able like modeling clay. Next, (with gloved hands to protect from the heat), work/smoosh them into a cohesive mass, then press the malleable mass into the decorative molds, making sure to press out any air bubbles that you see. When done, stick the molds into the freezer and pop them out the next day (I run my molds under lukewarm water and the soaps just plop right out with a tiny push). Here's what they end up looking like:

IrishLass

 

[penelopejane]

I separate my grated soap into colour combinations rather than scents. But it could be because they all seem to mix well - nothing too floral. It could also be that, as I've discovered recently, I don't use enough scent.

I use 2:1 new batter and confetti by weight and gel and that makes a solid soap with no problems. I love trying to make them look decorative and have tried lots of different things. Here is one from Eve's soap garden, which is similar to one of mine but hers is nicer :evil:

 

[IrishLass]

Ooooo, that's so pretty!


IrishLass

 

[penelopejane]

Ooooo, that's so pretty!

IrishLass

Yes it is! I had a plain batter top (about 1/3) on my soap with the lines and all but this looks nicer.

I have to thank you for finding me yet another nice site to look at!

 

[navigator9]

I don't know how big your "bits" are, but mine are usually the pieces left after beveling my soaps, and sometimes I just think a soap is homely, and I'll grate it, so my bits are pretty small, and what I usually do is spray them with some distilled water, and squeeze them into soap balls.

 

[Stacy]

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I think I might just try the wet, squeeze and form method and see where it gets me!

 

[techiemeka]

The photos have me inspired. I posted a couple days back about a crumbly soap problem. It's still not cutting well after a week so I think it's doomed but thought perhaps I could take some of it and do a confetti soap. It's zapping fine so no issue there. Anything it should think about other than that given the soap I want to use as a filler is the crumbly soap? Thx for any thoughts.

 

[penelopejane]

The photos have me inspired. I posted a couple days back about a crumbly soap problem. It's still not cutting well after a week so I think it's doomed but thought perhaps I could take some of it and do a confetti soap. It's zapping fine so no issue there. Anything it should think about other than that given the soap I want to use as a filler is the crumbly soap? Thx for any thoughts.

I seem to be able to use the worst failure with no problem (soft soap, ugly soap, naturally coloured faders etc).
I use two parts new batter to one part confetti by weight. But you can use any combination with this as the minimum I have found. I prefer course gratings just my preference. I don't treat the confetti in anyway. I just grate it by hand and weigh it and mix it into new soap batter at a light trace. It doesn't seem to matter how old the gratings are.

Just for reference:
The top soap has 150 g of mainly green confetti in 300 g plain batter (sandwiched between two layers of plain batter).
The bottom soap has 100 g mainly blue confetti in 800 g AC batter.

Here's one from a professional:
http://badeanstalten.com/en/produkter/friday_soap_150g/

 

[techiemeka]

Thanks! I feel better about my failed batch

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks! I feel better about my failed batch

I'd love to see the pictures of what you create!

 

[CaraBou]

Those are really nice penelope! I especially love the green band. I don't always keep my scraps anymore because I seem challenged in what to do with them. Your bars give me hope for the piles that I do have!

 

[penelopejane]

Those are really nice penelope! I especially love the green band. I don't always keep my scraps anymore because I seem challenged in what to do with them. Your bars give me hope for the piles that I do have!

Google Confetti soap and you will come up with lots more.
I have loads of confetti too. :???:

 

[amd]

I have loads of confetti too. :???:

Oh PTL! It's not just me! I feel like such a weirdo having 4+ lbs of soap shavings. I've been wanting to do some mixed color ball embeds, so the spritz/bake/mold method sounds like the perfect solution.

 

[tricia819]

I live in Kansas City where ZumBar is headquartered and they have an interesting use for their shreds... They gather them together and put them in little muslin bags and sell them as sachets! I love the confetti soap but, if I ever get tired of it, I know that I have another use for my shreds. Plus, it is always good to have more variety in your offerings.