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Recycled Soap?

Friday, July 1, 2016 16:46

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As I’ve mentioned before, I learned how to conserve from my mom. When I was a kid, she was frugal almost to a fault. I have memories of her collecting soap slivers in a mesh bag and us using the weird conglomerated soap lump that lived therein. It was a life-saver when times were tough and we had to make things stretch. Over the years, I’ve been able to understand where she was coming from and I found myself saving soap slivers, too.

I kept telling myself I’d try to find a better way of reusing the soap than cramming them into a mesh bag. But, every attempt resulted in something that fell to bits after the first– or a few uses. I never thought about making soap myself because of fears about using lye. I also grew up with stories from my father cautioning against using lye simply because he burnt holes in the carpet with it when he was a toddler.

I tried Googling around for recipes, but there were more failures than successes….Several called for using the microwave to melt the soap. This seemed to dry out the soap instead of melt it, or the soap wound up getting so hot it melted the microwave-safe container I was using and the result was a soapy, plastic mess.

Until I found this recipe for Hand-Milled Soap.

Well, sort of. It wasn’t successful completely because the amounts in the original recipe didn’t work for me.

I’m completely new to the world of soap making and didn’t realize that taking old soap and turning it into new soap was hand-milling, rebatching, or making French Milled soap. The above linked recipe was for rebatched soap, or homemade soap that failed in some way in the initial process. But since the soap itself is sound, it can stand being remelted and remade. I was using bits of old soap that had already been aged and were significantly drier. I had to increase the water dramatically before I saw any results. I also added some oils to make the soap gentler and more moisturizing.

Since the recipe calls for exact amounts on the soap and oils, I wound up using a digital scale with gram weights. I gave a range of the water because there’s no need to add more if your soap melts evenly with a smaller amount. For whatever reason, I had to use the larger amount because I got no results with smaller amounts.

Here’s my take on the above recipe.

Ingredients:

360g (12oz) grated soap
8oz-20oz water
28.4g (1 oz) coconut oil
28.4g (1 oz) cocoa butter
28.4g (1 oz) sweet almond oil
28.4g (1oz) glycerin
essential oils and colorant– optional.

Hardware: *Note: all hardware that touches the soap itself should never be used for food again! Once you use it for soap-making, designate that item for only soap-making.

Silicone spatula (make sure it’s heat-resistant up to a high temperature)*
heat-proof pitcher or pouring vessel (pyrex or stainless steel).* Make sure this container is larger than the ingredients. Choose something at least double the size.
cheese grater*
silicone molds*
saucepan or pot to use as a double boiler
zip-lock bag
hammer, block of wood, or heavy pestle to bash with
dish towel
scale that measures in grams
pyrex measuring cup– one that pours is easier

A few things to consider…

The recipe I linked to earlier– and others I found around the web– all suggested breaking up the soap in a food processor or blender. Sounds great– except for those of us who don’t have the cash on hand to devote the bowl of a food processor or blender wholly to soap-making. Once you use any hardware to make soap, you can’t use it in food preparation again. It’s more work to grate the soap, though. I don’t know about you– but I can spare a cheese grater for soap-making. I can’t spare my food processor or blender.

Also, since I’ve been collecting soap bits for a while, the soap was thoroughly dry. Some were desiccated to the point that they crumbled with barely any effort. Make sure the soap you’re using is dry. If it’s a rebatch, then follow the recipe I link to above since that calls for fresher, unaged soap and less water.

After getting all your soapy bits together, sort them. Use the grater on the softer bits– the shards from glycerin soap or rich, lotiony, moisturizing soaps. The harder soaps, ones that break instead of grate, slap in the ziplock bag. Place the bag on a flat surface, cover with the dish towel, and have at it with the hammer, pestle, or block of wood until the soap is well bashed up. You don’t want it a total powder, but on par with what you grated. Once bashed, evenly combine the grated soap and bashed up soap and set aside.

A quick word on moisturizing oils—what the original recipe calls fats. Don’t indiscriminately choose an oil if you’re adapting the recipe. Each one has a saponification factor and was chosen in part because of that. Coconut oil has the benefit of being moisturizing in addition to giving soap the suds we’re looking for. A general rule is save more expensive or exotic oils for your lotions and moisturizers. Don’t use them in soap since you’re not leaving the soap on your body long enough to really get the full benefit of the expensive oil. The original recipe also called for lanolin, I believe. I’m not a big fan of using animal products in my DIY. I removed that and increased the quantity of the other oils in order to get the same total. Don’t add too much more vegetable glycerin than what I have here because too much might leave a sticky residue on the skin. Read all about oils for soap-making HERE.

Use whatever essential oils, scents, or coloring agents you want. I prefer pure essential oils and I actually like the color of the recycled blend, which for me was a buttery yellow. However, I did add some powdered herbs for a little texture. When you add the oils, make sure you’ve removed the mix from the heat and allow it to cool ever so slightly. If you add the oils when the mix is on the heat or too hot, the oils will simply dissipate. For scenting this batch I used a blend of lavender, rosemary,

and sage essential oils with a dash of rose geranium. To add a bit of texture, I added about a tablespoon of my homemade herbs de provence, which is a powdered blend of rosemary, sage, basil, thyme, savory, and lavender.

A word about molds. Anything can be used as a soap mold. I’ve seen folks use everything from a cardboard box to something fancy, bought especially for soap-making. I’ve also read about– and experienced– problems unmolding soap. I always thought it was something to do with making recycled soap, but I’ve seen enough posts about soapers having unmolding issues. The article I linked to recommended popping the molds in the freezer for an hour after pouring the soap in. I found a better way. Use silicon molds. I had a brush with candy-making that never went further than me thinking –hey neato, I can make candy and me buying silicon molds, to me not making any candy, but having several styles of round and oval silicon molds designed for making hollow chocolates, as well as bar-style molds languishing in a storage box. Since I want my soaps to be rather small– intended for hand-soap and not bath-bar size– each individual mold holds between 2 and 3 ounces. Go bigger if you want, but the silicon is a dream to unmold. It simply pops out. …after a few hours to dry of course.

A post-editorial note about the molds. The next time I make a batch of recycled soap, I’m going to try the larger molds. The molds I used made cute little soaps—but after the drying process, they shrank, some as much as 50%. So the soaps I had were a bit too small. They still worked really well and

didn’t fall apart like earlier attempts at recycling soap.

Finally, don’t rush it. It’s a process and you not only don’t want to add too much water, you don’t want to wind up getting a face-full of molten soap if you’re stirring like mad. You also don’t want a whole mess of bubbles to form because bubbles will add a weird shaving cream like foam on top of the finished soap. Some amount of bubbles can’t be helped. It’s soap, after all. But if you can keep them to a minimum, then your final soap will be a nicer, more even texture.

I’m sure, if you feel adventurous, you can use the microwave. But, as I said before, I’ve tried that and got poor results; either the soap was too dry and fell apart or the melting soap was too hot and melted

A good idea what you’re looking for from neverlackingzeal.com

through the container. This is the first time a batch of recycled soap worked– and worked well enough for me to want to share the recipe.

Also, it takes time to cure the soap. Don’t be tempted to make a batch and use it the same day. The soap needs to dry completely so that most of the water content goes bye-bye. The best way, I’ve found, is to allow the soap to sit in the molds for a day or three. Then, if they’re a bit firm, carefully turn them out onto a flat surface. I put them onto an old glass baking pan that I’ll really don’t use.

As the soap cures, leave it undisturbed. I love some of the recipes I saw that said to leave the soap on the counter, or in a place like a shelf or whatnot, for several weeks to cure. Either the folks making these claims have a room devoted to soap-making with plenty of counter and arbitrary shelf space or they live alone. They obviously don’t have cats and don’t live in small quarters. I live in a 2-bedroom NYC apartment with my husband and 2 feline companions. I have no counters at all and no arbitrary shelves. I use my oven as storage (for bakeware). The best I can do is carve out room in the oven (when not in use of course!) to house the curing soap. Count on the soap curing for anywhere from 4-6 weeks, depending on how humid it is where you’re at and how much water went into the soap.

Don’t cover the soap with anything airtight. If you do have an arbitrary shelf or bit of counter space and live alone, or live with noninquisitive house companions and will be leaving the soap to cure in the open air, cover it loosely with a towel just to keep out dust. The soap must breathe as it cures.

Ok. So you have your hardware and your ingredients. You’ve bashed up and grated your soap. You have your molds set up and a space in your domicile carved out to keep your curing soaps cozy. Let’s get started.

1. Measure your soap exactly. You’ll need 360g or 12oz (by weight not volume) of your broken up and grated soap. Place it into the heat-proof pitcher or vessel you’ll be using in the double-boiler.

2. Add 8 oz (volume or liquid weight) of cold water to the soap and set that into the pot/double-boiler. Make sure the heat is on medium-low. Begin stirring, but try not to make the mixture overly bubbly. A few bubbles are inevitable. You can walk away to do other things, but keep an eye on the pot. Never go too far. The original recipe said the mixture would melt between 20-60 minutes. Mine did NOTHING for a full 30 minutes before I opted to add a little more water. Another 40 minutes went by before I got really irritated and added a LOT more water. It was only in the final 10 minutes that I saw any real melting happen— so I think it’s the water that made the difference. If you see no action in say 15 minutes, add another 8 oz of water. You want to see the soap beginning to melt. You don’t want to see just soapy water with a lump in the middle. It’s also important to have a heat-proof spatula. I kept the spatula in the soap as it was melting, because I was continually scraping the bottom and sides of the container to move the soap around so it would melt more evenly.

3. While you’re waiting for the magic to happen, measure out your moisturizing bits. Into a pyrex measuring cup, place your glycerin, almond oil, and coconut oil. Place the pyrex in a warm place (near the stove –but not on the stove– would be ideal) so the coconut oil will melt, if it’s not already liquid. Set aside.

4. Keep stirring your soap as it melts. You’ll know it’s done when there aren’t many lumps and when the overall quality of the mixture resembles marshmallow fluff. When the blend reaches that sweet spot, it will almost foam and certainly will thicken. This is the stage where it will expand. This is why you need a larger container. I used a 4 quart steel pot designed for soap or candle making. If you use something too small, when the soap expands, it might spill out. It’s not the mess that could be a problem, but the burns from molten soap. The larger the pot, the better.

Turn off the heat and carefully remove the soap from the double-boiler (just remove the heat-proof container from the water, don’t pour out the soap– yet).

5. First add your warmed oils and any other oils or fats, but not the essential oils—not yet. Then add any colorant. At this point is where I stirred in the powdered herbs. Stir gently to combine. Let stand off the heat for 3-4 minutes. If you add your essential oils while the soap is too hot, the scent will dissipate.

6. After you waited a few minutes, completely remove the soap from the stove if you haven’t done so already. Carefully wipe the bottom of the pot so you won’t add any extra water leftover from the double boiler. Now , add any scent. Use your own judgment as a guide. I don’t use synthetic fragrance or perfume oils. I only use organic, therapeutic grade essential oils. Also, keep in mind the original soap used and if there was any scent. You want to use a scent that won’t give you a headache or make you feel like walking through the Macy’s perfume section. Since my original soapy bits were either unscented or lightly scented with rosemary or lavender, I stuck with those as a guide. For my recipe, I used 30 drops of lavender, 20 drops of rosemary, 10 drops of sage, and 10 of rose geranium. Again, gently stir to combine.

7. Working quickly now, pour the mixture into the molds. It will be gloppy, so use the spatula to scrape out the soap pot and smooth out the tops of the soap. Once filled, lightly bang the soap on a flat surface. Those of you who bake know the little trick to get air-bubbles out of a pie or cake before you bake it. Take the pan and gently tap it on a flat surface. Since the soap is so much thicker than a cake batter, you might not get out all the air bubbles, but you will get some of the larger ones. Once done, set aside to dry for a few days, then unmold, and set aside to cure as noted above.

Generally, I like the feel of this soap. It’s more moisturizing and has a better overall feel than the original soap. But, I might try a little castor oil in the next batch. I do think that this experience has softened me to the idea of making my own soap wholecloth. I like the control I have in terms of the additives and oils.

Even though you’re not using lye here, soap-making can still be dangerous. Use all safety precautions when melting the soap. Always stir gently so the melting soap won’t spit up at you. Use potholders or oven-mitts when necessary. And, make sure everyone in the household knows what’s drying in the oven (or where-ever) is soap– and not a nummy treat. When I unmolded the soap, hubby thought they were weird cupcakey things and reached for one with an “oooh” before I disabused him of that notion.

Happy soap-making!

Source: http://www.green-and-growing.com/2016/07/recycled-soap.html

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