•I have been wondering why one can't make their own melt and pour?

•What is the shelf life of lip balm if you use a pre-made base? Do you need to add a preservative?

Here is a photo of my soap. It shows the top and bottom of the bars are brown, with the center of the bar being yellow. Shouldn't the entire bar be the same color throughout?

The reason the entire soap is not brown is because it has not been exposed to the air fully. Once you cut your soap, you'll find that while it has a fun dual-color at first, over a period of a few weeks (and sometimes, it is quicker than this), the soap will turn a uniform brown color. Back to top

Thanks for your note.

No worries - what you're describing is actually just a partial gel phase. Your soap didn't go through gel phase all the way and so part of it has that translucent look (the middle part that got - and stayed - the hottest). The way to solve this is fairly simple - next time, raise your temperatures by 10 degrees and that should help the soap go fully into gel phase and have one even texture throughout the bar of soap. The lack of complete gel phase changes nothing but the look and feel of the bar and will not harm you, or dry out your skin. This gel phase issue may vary from fragrance to fragrance so feel free to play around with your temperatures on your batches since fragrance will influence the temperature of your newly poured batch. Back to top

Where can I find MSDS sheets for products I put in my soap that I get at the grocery store?

A wonderful resource is theMSDS search function at 'MSDS Search.' This is probably the easiest way for you to get the MSDS sheets that you would like to see. Back to top

I make melt and pour soap (using Soapsations coconut soap) to which I add 1 oz shea butter, 1 T almond oil, 1 t beeswax, 1 t Vitamin E and 1 oz emu oil to 1 # of the melt and pour soap. My problem is that there is not a rich lather, which I like in soap. What would you suggest I add to produce a rich lather?

Thanks for your note. That's a bit too much in the way of extra oils in the soap. In the future, you'll want to use 1 tablespoon, maximum, of extra oils. Any extra oils weigh down lather. They essentially coat the bubbles and force them to pop under the weight of the thin skin of oil. Melt and Pour is properly balanced to have great lather and be nourishing to your skin without the addition of oils. Any extra oils will throw off this balance and you will find that you will have less lather. Sometimes, the extra oils will float to the surface of the bar, making a mottled finished product. I would recommend no more than 1 Tablespoon of oils per pound of soap. Back to top

I have been looking into soap making and was wondering which is most preferred: m&p or the cold process. Which one is best for you and which one lasts longer? Also how do I make it with a very good lather? Read Anne-Marie's answer.

I was just wondering if I were to put herbs (i.e. wild yam root, saw palmetto) in soap I am making would the health benefits be destroyed by the soap (it is soap after all!)? If these benefits aren't destroyed by the soap's sanitizing/chemical effects, then when is the best point to add the herbs in order to get the fullest benefit/herbal effect (These benefits include, hopefully, absorption into the skin.) from the herb?

There is some amazing debate on this issue within the soaping community - specifically, are the healing effects of herbs and essential oils negated by the harsh environment of saponifying (lye heavy) soap? The answer has not been fully explored but conventional wisdom says that if you want your herbs and essential oils to be the most effective, you should not expose them to lye. Most people use rebatching soap, or make their own soap from scratch and then hand mill it and rebatch it down, adding the herbs and essential oils to this more neutral base. The essential oils and herbs should survive this pH much better than in the cold process soap, from scratch.

I would suggest that if you truly want the benefits of your herbs to come through in the soap that you use a rebatching soap base, or hand mill your own that you make. Back to top

We would like to make our own soap inserts with different scents and stuff. How do we make the soap hard and that doesn't melt when we put it into the loaf molds? Is there an ingredient that we would add to it when we are melting and adding our color and fragrance?

That's a temperature issue. If you're having problems with your embedded objects melting, it's because your overpour is too hot. It's similar to pouring boiling water over an ice cube - the boiling water will melt the ice cube. However, if you pour room temperature water, the ice cubes do not melt on contact. With respect to the melt and pour, the overpour will quickly cool off and harden before the embedded objects melt. You'll want to make sure that the base is not steaming before you pour it and that you can easily stick your finger in the base without feeling like it's too hot. Back to top

When I am figuring a percentage of essential or fragrance oils to use in a recipe, how do I come up with the "per pound" figure? Do I add up all the ingredients, or leave out the weight of the water? I've been told that the water weight should be discounted but have not seen that in any of my recipes.

The per pound figure varies a bit but the general rule of thumb is to add up all the ingredients, including the water, and then multiply that number by .7 to get your ounce weight for the fragrance oils.

For example: 5 pound batch x .7 = 3.5 oz. weight of fragrance oil usage rate

The basic rule of thumb is .7 oz. per pound of fragrance and .5 oz. per pound for EOs (though, you'll find that EOs seem to fade more) but you can always play with this amount and do more or less as needed for differing fragrances. For example, I like to use less for spicy scents like AppleJack Peel and more for light floral scents.

The weight of the batch of soap is literally everything you're putting in. Then, after 6 weeks, it will normally be about 20% lighter due to the water evaporation but that's not what you figure your fragrance or EO usage rate on. Back to top

I keep getting a thin layer of white stuff on the top of my cold process soap. It doesn't happen with all recipes but I do find it irritating. Help, please.

What you're experiencing is something commonly referred to as "soda ash."

I do the following things, in this order, to get rid of soda ash. I also find that some FOs cause more ash than others.

(1) Leave the soap in the mold for a full extra 48 hours, covered fully, with saran wrap on top. If that doesn't work, then I

(2) Up the temperatures a full 10 degrees and force the soap through a thorough gel phase, and also do the saran wrap thing.

If that doesn't work, then, finally, I

(3) Add 1/4 oz. per pound of fats, of beeswax. Melt the beeswax separately, add at thin trace and prepare for instant thick trace =) I do not up the temperatures if I use beeswax but I do insulate and use the saran wrap for a full 48 hours.

I don't have any more bars that have any soda ash on them but some recipes and FOs, I have to work harder than others to get the ash out. Back to top

I have a problem with orange spots in my cold process soap. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?

The problem you are describing is called DOS - or "Dreaded Orange Spots." It can be a water issue (having hard water with metal in it) or rancid oils.

You should (1) use distilled water in the future (2) keep your superfat down below 5% and (3)
make sure none of your soaping oils are rancid. Doing all three will most likely take care of the spots. You can still use the soap, the DOS is mostly a smell and aesthetics issue.

Can I re-melt bars of soap and reuse them even though they are already scented?

Regarding the bars that you've already made, you can successfully remelt the soap down and reuse it. When you're remelting it, make sure to cover the soap up so no water evaporates out of the remelted base. Back to top

I am having difficulties layering solid MP colors. I have tried spraying with alcohol, but some still separate. Any suggestions?

Layering solid melt and pour colors is difficult but not impossible. There are a few tricks.

(1) Pour the soap base for the second layer as soon as the first layer has hardened enough (or formed a thick enough skin) to hold the weight of the second layer.

(2) Score the soap on the first layer to help the second layer adhere even better

(3) Spritz the first layer lightly with alcohol. Back to top

I would like to "suspend" a heavy object in the middle of my soap bar. How can I do this? I tried to pour in half, let it set, imbed, then pour the other half. But the soap tended to separate at the center between the fist and second pour. Any hints?

Make a "pillar" the same color as the surrounding soap - pour the soap just hot enough to slightly melt the pillar (makes sure there are no lines and ensures adhesion of the surrnding soap base) just a bit (barely steaming is normally a good temperature), then plop your heavy object on the pillar and pour your overpour like normal. It might take a few tries to get the temperature thing totally right but it will be worth it. Back to top

Do I really need special melt and pour to make up whipped soap? I saw some at my local craft store that was $7 per pound!

No, you don't need special melt and pour. Simply take your white melt and pour, melt it down in a double boiler, and while the soap is melted in the double boiler, use a hand blender/mixer at medium speed until the soap is nice and bubbly. If you want less bubbles, use a lower speed. You should add your fragrance before blending the soap. Back to top

I am new to soap making, what is the best way to package cold process soap, cloth bags or cello bags?

Packaging is a real personal preference thing - it's one of the ways that you can distinguish your soaps from others right off the bat (without using the bar) so you definitely want to pick a method that best reflects your personality and the look and feel that you want to convey for your soap.

Cloth bags let the soap "breath" and release the smell better than cello bags. Also, cello bags sometimes get "skid" marks from the soap so many people double wrap their soap - one layer in shrink or saran wrap and then put that in the cello bag. That's difficult to smell through (the two layers).

However, cloth bags are often expensive and they don't showcase the look and texture of your soap since you can't see through them. Cello bags definitely win out in the price category but again, there is the possible added work with double wrapping that may negate the cheaper price.

The bottom line is that you need to really think about what type of packaging you feel best represents your company and go from there. Back to top

Could you try to explain the differences between oxides, ultramarines and micas? And how you decide when to use which one? That's probably why we bought the liquid dyes when we happened upon them, because we couldn't choose between all the "stuff" out there. Read Anne-Marie's answer.

I have read several things about curing Melt and Pour soap before using. I've seen information from wrapping it immediately to letting it sit from one week to two weeks before wrapping. I have also seen from the soap that I have made that if I use it right away it melts faster than soap I made weeks before. From there what is the best way to store the soap. Also are there ingredients that make the soap harder? I have read several sites and books, I haven't really found a definitive answer about these things.

Finally are there guilds or organizations of soapmakers that I can contact for classes, etc. I live in Romeoville outside Chicago. I would like to start hob nobbing with other soapmakers. Unfortunately, you live too far away!

You don't have to wrap your soap right away if you don't want to. Melt and pour contains a large percentage of water - so, the longer you let the soap sit out, the more water evaporates and the harder the soap will get - thus making the soap last longer in the shower. However, if you leave the soap out for longer than a few days, it will often lose its smooth sheen and not look as fresh as when you took the soap out originally.

You can use 1/4 tsp. per pound of melt and pour of stearic acid or beeswax to make the soap harder. Melt the stearic acid or beeswax separately and add this to your melted soap base and stir in well. This may affect your lather so keep this in mind.

There are guilds committed to soap and toiletry products. www.soapguild.org or http://www.handmadetoiletries.com come to mind. We are a member of the latter one and we enjoy their organization a lot. Back to top

I thought it is basically illegal/not permitted/whatever, to sell water-based lotions without preservatives...right?

Ah, a fun, sticky issue to discuss and talk about. To start with, I err on the side of caution on this issue, so keep that in mind when reading. Making lotions is *fun* and shouldn't be anything to worry about - it's just a matter of making sure you're doing what's best for you and your customers.

To back up a little and give some history, Preservatives are a controversial issue in the soaping community. To sum up, the whole concept of "all natural" is violated when preservatives (generally paraben derivatives) are used in your lotion. Further complicating the issue is the belief of some people or groups (New ways, Young Living, Pure Garden, Doris Rapp, Aubrey Organics come to mind) that paraben are carcinogenic and are unhealthy or bad for you.

However, mold, weird little spores of growth and microbes that you can't see are also bad for you. And, even worse could get you sued in the litigious society we live in. Many large companies over the years have done product recalls at one time or another. I've just listed a few for you to get a feel for how serious bacterial contamination can be.

- Physicians Formula Eye Makeup Remover Lotion (contaminated with Pseudomonas fluorescens and/or Pseudomonas putida, bacteria that can cause severe, sight-threatening infections of the cornea)
- Tori Laboratories Inc hot pink Eye Shadow No. 31 (contaminated eye cosmetic)
- Various body lotions: a) Bath Tub Buddies, 2 oz. Baby Lotion with Aloe; b) Medline 2 oz. Hand & Body Lotion; Medline 4 oz. Hand & Body Lotion; and Care 4 oz. Hand & Body Lotion; c) Freshscent 2 oz. Hand & Body Lotion (Products are contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia.)
- Wet 'n Wild Megalash Mascara (mascara may contain the bacterium Burkholderia cepacia, which can be fatal to people suffering from cystic fibrosis or weakened immune systems)Now, regarding the legalities.

Is it legal to sell lotion with no preservatives?

The FDA regulates the soap, and cosmetic industry. In a word, it is not illegal to sell lotion without a preservative IF and only if the the label bears the following statement: "Warning - The safety of this product has not been determined." See 21 CFR 740.10 for more information.

Will my insurance agency be upset if I sell a lotion without a preservative?

In a word, yes. One of the things that your insurance agency believes is that you are following Cosmetic Good Manufacturing Practices. Good Manufacturing Practices generally refer to food handling and techniques. However, there are good manufacturing practices listed for cosmetics as well. Colipa puts out a booklet on them. For more information about the practices or to order the booklet, go to http://www.colipa.com/pubs/gu_goodm.html

Back to your insurance agency, if you are not following and making every good faith effort to keep your customers safe and from harm, your insurance agency may not be legally required to back you. If you broke any laws, again, your insurance agency does not have to back you up in court. Check with your specific insurance agency and go over their policies to see what your particular policy says about this. It varies from policy to policy (ours, for example, will not cover us if we do not make every effort to ensure the safety of our customers - every effort, is of course, a bit of a subjective thing so there is some leeway for either party there but I wouldn't ever want to test the policy to see how much leeway).

For me personally, I would not sell lotions or creams without preservatives. If you want to make some for family members and put expiration dates on them, that's your deal. I would not give my mom lotion without preservatives because I worry about bacteria (bacteria is very serious business - it can make you go blind, for example). I do err on the side of caution - and I am presenting a worst-case scenario. Please recognize this and do not be frightened off from making lotions - just always use a preservative. Back to top

My 18 month old grandson drank about 1/2 oz Jasmine F.O. I don't think he swallowed except a very little, luckily he didn't care for the taste. What do I need to do?

I know the crisis is probably over but I thought that this information might be helpful for other readers.

This information is generally the same for FOs and EOs but the final step should always be to contact your physician or local poison control. If the amount is large, say an ounce or so (although the taste should prevent this amount from being swallowed) then a call to the supplier, as well as the health professionals in your area, should be initiated as soon as possible.

The following information is generic and appears on all of our MSDS sheets, some FOs and EOs are as bit different so you should always call the supplier if you have questions:

FIRST AID
EYES-Immediately flush with large quantities of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contact lenses. Call your physician if irritation persists.
INHALATION-Remove to fresh air. If breathing has stopped or is irregular, administer artificial respiration and oxygen. Seek medical attention.
SKIN- Wash with soap and water, flush with large quantities of water. Keep contaminated clothing away from skin.
INGESTION-If swallowed, immediately dilute with two (2) - eight (8) ounce glasses of water or milk. Contact your physician immediately.

Now, having said all that, I'd like to add my own experiences. Being splashed in the eyes is uncomfortable and burns like when you get soap in there. We rinse under the sink then apply Visine until the irritation stops, usually it clears up completely in an hour or so.

We've never been able to inhale enough fragrance to give us more than a headache which the fresh air definitely clears up.

As for skin, some of us here are more sensitive. I can usually get away with just wiping my hands but others notice the sting immediately. I usually wash right away out of habit and it helps keep it off my lunch.

And the big one - ingestion - probably the most serious because it's inside and can't easily be flushed away. Here's what will happen: the victim will have an uncomfortable burning in the throat because FOs and EOs irritate mucous membranes. The mouth will have an awful taste for some minutes afterward. The stomach will react strongly but probably won't vomit. So, what to do (this works for gasoline too - don't ask why I know this but teenagers sometimes do silly things)? Drink milk. Drink lots of milk. Whole milk works best. The victim will have a stomach ache so give them a little TLC and assure them that they will feel better shortly. In my thankfully limited experience, these substances are difficult to eat much of due to the horrible taste. Back to top

I am relatively new to soap making. I am having trouble whenever I add things to my soap. i.e., flowers, seeds, nuts, etc. I am using the clear glycerine and it also occurs when I use the opaque. Is there any way to insure that the ingredients mix thoroughly and don't float back to the top?

That's mainly a viscosity issue - the soap is too liquid to suspend things properly.

The easiest thing to do is melt your soap - either in a double boiler or in a microwave safe dish, covered with plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss - stir the soap fully to melt any remaining chunks of unmelted base, and then, cover the base container back up (either with the lid if it's a double boiler or the plastic wrap) and walk away. Leave the soap for at least 5 minutes (if not longer) and come back and check on the soap. The melted soap should be getting more viscous now, thickening up as the soap cools down. Drop in your additives, stir well and then wait to see if the additives rise or sink. If they do not remain suspended in the soap, cover your base back up and wait for another five minutes. Then, repeat the stir-watch-and-wait process until the soap is viscous enough to suspend your additives.

This method can be frustrating because it is a very fine line between thick and totally hard. Keep a good watch on your soap to ensure that the soap does not harden before you pour it. And, remember, if it does get hard, you can just melt it down again. Back to top

Why does M & P soap (glycerin clear & opaque) sweat and what do I do to prevent this?

Glycerin (melt and pour soap) has extra glycerin added to it during the manufacturing process. Some bases have (supposedly) up to 20% glycerin in them - that's a lot of glycerin! The good thing about glycerin is that it is a humectant - this means that the glycerin moisturizes by drawing water into itself. The theory is that when you wash with glycerin soap is that there will be a thin layer of glycerin left behind, which will then draw moisture from the air, onto your skin (thus moisturizing your skin). That's the selling point of glycerin.

When the melt and pour soap sits out on the counter, the glycerin in the soap will draw the moisture out of the air, and onto the soap. If you live in a humid environment, or have your soapmaking room near the bathroom, you'll find that your melt and pour soap always wans to 'sweat' or get what's commonly referred to as 'glycerin dew.'

Some ways to deal with this are:

* Make yourself a drying container. Get an airtight container and put silica beads (silica comes in vitamins, or new shoes) into the airtight container. Then, place your soap in the container for up to 2 hours, checking on the soap every 30 minutes. This will keep your soap drier on the outside. Don't leave the soap in the drying container too long however, or else you will find yourself with a shrunken, unattractive bar of soap because all the moisture will be sucked out of it!

* Buy a dehumidifier and use it in your soaping room. Ideally, the soaping room should be as airtight as possible for this option to work. While it is a fairly expensive way to go, it does work and it gives you the freedom to make larger batches of soap without fear of glycerin dew.

* Run a fan over the soap continually after the soap is popped out of the molds. This may not work in some more humid environments but it works in some less extreme cases so try it with some smaller batches before you go crazy with this way of dealing with soap sweat.

*Make sure you do not put your soap in the freezer or refrigerator after making it. Let it harden in a normal, room temperature.

There are other things that could be contributing to soap sweat (boiling the soap, freezing the soap etc...) but the most common culprit is excess humidity. Good luck! Back to top

I know I can't buy glitter from a craft store because it's not an approved color additive, but regarding glitter, is "cosmetic" grade information on an MSDS? Would that be important for the average joe soaper like me to request in my glitter/mica purchases? IS there such a thing as cosmetic grade glitter?

An MSDS sheet generally will actually not give you much information - unfortunately. It will give you the flashpoint info (N/A), what to do in case of a spill (clean up with soap and water), what to do if you get any on your skin (wash exposed areas with soap and water), the extinguishing media in case of fire (foam and dry chemical), the stability (stable), the physical state (solid), and any toxicological data (such as primary routes of entry - skin contact, inhalation and any aggravated medical conditions - possibly asthma) and finally any preventative measures (none special except to store in a cool, well-ventilated area).

So, my point with the above paragraph is that the MSDS sheet really says nothing about much, in this case. Now, if you were to get an MSDS sheet for a non-skin safe product, my guess (I have not seen one, FYI) is that it would be a bit more interesting with things like 'Don't touch, don't inhale' etc... but MSDS sheets for skin safe products are generally pretty benign.

Is there such a thing as cosmetic grade glitter? The idea of 'cosmetic grade' is one that came about from the FDA's 'Safe for use in cosmetics list.' To the best of my knowledge, the term 'cosmetic grade' has no actual legal definition, nor any one enforcing for 'cosmetic grade.' However, the FDA does enforce for skin safe ingredients (and then, I suppose, they would break it down into smaller categories). Now, I have come across tons and tons and tons of references to 'Cosmetic Grade' in many web sites but I have yet to actually see 'Cosmetic Grade' listed on the FDA web site - I've seen 'Safe for use in cosmetics' and 'Color Additives Approved for Use in Cosmetics' but never the actual phrase.

However, I think the phrase is mostly a semantics thing - it's the point of 'This colorant or additive is safe to use in soap and cosmetics' that counts.

For more info, check out: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/opa-col2.html and http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/opa-col1.html

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm always game to try to answer them!
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What exactly is a fragrance oil made out of? I went to buy some brand today and noticed there was no ingredients listed. Being vegan, I worry.
Fragrance Oils do not have full ingredient disclosure; they fall under 'Trade Secret' status with the FDA and so simply putting "Fragrance" on an ingredient list will suffice.

There are over 3500 materials that are approved for use in fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are not policed by the FDA; rather, they are a self-regulated body. Each individual ingredient is tested for things such as irritation, solvency, absorption, to physical characteristics like flash point, specific gravity, and flammability as well as more serious things, such as carcinogenic indicators etc... Once an ingredient is fully tested, the results are published in a peer-reviewed journal. A group called 'RIFM' performs all the tests (RIFM stands for Research Institute for Fragrance Materials).

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is an international organization that represents fragrance manufacturers. IFRA takes the data and reports from RIFM, evaluates it and publishes guidelines for usage. IFRA will make recommendations for which raw materials are safe to use in fragrance oils; often, what is safe for potpourri will not be safe for the skin. Your supplier should follow IFRA’s guidelines and use only RIFM approved materials in their fragrance oils. Back to top

I've read that "benzoin powder" is used as fixative and/or preservative in soaps that contain fruit or vegetable ingredients. Is it absolutely necessary?
Benzoin powder is not an effective preservative. Fruit or vegetables that will mold on your counter will also mold in the melt and pour, over time. Unfortunately, adding benzoin powder will not effectively retard this process. It may slow it, but it will not stop it. If you feel the need to use fresh fruits in your soap, putting a 'Use By' date (similar to the concept of a deli) should help to solve the problem of rancidity or molding. Other companies have done 'Fresh Fruit' lines successfully by using this technique. Back to top

Do I have to use a synthetic preservative when making lotions? I heard someplace that Grape Seed Extract would work?
Excellent question - and a very important one.

Germaben is used in lotions to prevent mold, growth and in general nasties. There are lots of nasties that you can't actually see that aren't big, green, soft mold. Normally, having large clumps of mold or hairy growths in your lotions is not considered a selling point, so you'll want to buy Germaben and use it in your lotions. Usage rate on Germaben is .3% to 1% weight of the recipe. So, if your recipe was 32 oz. .3% usage rate is .096 oz. and a 1% usage rate is .32 oz. And that's all you have to use. More is not necessarily better when using Germaben, just more expensive.

GSE is not an adequate protection against mold in lotions. It will help to prevent rancidity and oxidizing in fixed oils but is not an effective preservative for lotions. Try some and see - it's quite an interesting experiment! Back to top

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