Components in Glycerin M&P Soap Base Uses For Each Type of Soap Base Cutting Soap Base Into Smaller Pieces Melting Soap Base Making and Inserting Shapes in Soap Removing Soap From Molds Sweating Glycerin Soap Fragrance Oils VS Essential Oils   Components in Glycerin M&P Soap Base Melt and Pour soap base is true soap. It differs from most soaps in two important respects.  M&P soap contains more glycerin and it has been formulated to re-melt.  Our all vegetable glycerin soap is made from sodium hydroxide, palm oil, coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, and other trace chemicals. The white base also contains titanium dioxide to give it the white color. We have taken great pains to develop a soap base that does not contain any ingredient that is not absolutely necessary. By the addition of certain chemicals, we could make a cheaper base. We have elected not to do this. We have also insisted upon the use of the higher refined fractions of the vegetable oils in our soap. Although they cost more than the base oils, this assures you a more pure product with the least amount of "soap smell". Although there are many types of alcohol, the most common alcohol used in glycerin soap is ethanol (drinking alcohol). Ethanol is dangerous for the home crafter to use (it is explosive) and is drying to the skin. Propylene glycol is the solvent necessary to allow re-melting of the soap base. It is a very commonly used solvent that you will find in many food products.   Uses For Each Type of Soap Base We offer crafting soap base in both white and clear. These are all basically the same soap base with minor variations. The crafting bases will be alittle different in the amounts of glycerin in the bases. The crafting bases are intended for using in making loaf soaps that will be cut into bars. The softer character of the crafting base makes it easier to cut. It is also easier to form into shapes for inserting into molds. The crafting bases are also great for pouring into designer molds.   Cutting Soap Base Into Smaller Pieces Our soap now comes packaged in 8 pound bricks which are 4 bricks to a case. Some of you remember the old days when we carried soap in the tub. It was large, heavy and just not what our customers were asking for, so we changed it and have received a great response from you. Simply unwrap the soap and use a large knife to cut into smaller pieces or you can place the brick into your melter if it is big enough. Some may still want to use our large soap cutting knife with handles on both ends for better leverage and safety.     Melting Soap Base Melt and Pour soap base needs to be melted at less than 160 degrees F. Melting on the stove is not recommended. The high heat from the burner will tend to scorch the soap base. This results in discoloration and an unpleasant smell to the soap base. Small batches can be carefully melted in the microwave and larger amounts should be melted in a double wall vessel such as a double boiler. A roaster oven also works well for this purpose provided that it is a double wall version. Those with a heating coil directly under the bottom of the oven will generally not work well.   There is a considerable amount of proplyene glycol and water (in some types of soap) in Melt & Pour soap base. When heating the base, it should be covered so that vapors is not lost during heating. Your heating vessel should have a non-insulated lid which will condense the vapors and return it to the soap base.   Making and Inserting Shapes in Soap The excitement of melt & pour soap and soaps by the loaf is that you can add interesting shapes and colors into the molds. This can be done as follows: Making your slicing trays Melt your clear soap base and pour into a tray mold. We recommend that you use the clear base because it tends to be more flexibile and is a better choice for making complex shapes. Color your tray molds by mixing dyes in a small amount of warm water and stirring into the tray. If you are using natural pigments, make a slurry of water and pigment that you will stir into the tray. When using pigments (natural), they do not form a solution with water and will tend to settle to the bottom of the tray. We recommend that you stir this slurry into the soap tray when it has cooled almost to the point of gelling. This will keep more of the pigment into suspension and will reduce settling. Allow your tray to slowly come up to room temperature before using. We recommend that you allow the mold to cool overnight before using. Do not put in the refrigerator or freezer. When cooled, store them tightly wrapped in Saran or other plastic wrap. We also recommend that you do not scent your slicing trays. Many scents do not mix well and you may wish to use a certain slicing tray color to make several different styles of soap. If you scent the curls, you will not have as many options for using this tray in different soaps. Leave the scenting to the base or matrix that you will use to fill the loaf mold.   Making Curls and Other Shapes You can cut strips and chunks from your slicing tray by using a thin bladed boning knife or a slicing plane. There are advantages to both. The knife will allow you to easily vary the length and thickness of the slices. This can be used to make dramatic special effects. The slicing plane will allow you to make long strips of soap from the tray that are quickly made and consistent in thickness. There are many planes on the market but we have found only one that works well for us. You may find something better. Inserting Curls Into Molds When making loaves of soap, we recommend the following technique. Put your curls, strips, hearts, etc., into the bottom of the loaf mold. Pour your pigmented and scented soap base into the bottom of the mold and cover your first layer of inserts. Using your hands or some other tool, lift the pieces off the bottom of the mold to make certain that you get some surrounding base under these piece so they are not exposed when the loaf is unmolded. You also want to make certain that there are no air bubbles in the curls because this will leave a void in the finished bar of soap. One problem many new soapers have is that they will melt the curls when they add the soap base to the mold. This is part of the trick of making really exciting soaps. The soap base must be hot enough to "burn in" and incorporate the curls without melting them. You should be working with a soap base that is approximately 120 F and the curls should be room temperature and dry.   Removing Soap From Molds Molded soap can be most easily removed from flexible plastic or rubber molds. Although many people like to use metal molds, we do not recommend them. Aluminum molds should never be used because they may react with the chemicals in the soap. Iron molds will probably need to be oiled but they do not bend and removing the molded soap is difficult.   Many people like to refrigerate their soaps before attempting to unmold. This rapid cooling will change the structural nature of the soap and will make it harder. This should never be done if the molds are loaves intended for cutting.   Sweating Glycerin Soap Glycerin is a natural humectant. This means that it attracts moisture. The glycerin in the soap attracts moisture from the air. If the relative humidity of the air is high, a sheen of moisture will form on the surface of the soap. This is dramatically evident if soap is refrigerated and than brought out into a warm and humid room. Your glycerin soaps should always be kept covered and should be wrapped in plastic wrap. Shrink wrapping works best but the investment may be too much for the small soaper. Plastic film also works well.   Fragrance Oils VS Essential Oils Both types of oils work well in melt & pour soaps. Unlike cold process soaps, the melt and pour base will not attack the oils you are using. We generally prefer to use fragrance oils because they tend to be less expensive than essential oils, they are often stronger, and they are available in a much wider variety of fragrances. That having been said, there are a wide variety of very affordable and exciting essential oils available on the market that work well in our soap base. Some essential oils have certain characteristics that can make them dangerous under certain conditions, for certain uses, and by certain users. We strongly recommend that you purchase your essential oils from someone like Rainbow Meadows who can advise you about proper usage of this type of oil.