Types Of Soap
It seems everyone has an opinion about certain soaps so I will briefly discuss the different types of soaps here.
Store bought soaps are really not soap at all. They are harsh detergents and other chemicals. Reading the list of ingredients on these is frightening.
Cold Process is the process of mixing lye into water and then adding that into a pot of melted oils and some butters. Once that thickens to a pudding like state, essential oils, other fragrances, herbs, or any other additives are added.
Then, it's poured into molds and stays there for 24-48 hours. After that, it's time to remove the soap from the mold and cut into bars.
The last step is letting it sit in a cool, clean area for about 6 weeks so it cures. This is the saponification process. It's the chemical reaction that turns the lye into soap. If it is not allowed to cure, it will burn the skin badly. After curing, no lye remains. It has all been turned into a soap safe to use on the skin.
Hot Process soap is basically the same as cold process except for the last few stages. Once the soap begins to thicken, it is put into a double boiler or crockpot (stirring occasionally) to heat it and speed up the saponification process.
It goes through three stages at this point: separation, where it looks like a science experiment has gone horribly wrong; coming back together and rising, where it suddenly stops separating and melds back together and rises A LOT; and finally, the 'Vaseline' stage where it resembles Vaseline. After testing the ph to make sure it's finished saponifying; colors, fragrances and anything else you wish to add, is stirred in.
Then it's time to pour into molds and let it set up for about 24 hours. After cutting into bars, it’s technically ready and safe to use right away, however there are benefits of letting it set a couple weeks so the rest of the water evaporates and let’s the bar harden so it will last longer. Hot process saves weeks of curing time versus the cold process method.
Glycerin soap, also known as melt and pour soap, is somewhat controversial to the soapmakers who swear by cold and hot process soap making. The CP and HP soapmakers don't see glycerin soapmakers as real soapmakers which is both untrue and unfair.
Glycerin soap is actually a hot process soap with a few added steps to make it able to melt and pour later when it's ready to be used.
Once the soap has been heated after mixing the water/lye into the oils, a moisturizer (usually sorbitol), an emulsifier like sorbitan oleate, a conditioner such as soy bean or oat protein, and glycerin (alcohol, stearic acid and other sugars can be used in place of those ingredients, but they can be drying to the skin) are mixed in and allowed to sit for about thirty minutes until it has liquefied.
At this point, the soap can be poured into large molds to be re-melted and finished at a later date or essential oils and other ingredients can be added now and poured into smaller molds.
Since the glycerin soap started out as a hot process soap, there is no curing time because it has saponified already and turned into soap. Of course, curing glycerin soap for a week or two makes it harder and makes it last a lot longer.
There are different 'grades' of glycerin soap if you buy a pre-made glycerin soap base. Some contain harsh ingredients such as detergents, sodium lauryl sulfate and many other nasty things that you really should avoid. You can also find some made with natural ingredients without all the harsh chemicals. Of course, you can also make your own so you are in control of what it contains.
Glycerin soaps can be made into cute shapes with designs in them and even become designs themselves. These are more aesthetically pleasing since they are made to look good.
Glycerin can also be made with herbs, powders, clays and other ingredients for certain skin types and conditions, just like CP and HP. These are less attractive as the cute glycerin soaps, but each kind serves specific functions.
So, you see, all soaps start out with mixing lye into water and then into oils. It's what is done after that, that makes it so diverse.
It seems everyone has an opinion about certain soaps so I will briefly discuss the different types of soaps here.
Store bought soaps are really not soap at all. They are harsh detergents and other chemicals. Reading the list of ingredients on these is frightening.
Cold Process is the process of mixing lye into water and then adding that into a pot of melted oils and some butters. Once that thickens to a pudding like state, essential oils, other fragrances, herbs, or any other additives are added.
Then, it's poured into molds and stays there for 24-48 hours. After that, it's time to remove the soap from the mold and cut into bars.
The last step is letting it sit in a cool, clean area for about 6 weeks so it cures. This is the saponification process. It's the chemical reaction that turns the lye into soap. If it is not allowed to cure, it will burn the skin badly. After curing, no lye remains. It has all been turned into a soap safe to use on the skin.
Hot Process soap is basically the same as cold process except for the last few stages. Once the soap begins to thicken, it is put into a double boiler or crockpot (stirring occasionally) to heat it and speed up the saponification process.
It goes through three stages at this point: separation, where it looks like a science experiment has gone horribly wrong; coming back together and rising, where it suddenly stops separating and melds back together and rises A LOT; and finally, the 'Vaseline' stage where it resembles Vaseline. After testing the ph to make sure it's finished saponifying; colors, fragrances and anything else you wish to add, is stirred in.
Then it's time to pour into molds and let it set up for about 24 hours. After cutting into bars, it’s technically ready and safe to use right away, however there are benefits of letting it set a couple weeks so the rest of the water evaporates and let’s the bar harden so it will last longer. Hot process saves weeks of curing time versus the cold process method.
Glycerin soap, also known as melt and pour soap, is somewhat controversial to the soapmakers who swear by cold and hot process soap making. The CP and HP soapmakers don't see glycerin soapmakers as real soapmakers which is both untrue and unfair.
Glycerin soap is actually a hot process soap with a few added steps to make it able to melt and pour later when it's ready to be used.
Once the soap has been heated after mixing the water/lye into the oils, a moisturizer (usually sorbitol), an emulsifier like sorbitan oleate, a conditioner such as soy bean or oat protein, and glycerin (alcohol, stearic acid and other sugars can be used in place of those ingredients, but they can be drying to the skin) are mixed in and allowed to sit for about thirty minutes until it has liquefied.
At this point, the soap can be poured into large molds to be re-melted and finished at a later date or essential oils and other ingredients can be added now and poured into smaller molds.
Since the glycerin soap started out as a hot process soap, there is no curing time because it has saponified already and turned into soap. Of course, curing glycerin soap for a week or two makes it harder and makes it last a lot longer.
There are different 'grades' of glycerin soap if you buy a pre-made glycerin soap base. Some contain harsh ingredients such as detergents, sodium lauryl sulfate and many other nasty things that you really should avoid. You can also find some made with natural ingredients without all the harsh chemicals. Of course, you can also make your own so you are in control of what it contains.
Glycerin soaps can be made into cute shapes with designs in them and even become designs themselves. These are more aesthetically pleasing since they are made to look good.
Glycerin can also be made with herbs, powders, clays and other ingredients for certain skin types and conditions, just like CP and HP. These are less attractive as the cute glycerin soaps, but each kind serves specific functions.
So, you see, all soaps start out with mixing lye into water and then into oils. It's what is done after that, that makes it so diverse.
