Melt and Pour Instructions
Hello and thank you for purchasing Kinibug's Melt & Pour range! We are so excited to bring you
our basic Melt & Pour instructions to make your very own soap at home. We have thoroughly
tested our soap bases with colours, fragrances, additives & embellishments and are extremely
happy with the results. We sourced worldwide to bring you Kinibug's very own unique soap bases.
Background
There are two different ways to melt a Melt and Pour base. One is the double boiler and the
other is with a microwave. Both of these can be used, however it is personal preference as to
which you choose. We are giving you both sets of instructions on these two methods of melting.
Equipment/Utensils
•
Double boiler or Microwave
•
Knife or cutter - any universal cutting knife/cutter will be fine, however we recommend
a cutter.
•
Heat safe bowl - Pyrex bowl is always a favourite.
•
Cutting board - any universal cutting board, however, relatively solid as you will be
cutting soap base.
•
Stirrer or spoons - Long handle to keep hands away from heat as you stir.
•
Scale - to measure the amount of soap base you will need.
•
Mould - Any mould which is suitable for soap making.
•
Rubbing Alcohol - Isopropyl alcohol in a spray/spritz bottle, to spritz the 'bubbles'.
•
Fragrance oil or essential oil - Suitable for bath & body products (soaps).
•
Soap Colours - Suitable for bath & body products (soaps).
•
Wrap - Cling wrap.
•
Clear bag, tie ribbon for finished product.
Double Boiler Method
With this method you will need a saucepan & a pouring pot (this help when the soap is
heated/melted & ready to be poured). A pyrex pouring jug can be used too. Please note with this
method you need to be able to supervise at all times, as the soap can go from a melted state to
boiling point in a matter of seconds. It is imperative that there are no outside distractions (ie:
answering the phone, making a sandwich), and your focus is 100% on the task at hand.
Double Boiler Instructions:
a. Cut the soap base into small cubes, approx 2cm x 2cm for ease of melting.
b. Place the soap into your heat safe bowl or Pyrex jug and put it in the pan with a little water in
it. (Make sure the water does not boil over into the soap). If you are using this method
regularly, is might be a great idea to purchase a double boiler tripod. This is a great little device
to keep your pot/jug held securely while the soap base melts. This eliminates the possibility of
the water boiling into the bowl.
c. Stir slightly once the soap base begins to melt. Once the soap has melted, remove it carefully
to a cooling cloth. Melting temperature of our soap bases are approx 55 degrees Celsius or (131
degrees Fahrenheit).
d. Stir in your soap colour to reach your desired level or leave base natural. A good rule of
thumb is to add a minimal amount (1-2 drops) at any one time and stir in between each. It is
easier to add colour to your base, then accidentally add too much colour to your soap & have an
undesired soap effect.
e. Add your chosen soap fragrance oil or essential oil. A good rule of thumb is to add between 13% of fragrance of your total soap weight. For example: if your soap bar weighs 100g, you would
only need 1ml-3mls of fragrance oil to add. Stir gently and thoroughly, make sure you stir for at
least 30 seconds to a minute to allow your fragrance to blend in to your soap base.
f. Pour your melted soap into your chosen soap mould and spray the top with rubbing alcohol.
This eliminates all those soap bubbles which form when pouring into your mould.
g. Let your soap cool and harden before popping them out of the moulds. Depending on your soap
mould, this can take approx 2-4 hours.
h. Your soap is ready to use when it easily pops out of its mould. Now make sure you wrap your
soap as soon as it's out of the mould. This is due to the glycerin content in your soap base. A
quality bar of handmade glycerin soap will often "sweat" in humid weather due to the high
content of natural humectants. A humectant is a substance that readily absorbs moisture from
its
surroundings.
You
can
read
all
about
glycerin
on
Kinibug's
blog
http://kinibugz.blogspot.com.au/. Wrap, such as cling wrap of a clear bag tied with ribbon is
perfect for your soap. If your soap is made for instant use, no wrapping is needed.
Microwave Method (Most popular)
This method is by far the most popular method for melting your soap base. This is due to its
quick & easy nature. With this method, you don't need to supervise the activity in front of you;
the microwave takes all the guessing out. Before we begin, these instructions are an
approximate. We all have different microwaves with different wattages. If your microwave has
a higher wattage, it will take less time to melt your soap base. This is a guide and works very
well with Kinibug bases.
Microwave Method:
a. Cut the soap base into small cubes, approx 2cm x 2cm for ease of melting. Place the cubes
into your heat safe jug (Pyrex). A great tip: Place a small amount of wrap (cling wrap) over your
heat safe jug, this helps keep the moisture in the soap when heating it in the microwave.
b. Place your heat safe jug with your cut up cubes into the microwave. A great guide is to heat in
30 second intervals & stir gently in between. All timings are different - but if you stick to 30
seconds intervals your soap base will be safe from reaching that boiling point and your soap base
will melt evenly. Please make sure you are careful when removing your jug to and from the
microwave; it will be hot, so having a pot holder or a tea towel on hand will help with this
process. Reminder: after each 30 second interval, the heat safe jug is covered again with the
wrap (reuse is fine).
c. When your soap base has reached its melted stage, (melted stage: when it is a liquid) it is
ready to begin the next step. Oh, and if there is still a small amount of soap base (smaller than
1cm), that's ok - just stir until the soap has completely melted through, it will eventually melt
completely into a liquid.
d. Stir in your soap colour to reach your desired level or leave base natural. A good rule of
thumb is to add a minimal amount (1-2 drops) at any one time and stir in between each. It is
easier to add colour to your base, then accidentally add too much colour to your soap & have an
undesired soap effect.
e. Add your chosen soap fragrance oil or essential oil. A good rule of thumb is to add between 13% of fragrance of your total soap weight. For example: if your soap bar weighs 100g, you would
only need 1ml-3mls of fragrance oil to add. Stir gently and thoroughly, make sure you stir for at
least 30 seconds to a minute to allow your fragrance to blend in to your soap base.
f. Pour your melted soap into your chosen mould and spray the top with rubbing alcohol. This
eliminates all those soap bubbles which form when pouring into your mould.
g. Let your soap cool and harden before popping them out of the moulds. Depending on your soap
mould, this can take approx 2-4 hours.
h. Your soap is ready to use when it easily pops out of its mould. Make sure you wrap your soap
as soon as it's out of the mould. This is due to the glycerin content in your soap base. A quality
bar of handmade glycerin soap will often "sweat" in humid weather due to the high content of
natural humectants. A humectant is a substance that readily absorbs moisture from its
surroundings. You can read all about Glycerin on Kinibug's blog http://kinibugz.blogspot.com.au/.
Wrap, such as cling wrap of a clear bag tied with ribbon is perfect for your soap. If your soap is
made for instant use, no wrapping is needed.
Enjoy your soaping experience! It may take a couple of goes to get the process right, but every
soap piece is unique, that's what makes it so special!
GALLERY:
Soap cubes & heat safe jug
|
Melted Soap
| Melted soap into mould