QA

How To Make Hot Process Soap Smooth

One trick for how to make hot process soap smooth is to cook the soap all the way to the “dry mashed potatoes” stage, then remove from heat, add some yogurt (one ounce per pound of base oils) and stir until smooth before adding fragrance, color, and spooning into the mold.

Can you overcook hot process soap?

If the soap gets too high in the pot, take the pot off heat and stir like crazy. Be sure not to overcook the soap; you don’t want too dry a texture for the next steps!Dec 13, 2012.

What does yogurt do to hot process soap?

Add yogurt once your soap is fully cooked for a fluid batter. Plain greek or regular yogurt is one of the most common additives to help your batter become more fluid. You can add up to 1.5 tablespoons per pound of oils to achieve a looser, easier to swirl batter.

Why is my hot process soap crumbly?

Soap with a dry, crumbly texture could be caused by too much lye in your recipe. If your soap has a crumbly texture, ensure it is not lye heavy. If the pH is safe to use, the crumbly texture could also be caused by soaping with cool temperatures. Soaping cool (100 °F or below) can increase the chance of soda ash.

Do you stir hot process soap?

During the cook process your soap is going to change form quite a bit. Once the bubbles rise, you can do one of two things; either you can stir it down gently (recommended if it starts to bubble a lot) or you can leave it to cook.

How long does it take for hot process soap to harden?

Cover the soap and set it aside. It will take 24 to 48 hours to cool down and harden enough to unmold and cut. Since the saponification process is complete, the soap is technically ready to use as soon as you cut it, but like cold process soap, it will benefit from a cure ​of a few weeks.

What temperature do you add yogurt to hot process soap?

The temperature of LTHP averages between 130F-160F, maybe even higher depending on your preference and heating container. The temperature of HTFHP begins at 215F and the yogurt is added at temperatures between 160F-180F.

How much yogurt do I add to hot process soap?

Yogurt – Yogurt helps keep the soap fluid. It has properties similar to sodium lactate. You can use yogurt at 1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon per pound of oils.

How much sugar do I add to hot process soap?

Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar per 1 pound of oils you are using to the water (the same ratio as the first method). Stir until it is completely dissolved (sometimes it helps to warm the water first). Add this sugar-water solution in at trace with your other additives, but before the fragrance oil.

Why is my hot process soap lumpy?

First, your soap batter could be over cooked, which makes the soap dry and hard. Alternatively, the recipe could contain too many hard oils, which could be saved by re-batching with more soft oils. Or, it could be that you didn’t add enough water.

Can I remelt my cold process soap?

Rebatching soap, remilling soap, or remelting soap, is the process of taking previously made cold process soap, grating it, melting it down, adding other ingredients if desired, and then recasting it into molds.

How do I make hot process soap harder?

How to Get Harder, Longer-Lasting Homemade Soap Use a water reduction. You need to dissolve lye in water in order to turn oils into soap. Add some wax. A small amount of beeswax added to the melted oils will help harden your DIY bar soap. Add sodium lactate. Increase the olive oil. Add some salt.

Does hot process soap need a preservative?

When Do I Need a Preservative? When making cold process, hot process, and/or melt and pour soap, you do not need to adding a preservative is not usually necessary, as the water content “disappears” during the saponification process.

What is the pH of homemade soap?

pH testing handmade soap typically shows a result between 8 and 10, but can creep up near a pH of 11.

What does Superfatting mean in soap making?

Superfatting is the process of using less lye (or more fat) than industry standards so that there’s some leftover oil in the soap that’s not bound to lye. This leaves behind more unsaponified fat, providing more moisture in the soap. Every oil requires a different amount of lye to turn it into soap.

What is a good Superfat for soap?

A superfat of 1% to 3% is good safety margin. The second reason is to increase the mildness of the soap on the skin. Soap sometimes cleans so well that it dries or irritates the skin. Increasing the superfat above the 1% to 3% safety margin can help tame this tendency.

What percentage of soap is Superfat?

Oil that’s not turned into soap by the sodium hydroxide lye is called the “superfat.” An average superfat is anywhere from about 1-7%. The higher the superfat, the more “free-floating” oils in the soap. The terms “superfat” and “lye discount” can be used interchangeably.