Teach Soap

Hello This sunny but chilly evening in ohio.

My qustion is a simple for on down the road...When I DO sell soaps.

Do you sell Re-batch Soaps. And are People Willing to buy them??
Do you sell at the same prices?

So far I have made two batches like this.
First one in the slow cooker. (YUK) Not enough control over the temps.
Second in the microwave. Like this much better.

What is funny, My husband like the Crockpot soaps Better. And They were Mixed less. Much rougher looking to me.

_________________
Theresa

I prefer not to rebatch at all. I like nice smooth bars of soap. For me, I find rebatched soaps too rustic for my taste.

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

I quite agree...But sometimes a soap it not so good.
Its called to learning curve. At 2 months in, I am still there

_________________
Theresa

Once you get a good basic soap batch under your belt, there is no need to rebatch. You can make soap in a crock pot and cook it on low, so the soap doesn't dry out.

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

I make rebatch, sometimes deliberately. I have one soap that uses essential oils that just have better staying power in rebatch than if they go through the whole CP process. And it's a best seller. But your milage may vary, as with everything else!

_________________
***************
Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

There are benefits to rebatch:

[*]It looks more rustic. If you like your soaps to be non-identical, artistic/artisanal-looking, and/or if you tout them as being natural, handmade, and other things that people expect to show up looking rustic, this is a positive point.

[*]Rebatch, if it's called "hand-milled," "French milled," "double/triple milled" (depending on how many times you rebatch it)... is the same soap, but by a fancier name, and people will often pay more for it.

[*]Since the rebatching process is essentially turning CP soap into HP, it doesn't have to cure for as long -- just until it gets hard, whether it's pure olive oil and takes 4+ months or some other, quicker-curing soap that's hardened up within a couple of weeks.

[*]Once you've made your very basic soap recipe with 0% superfat and no fragrances or colors, rebatching allows you to then add fragrances, colors, and additional superfatting/conditioning oils without having the lye interfere with it by reacting with the good jojoba and almond oils and shea butter and leaving you with the coconut or soy as your superfat.

The downsides:

[*] It looks more rustic. If you prefer your soaps to look perfect, smooth, glassy, and commercial, this is a negative point. You can somewhat temper this by pouring/glopping it into the mold, smoothing it flat like you'd do with wall plaster or cake icing, and putting a flat mold lid on top of it (possibly with a bit of weight on top of the lid) to press it into a flat surface. Or you could sculpt the top into cool shapes and just go with it.

[*] You do have to wait for the initial batch to harden/cure enough to grate, then grate it, then wait for the rest of the curing. It takes up storage space during the wait period. Olive oil soap, especially, takes a good 4+ months to cure to good hardness, then however long your rebatching process takes, so it could be on your shelf for 6 months to a year.

I would not do a 0% superfat soap, then hot process it to add more oil. Always superfat at the very least of 5% and add everything right up front.

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