Beginners! What're your favorite soap methods?

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Having done it, the biggest trick was having a totally level and flat mold on a completely flat surface.
:thumbup: Good advice. Also, take time with the prep. I set out 6 small bowls. Warmed the oils and put a little oil (1-2 Tbls?) in each of the bowls. Added a teaspoon of mica to each and stirred well. Then added the lye to the rest of the oils and brought to emulsion stage. I mixed one layer at a time, to allow it to set a bit before adding the next color. I spritzed lightly with alcohol between layers. HAVE FUN!
I hope you post pics when you finish!
Ditto that! Here's a link to the PHOTO GALLERY.
 
Welcome Susie! LOL Yes, I do know what you mean! I do mostly liquid soap and CP hard bars but here's a tip I learned early on to give HP a smoother finish. Add an oz of sunflower oil after the cook; stir for one full minute to fully incorporate, then pour. :thumbup:
Thank you I'll have to try it. I have used yogurt and it does ok .
 
What is Good - Hot OR Cold Process Soap making?
I have been researching on soaps for quite some time and wanted to come up with a best soap that is truly unique and comes with a greater value to the users.

After going through Youtube, blogs and many forums, I kind of felt that I was even more confused whether to go for hot or the cold processed soap making.

I promptly felt that hot processed soap making was much faster in gauging the soap quality because of less curing time when compared to cold process where one has to wait for 3-4 weeks.

Of course there are multiple other reasons to go for cold process soap because of the fine finish the cold process soap in terms of look and foaming lather.

Coming to the point…

One of the other reasons that made me take sides with the cold process is because of not using glycerin in it.

Yes, many people accept glycerin to be a good ingredient in soap making buy when I did a deep research understanding the quality of some of the best glycerin bases, I quite understood that the readily available glycerin in most of the good quality base is also carcinogenic.

Secondly, the hot process does not allow you to add herbal extracts in the soap that has therapeutic properties. While, the cold process allows you to add herbal Ayurveda extracts in making the best soap with amazing skin benefits.

Thirdly, it is more of a fun to try different formulations with hard and soft oils using soap calc and come up something delighting and organic.
 
I promptly felt that hot processed soap making was much faster in gauging the soap quality because of less curing time when compared to cold process where one has to wait for 3-4 weeks.
This is a common soap myth. HP soap has to cure the same as CP soap - in some cases maybe longer. There is more happening in the cure process than just water evaporation. Just because a good portion of water is cooked off in HP does not negate the need for a proper cure time.

One of the other reasons that made me take sides with the cold process is because of not using glycerin in it.
Glycerin is a natural byproduct of saponification. CP and HP soaps will both have glycerin naturally without having it added. Most soapmakers do not add glycerin to their soaps, unless using glycerin for mixing colors.

Secondly, the hot process does not allow you to add herbal extracts in the soap that has therapeutic properties. While, the cold process allows you to add herbal Ayurveda extracts in making the best soap with amazing skin benefits.
You can add many additional ingredients to HP, it's a different step in the process, and maybe more difficult [depending on the adjunct] but you can add specifically herbal extracts. In fact adding them to HP after the cook may be more beneficial than adding to CP as there is minimal lye exposure to destroy the extract properties.

Thirdly, it is more of a fun to try different formulations with hard and soft oils
You can do this with HP too. Really the only difference between HP and CP recipes is a higher amount of water used in HP.

After reading and thinking about your comments made here... I wonder if you have HP confused with Melt and Pour (MP) soaps.
MP soaps are made using a base (can be bought or made), melting it down and adding colors, fragrance, etc. It sets up completely within a few hours (depending on size of the mold) and can be used within a few hours or days.
HP (Hot Process) soaps are made by cooking together the oils and lye solution until the mixture has saponified (no longer zaps) and fragrance, color, etc is then added before placing into a mold. Once cooled it is then cut and cured for 4-6 weeks before use.
CP (Cold Process) soaps are made by combining oils and lye until the mixture is emulsified/traced, fragrance and color etc is added and it is poured into a mold. The saponification process takes place in the mold over the next 24 hours. When firm it is cut and cured for 4-6 weeks before use.
 
@amd just wanted to say that was an excellent response.
I did not know that HP needed to cure for the same amount of time. I haven't tried the method very often.
@HelloHasu - wasn't sure if it was mentioned, but one of the things that intrigued me about HP was the ability to control what oil to superfat with.

I haven't done HP very often at all because I cannot get the batter as fluid as I'd like even with the tips and tricks.

However I think there is probably value in HP and CP.
 

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