Teach Soap

I'm new to making soap and was wondering if I could add different things such as oils to the M&P or if I just have to use it as is?

MP works best as is. You can buy shea, olive, goatsmilk, etc melt and pours that way you don't need to add to them.

However if you do want to add oils then we recommend no more than 1 tbs of oils total per pound of soap. Any more than that and you will have really soft soap that doesn't lather well.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

You *can* add oils in excess of 1 tbs/lb. But you must add beeswax or another hardener to make up for it. I add mango butter, emu oil, canned goat's milk, beeswax and other things to almost every batch and have never gotten a soft bar. You just have to figure out the amounts and balance everything out.

eta: Let me clarify a bit. I got soft bars in the testing stage. Once I played with amounts enough, I do not get soft bars any longer.

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Epona's Melting Pot
http://EponasMeltingPot.etsy.com

I'm becoming a fan of grapeseed oil. Since I make only a bar or two at a time, I use the "exact" measurement of a "tad." I also make a concoction for my husband that has more stuff in it that I want to admit. It is not a good lather soap, but it helps with his skin problems. That is the good thing about making your own. You can create for your circumstances.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Melt and Pour is "perfectly" formulated as-is without any extra oils. An oils and waxes you add inhibit lather and weigh down rinse-off ability. That said, there is something to be said for an incredibly emoliant bar that acts almost like a cold cream when cleansing.

You can add up to about 1 ounce of oil per pound of most of the Bramble Berry house bases. Stephenson and other SLS-based soaps can often take more oils. The key is to add the liquid oils and mix and mix and mix and mix and mix and ... You can even put the entire concotion in a blender and that helps to incorporate extra oils even more fully and faster.

Just remember, any extra oils will inhibit lather because they will weigh down bubbles. So, there is a trade off for the extra moisturizing goodness of the soap.

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com