Lisa Maliga - MORE Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Crafting

MORE Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Crafting

Includes:

The Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Crafting

and

12 Easy Melt and Pour Soap Recipes

Written and Photographed by

Lisa Maliga

Copyright 2011-2013 by Lisa Maliga

http://www.LisaMaliga.com

All rights reserved

Draft 2 Digital Version

Disclaimer:

The information in this book was gathered from various sources. It is in no way meant to prevent, cure, or diagnose any medical condition. All recipes and products suggested should not be used for purposes other than that for which they were intended. All products are for EXTERNAL USE ONLY. If you are allergic to latex then shea butter is not recommended as it contains a small amount of natural latex. The author accepts no liability for the misuse of these products. Please do not rely on products or information as a substitute for medical advice. If you have a medical problem, contact a health care practitioner. Product statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

If you wish to reproduce any part of a book you must request permission in advance, as the material is protected under copyright law.

All requests must be made via email to:

Dedication:

F rom the time I began soap crafting in 1998, my Mom was the best soap tester around. She helped me name soaps, told me what scents she liked and always let me know if the soap was too big, too small, didn't lather enough and what color it should be. When I moved back in with her in February 2009, I brought a basketful of soaps that I'd made just before my last Christmas rush. Moringa soap, Spring Lilacs [her favorite], another floral one I was testing, and many others. Before I moved back to her house, several states east of California, Mom sent me an email telling me not to quit making soap.

"And at the risk of repeating myself, whatever you do DON'T give up your business. I know you relegate everything but your writing into the background, but what you've done is amazing. Just try to look at your web site dispassionately. It has the look and feel of a successful and long-time business. It's professional and artistic and modern. And, best of all, it's been working. Surely you realize that." Mom, January 2009

In October she went into the hospital and never returned. In this book I'm honoring her memory by sharing what I've learned over the years, along with recipes for some of her preferred soaps.

T here are so many beautiful , edible looking soaps online and in stores created by talented soap crafters. A soap crafter can change a plain slab into a creation that resembles a slice of chocolate layer cake, a floral extravaganza, a multi-colored Popsicle, or a wedge of citrus colored and scented soap. We can gaze in wonder at the array of soap varieties that has blossomed ever since I began my quest to make soap a dozen years ago.

But even when experimenting with making my SoapCake and Mini SoapCake prototypes and those Soap Pops that I ended up giving away to a young neighbor, I was always more concerned about the ingredients that went into the soap than the resulting look of the finished product.

I did lots of testing, once adding an ounce of cocoa butter to about ten ounces of white soap base. Soap oozed cocoa butter and separated. Later, I remelted it by adding a lot more soap base.

Purists will chide me for working with glycerin melt and pour soap base. Sure, it contained some long scientific sounding names. But I also used the stuff every single day with no dire consequences. So was it really as bad as they claimed? Nope. I still use it.

Even though I began EverythingShea.com in 2004, my business was kept small for a reason: I saw myself as a writer first and bath & body products designer second. But I enjoyed it and I cared about what when into my soap and want to share how I did it with you!

B y handcrafting your own bath & body products, you will be in charge of quality control! You can make your soap as natural as you like, if thats your concern. Maybe youve always just loved being around soap and trying new kinds. Or youre a do-it-yourself sort of person. Perhaps youve seen someone demonstrate soap crafting and wanted to try it. Other reasons include being able to make gifts for Christmas, birthdays, Chanukah, Easter, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Grandparents Day, Valentines Day, graduation, wedding and baby showers, and any other occasion. You might even be able to sell your bubbly creations.

Teaching children how to craft melt and pour soap is a great way to keep them entertained and educate them in the value of making something they use. Perhaps youre comfortable in the world of crafts and can already knit, sew, quilt, weave baskets, craft polymer clay, etc.

Making your own soap will prove to be satisfying for your creative side and also for that resident scientist just waiting to mix things up. You'll discover that the vegetable oils in your kitchen cupboard can be used to create a moisturizing soap. Dried herbs make your soap smell wonderful and are beneficial for your skin. Natural colorants can be found in your spice rack or at your local health food store. Scenting your soap is a joy to do and the combinations are limited only by your imagination. And did you know that adding milk to soap wont spoil but you will become spoiled after using it and will always want some on hand.

The benefits of making your own soap will pay off financially as well. You'll save money by making soap and wont have to pay retail prices anymore. If you choose to go into soap crafting for you and your family, you can always buy your soap and other ingredients wholesale. Its easy to find a quality melt and pour base for around two to three dollars per pound. Most shops sell a 3 ounce bar of soap for more than that!

Also, there happens to be a large variety of soap bases available to the soap crafter. The standard types, transparent, ultra transparent, and opaque are the most common, but you can also find goat milk, honey, coconut, olive oil, palm oil, aloe vera, rose hip extract, pansy extract, orange oil, colored transparent base [in several different colors], marbleized, hemp seed oil, avocado and cucumber, shea butter, cocoa butter, and organic melt and pour soap bases.

How much in the way of additives can be included depends upon the base. If in doubt, ask the manufacturer. Most will advise you add no more than one Tablespoon per pound. Thats the general consensus, or about one percent. The bases are well-formulated as is; in fact, one reseller proudly declared that her oatmeal base was perfect the way it was. To package it, all one needed to do was slice it, use a soap stamp to put a nice logo on it, and wrap it. My personal experience has led me to try many bases.