Let me ask you: have you ever ended up with so many small pieces of soap that you just don't know what to do with? I certainly have. I usually would try to stick them on top of an old soap to give them a new life.
Another option I did try, but am not a huge fan of, is collecting all the different bits into a ramie bag. Although this does work in getting all the lather through the net of the bag, I find it to be way too exfoliating for my skin.
So, if you have the same problem, I have an alternative. You'd be surprised to hear how easy it is to re-melt soap scraps and turn them into a brand new soap bar!
Want to Learn How to Make Soap from Scratch rather than Scraps?
How to Make Soap from Soap Scraps
This works best if you have soap scraps that are easy enough to grate. If your scraps are super small you can still melt them but your bar will end up a bit chunkier. The smaller the soap flakes, the easier they will melt and the more even your final soap bar will be.
In terms of tools you will just need:
- a cheese grater
- a bowl
- a mould that can fit the amount you are melting
- a saucepan
Rebatching Soap Scraps
1. The first thing you want to do, is to grate your soap flakes. Make sure they are really dry and hard.
If they are a bit wet and gooey it will be impossible to grate. If yours are still shower wet, let them air dry for a couple of days before grating.
2. Next, simply add all your grated soap inside a saucepan, and place on a gentle heat. At this point, pour some water in. Its sole purpose is to avoid the soap from burning and sticking to the saucepan. Therefore, you really do not need lots of water.
Remember, all the water you add will need to evaporate, and if you add too much water the soap will be soft and mushy. It will never really set.
In my case I am melting 20 grams/0.7 oz of soap, and am just adding 2 teaspoons of water. So a good rule of thumb is about 1 teaspoon of water to every 10 grams /0.35 oz of soap.
3. While you add the water in, continue mixing and never leave the saucepan unattended, especially if it's only a small quantity. The soap should melt really fast, like mine did, and not take more than 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Once completely melted, remove it from the heat and add any optional essential or fragrance oils. I suggest that you only do this only if your soap was unscented or so old that the scent was completely gone.
I would add a max of 0.5% of your total weight, so for 20 grams I have added 0.10 gram which is about 3 drops.
3. Mix well and plop the mix into the mould, be careful as it may still be a little hot.
4. Now you can let the bar to set overnight, but I was very impatient so I popped in in the freezer for about an hour. I unmoulded it as soon as it was not freezer wet anymore.
The result, a perfectly compact bar of soap with a nice mix of of nourishing oils. All from different soap bars, that you have saved from becoming waste.
You can use this soap straight away. However, if you manage to wait for a few days, maybe a week, it will dry up a bit more and loose any excess water and therefore last for longer.
I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and found it useful: let me know, have you ever tried giving your soaps scraps a new life? What do you think about this method?