What is melt and pour soap?

What is Melt & Pour Soap?

'Melt & Pour Soap' is a true soap, just like cold pressed soap, that has already gone through the difficult process of saponification.  It is this process that transforms the caustic lye into something that is safe for the skin.  Making soap from scratch can be expensive, difficult to setup, difficult to learn and quite time consuming.  Using a melt and pour base means that the manufacturer has already done all the initial processing for you, leaving you the final stages of colouring, scenting and pouring your soap.

All soap uses 'fats' for the process.  Whatever specific 'fat' is used is what the base will be called.  Soap processed with a hemp seed oil fat base will be called Hemp seed oil base, cocoa butter - cocoa butter base.  This allows you to easily and quickly choose a soap base relevant and appropriate for your skin.

The benefits of using melt & pour soap bases

As already mentioned, using melt and pour bases saves a whole lot of time, money and hair!  Soap making from scratch takes a lot of patience, time and money with special equipment needed, expensive ingredients and then the minimum of 4 weeks to cure.  If someone else can do all that initial hard work for you then why not?

No need for mixing and measuring of lye, experimenting with fragrances hoping your mix doesn't seize and become completely ruined, M & P is as simple as melting, adding your bits and pieces and pouring into your mould.  It's the easiest and cheapest way of producing a professional looking bar of soap, fully customisable, during the melting stage.

Melt & Pour bases are generally produced by experienced manufacturers who have great access to resources like professional chemists and top quality ingredients.  The bases are usually produced with glycerin which is a key ingredient in preventing the soap from drying out your skin. Glycerin is not always added to cold processed soap.

The types of melt & pour bases

There are a wide range of melt & pour bases available, so which one is right for you?  M & P soap base can include a wide range of ingredients and raw materials including goat's milk, glycerin and fatty acids.  Each ingredient has unique properties and targets different problem areas or outcomes on the skin.

Our range of M & P soap is manufactured in the USA using old fashioned methods, by a company with over 50 years of experience.  It is manufactured as naturally as possible with at least 20% glycerin in most bases.  Using a base of food grade oils our bases are:          

• Hypo-Allergenic
• Non-Comedogenic
• Biodegradable
• No Animal Testing
• No Animal Products*
• Vegan*
• Gluten Free**
• Soy Free
• No SLS or SLES

Each base has a PH of between 9.5-10.5 and is safe to use on all skin types, however as with any cosmetic product, a skin patch test is recommended for suitability.  Our soap bases lather beautifully, and leave the skin feeling not only clean, but soft and moisturized.

Goats Milk Soap Base

Pure goat's milk base will soften skin and has a delicate creamy lather. Made with 10% refrigerated liquid Vitamin D Goat's Milk it is a beautiful creamy colour.

Goats milk is commonly used in soap as the cream that is present helps boost the soaps moisturizing properties.

Shea Butter Soap Base

Shea butter M & P base contains 5% naturally crushed high quality shea butter. Shea butter is highly moisturising and is known for it's regenerative, emollient and protective qualities.

Cocoa Butter Soap Base

With 5% natural unrefined cocoa butter this soap base will produce a harder, highly moisturising soap bar. Cocoa butter has wonderful therapeutic qualities and the natural unrefined cocoa butter gives a lovely chocolate smell.

Aloe Vera Soap Base

Aloe Vera base contains 5% added aloe vera gel and will have a slight greenish tinge. Known for it's healing properties Aloe vera is very cleansing and healing for the skin.

Honey Soap Soap Base

This soap base has 10% added grade A honey and is light to dark amber in colour. Honey is rich in antioxidants and is thought to be extremely beneficial to the skin.

Oatmeal Soap Base

Oatmeal soap base is great for exfoliation as it is made with heaps of real oatmeal. Made with an opaque soap base you can see and feel the oatmeal pieces. Great moisturising and lathering properties.

Palm Free Hemp Seed Oil Soap Base

Our pure PALM FREE Hemp Oil M & P soap base has excellent moisturizing properties. Made with unrefined hemp seed oil, it is rich in essential fatty acids needed for good moisture balance in the skin. Hemp seed oil soap can significantly ease swelling caused by acne. The skin will keep a youthful, and vibrant appearance

Palm Free Goats Milk Soap Base

For those wanting to avoid palm oil altogether but still want the benefits of goats milk then try our pure PALM FREE goat's milk base. It will soften skin and has a delicate creamy lather. Made with 10% refrigerated liquid Vitamin D Goat's Milk it is a beautiful creamy 'custard' colour.

Palm Free Coffee Soap Base

PALM FREE Coffee M & P soap base will gently exfoliate skin and has a delicate creamy lather. Made with real dried coffee grounds, it is a beautiful light brown colour. coffee grounds provide gentle exfoliation while caffeine is said to be a great anti-inflammatory properties for the skin

Palm Free Orange Peel Soap Base

Our pure PALM FREE Orange Peel M & P soap base will soften skin and has a soft exfoliating lather. Made with real dried orange peel.
Orange Peel helps in reducing dark spots and blemishes.Orange Peels are a natural bleaching agent that can lighten dark patches on the skin and effectively remove them with time. It also helps in restoring collagen in your body which is responsible for skin firming and prevents pre mature ageing of skin.

Olive Oil Soap Base

Olive oil melt and pour soap base contains 20% high grade A, kosher olive oil. Olive oil has great moisturising and lathering properties. The soap base has a pale yellow colouring which will darken over time.

Low Sweat Clear Soap Base

With added glycerin, some M & P bases may be prone to sweating. Low seat bases have less glycerin added so are less likely to sweat and can be wrapped in paper rather than plastic.

Low Sweat White Soap Base

With added glycerin, some M & P bases may be prone to sweating. Low seat bases have less glycerin added so are less likely to sweat and can be wrapped in paper rather than plastic.

Using Melt & Pour Soap

Melt & Pour is super easy to use. Begin by cutting up your soap base into smaller, manageable chunks. The smaller the pieces the quicker your soap will melt.

If using a double boiler: Add the melt and pour soap base in to your double boiler and heat until it starts to melt. Keep an eye on it and stir at intervals. While there is no set heat temperature, it should not be steaming and should remain slightly viscous.

If using a microwave: Cut the melt and pour soap base in to small chunks, place in your microwave-safe plastic jug and cover with cling wrap to prevent moisture from evaporating. Microwave on high for one minute, then stir until the soap is no longer melting. Microwave again in 30-second increments, continuing to stir in each break until all soap pieces have disappeared.

Add any fragrance or essential oils and continue stirring until fully blended and the soap is no longer cloudy. Feel free to use more or less than the recommended amount (as long as it is within the percentage advised), depending on your results.

Add your PC (personal care) dye or mica. The depth of colour you want to achieve is a personal choice, so add in and stir until you are satisfied. Botanicals can also be used to achieve natural colouring.

Stir all ingredients thoroughly until well blended, then pour in to the mould.

(This step is optional and for aesthetic reasons only) Spray the tops of your soap with rubbing alcohol to disperse any bubbles that may form. Leave soap to dry for 2-3 hours.

Once dry, turn the mould over and gently apply pressure to different areas of the back of the mould until soap is released.

Storing Melt & Pour Soap

Melt and Pour soap needs to be stored in a cool, dry place once it has been made is not being used. To prevent glycerin sweating, wrap each bar in cling film tightly and store in a cool dark place.

If you find your bar disappears too quickly in the shower, then remove it from the shower after use. Water in the bar can evaporate when expose to air.

What is sweating?

Melt and pour soap bases usually contain a high percentage of glycerin. Most of our bases have at least 20%. Glycerin is a humectant meaning it pulls water from the air. This is fantastic when used in a cosmetic product as the thin layer of glycerin left on your skin after use will pull moisture out of the air and into your skin. It is not so fantastic however for your soap. If left exposed to the air, your soap will also pull this moisture out of the air and little beads of 'moisture' or glycerin will form on the outside of your soap, making your soap look like it is sweating. To prevent this, wrap your finished soap in plastic cling film and store in a cool, dry place.

What can you add to melt & pour soap?

You can add a lot of extra things to your melt & pour soap base but take care not to disrupt the makeup of the soap. Adding too much can irreparably damage the integrity of the base so experiment carefully adding a little at a time. The following is intended as a guide only.

Fragrances/essential oils - Be sure to check the IFRA certificate under each fragrance to see what the maximum safe percentage is for each particular fragrance. Some fragrances may cause adverse effects in the soap base such as discolouration or separating. Use a maximum of 6-10 mls of fragrance/essential oil per 450gm block of soap base.

Dyes - Food colouring is not recommended in soap. If you wish to dye your soap, you will need to use Personal Care Dyes or mica. To ensure a smooth mix of colour into your soap without lumps, add a couple of drops or isopropyl alcohol to your mica powder to make a paste before adding it to your soap.

Clays - the right clay can add extra exfoliating properties and colour to your soap. Again add a little at a time to protect the integrity of your soap base. Use only 1-2 tbl spoons or 7gm of clay per 450gm block remembering each type of clay has different densities. Choose a clay that will compliment the properties of your soap and take into account the 'strength' of each individual clay in relation to skin sensitivity. In order to prevent lumps in your soap, add a small amount of distilled water to your clay to form a smooth paste before adding it to your melted soap base.

Powders - Dry powders such as goats milk, honey or activated charcoal can also be added to your M & P soap base. Make sure you do a lot of testing with your chosen powder to make sure your soap bar does not discolour or deteriorate over a few weeks. Test in storage and also in your own bathroom. Powders can be added from 4-7 gms per 450gm block of soap.

Botanicals - Dried flowers and petals can look wonderful in your soaps but bear in mind many of them will change colour and shape once integrated into your soap. Lavender and rose petals are notorious for turning brown and yellow. Botanicals can be effectively used as decoration on the top of your soap however if you do wish to incorporate them into your base make sure you do some time testing to see what they do. Make sure your botanicals are dried not fresh flowers.

Embeds - these are a great way to add some interest to your melt and pour soap and you can make some beautiful embeds made of different types of soap base or different colours. Embeds are really on limited to your imagination.