Melt and Pour Instructions

Basic Glycerin Melt and Pour Soap Making
1. Place soap in a double boiler or microwave. Heat slowly and avoid burning (boiling). Once soap is liquid proceed to the next step. 2. Add up to a maximum of 1/2 ounce fragrance oil. Please see tips below. (only use fragrances safe for soap and skincare products). The primary reason for lack of scent is because fragrance is added when soap base is too hot. Adding fragrance at too high of a temperature will cause the fragrance to "burn-off". Allow the melted soap base to cool down to 138-140 degrees before adding fragrance oils. The use of a thermometer is essential, don't try to guess the temperature. The amount of fragrance oil will vary from scent to scent. In general the guidelines are as follows: 1.0 oz. - 1.5 oz. per pound. The quantities listed in the above table are suggestions only. We always recommend you do your own in house testing. Testing in house will allow you to adjust formulas to create quality finished products. 3. Add cosmetic coloring. Add slowly and do not over color. (If your soap bubbles are the color of your soap, you have used too much color. Your soap bubbles should always be white. ) 4. Add additives if desired. 5. Pour into soap mold. 6. Allow to naturally re-harden. 7. To un-mold, place mold (with soap in it) in freezer for 20 minutes. When the mold returns to room air, it will expand as it warms and the soap will drop out. For really hard to un-mold soap, run warm water over the back of the mold. 8. Wrap in air tight cello or shrink wrap. Why do some fragrances turn brown? Vanilla based fragrances will always turn color...the more vanilla, the more likely the soap will eventually turn dark brown. The color change can occur from days to weeks to months. It is most often associated with the vanilla level in the fragrance oils. It is an inherent property of the ingredients. There is a product on the market called "Vanilla Color Stabilizer". This product is added to MP Soap and it will stop a vanilla fragrance from turning brown. It does not work in CP or HP Soap.
	Loaf molds & EMBED Objects:
Loaf molds with embeds are quite popular, but can be very frustrating for the beginner. There are two elements to embedding: the embedded object and an "overpour". Temperature control is critical. If the overpour is too hot, it will cause the embedment to melt into your overpour. This is the first problem. The second problem is how to keep the embedment positioned properly. This generally requires pouring the "overpour" in layers Depending on the number of embeds used, you may need to pour several layers of soap to enable you to position the embedments properly. Melt your base; check your temperature – is it steaming? This is too hot. If you can’t stick your finger in without it burning, stir and wait for it to cool. EMBED Objects: To embed objects, such as toys, pour your melted M&P soap base about halfway up the mold. Allow to set for approximately 10 minutes, until thick but not solid. Using a spray bottle, filled with rubbing alcohol, spritz the top of the soap, and the object to be embedded until wet. Set the object on the soap (then allow the object to set for couple of minutes), and then pour the second layer of soap to fill the mold. TIP: Spritz your embedding objects with alcohol (to cut down on the oils from your skin and to help adhesion) Spritz the top of your base in the mold with alcohol to cut down on surface tension - Spritz the top of the soap for any excess air bubbles Another tip: To ensure clearly viewed embeds, pour a very thin layer of clear soap base in the bottom of your mold and allow it to set. Spritz the top of the soap and your embeds with alcohol. Set your embeds in place. Now fill the mold gently, so you won't disturb the embeds, with the color soap you want. The clear layer at the bottom will prevent the colored soap from obscuring the view of your embeds, yet it is so thin that it isn't noticeable when looking at the bar from the side To add layers to your soap, pour your first layer and let it sit for approximately ten minutes, until thick but not set. Spritz the top layer with alcohol, till wet, then pour the next layer. 1. Pour a layer of blue soap base into your mold, about 1 1/2" high. When it has cooled and firmed, unmold and cut in half lengthwise. You now have the blue flag square for 2 loaves of soap. 2. Now begin pouring your red and white layers. When you reach 1 1/2" from the top, add your blue flag square to the leftmost side. You may now finish pouring your alternating red and white layer until full. Spritz the top of the soap for any excess air bubbles SCENTING TIPS The primary reason for lack of scent is because fragrance is added when soap base is too hot. Adding fragrance at too high of a temperature will cause the fragrance to "burn-off". Allow the melted soap base to cool down to 138-140 degrees before adding fragrance oils. The use of a thermometer is essential, don't try to guess the temperature Finished soaps should always be wrapped. Soaps left exposed to air can lose their scent quite rapidly. We suggest using clear stretch wrap, shrink bags, or bags sealed with a heat sealer. We personally use clear stretch wrap for our bars and loaf slices. We prefer a heavier gauge stretch wrap because it prevents the fragrance from penetrating the wrapper
ALWAYS IMPORTANT!! when melting your base; check your temperature – is it steaming? This is too hot. If you can’t stick your finger in without it burning, stir and wait for it to cool. GREAT TIP for professional looking soaps!!! Spritz the top of the soap for any excess air bubbles.