Making Melt and Pour Soap in Bulk

Making melt and pour soap in bulk is the smartest way to save time, money and effort. You can increase efficiency 200% and save 40% on material costs.

Making melt and pour soap in bulk is the smartest way to save time, money and effort. We will get into each of those areas in detail in a moment. First, however, let’s take a look at why you might want to work with glycerin base in bulk.

The most common reason to create any bulk soap process is because:

• You may have received a large order, or
• You are preparing one particular soap recipe for which you plan to sell a lot.

However, these are not the only reasons to do it. Another excellent reason for making large batches of soap is to create multiple variations of recipes that share the same common base. This is called “masterbatching.”

For example, you might have one particular clear melt and pour base that has amazing lathering properties and provides a very nice and even pour. You might also be a big fan of goat milk melt and pour base that contains all-natural, moisturizing goat milk, which is highly sought-after by so many.

While each of those two soap bases is great on their own, through trial and error, you have found that they go even better together. Maybe it is a 50-50 split, or perhaps it is 65-35. Whatever the case may be, you have a combination that works well, and now you would like to make multiple batches, each with totally different colors, exfoliants, and fragrances..

Let’s start by discussing the advantages associated with making your melt and pour, or glycerin soap, in bulk batches.

Advantages of Bulk Glycerin Soap Batches

Time Savings: One of the most time-consuming aspects of making any recipe, is accurately weighing and measuring all of your ingredients. For that matter, it also takes time to gather those ingredients in the first place. Why not do it just one time for five or ten batches?

Cost Savings: It’s no secret that purchasing units in bulk, can save you a great deal of money. This is very true glycerin soap base. If you buy a single kilo (2.2lbs), a typical soap base might cost $8. If you bought 10 of those packages at once, you could probably get each one for $7.50.  An even bigger savings would be in the combined shipping.

However, that is not nearly as well as you can do when purchasing glycerin base. The plastic packaging and effort to produce those individual one-kilo packages is a lot. It can actually be more cost and effort than it takes to pour a 25-pound block into a plastic bag sitting inside of a cardboard box. There is no special tooling needed for this and no need to purchase individual plastic containers and fancy labels. Between that and the marketing funds saved to sell 8 times the product, the price per unit decreases significantly.

Effort Reduction: Over the years, I have made hundreds of small batches and hundreds of masterbatches of melt and pour soap. After all of that work, I have some real results that I can share with you.

It takes me the same amount of time and effort to make one 10X masterbatch as it does to make thee single batches of soap.

Tools and Prep

To get the most out of working in bulk, there are a couple steps you should take before you begin. The first is to have a work area that is wide open and free of clutter. When trying to work with a large quantity of anything, even minor distractions and disruptions can set you back.

Tools that are intended for the specific purpose of working with large quantities of melt and pour soap base are also an essential factor for your success. At the minimum, I suggest investing in a large double handled cutting blade that is made for cutting blocks of soap or hard cheese. Here is the 16” cutter I bought for $35: Mundial 5628-16 16-Inch Cheese Slicer

Aside from that, the only other item I consider as a must-have is a water-jacketed melting pot. You can find homemade entry-level converted slow cookers and rice cookers on Etsy for $100 or so. These are more affordable version of the $1,000 + professional units purchased by large-scale melt and pour soap operations.

I did not go for either of these. Instead, I spent $95 on a light commercial-grade soup warmer. This holds 10/1/2 quarts of liquid and maintains a very even temperature. This set-up is truly water-jacketed (meaning the melting pot is warmed by water instead of directly by a burner). The water-jacket (indirect, evenly-distributed heat) method of heating glycerin soap is preferred and works exceptionally well.

I purchased the following model for $95 after researching eight units ranging from $85 to $135. This appeared to be the best value for my needs. It has never let me down: SYBO SB6000 SB-6000 Soup Kettle, 10.5 Quarts

How to Order MP in Bulk

Ordering your glycerin soap base in bulk is no more complicated than ordering a single pounds per kilo. If you use a supplier like WholesaleSuppliesPlus.com, you can also get free shipping on all orders over a certain dollar amount. This is what I always do because I find that shipping often costs nearly as much as the soap otherwise.

The most important things to consider, when ordering in bulk, are as follow:

• Will the soap be shipped in multiple single containers? Will it be bulk poured into a 10 pound for 25 lb box? Know this is key. This information will tell you how you need to store the soap as well as prepare to cut it.
• Do you have enough space to properly store the soap? This is extremely important. You need to ensure the soap is stored in a cool, dry environment free from light, if at all possible. This might mean simply placing it in boxes a closet. It all depends on the size of your operation and how much soap you need to store at one time.

Just be sure that you are storing it in a relatively stable climate. You do not want the temperatures to fluctuate significantly. Also don’t go too far above or below standard room temperature. Room temperature is usually considered about 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to Make Big Melt and Pour Batches

Masterbatching

In case you are new to the term, masterbatching is a system that has been used in cold process soap making for many years. In that instance, it simply means to measure out enough fats and oils for multiple batches and combine them into a single pot. This is done with the understanding that once they are melted and adequately combined, you can take whatever amount you wish to make any size batch you want to.

For melt and pour soap, simply replace the words fat and oil with “soap base.” You may have two, three, or even more soap bases that you wish to combine to get the exact blend to offer the desired effects of your final soap product.

Melting Pot

This brings us once again to needing some sort of a large melting pot that can maintain the melted soap at a steady temperature. The trick is to do this without burning – and without allowing it to solidify or separate back into its core components of different soap bases that may naturally separate due to weight. 

With several years of experience trying different methods, being cost conscience, I have found the soup warmer way to be optimal. I have included a photo and the model that we use in our shop. You can purchase these in a local big box or department store or order it online as you like.

Just be sure to shop around for price and look for coupons when you can. Apply that savings to the best brand and type you can get. Spending the extra few dollars for an actual water-jacketed warmer will pay for itself many times over in the future.

Combining MP Bases

We briefly discussed the concept of combining different melt and pour soap bases. Now I would like to go into some level of detail on the best way to do this.

Every glycerin soap manufacturer has a slightly different process and, therefore, different end products. To be safe, I recommend that you only combine different soap bases from the same manufacturer. This is so that you can be more assured of each type having identical or at least very similar properties. Read the labels, of course, to be sure. It has been my experience that if you start with one brand for a batch, it is best to continue with that brand for each new soap base that you add.

I also make it a personal goal to never cross the type of process used in soap making. In other words, I do not like to combine detergent-based products with all-natural products. This is because the resulting final soap may not be what I anticipate. I am not saying that this is a hard and fast rule. This is just my preference and based wholly upon my own experience as gained over the years.

Bulk-made Melt and Pour Soap Clean-up

Performing cleanup for large batches of melt and pour soap is by far the easiest of all soap making techniques. You do not have to be concerned with chemical burns or other similar hazards.

You can even simply rinse the soup warmer vessel since it was already filled with soap. I always sterilize mine to be safe.

Using Molds and Loaves

A great thing about melt and pour is that it picks up even the tiniest details in molds. For this reason, it is very easy to use highly detailed silicone molds and get amazing results. If you go this route, just understand that you will need many molds and quite a bit of counter space for them to set while the soap hardens. This may mean taking up a sizable tabletop for several hours.

Alternatively, you may choose to pour the soap into loaf molds, which will be cut after they harden. One 4-pound loaf mold holds the equivalent amount of melt and pour as 16 bars at 4 oz. each. This means it will take up significantly less counter space while the soap is hardening. Please note, however, that you will need to cut it once it has hardened.

If you opt for large loaves, be aware that it will take considerably longer to fully harden as one giant 4-pound block, than it would as multiple small 4-ounce blocks (aka/ bars).

Cutting Your MP Soap into Bars

When cutting individual bars of soap from a melt and pour loaf block, be aware that the cheese wire type cutters will not work. You need to use a solid blade to cut glycerin soap due to its physical composition. Be very careful because if you try to use a wire type soap cutter and push it too hard, there is an excellent chance you will break the wires and get whipped in the face or eyes. For this reason, I recommend using only solid blade cutters when working with melt and pour soap bases. And of course, ALWAYS wear the appropriate skin, eye, and other protection!

Insider Tip: If you are not yet great at making straight and even cuts with a blade, you can pick up a block cutter like this one. This is the model I buy most. It is a YoleShy Soap Cutter Set that costs about $19 on Amazon.

Wrapping Your Finished MP Soap

As you probably already know, melt and pour soap is also known as glycerin soap. This is because glycerin is added to the soap product from the manufacturer to make it easier for you to work with. It also adds additional lathering properties without any significant increase to it’s moisture content.

The flip side to this, however, is that glycerin attracts any moisture it can from the surrounding atmosphere. This means 50 finished soap can give the appearance of sweating because the water from the surrounding air has collected on the outside of the bar and formed into little droplets.

That said, wrap the soap in a manner that does not allow air to make direct contact with it. The easiest way to accomplish this is to use a very strong cling-wrap or shrink-wrap and ensure that the air is removed when you seal each bar of soap. This can be done very quickly and inexpensively by using commercially available heat-activated shrink wrap bags and sealing them with either a heat gun or a blow dryer set on high heat.

Storing the Bars

Storing the final melt and pour soap bar products is basically the same as storing the original containers of melt and pour base that you started with. You want them to stay in a cool, dry place without exposure to direct light. Again, if you have space in a closet where you can pack them into boxes and be assured they will always stay somewhere near room temperature, this is an ideal way to store them.

Shipping the Soap

This brings us to actually shipping the finished bars of soap. Be certain that the soap is carefully wrapped and protected so that the edges do not get dented during transit. I recommend the use of bubble wrap and also trying to get the soap to fit somewhat tightly into the shipping box by adding some additional bubble wrap, foam packing, or crumpled paper. The idea is to not let the soap get bounced around in shipping.

It is also important that you consider the temperature when mailing or otherwise shipping your soap. If you believe there is a chance of the soap being exposed to temperatures above 100° Fahrenheit, consider whether or not it is likely to warp. Hint: It gets hot in mailboxes sitting in direct sunlight.

The risk of warping can be somewhat reduced by using approved insulation techniques such as insulating foams and wrappings available online and at package supply stores. Just search Amazon or Google for “thermally insulated bubble mailers – fragile,” and you will get plenty of options ranging from $0.35 to $1.10 each when purchasing 50 or more units in a case. You can also buy rolls or wrap cheaper and use it as the protective wrap within a box.

In Closing

I hope you found this information helpful. If ever given an opportunity, I highly recommend working with melt and pour soap in large batches. It’s a great feeling to reap the full benefits of saving time, money, and a good deal of effort.

Happy soaping!