Soap Making

Welcome back to soap making here in part two we are going to be talking about both hot and cold processes of soap making, heat is necessary for saponification.

Saponification is typically used in referring to the reaction between a metallic alkali to oil or fat in forming soap.

The cold process of soap making is done with a temperature that is above the normal room temperature to be certain of fat liquification and it is required that the fat and lye be warmed always after mixing to be certain the soap is saponified completely.

Contrary to the cold process, the hot process can be of use immediately since fat and lye can be saponified quickly due to higher temperatures used in the process.

Hot process is then used if utmost purity of the lye is questionable, and may use the natural lye solution called potash.

One desirable benefit of the hot procedure is not needing the precise concentration of lye solution for an adequate success of the procedure.  In the cold process, it requires the exact lye concentration to ensure of a skin-friendly and mild products.

• Hot Process

In this method, fat and lye are boiled at 80 to 100 degree Celsius until the occurrence of saponification.  The maker can tell by tasting or just by simply looking at it.  Saponification can be known once tasted if the distinguished taste of the lye had disappeared, while in just looking at it, an experienced soap maker can tell if gel stage and complete saponification had occurred.  Once saponification occurs, sometimes putting salt will precipitated the soap and extra liquid will be drained.  After which, the hot, still soft soap will be molded.

• Cold Process

In using the cold process in soap making, the soap maker will have to check first in the saponification chart the saponification value of fats used, as this will be used to compute the exact amount of lye.  Excessive unreacted lye will result to an extremely high level of pH and possibly irritate or burn the skin.  However, if there is no sufficient component of lye, the soap will understandably be oily and greasy.  That is why, for the most part, soap makers formulate 3-15% excess of oils for all lye to react and whatever excess fat will be left for conditioning benefits of the skin.

The lye will be dissolved in water, and fat will be mixed in the resulting solution.  Let it cool to 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit.  Stir in the lye and fat mixture until “trace.”  Trace is when the two substances become thicken and cloudy in appearance.  (With new technologies, a stick blender for a speed-up process does this.)  After thorough stirring, it will be expected that the mixture would become like that of a thin pudding.  As the mixture began to thicken, additives such as fragrance oils, herbs, essential oils, botanicals and oatmeal may be added.

The batch will then be put into varied molds, be kept warm with blankets or towels and will be left to further saponify for another 18-48 hours.  During this period, it is just normal that the soap to undergo “gel phase,” wherein the once opaque soap will be transparent for a few hours and then will turn opaque again.  The soap is expected to yield off heat after the trace.

After the entire insulation period, the soap is already hardened enough to be taken out from its mold and is ready to be cut into whatever desired shape of size.  In this period, it is already safe to make use of the soap because saponification is already complete.  Moreover, soaps that are cold processed typically hardened for about two to six weeks on a drying rack depending on its water content though.

Soap Making Purification and Finishing

In purifying soaps, its most common process includes the removal of sodium hydroxide, glycerol, and sodium chloride.  These elements are taken out by boiling the soap curds in plain water, and at the same time precipitating it again with salt.

The soap will then be removed most of its water content.  Traditionally, this procedure was done with a chill roll, the kind that produced soap flakes usually used way back between 1940’s and 1950’s.  However, vacuum dryers and spray dryers replaced the process.  With an approximate value of 6 to 12% moisture, the soap will be packed in small pellets.  The pellets will then be ready for the finishing.  It is the process wherein raw soap pellets are converted into salable products that usually come in bars

These soap pellets will be added with fragrances or other materials and will be blended in a mixer or the amalgamator.  The mass will be discharged into a refiner in which, with an auger, will force the soaps into a very refined wire screen.  And then, the soap will pass through a roller mill from the refiner, in the same manner as calendaring plastic or paper, or manufacturing chocolate liquor.  The process is not done yet for the soap will be passed through another refiner to plasticize further the soap mass.

Soap Making Vacuum Chamber

Right before it is thrust out, it will have to pass through a vacuum chamber for the entrapped air to be removed.  After which, it will be extruded into blank or long log, and then will be cut to desired lengths, then will be passed to another metal detector before it is stamped to shape with the use of refrigerated tools.  It will then result to pressed bars, which will be packaged in a lot of ways.

Pumice or sand may also be added in making a scouring soap.  However, this technique is usually used in manufacturing hygienic soaps.  The scouring agent works in removing dead cells of the skin surface.  The process is then called, exfoliation.  There are already a broad range of new materials and ingredients used in making exfoliating soaps.  These materials are indeed effective, but still, they do not offer the rough edges of pumice. Hope you enjoyed soap making part 2 not go out there and make some soap!

Dead Sea Mineral Enriched Lightening Facial Soap 250ml $0.99

HT 26 SCRUBBING SOAP $23.48

Japan EVITA Creamy Soap 130g - for Age 50s $15.95

Jill Stuart Facial Soap 100g with Case $49.89

3 pieces of soap about 4 oz each heart embed distressed grub prim decor $0.99

4 pieces of soap about 3 oz each heart embed Valentine's Day grub prim decor $0.99

Dead Sea Minerals Psor Soap, relieving symtoms of Psoriasis $14.99

Phyto Soap Bar 30g - Natural Facial Cleanser BNIB Free Post $21.27

Jurlique - Love the Naturals, Moisture Skin w/Tarocco Soap + Jasmine Hand Cream $17.01

McArthur Paw Paw Soap triple pack (Paw Paw Tom as seen on Today Tonight) $21.27

Tags: buy soap online, handmade natural soap, pure natural soap, soap making

This entry was posted on Monday, January 9th, 2012 at 5:51 am and is filed under Soap Making. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.