For those of you who melt your pucks, if at all.

[Stiglitz]

My puck of Ogallala came in the other day and as soon as I opened it I was hit with bay rumminess. It smelled fantastic. I just wanted to leave it in the car at that point.

But, yesterday when my Weber came in, I was eager to get my first DE shave underway but used some AoS cream since the puck wasn't molded into a dish to load. I wanted the soap to be in a little glass bowl, so instead of grating and pressing (which I didn't even think to do until after I shaved), I microwaved it in the glass dish to be molded in for cycles of 15 seconds.

I opened up the dish this morning to smell the soap as a refreshing reminder of a choice that I was now happy to have blindly ordered, only to find that the once super strong smell of bay rum was now kind of dialed back with a smell that I dare to say is similar to a cooked smell.

Did I over do it, am I crazy or is the German lineage inside me just overcomplicating everything?

 

[Doubledgeislife]

Lots of soaps fade after being opened for a day or two and a bit of use.

 

[cb91710]

Possibly got it too hot and boiled off some of the essential oils?

Please remember that you can not melt tallow based soaps like Tabac and MWF... only glycerine based soaps like Ogallala, Mama Bear, etc....

 

[njpaddy]

I don't like microwaving soaps. They never seem to be as good afterward. Even glycerin soaps I grate and glycerin samples I'll flatten with a mallet or hammer and press into a bowl. For my Ogallala soaps I have the Ogallala mug. Deep enough that I can soak the puck and brush at the same time. That method does eat up soap, but it really gets the scent going.

edit: DRH pucks also fit in the Ogallala mug with a little push.

 

[bassopotamus]

The only time I microwaved a puck, it killed the
Scent. I think many fegrances evaporate at fairly low temps

 

[rockviper]

I like using a cheese grater for reshape my soaps rather than nuking them.

 

[Chris H]

I've microwaved many soaps, Ogallala included, and never noticed any change. I think the key is to zap it just long enough to take the shape of the new container, usually about 10 seconds is enough. Microwaving is actually recommended on the Ogallala website. If it's a hard soap like D.R. Harris or Klar Kabinett, then I will grate it. Remember that the glycerin based soaps are usually a melt and pour type so they are very hot when they are poured in the original mold. By remelting them, you are not doing anything different to the soap.

 

[Rockwell Torrey]

OK Microwave out.

 

[nymtber]

I microwave VDH deluxe into my OS mug. 5-10 seconds at a time till its JUST barely melted, then let it set and it fills in nicely! I don't notice a noticeable change in scent, I love the VDH smell, too!

Its not necessary, but it sure makes lathering easier

 

[Miesterio]

I used a double boiler when I melted my ogalla puck. it barely got hot enough to melt as in i only melted enough to get it to fill the bowl i was putting it in and stopped.

 

[Mama Bear]

Melt and pour is a process that should be done BEFORE adding fragrances.. Essential oils especially but also many fragrance oils have a low flashpoint which means if you overheat your soap, you are going to cook off your scent.. Grating is the best way to go.

 

[Nadir M]

I've microwaved many soaps, Ogallala included, and never noticed any change. I think the key is to zap it just long enough to take the shape of the new container, usually about 10 seconds is enough. Microwaving is actually recommended on the Ogallala website. If it's a hard soap like D.R. Harris or Klar Kabinett, then I will grate it. Remember that the glycerin based soaps are usually a melt and pour type so they are very hot when they are poured in the original mold. By remelting them, you are not doing anything different to the soap.

+1

 

[inspiringK]

I used a double boiler when I melted my ogalla puck. it barely got hot enough to melt as in i only melted enough to get it to fill the bowl i was putting it in and stopped.

Yes, double boiling is what I have found to be the safest option for keeping temperature down - I wouldn't microwave a soap.

I have also found that putting the dish right onto an electric burner at the lowest temperature setting works well. I cut the soap up or just get it sort of fitting into a dish, then put that dish on the burner and let the soap melt just enough so that the outer part molds into the shape of the dish. This way, only about 20% of the soap even needs to be melted.

If you think there may be tallow in the soap though, just smoosh it into place - works plenty well enough when enough force is used

Edit:
Or just listen to an expert

Melt and pour is a process that should be done BEFORE adding fragrances.. Essential oils especially but also many fragrance oils have a low flashpoint which means if you overheat your soap, you are going to cook off your scent.. Grating is the best way to go.

 

[Stiglitz]

I'm starting to join the camp of having boiled off the fragrance

 

[Chris H]

As far as I can tell, it hasn't happened to me yet. Like I said, I don't completely melt them down, just enough to reshape them. After reading Sue's post about low flash points of EO's, I may reconsider my methods.

 

[Warpiper]

Possibly got it too hot and boiled off some of the essential oils?

Please remember that you can not melt tallow based soaps like Tabac and MWF... only glycerine based soaps like Ogallala, Mama Bear, etc....

Opps, that explains a few things.

 

[cb91710]

Opps, that explains a few things.

LOL!

Ya... milling into a bowl is always safe.

 

[Chris H]

I don't think double boiling is any safer than a quick shot in the microwave. You are still heating the soap to melting temperature, thus exposing the essential oils and fragrances to a high temperature and possibly for a longer period of time.

 

[Warpiper]

LOL!

Ya... milling into a bowl is always safe.

I took my first soap sample (QCS Vostock), graded it with a cheese grader, popped it into the microwave for maybe 15 seconds and when I opened the microwave door the house filled with the smell of menthol. SWMBO was not a happy camper. When I looked at where the sample HAD been, all I saw was some hardened white wisps on the side of the bowl. There was a enough "wisps" for about 2 shaves. Won't do that again. Now I just squish them into the bottom of the bowl.

 

[Wayne1963]

My puck of Ogallala came in the other day and as soon as I opened it I was hit with bay rumminess. It smelled fantastic. I just wanted to leave it in the car at that point.

But, yesterday when my Weber came in, I was eager to get my first DE shave underway but used some AoS cream since the puck wasn't molded into a dish to load. I wanted the soap to be in a little glass bowl, so instead of grating and pressing (which I didn't even think to do until after I shaved), I microwaved it in the glass dish to be molded in for cycles of 15 seconds.

I opened up the dish this morning to smell the soap as a refreshing reminder of a choice that I was now happy to have blindly ordered, only to find that the once super strong smell of bay rum was now kind of dialed back with a smell that I dare to say is similar to a cooked smell.

Did I over do it, am I crazy or is the German lineage inside me just overcomplicating everything?

I would advise not melting the soap, but grating it instead. I ruined a cake of Mitchells Wool Fat in the microwave once..it bubbled up and changed consistency. Also, grating the soap makes it give up a better lather, or so it seems to me.