Noone has replied, so I'll pipe in to move this topic along.

Some soapers do, and some don't.

A lot of forum participants discuss topics to the nth degree. It's just the nature of the beast, and this will inevitably come up for discussion as you have witnessed.

I agree with you. I started with mp, then went to candles. Now I am doing mp again along with my candles. I had forgot how fun it is to make soap.

I've been reading everything I can on different ways to do mp. You are right, you can add oils to it. I add a little coconut oil (about 1/2 tsp.) to each pound of melted base. This helps with the lather. Also I add 1 tsp of stearic acid to help make the bar harder.

There's quite a big difference in mp and cold process soaps. For one, cp and hp soaps do not melt down like mp does. Two they do not contain surfactants like mp does. I'm sure there are some more natural mp bases out there. But I think the problem with people is that thy feel more creativity goes into cp/hp soaps than mp. I do cp, but I don't get into any debates. Could care less. I just know what I do and inform my customers of what I do and make. I don't have time to criticize anyone else for making mp.

Not only that, I can make some very bright and fragrant cp soaps. I can get a perfectly red, yes red, soap in cp, lovely blue, perfect purple, etc. Just bc they are cp does not mean they can't be colorful and fragrant. I've seen many beautiful colorful, strongly scented cp/hp companies all over the net.

I see a lot of mp soapers sell there soaps for more than my cp. First ill say it comes down to what the user likes. There is no beating that. All the same it dose upset me a bit that people will pass up my hard work and all the time I put in for somthing that is bought melted and molded rather than made from scratch. Though I have to admit to my self that I have seen some really creative mp soaps that I really liked also. Whear I see some cp soapers point Who is to say that the work dosent go into some mp soapers products. Also dont feel bad a lot od cp soapers think they are high and mighty and they are seriously catty with each other. i stoped going to some of the soapers forums because they go on witch hunts and attack other members for fun. its seriously bad behaveiour.

I love mp because its easier, quicker and less trouble (especially around children).

I looooove cp because i know exactly whats goin into it, and since i enjoy my organic products, this is the way to go for me.

Why are there no organic bases out there for mp? Or maybe i havent looked hard enough. Or maybe i could make some for someone :D.

I enjoy both. One should never snub the other. Enjoy your own process and ignore any criticism. :D

I think to make an easy melt base its hard to be verry natural. If you would like a bit harder but natural way to go you could always rebatch. its not really all that hard. :)

I agree that rebatching is not all that hard. It's the look of the rebatched soap that I do not like; if the soap is for home use (I do sell soap) then it is just fine.

Tedious and time consuming? I think so, but gratifying when the job is done.

My main concern with MP soaps is that you don't know what is in it, or what is not in it. Do they still contain all the natural glycerin? That's very important. Do they have chemical hardeners, etc added. Can we just buy regular white unscented grocery store soap and melt it into molds and add colour and scent and call it homemade? We can do that but is it the same?

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with MP soaps. It's not a question of right and wrong or better and worse, it's just that they are two different things and shouldn't be lumped together into "homemade" when the finished product is probably different. Do the customers know the difference whe buying "homemade" soap? Is it labelled MP?
I know remaking soap is a lot of work, I've done it many times with my CP/HP! I'd almost rather mix up some CP soap in the blender and aging it than rebatch. If I needed "homemade" soap in a pinch, I think I would buy MP but I would label it MP instead of Homemade.

Dollarama used to sell large bars of white unscented goat's milk soap for $1.00. Many times I thought about buying it and melting it down and adding colour and scent but I didn't because it and probably had chemical hardeners cals in it and no glycerine. Commercial soap is very hard on your skin.

I guess it comes down to this: Why do we make soap instead of buying it in the first place? I know there are some good MP soap bases out there but you do need to careful about the glycerin content, etc. so the finished product is the same as the customer is expecting. If your repeat customers are thrilled with what you make, then don't worry about it.

Sales and happy customers are what determine your success, not what other soap makers think - and that's true of all crafts, art included. A degree in art does not a successful artist make. But that is another discussion...

I got my soapmaking start doing melt and pour. I love the way that you can get creative with this. I showed my son how to do them. He was avout 6 or 7 then. Now he is 13 and still soing some amazing stuff! I then went on to do cold process. I love the challenge. I don't have to explain the wonderful feeling you get when you make your own soaps. I've never snubbed any soapmaking technique. They are all awesome. Just like candlemakers. (Yes, I am one too) Some think that wax is evil and soy is the utmost. I've worked with all sorts of candle ingredients and enjoy them all!