It’s been a bit since I did my first Soap Fact Friday, but I wanted to jump off my last post! We talked about Cold Process soap, but you may have heard of another type of soap: “melt and pour” (or glycerin soap.)
Melt and pour is exactly as it sounds! Pre-made soap bases can be purchased where the maker can melt it down, add colors and fragrance, and let set in a mold of their choice. It’s a great way to get your foot in the door as an aspiring soap maker (and exactly what I started with.) While some soap makers may see it as a shortcut or “not real soap making,” I like to think of it as just DIFFERENT soap making! Many people have incredible melt and pour (M&P) skills where their creativity and craftsmanship shine. Cold process soap makers can also use M&P for smaller, more detailed elements like embeds.
So what is it and why do some people call it glycerin soap?
M&P starts off going through saponification just like cold process. (What’s saponification? Check out my last Soap Fact Friday on Cold Process Soap.) The biggest difference is that it is much higher in glycerin. This allows the soap to be re-melted and also has high moisturizing properties since glycerin is a humectant (read: draws moisture.) While it can be made from scratch, you most often find it from manufacturers pre-made.
Another feature of M&P is transparency! Not all M&P is translucent or transparent, but it can be! Why? The added solvents in M&P cause smaller crystals to form in the soap allowing light to pass through. This opens up a whole new design world to play around with!
Check out some of my earlier M&P creations below!
Leave a comment if you learned something or have more questions about the difference between cold process and M&P!