INSTRUCTIONS FOR REBATCHING

If you are interested in making your soaps by the rebatching or handmilled method and you cannot find a class to learn this technique, here is some information from PV Soap:

Basic Materials:

Shredded Soap Base
Crock pot, small or medium size
Glass measuring cup
Wooden spoon
Whole milk or 2%
Powdered milk (secret ingredient)
Any additives, such as herb, flowers, grains, cornmeal, oatmeal, etc.
Colorant chips or liquid dye (optional)
Any fragrance oil or essential oil *(fragrance oils work great in rebatching)
Optional: additional oils such as sweet almond, jojoba, vitamin E
Mold/s (lightly greased with Vaseline)
Drying rack

You may half, quarter or double this recipe as needed.

Rebatching is a good way to get the feel for soap-making without having to handle any caustic ingredients. You can also use a double boiler, but we recommend the crock pot method. Takes about 2 hrs. to make.

Start by measuring out 4-6 cups of shredded base soap or as much as will fit into your crock pot without going past the half-way mark. Measure out about 1 cup of milk (you'll add this as needed, you may not use it all or you may need to add a bit more). Add ½ cup of milk to the crock pot and the shredded soap, put the lid on the pot and set it on the lowest temperature setting. Check the mixture every 15 min. or so and gently stir with your wooden spoon, but try not to make bubbles. If it looks very dry, add a little more milk, and so on, until all the shredded soap is melted.

After an hour or so, it should have the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. It also may look lumpy. Add about ½ cup of powdered milk. The powdered milk will make the mixture very smooth and easy to pour. Go ahead and add any additional ingredients, such as, Vit. E or grapefruit seed extract (which act as a preservative). You can also add additional oils ( ½ -1 tsp.) such as, castor (for shampoo like lather), almond oil or jojoba oil, etc. at this time.

When you're ready to add your colorant, herbs, and fragrance, remove the amount of soap needed for your size mold from the crock pot and place it into the measuring cup. Mix in your final ingredients, amounts of color, herbs, fragrance will vary depending on your liking, and pour into molds.

The soap should be easy to pour, but not too runny. Leave your soap in their molds overnight or until dry and remove the next dry. If you're having difficulty removing from the mold, place mold into the freezer for a few minutes for easier release.

Cure them for 1 week on a drying rack. Wrap individual soaps to preserve their scent.

Tip: As long as your crock pot is set at the lowest temperature, your can leave your soap simmering until your ready to mix and mold. Just check it to be sure it doesn't get too dry.

Source: http://www.pvsoap.com/instructionsforrebatch.htm