Crystal African Black Soap

Normally we would recommend silicone moulds, as metal moulds can often stick to the product, but moulds for chocolate often work well too.

Cut the base down to manageable pieces, chunks or slices. You can then add to a heated vessel, pot, or melt in the microwave - make sure you watch the temperature, as it is possible to lose moisture and water content from the base overheating.

Overheating can also cause the base to boil over so make sure you remove and stir intermittently.

This is due to the bars being un-wrapped. Almost all of our Melt & Pour products contain Glycerin (a moisturizing agent) and because Glycerin is a humectant, it pulls moisture in from the air which is great when you apply it to your skin, but not so great when displaying unwrapped bars.

When the bars are left out in higher dry ambient temperatures they will begin to lose some of the water/moisture. This results in a loss in size, weight and shape.

The white pigment (titanium dioxide) can settle at the bottom within the soap base as it cools when we run large volumes or in the summer months as it takes longer to set. Don’t panic, simply cut the block of soap base from top to bottom in an even cross-section, then re-melt, mix, and you will see that the white (titanium dioxide) will be even throughout the finished soap bar/product.

This is quite a common problem described as 'bleeding'. Most Melt & Pour crafters use water-based food colourings, these are water-soluble and Melt and Pour is a water-based product, thus when these colours are inside a soap they often bleed as it runs through to the entire body of the product. There are alternatives to this, such as pigments or non-bleeding colourants available but they might not be as simple to use.

If you are slicing Melt & Pour soap base (Any Crystal bases) we would recommend using a large knife or a soap cutter, or a soap mould slicing tool/machine. If you're cutting from an 11.5kg box we recommend cutting top to bottom.

If you are slicing Melt & Pour syndet base (Syndopour 200-MB) we would recommend using cheese wire.

There is no limit on how many times you can re-melt. Be aware of any moisture you may lose during this process as this can alter the balance of the formulation. Always cover the soap base when you melt it.

This depends on the size of your mould or loaf. The larger the surface area the longer it will take to set. A normal loaf will take roughly 6 hours to fully set. This can also change depending on the ambient temperatures you let the base set in.

No - Melt & Pour is different to 'cold process' and thus does not need to cure. Our Melt & Pour base is already reacted and cured. Once melted you simply pour, and leave to set. The term 'cure' is used to describe saponification, when the product is still reacting and neutralising fatty acid content whilst setting. This is not the case with Melt & Pour.

No. What you're seeing is a layer of bubbles generated from production. Once sliced from top to bottom & remelted these will mix back into the base and will not effect your finished product.

The temperature for each Melt & Pour base can differ. You can find the product-specific temperature on the product INCI document, which can be found here.

We offer 2 types of packaging for our Melt and Pour soap bases - 1kg trays and our ‘patent pending’ 11.5kg / 25lb soap box.

It's very important to wrap the soap/syndet as soon as you have released it from the mould. The fewer surfaces in contact with the air the better so wrap in a cling film/cello film type product. This is important to prevent sweating and also moisture loss.

This is described as 'sweating' and is caused because the bars have been left out in the atmosphere un-wrapped. Many bases contain various ingredients like glycerine which acts as a humectant. These attract moisture and beads of water will begin to appear on the bars if left unwrapped. A number of factors contribute to this; storage, ambient temperature, humidity and air pressure. The best way to avoid this is by wrapping your soaps/syndet bars.

Perhaps, we can never say for sure as it depends on the essential oil/oils used and the amount. Most ‘free’ oil in the soap base that is un-reacted or not part of the formulation can cause clouding and Essential Oils are no different.

Yes - you can use essential oils however they can have various impacts on the base, for example; setting time, hardness, clarity and so on. Please do your own sample testing to be sure of compatibility.

The reason some melt and pour soaps are transparent is because they use fatty acids (clear fractions of oils) and solvents, these reduce the formation of crystals when the soap is made and allows light to pass through the soap. When we make a more natural soap we use the entire natural oil, these are not transparent and have an amber appearance, and although allow partial light to pass the soap is still not clear.

Crystal OMP/OMPC contains palm oil and some palm oil derivatives. The palm oil is from sustainable sources. By the end of 2022, the derivates will also be from certified sustainable sources.

Crystal melt and pour products contain glycerin that is used as a solvent and a humectant. It is either derived from palm oil or rapeseed oil. If it is derived from rapeseed, it will be clearly labelled, otherwise can be assumed to come from palm oil. Glycerin may also be produced during the saponification reaction between an oil and sodium hydroxide.

No. Crystal NCO is not certified organic as a finished soap base, however, it does use certified oils (these are saponified in the process) so the soap is made from organic oils, but it is not a certified product.