Cold process soap is made using natural ingredients like essential oils and butters. It is also known as Lye Soap. This type of soap is created by mixing water and lye, then curing it for a month. Cold process soap requires proper measuring and mixing to create a gentle soap. Listed below are some common mistakes you may make while making cold process soap. Hopefully, these tips will help you avoid these mistakes and make your next batch of homemade soap a success.

Trace is the first stage of saponification

During the first stage of saponification in cold-process soap, oil and lye water come together and begin a chemical reaction that forms new molecules of soap. To learn more about the process, watch this Soap Queen TV episode. Erica Pences teaches online classes on this process and demonstrates it visually. In her online soap making classes, she teaches how to create the first stage of saponification, called trace. While trace is not a real trace, it does have a distinct color and smell.

After reaching the trace, essential oils and fragrance oils are added. If you're using botanicals, herbal extracts, and oatmeal, these ingredients should be added at this stage. If you see streaks on your soap, you haven't reached trace yet. If you pour it before reaching the trace stage, it won't set in the mold. Also, the soap might have pockets of unsaponified oil or lye, which are both harmful to your skin.

It's hard to do swirls and designs in cold process soap

There are several ways to create decorative elements inside cold process soap. One method is to add salt to the soap batter. Salt grains will not dissolve in the soap batter, and will show up on the finished product with a halo of light colour. This technique is often called salt dapple soap. Alternatively, you can also use sea salt as an ingredient. The salt grains can be found readily and are a very pretty decoration for soap.

Generally speaking, cold process soap is harder to create than hot process soap. It's easier to work hot process soap because it doesn't require a trace, while cold process soap requires you to work quickly and carefully. Swirls and designs in cold process soap can be difficult to achieve. Hot process soap is generally more resistant to heat than cold process, but it may take several weeks before it hardens completely.

It takes longer to make than hot process soap

While soapmaking does take time, cold process soap is not as messy as its hot counterpart. The molecular change in cold-process soap occurs within the first 24 hours. The resulting soap is more moisturizing and gentler on the skin. The time it takes to make cold-process soap depends on the type of oils and butters you use, and whether you're making a natural soap or using a commercial soapmaking machine.

One of the biggest differences between hot and cold process soap is the amount of active time required to cook the lye solution. With hot process soap, you must constantly check the temperature of the lye solution. If the temperature is too high, you risk causing the fragrance to dissipate. In cold process soap, you can safely add fragrances and colorants. While making hot process soap, stick to one color and fragrance for best results.

Ingredients

The ingredients used in cold process soap are salt, sodium silicate, and glycerides. The salt helps to dissolve the fats. The two types of fats have different chemical and physical properties. Glycerides are more stable than fatty acids. They are composed of carbon chains and contain glycerol and other organic compounds. These three ingredients make up the foundation of soaps. Glycerides are the most widely used types of soap.

The type of oils and fats used to make natural soap is important for quality. While some soaps claim to be completely organic, this is not always the case. To be truly natural, the soap should be made from pure organic oils and fats. Herbal ingredients should also be organic. Avoid soaps that contain artificial colors or fragrances. Instead, look for soaps that contain natural colorants and essential oils. Here are some of the most common ingredients used in cold process soap.

Temperatures

The temperature of your soap making equipment is an important factor in determining the final product. Generally, the oils and lye water must be 120-130 degrees F. Lower temperatures may not produce gel phase soap as easily. You should also ensure that the room temperature you use is warm and dry. Below are some common temperature settings:

The temperature of your water, oil, and butter should be between 120 and 130 degrees F. If the temperature of the water, oil, and butters are within that range, your soap will produce a clear trace. If your soap has an uneven trace, it might be the fault of high temperatures. A temperature that is too high may cause oils and butters to cool below their melting point, causing an uneven trace. It may also be because the oil was too hot when it was added to the mixture.