Teach Soap

While I was at the Farmer's Market yesterday a lady came by my table and was looking at my soaps. I started chatting with her and told her that I'd be happy to answer any questions she had. She wanted to know why lye was used so I gave her a brief explanation of the saponification process. She thanked me and said that she had asked several other soapmakers, but none of them could answer her question. I was dumbfounded! I suppose I shouldn't be, but I find it hard to believe that someone making and selling soap wouldn't be able to explain why lye is used in the soapmaking process...

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

It could be because other sellers sell MP soap base or possibly a rebatch base, so they have no idea how the actual soap is made.

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

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I had a helper at my first event, and she had no clue what the process was or why I used certain oil...all questions she got while I was making a bank run to get change. However, she did explain that she was helping out, and that I would be back in a few minutes. Most of those guys were hanging out for the whole day so many of them came back later and asked.

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Dawn

I think a lot of people doesn't make the difference between melt and pour and cold process soap. once, on a christmas market, I saw very beautiful soap and I ask how they have been made, and the seller didn't know exactly, she was sure it was real soap. In fact it was melt. she didn't know anything to soap making, she was here only to sell them so she didn't know.

Melt is real soap. It is a hot process soap to which propylene glycol (or Everclear) is added along with glycerin and sugar to make the soap be able to be melted and poured as desired. Rebatch soap is a real soap. It is soap that has been liquified and poured again to make a new soap.

These are just different processes to make the soap. A person selling soap should be able to say what kind of soap they are selling. If they have a "helper" then the helper should be educated on the very basics (a 2 line description of each of the processes shouldn't be that hard to give and remember.).

At least, that's my opinion.

Melt and Pour, while soap yes, isn't actually 'making' soap. It's more a different process in which you can obtain something to wash your skin. After all, you could just slice up your block of melt and pour and sell it straight like that. Don't even need to melt it down. Can't really call that "making" soap more than you can call popping a microwave dinner in for a zap "cooking".

Those selling melt and pour may not know about the lye process or what it's for. But they should know enough to explain to the customer that the soap they are selling is from a melt and pour base.

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

What I was trying to say is that MP is real soap . . . but you didn't "make it" from scratch . . . you "redid it" to have it look/smell different and it is soap. Somebody else actually manufactured the MP from basic ingredients through a hot process with propylene glycol, glycerin, sugar, lye, water, etc. That being said, you can manufacture MP yourself through the hot process method. I have not tried it yet, but I'm thinking about it!

Slightly off topic, but...

Is there a parallel between soap and lotion like the CP vs. Melt and Pour?

I've been wondering what to do with some FO that is nice, but fades terribly - thus useless in CP. I figured it would be better used in a lotion. Many years ago I used to buy unscented bulk lotion from a natural food co-op, then choose an essential oil to add to it for scent. The EO was just put in the lotion and they'd shake the crap out of it until it was mixed.

So I was reading up lotion bases - there are some cool products out there like multi-bases you dilute with various amounts of water. I had no idea these things were out there! But do some of you actually DESIGN a lotion...choose the oils and then emulsify them? That would be like CP, right, you MAKE the lotion itself with various oils just like soap.

The lotion bases are like Melt and Pour - bases already made that you "revise" with scent, correct? Some are heated up until they liquify, then FO or EO is added - sounds WAAAY easier than shaking a bottle until your arm fell off.

Yeah, there is a pre-made lotion base you add fragrance too. AKA Melt and Pour.

Then there is making lotion from scratch. AKA CP.

I make it from scratch. I choose my oils, my emulsifiers, additives etc. Then it's created, combined, etc.

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

I make mine from scratch. Here's a great blog to check out for info: http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/
She also has an e-book you can purchase that is amazingly helpful.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I would love to make my own lotion but the thought of having EVERY batch I make tested multiple times makes me nauseous. Do you think everyone who sells on etsy actually tests their batches? I would be a wreck if I didn't. I mean, how do you know your preservative is doing its job every time? Or your batch wasn't contaminated before adding the preservative? Too much to think about for me. Maybe I'll try a base for personal use some day. What does everyone do here?

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~Kelly~

Back to the conversation about M&P vs CP

I describe the difference between the two using cakes as an analogy: M&P is somewhat like cake decorating, it's a beautiful skill and one that is certainly edible, though not usually particularly tasty. CP is more like baking--it takes quality ingredients, a good recipe and skill to make something that tastes and hopefully looks wonderful.

Peggy