What do I need to make Cold Processed Soap?Updated 4 months ago

Cold Process Soap:

In general, soap crafters consider cold process soap to be one of the most common methods for soap making. This method has been termed "cold process" because there is no outside heating source applied to initiate the process of saponification. Hot process soap uses different types of heating sources, such as the stove or a crock pot. On the other hand, in cold process soap, the lye mixture creates heat and saponifies the oils by itself. The lack of a heat source unfortunately means that this type of soap will take a lot longer to cure. The typical curing time for cold process soap is between 4 and 6 weeks. Although lengthy, this curing time is necessary to allow the soap to harden. The longer cure time will also help your soap to be more tolerable on the skin.

After creating your soap, you can decide whether or not you want to insulate it. A lot of the research we read suggests insulating, but it is mostly up to your personal preference. We have written a blog in the past about how you can insulate soap to promote gel phase. After pouring the soap into your mold, surround it with layers of towels or blankets. The layers will absorb the heat while your soap undergoes saponification. This process is the gel phase, where the fats in your soap become hardened. The key to this process is evenly heating the soap in order to prevent a partial gel from occurring. If you insulate, it will accelerate saponification and the finished look will look slightly shiny. By deciding to put your soap in the fridge instead, saponification will slow down and the finish will look more matte.

Ingredients in Cold Process Soap: Lye

Now that we have discussed the process of insulation, we should mention ingredients that are important for cp soap. In order to get your bars of soap to turn out correctly, measuring the ingredients to a tee is very important. Starting with the main ingredient, sodium hydroxide, which is also known as lye. This is completely necessary to make cold process soap. Lye is an emulsifier, which allows oils and butters to mix with water and make soap. Without it, these ingredients would not mix which would prevent any soap being made. By adding too much lye, it can result in your soap having a higher PH level, which may end up causing burns and irritation to the skin. On the other hand, if the lye is not balanced properly with the oils, it can interfere with the reaction, which can lead to greasy and oily bars of soap.

Ingredients in Cold Process Soap: Oils

Palm oil, coconut oil, and olive oil pomace are all commonly used when making cold process soap. They contribute different qualities to your soap depending on their main properties. We have a chart on our website that breaks down the soaping oil properties for each type of oil. The properties we looked at are hardness, cleansing, conditioning level, bubbly lather, creamy lather, and sap value. Also included in the chart is some miscellaneous information to provide you with more knowledge about each of the oils. Palm oil is high in its hardness, conditioning, and creamy lathering elements. Coconut oil contributes to hardness, cleansing quality, and bubbly lather. Olive oil pomace is very high in conditioning, which is definitely an ideal quality for soap. The combination of these three oils would create a soap that cleanses thoroughly, lathers nicely, and is gentle on the skin all at the same time.

Ingredients in Cold Process Soap: Colorants

Some other ingredients that are commonly added to cold process soap are FUN soap colorants, soap dyes, and mica pigments. We have many different color options to choose from in colorants, dyes, and beautiful diamond dust and 24K gold micas. When it comes to adding colorants or pigments, some may cause color morphing, which could affect the appearance aspect of your soap. To save yourself the frustration of ruining a batch of soap that discolors to something you do not like, you can test this out before hand. This can be done by taking a small amount of soap dye or mica pigment and adding it to a little of the lye mixture. You will be able to see your results quickly.

Cold Process Soap Testing

In our recipes you can find on our website, we have taken the time to test each of our fragrance oils in cold process soap. This way, our customers are able to see the results before they decide to use them. When we tested them, we were specifically looking for acceleration, discoloration, ricing, separation, and scent retention. 

Cold Process Soap Class 101

Doing your research before making cold process soap for the first time is extremely important. For example, if you have never worked with lye before, you will need to learn about it before hand. Your top priority when making soap should be practicing proper safety because accidents may happen if precautions are not taken. Another thing when it comes to lye is that it cannot be stored in or combined with any containers or other products that are made out of aluminum or tin. The reason for this is that the combination will cause a violent reaction. For these reasons, we implore you to use the safety gear including; safety goggles, a safety mask, and gloves. One last thing to remember is that the materials and equipment used when making soap should never be used for food again. By keeping these steps in mind and being cautious, making soap can be both easy and fun.

We are not responsible for the performance of any of the recipes provided on our website. Testing is always the responsibility of our customers. If you plan to resell any of the recipes that we provide, it is also your responsibility to follow all FDA regulations. For any products and ingredients listed in recipes that are not sold by us, we can not offer advice on where they can be purchased. When you use our recipes and/or raw ingredients, you are agreeing to indemnify IndiMade Brands against any liability of performance, any lack of performance, or any problems that you encounter with the finished products..