Grate your soap

Boil-proof bag

Your melted rebatch

Adding fragrance

Finished rebatch

Basic Rebatching Instructions

Rebatching is another form of cold process soapmaking. You can make your cold process soap from scratch or use a rebatch soap base. Rebatching is often used to preserve the scent or the healing properties of some essential oils.

To start you'll need the following: Rebatch soap base, a bowl, a grater with a handle, a boil-proof bag. Optional items: molds, fragrance and colorants

Grate the soap into smaller shreds (yes, if you have a salad shooter or automatic cheese grater, you can use this as well). This will help the soap melt better.

Put the grated soap into a boil-proof bag. Prepare a pot of boiling water. Add the bagged (and sealed) soap to the boiling water, cover and wait for 20-30 minutes.

Once the soap is melted, it will take on a translucent, mashed potatoes consistency. At this point, add your herbs, fragrance and/or color. Be sure to wear oven mitts when handling the soap - it's hot! Mix the soap with the additives, in the bag. If any of the soap seems to harden up, or you see any non-melted strands, just put the sealed bag back in the boiling water for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Once the soap is fully melted, cut the edge off of one of the corners of the bag and use the bag as a piping tool. Squeeze the hot soap into the molds and wait 3 to 4 days for the soap to harden fully.

Hint: If your soap isn't the constancy you want it to be, next time, add 1 tsp. of water or liquid oil to the melting soap. This will help thin it down. Be careful though, too much liquid will make for a very soft bar.