The basics of soapmaking
If you made it to this page, then you must be curious about how soap is made. That's great! I love sharing my knowledge about soap.
Before I get into my story, I first want to say that I had high hopes of having an online shopping option for my soaps. What I learned is there is more to the backend of an online store than I had anticipated. I decided to focus my online presence on Energy Healing instead, and will keep this page for the purpose of sharing my story in the soapmaking world. While I have slowed in production, I do keep a small inventory at Reiki Essentials & Wellness in Waupun WI. You are welcome to check those out if you are near that area, and I will always be happy to take custom orders. In addition, I will be sure to post on my facebook page when soaps are available to purchase directly from me. If you would like to follow along, Click Here!
With all that said...let's get into how we got here. Shall we?
I have been making soap from scratch off and on since 2008. By no means do I know everything there is to know, but I'm happy to share what I can with you. If what you learn here inspires you to see more, there are many soap makers on YouTube. Royalty Soaps and Tree Marie Soapworks are two of my favorites, but there are several others; each with their own techniques and personalities. It's fun to watch, and at times I find myself in awe at their designs and techniques.
Like I mentioned on the Home Page, all soap starts out with oils and lye. You don't get soap if you don't use both. There are things that will cleanse without lye and oils, but it's not true soap. They would be classified as detergents, which can be harsh on the skin; especially if you have sensitive skin to start with. For true soap, in order to ensure every batch is safe to use, it is common practice to use a bit less lye – industry standard is 5%-8% discount depending on the recipe. This is called a superfat, and ensures the lye is all used up in the process.
What is the process, you ask? It's called saponification. When oils and lye are combined, every molecule of lye attaches itself to a molecule of oil. The lye also needs a vehicle in order to be blended with the oils. The typical choice is distilled water, but you can use wine, beer, milk, coffee, tea or anything that will allow the lye to dissolve. Each will change how the finished bar feels, so a lot of times the liquid is chosen based on the desired end result. This solution is then blended with the oils until there is no separation when you stop mixing. You now have soap batter that you can color and fragrance. The last step is to pour into a mold that can withstand some heat.
The oils you choose for your recipe will typically determine how long it has to sit before it's set up enough to take out of the mold. Most of my recipes need a full 24 hours, but some need a bit longer. During this time the batter heats up while the lye and oil molecules combine and go through the saponification process. The end result is glycerin...otherwise known as soap! You can now take it out of the mold and cut it however you'd like. It's safe to use at this point, but it will be quite soft.
So now we wait…and this is the hardest part! Because of needing a liquid to blend the lye and oils together, the water content needs time to evaporate out. The longer you can leave it sit, the harder the bar will be. The harder the bar, the longer it lasts in the shower. Most recipes need 6-8 weeks on average to fully cure into a nice hard bar. It's also a good idea to make sure the bar can dry out fully between uses. A dish with good drainage to set your bar on will lend to the longevity of it, for sure.
Another important note about soap making for retail sales is labeling requirements. The FDA has guidelines depending on what classification you put yourself in. That is determined by what you claim your products can do. If all you claim is that your soap cleans people, then you don't have to list any ingredients at all. If you claim the soap is moisturizing, exfoliating, or anything like that, then it is considered a cosmetic and ingredients must be listed on the label. If you want to say that your soap cures psoriasis, cures eczema, or cures anything at all...well, now you are in the drug realm and have even more regulations to follow in addition to listing ingredients. Most soapmakers will adhere to the cosmetic guidelines for labeling even if they don't mention any cosmetic terms.
Here's the catch though...the FDA lets you choose between listing what comes “out of the pot” or what goes “in the pot”. If you choose "out of the pot", then you have to have every batch tested so your ingredients list is accurately representing what is in the product you are labeling. Testing is super expensive, so unless you are a large corporation you probably can't afford to do that. Listing what went in the pot is much easier, and cheaper...which is why you even see sodium hydroxide (commonly known as lye) in the ingredients. Remember, we just learned there is no lye left after saponification? But it went in the pot, so it is included to follow the cosmetic labeling requirements.
There are some different ways of going about this, but this is it in a nutshell. The rest is really just a matter of trial and error. Speaking of trial and error...I am always looking for people to test new products. I don't have a regular schedule of trials just yet, but when I narrow down a recipe it’s nice to get feedback from different people to see if it’s something worth adding to the product line.
If this is something you would like to be a part of, feel free to reach out through the Contact Page. Select the option for general feedback, and put in the message area you would like to be on the soap testing team. Or, feel free to reach out through our Facebook Page.
I can’t wait to see you there!
