I recently attended the first Houston Soapmakers Meetup. One of the questions that came up was how to rebatch soap. There are many ways to rebatch soap. I’m going to share my favorite method with you.
Supplies
Handmade Soap (either in block form or shreds)
Cheese Grater or Knife (not electric one, leave electric cheese graters for cheese)
Water or Aloe Vera Juice (or liquid of choice)
Fragrance or Essential Oil (not required, but this is what adds the scent to the soap.)
Microwavable Rice Cooker
Microwave
Molds for your soap. I prefer log molds when I rebatch – more on that in a minute.
Large Spoon to scoop soap in the mold
Step 1. Shred or chop soap into tiny pieces. I use a cheese grater to get my soap into small pieces.
Step 2. Put shredded soap in a microwavable rice cooker. You don’t want to fill it all the way to the top – I wouldn’t fill it more than 3/4 of the way full. You don’t want it to overflow when it’s cooking.
Step 3. Add a small amount of water or aloe vera juice, just enough to wet the soap. (1 Tablespoon at a time) You don’t want to get it too wet or you will get warped / shrunken-head looking soap. You will need to experiment with the amount of liquid to use here.
Step 4. Microwave the soap in 3 to 4 minute bursts. The soap will get really hot when you microwave it, so be sure to use a potholder when handling the rice cooker. Open the container slowly so the steam doesn’t burn you. Check to see if the soap has become translucent after the first cook. If the soap looks dry and is starting to burn, you are going to need to add more water. If you add too much water, the resulting soap is going to have a sunken look too it when it dries out. I’ve rebatched 2 lbs of soap in two 4 minute bursts on my last try. You want to cook the soap in the rice cooker until it looks semi-translucent and a homogeneous look.
Step 5. Start scooping the soap into your mold. I like using log molds with a lid because you can use the lid to smoosh it down flat into the mold.
Step 6. Unmold your soap the next day and cut into bars. Your soap is ready to use! Take a bath!
I might try this sometime but it seems like it would be real easy to scorch the soap or have it “bubble” up and overflow the container all pver the microwave. Of all the dumb microwave stunts performed on youtube, putting a bar od soap in there an watching turn into a mutant monster is not uncommon.
Also, I add the liquid I use to the soap just to wet it and let the soap sit overnight to absorb and be softened by the liquid. I should mention I heat my liquid concoction in the microwave to about 175 Fahrenheit so it partially melts the grated soap on addition and penetrates it better for its soaking. I have used 8 ounces of fluid for 3 pounds of soap. It is just enough.