Need Expert Advice on soap making

[SebonDraig]

Hello. So Ive made a couple of batches of CP soaps this year and sold quite a few. I'm happy with their scent and appearance however I feel that sometimes they don't feel like a Dove or Supermarket bar of soap. I use only oils and butters (Olive, Coconut, Shea, Cocoa, Avocado, Castor) but wondered if there is any room for improvement to get it to feel like luxury soap. when lathering it creates what feels like a suction to the skin so have to give the bar a good tug to move it on skin.

CP vs HP. I do find myself being unpatient so HP seems like a better option for me, are there any major pros/cons to this method.

 

[DeeAnna]

Dove isn't actually soap, so you cannot realistically compare the performance and feel of your soap to Dove. You need to compare your soap to other people's hand crafted soap, not to non-soap cleansers or commercial soap which is made with methods not available to hand-crafters.

Making soap with a hot process method isn't really any faster than making soap with a cold process method, despite all the myths to the contrary. You might save a day or two at best, but that's a minor time savings. HP soap needs just as long a cure as CP soap before it is at its best. And while you say you're happy with the scent and appearance, you imply you're not happy with the skin feel nor the performance. In the end, the prettiest and most fragrant soap is a waste of money if it does not function well as a cleanser.

UK soap makers need to have their recipes reviewed and approved by an assessor before they sell. I live in the US, so I don't know the details, but there are other UK soap makers on this forum who may be willing to give advice.

You sound quite inexperienced, yet you're already selling. Here's a good thread to read -- Are you ready to sell your soap?

 

[TheGecko]

Hello. So Ive made a couple of batches of CP soaps this year and sold quite a few.

Oh no no no. I know from first hand experience (I started selling at six months), that you need at least a good year of solid soap making before you are ready to sell soap to the public. I am fortunate that my first selling experience was positive, but it taught me that I really don't know anything about my soap other than my ingredients. How could I? My soaps were at best, just a couple of months old. And looking back...OMG those puppies looked 'homemade'. Sure, some folks are into that, but that wasn't the image I wanted to project...especially since I was asking folks to pay good money for.

I'm into my third year of soap making and will be officially selling soap come Spring. Now I don't expect anyone to wait as long as I have...there have been some extenuating circumstances (Covid, health issues), but I have taken advantage of the extra time to know my recipe inside out and upside down. I know that my recipe is best with a minimum eight week cure. I know how much weight a bar will lose over a year's time (not that I want to hold onto inventory for that long). This is crucial since it's illegal to sell a product that is less than its stated weight. I know the best temperature to soap at to get the longest working time, not just for designs, but because I will often make really large batch and split them into different soaps. It's also allowed me time to find the right colorants and scents since not all are created equal. Like I've tested Black Raspberry Vanilla from five different companies until I found one that worked with my recipe to give me the scent retention that I was looking for.

Not to mention that you are in the UK/EU and they are very strict laws, which include having pretty much every single soap you properly 'assessed'. If you haven't, then the power-that-be will not only shut you down, but you will face huge fines and possibly jail time.

I'm happy with their scent and appearance however I feel that sometimes they don't feel like a Dove or Supermarket bar of soap. I use only oils and butters (Olive, Coconut, Shea, Cocoa, Avocado, Castor) but wondered if there is any room for improvement to get it to feel like luxury soap. when lathering it creates what feels like a suction to the skin so have to give the bar a good tug to move it on skin.

As noted by @DeeAnna...Dove is NOT "soap", it's why it says "beauty bar" on the label. And commercial soaps aren't made the same way that artisan soap is made. First, huge tanker cars/trucks of two of the four most commonly used fats are brought in...Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Tallow or Coconut Oil. Then using the Continuous Process, steam is injected to separate the glycerin from the fats. The fats are then mixed with Lye in a boiler and then poured into huge slab molds that are then refrigerated, cut into chunks, fed into a noodle machine, the noodles then go through a mill where all kinds of chemicals and stuff is added to get you that lather and slickness and then the sheets are put into another machine that extrudes the soap into bars and then bars go into a press to get you that nice shape with the imprinted logo.

Many artisan soap makers use some Kaolin Clay to give their soap a little more 'slip'; it's a natural alternative to chemicals. If you want more 'lather', some folks add powdered milks (again, a natural alternative to chemicals).

CP vs HP. I do find myself being unpatient so HP seems like a better option for me, are there any major pros/cons to this method.

There are Pros and Cons to both methods so it's a matter of personal preference. The only real Pro I see with HP is that it speeds up the saponification process allowing you to make more soap in less time, but you STILL have to cure the soap for a minimum of four to six weeks (depending on your recipe). The Cons...HP soap batter has a much thicker texture and so you really can't do swirls and layering the way you can with CP. You have to be careful with the flashpoints of your scents as the higher temps can cause them to burn off. While not impossible, it's difficult to add fresh ingredients like milk and purees because again...the higher temps can cause them to burn. And the thicker texture lead to bars with a more 'rustic' appearance. You also have to keep an eye on your batter while it's cooking.

So what I have to wait 24 to 48 hours to unmold my soap with CP...if I need to make more soap, I'll just buy more molds. I like being able to just mix my batter, do my Drop/Chopstick Swirl and put it to bed; takes me about 30 minutes from start (weighing) to finish (clean up). In the same time it would take me to process a single HP soap, I can process several batches of CP. Of course, I could have multiple slow-cookers going at the same time...great if you can do that, but that's a lot more work than I want to do.

 

[Rsapienza]

You can try some silk for slip, or reformulate. I don’t find mine to be draggy at all. Sugar for bubbles. I’ve seen anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 Tbsp PPO added to water BEFORE adding lye.

 

[KiwiMoose]

what are the percentages of each ingredient? and your super fact amount? That might help to diagnose the problem.

 

[Dawni]

when lathering it creates what feels like a suction to the skin so have to give the bar a good tug to move it on skin.

I'm no expert but that sounds very much like Castile snot haha. Without knowing your recipe I'd guess you might need to lower the high oleic oils and "balance" it more. Or add more coconut oil lol

CP vs HP. I do find myself being unpatient so HP seems like a better option for me, are there any major pros/cons to this method.

If by patience you mean not waiting the minimum 1month to cure then you'll be disappointed to know that even in HP you'll need that min. 30 days. More sometimes, depending on your recipe.

I mainly HP. Personally I feel I have more control over my ingredients and you can add almost anything to your batter and it'll still end up as soap (provided it's not lye heavy, you did your measurements right, etc.) after it cooks. I also think I use less EOs added at the end of the cook than when added to raw batter for CP. But yes, it can be difficult to swirl and layer and just overall keep the soap fluid enough to do anything other than glop it into your molds.

But no, you do not have to always constantly watch over your soap every second while it cooks. At least not when you know your recipe. I use the in between times to mix my colors or measure my EOs n superfat for example. Also, CP probably takes less time from start to finish but HP soap does not necessarily need to cook more than 15-20mins. Again, depending on your recipe. And batch size.

I think I've repeated here that you have to know your soap. If you don't yet, I agree that maybe you can postpone selling just in case you get asked questions you don't yet have an answer for.