Reforming Soap

[tempeViking]

So I bought a puck of Ogallala Bay Rum. I like Bay Rum, don't judge

I had an empty plastic tub with lid from another vendor. The puck fit well but not perfectly. I read elsewhere on this site that you could zap it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and it would melt and reform in the tub. This I did, and it spread nicely and it looks like it was manufactured that way for me. After letting it cool for a day, the soap performs as the original and it still smells great to me.

I'd tried this once before with a replacement puck of AoS soap. The puck fit very loosely in the original AoS tub so I tried to melt it. It was a miserable failure. It came out chunky and it never lathered the same so I threw it away. I'm guessing that this is because theirs is a tallow based soap, and the Ogallala is more glycerin based?

That said, how would one know which soaps you could reform? And, if it's a tallow based soap, how do you reform for a tub or do you just deal with the puck twirling around while building a lather the first few times?

 

[Boghopper]

The best way seems to be to grate the soap and then form it into whatever container you wish.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

You can't microwave tallow-based soaps. Do what Boghopper says, or soak the bottom portion of the puck in water until it softens and mash it down into the container. When in dries is should adhere. As you use the puck, the gaps fill with lathers and is able to withstand brush lathering without spinning in the tub.

 

[Atlantic59]

The microwave trick only works with glycerine soaps. Grating works for any soap.

It's not necessary to grate, though. Often, it is enough just to cut thin slices of the soap and layer them in a container. Pour some warm water on the soap pieces for a few minutes, then pour off the excess water and press it all together. After shaving with it a few times, it will look like it came from the store that way.

BTW, this is also a good way to use up soap leftovers.

 

[sarimento1]

Ogallala bay rum is a nice glycerin soap, pour and melt type, seems to me.
i've not bothered to grate or melt, just use the sample and enjoy.
no big deal, cheap enough soap.
pair with their nice aftershave.

 

[nemo]

You can't microwave tallow-based soaps. Do what Boghopper says, or soak the bottom portion of the puck in water until it softens and mash it down into the container. When in dries is should adhere. As you use the puck, the gaps fill with lathers and is able to withstand brush lathering without spinning in the tub.

Dog Whiskerer nailed it. The gaps on the sides will fill and help with extra surface and may even swell up and close. If not, no big deal. I don't grate pucks any longer, they are harder and last longer when left whole.

 

[sugardaddy]

Yes, for tallow soaps, you can mess up the chemistry by melting or heating them.

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

 

[Steve_in_CT]

I have found that most soaps, even some hard soaps like MWF, can be pressed into the shape of the container with your fingers.

 

[dfoulk]

It's not just tallow or not tallow that determines if you can melt it or not. Assume that you cannot melt it unless it's stated otherwise by the maker. If you melt something in the microwave you're taking a chance. Best case you lose a little of the scent, worst case you ruin the soap, or possibly the microwave as I've seen where this has gone horribly wrong before.

Your best bet is to grate it with one of the kitchen graters that you'd use to grate some carrots to put on a salad. You then press the grated soap into the tub of your choice and you're good to go. Will not damage the soap or lose any scent at all. It will probably lather better as you've broken the outer seal where the soap has dried a bit more by doing this.

 

[Scott0079]

The best way seems to be to grate the soap and then form it into whatever container you wish.

This ^

 

[HereticHermit]

I can use double boiler with tallow based soaps. But you have to go slow with temp and might evaporate some scent. Works well with heavily scented tallow soaps.

 

[BigJ]

Great advice above. You should be able to microwave the Ogallala soap, just be careful.

With the tallow soaps I generally prefer, the microwave trick is definitely a no-go.

 

[tempeViking]

The best way seems to be to grate the soap and then form it into whatever container you wish.

I'll need to get a separate grater for my soap. I can't imagine sharing that with the parmesan on a salad!

 

[tempeViking]

Great advice above. You should be able to microwave the Ogallala soap, just be careful.

With the tallow soaps I generally prefer, the microwave trick is definitely a no-go.

I snuck up on the melting point, about 5 seconds at a time. I think it melted between the 15 and 20 second burst then I stopped it. I did spill a little when I took it out, but that was recoverable.

The soap smells the same and seems to be performing normally.

Thanks, everyone, for your kind advice!

 

[dfoulk]

I'll need to get a separate grater for my soap. I can't imagine sharing that with the parmesan on a salad!

Not sure why you'd need to. I mean what do you clean it with, soap right? I just put mine through the dishwasher mostly to remove any residual fragrance is all and it's back to good.

 

[Ted Danson]

WOW - really wish I had read this before I tried to microwave my first puck of Haslinger. The first 15 seconds was fine. The second 15 seconds ruined the soap in less than 15 seconds (see what I did there ).