If you've ever tried to melt a natural soap you'll know it doesn't work. If you have a glycerine soap then usually this will melt over a gentle heat, but most real soaps will not melt, so if you're left needing for any reason to re-do (re-batch) natural soaps, here's a method that does work.

YOU'LL NEED.....
1) A suitable-sized lidded pan, pref stainless steel with a heavy base.
2) Kitchen scales
3) Utensils for stirring etc. i.e. Wooden or stainless steel spoons.
4) A mould or moulds to pour the liquid soap into whilst it sets.

INGREDIENTS
Natural Soap (cut into small pieces or grated)
Water
Colour and fragrance if desired

HOW TO.....

Because soap will not simply melt, but it WILL dissolve in water, to re-batch your soap you need to encourage it to become a thick-gloopy viscous liquid by heating it gently for a long period with the addition of some water. This is not a precise science, so quantities are approximate.

Use aprox 10-20% water to soap, so for every 500g of soap you want to re-batch, put it in a pan with at least 50g and at most 100g of clean water. Place a lid on the pan and gently bring the mixture to a slow simmer on your hob. Once gently simmering the process will probably take up to 4 hours to complete, so be prepared to occasionally top up the water quantity (use boiling water from a kettle to keep the process going) and keep the lid on to avoid too much evaporation. Keep this mixture very gently bubbling. It must not boil and it must not be on a high heat. This process needs a low heat over time.

What will happen is the soap will very slowly start to 'dissolve' into the water and as it does so, the liquid will become more viscous and the 'lumps' of soap will get smaller and smaller until over time the lumps of soap will be completely absorbed in the water and the whole mixture will take on the appearance of a thick, gloopy and somewhat transparent liquid.

Once the whole mixture has become consistent, so no more lumps of soap present, you need to decide whether you want to add any colour or fragrance. If you do, then soap dyes or many food colours will work fine and most fragrance or essential oils can be added, typically at between 1% and 2% for a noticeable fragrance. If the mixture is too watery and needs to continue being heated (lid off now) to reduce, then reduce first before adding colour and fragrance.

Once a fairly thick and gloopy texture is arrived at, add any desired colour and/or fragrance, then simply pour into a mould of some kind to re-shape into bars or a slab to later cut into bars. Plastic containers of all shapes and appropriate sizes work well. Moulds designed for Melt and Pour soap-making are fine. You can simply line a suitably sized baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour it as a slab for cutting later.

Leave at room temperature for at least 1 week and then test occasionally to see if it has set hard. If not simply leave longer.

HAVE FUN........

For all your soap-making ingredients, visit our on-line catalogue. Everything you need right here..........