How can I remold soap out of old soap scraps?
By victor
My former mother-in-law showed me how when she would get a really thin piece of soap left from a bar, she would wet the new bar and the small piece, while in the tub or shower, and stick them together firmly, then while still in the tub or shower, smooth the edges down all the way around the small piece of soap. You didn't get a new bar that way, but the small piece didn't go to waste either.
When I have a lot of soap scraps saved up, I grate them on a coarse grater into a bowl. Then I add just enough water or liquid soap to make it stick together like clay. Once you have done this you take a handful of it and form it into one or more bars of soap. I make mine an oval shape. Let it dry a few days and then it is ready to use.
Grate or cut the soap into small pieces and place in a microwaveable bowl about 3 times larger than the amount of soap. Add vegetable oil (abt 1 T to 1 cup of soap pieces). Sometimes I add cinnamon (about 2 t, other spices can be added such as basil, chopped bay leaf, etc.), oatmeal (about 2 T per cup) or cornmeal for texture, aroma, and to act as natural scrub.
Add about 1/4 water. Heat in 1 minute increments at 50% power (the soap expands and you don't want to make a mess in the microwave). Stir. Repeat until the soap is soft. Sometimes I leave coarse bits of soap in the mixture to act as scrub. If you accidentlly use too much water, add more liquid to create a liquid soap, or add more oatmeal for a more density.
For soap bars or balls, the mixture needs to be the consistency of playdough. Dump the soap onto wax paper and mold. Pull the wax paper off the top of the soap Let sit a couple of hours, then turn the soap over so the bottom can dry out. It should be ready to use the next day. Soap balls will take longer to cure.
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I made new soap using scraps and some body oil. The soap is not setting. Any clues to fix the problem please?
Make sure you are giving the soap enough time to dry. Initial drying is a week, and secondary drying can be 3 weeks.
Normally, if you are trying to make new soap out of soap scraps, you shouldn't add oil to the mixture. This can prevent it from setting and drying. Furthermore, it can take several weeks for the soap to dry.
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