SFIC Melt and Pour soap base may come as individually wrapped pounds or larger pieces. Orders of more than one pound may come as a "Cut-Up" to save on plastic. Cases and 10lb quantities will be "Cut-Ups"
"Cut-Ups" of soap bases range in size from .05oz to about 3.5lbs with a majority of the pieces being in the 2.75lb range.
At Candle Cocoon's discretion, If we run out of "cut-ups" you may get individually wrapped pounds at no additional cost if we do the substitution. Wrapped cases may be requested for an additional cost.
Candle Cocoon Liquid Soap base is all-natural.
Frequently Asked Questions about Melt and Pour Soap Bases
What is Melt and Pour Soap Base?
Melt and Pour Soap Base is glycerin soap that is ready to use as it has already undergone the saponification process that involves lye. When done correctly there is no dangerous lye left in the finished soap product. The beauty of Melt and Pour is that it could be cut and used as is or you can cut, melt and add your own colors, fragrances or other additives to easily and safely let your creativity soar. Soap Bases typically come in transparent, light yellow, light green, white, or cream, depending on the ingredients of the soap base. Goat's milk, aloe, hemp seed, honey, shea butter and palm-free are just a few of the available melt and pour varieties.
Why is my Melt and Pour Soap Base Brittle?
There are natural reasons that Melt and Pour Soap Base can be brittle and there is nothing wrong with the soap base. The most common reason at Candle Cocoon is due to freezing in transport. The base will be fine with regular use, but possibly harder. You should test a small amount of Melt and Pour Soap Base before making a larger batch by heating in the microwave and cutting.
What to Do If Melt and Pour Soap Base is Brittle -
For Making single cavity soap bars (not cutting them later like a loaf)? Two options
- Use as is and the finished bar will be harder than normal/last longer.
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Add water or glycerine at about 3-5% and it should come back to previous texture.
For cutting loaves
- Best to add 7% or more to make sure loaves they will slice nicely.
- You can use an even higher amount but test prior to putting in colors/fragrance since you can always remelt add more soap etc. Remember adding more glycerine will increase sweating but also makes a more moisturizing soap.
Again, there is nothing wrong with brittle soap due to freezing.
What is the Base of Melt and Pour Soap Base?
The base is glycerin soap that is saponified using lye and various other milks, oils or vegetable butters and additives. The base depends on the ingredients used in the soap making process. Individual soap base ingredients should be checked. Lye is not present in the finished soap but may be listed in the ingredients.
What are the Cons of Melt and Pour Soap?
- Because melt and pour soap is a glycerin soap, it is more likely to sweat.
- The base is not fully adaptable because saponification has already occurred. Putting in fresh ingredients like milk or purees will cause mold or the soap to "go off" within a relatively short period of time. Also, if other oils or butters are used only a small amount should be added. Some experts feel that there should be no additional oils or butters incorporated into the base.
What is the Best Melt and Pour Soap Base?
We feel that the SFIC brand of Melt and Pour Soap Base is the best brand on the market. It has been made In the USA at a small family owned business for over 50 years. We know that they do not cut corners and work very hard to make sure they have the best products.
As an example they had not been able to produce their Palm Free soap for over a year because they could not source all of their ingredients from palm free plants. Sodium Stearate and Sodium Myristate are two ingredients that can be produced from palm or other plants. As you probably guessed, palm is generally cheaper and easier to find.
SFIC soap bases are all SLS surfactant-free but still produce a rich and cleansing lather.
What is the Best Melt Liquid Soap Base?
Candle Cocoon's All Natural Multi Use Liquid Soap Base is just amazing. Made from pure and gentle ingredients it still leaves skin feeling clean, soft and nourished
Melt and Pour Soap Problems
Temperatures above 150 degrees F can result in overheating of the melt and pour soap base. It is best to keep the soap base between 125 - 140 F. Overheating can scorch the soap base with will cause it to become thick, gooey and temperamental to work with.
Over working the soap base by re-heating too many times can also make the soap base hard to work with. A small amount of water or glycerin may help make the soap base more pliable but too much will make the soap soft and mushy.
Separation can occur when making layered soap. Solution - the harder the soap layer the more iso-propyl alcohol should be sprayed on the set soap in order to "melt" it and make it so the liquid soap base can adhere to the hard layer.
Low quality fragrance oils can "burn-off" in hotter temperatures. Allow the melted soap base to cool down to 135-140 degrees before adding these fragrance oils. A thermometer can be a great help.
Brittle soap can often be made slice-able by adding a small amount of water or glycerin.
Moldy soap can be caused by adding fresh ingredients to soap base.
Bubbles in soap may need to be spritzed with rubbing alcohol. Avoid over stirring or dropping from great heights.
If soap becomes slimy it should be kept on a soap rack to allow for excess water run off. Or if the climate is humid a dehumidifier may be needed as the glycerin attracts moisture.
Do you Need a Preservative in Melt and Pour Soap?
Generally preservatives in cold process or melt and pour soap are not needed as long as nothing is added to change the pH. On their own, they have a pH level that doesn't allow mold or bacteria to grow.
Liquid soap doesn't need a preservative as long as the pH stays above 10. It is a good idea to invest in a simple pH meter. A preservative can be added for nullify safety concerns, especially if you are selling your product.
Can Melt and Pour Soap Get Moldy?
Absolutely! If you add too much plant matter or other fresh ingredients you are more than likely grow mold. In order to have the best chances of preventing mold make sure the pH is between 8-10. You may want to considering adding a preservative to further decrease the chances of mold.
How Many Times Can You Remelt, Melt and Pour Soap?
Melt and pour soap base can be remelted once or twice. Remelting too often will make the soap difficult to work with. Adding a small amount of water or glycerin may help the soap to be re-heated an additional time or two and still be workable. Basically, there is no danger in remelting. If the soap base is workable, use it up.
How Many Bars of Soap Can Be Made With 1 Pound of Soap Base?
You would get one of the following or a combination to total 16oz.
- 16 - 1oz trial pucks
- 8 - 2oz travel bars
- 4 - 4oz standard bars
- 2 - 8oz mini loafs (can be sliced)
- 1- 16oz loaf mold (can be sliced)
Is Cold Press Soap Better than Melt and Pour?
- Cold press or cold processed soap is not better or worse than melt and pour soap, it is just different.
- Simple melt and pour soap is much easier to make.
- Melt and pour gives less control over the ingredients used.
- Melt and pour soap tends to sweat more especially in humid conditions.
- Melt and pour soap will not be as long-lasting as fully cured cold-process soap due to the high glycerine content.
- Melt and pour soap can be used to make designs that are difficult to make with cold processed soap.
- Melt and pour soap can be used immediately upon hardening whereas cold processed soap requires time for all of the lye to be activated.
Is Melt and Pour Soap Considered Handmade?
Yes, just like any craft or hobby there are various levels of artistry and craftsmanship. Melt and pour soap crafting can be labor intensive depending upon the designs that are made. When artistic variations are put into melt and pour soap it is a handmade craft of great beauty.
Why Does My Melt and Pour Soap not Smell?
Concentration of Fragrance and Amount
Concentration of the fragrance oil and the amount used are the main factors of scent retention in melt and pour soap. The more concentrated a fragrance oil the less you will need. Candle Cocoon's fragrance oils are made to be the most concentrated on the market and have no extra solvents or fillers!. And while you can use up to 3% (IFRA safe scent only) for a strong scent, you will most likely not need anywhere near that amount with a Candle Cocoon fragrance oil. It is recommended that you test a small amount of soap at .3oz per pound of soap base and adjust accordingly. You may find that you need only .05oz of many Candle Cocoon fragrance oils for a very strong scent. The same goes for 100% pure (IFRA safe) essential oils.
If you do use near 3% fragrance do a small test batch to guarantee that the particular soap base works well with that particular (IFRA safe) scent and does not leak.
How Much Scent Can I Put in Melt and Pour Soap Base?
First - determine the amount of fragrance that is allowable according to the IFRA. For safety reasons do not go over this amount. If the IFRA states 2% MAX usage in soap than do not go over 2%.
Second - 3% is considered to be the MAX amount of fragrance oil that SFIC soap base can hold without getting oily.
Test a small amount of soap base with your desired IFRA safe fragrance to determine holding capacity.
Note - .48oz is 3% of 16oz
How Many Drops of Essential Oil are in Melt and Pour Soap?
While it is generally more consistent to do all measurements in weights, a simple rule of thumb is about 10 - 25 drops of essential oils per pound of soap base. It should also be verified with and IFRA to determine safe usage maximums.
If the melt and pour soap base crystalizes too much essential oil was used. You can add more soap base to the mixture to possibly save the batch.
When to Add Fragrance to Melt and Pour Soap Base?
The temperature of the soap base should be about 140°F. Add and mix in the fragrance oil or essential oil right before you pour the soap base into the mold.
How Long Does Melt and Pour Soap Need to Cure?
Melt and pour soap just needs to get hard and it is ready to use! It is a ready-made soap that has already cured for several weeks already. The soap base was originally made of fatty acids, glycerin, and other ingredients that have gone through saponification. This is a process which involves mixing fats and and lye (or other alkali substance).
Can You Use Vanilla Extract in Melt and Pour Soap?
No, do not use vanilla extract, or any extract in melt and pour soap base. Extracts are made by extracting the flavor with alcohol. This is very different from an essential oil (which is an oil) and should not be used in the same way. Vanilla, or any extracts can cause unpredictable and possibly disastrous results.
Can You Add Butter to Melt and Pour Soap?
Nut or vegetable butters can add different properties to soap bases. The generally recommend is no more than one teaspoon of butter per pound of soap base. Too much butter will make the bases squishy, oily, cause brittleness, cracking, graininess or waxy and may even become moldy over time.
What is the Shelf Life of Melt and Pour Soap Base?
According to SFIC - Because of saponification the soap base can be used almost indefinitely as long as it doesn't dry out it . Store unused soap base in an air tight container. If soap does dry out add a small amount of water or glycerin when heating.
What is the Best Paper to Wrap Melt and Pour Soap?
Kraft paper is often considered the best paper to wrap soap. A waxed paper can be used to prevent hydration or dehydration of the soap due to the protective wax layer. Other soap wraps include shrink wrap and cello. Real cello and bio-olifin shrink film being more environmentally friendly options over traditional plastic shrink wrap.
How to Prevent Dried Flowers in Soap from Turning Brown in Melt and Pour?
Flowers turn brown in soap when they absorb moisture. Adding them to the very top of the soap allows the most chance for them to not turn brown immediately. Using calendula or cornflowers may also help to keep the flower color.
