Soap

Question 1

Superfat

Answer 1

Soap recipes are formulated so that some oils remain after the saponification process (the conversion of oil into soap) has finished; this residual oil is known as the superfat content. Ensuring that oil remains is a safety measure to make sure all lye is used up during the chemical reaction (saponification) between the lye water and oil; extra oil also adds a moisturizing boost to the soap and ensures that vitamins and other oil nutrients are still viable. This is also called lye discounting.

Laundry bars can have a superfat as low as 1-2%. Most body bars are best with a superfat content of 5%. Face bars can benefit from a higher superfat of 15%.

Question 2

Trace

Answer 2

“Coming to trace” is a term frequently used in soapmaking; it describes the beginning of the saponification reaction, in which the soap begins to visibly thicken. The term trace comes from the slight line or trace that can be seen when the soap that is beginning to thicken is drizzled over the top of the still-liquid soap. As the soap thickens, the trace line becomes thicker.

Question 3

How hot does the water get from the exothermic reaction between the water an lye?

Answer 3

93 C

Question 4

What is lye?

Answer 4

Sodium Hydroxide

Question 5

What is the ph of lye?

Answer 5

14

Question 6

What is the normal ph of soap

Answer 6

between 9 and 10

Question 7

Apricot kernal oil

Answer 7

moisturising, conditioning, stable and creamy lather

Question 8

argan oil

Answer 8

conditioning, moisturising, adds hardness, stable and creamy lather

Question 9

Avocado oil

Answer 9

conditioning, stable and creamy lather

Question 10

Babassu oil

Answer 10

Cleansing, adds hardness, high bubbles

Question 11

Castor oil

Answer 11

Conditioning, moisturising, creamy lather, high stable bubbles

Question 12

Cocao butter

Answer 12

Conditioning, moisturing, stable and creamy lather, adds hardness.

Question 13

Coconut oil

Answer 13

Cleansing, adds hardness, High lather, high stable bubbles

Question 14

Grapeseed oil

Answer 14

Conditioning

Stable and creamy lather

Question 15

Hazelnut oil

Answer 15

Cleansing
moisturizing
stable and creamy lather

Question 16

Hemp seed oil

Answer 16

Conditioning

Low lather

Question 17

Jojoba

Answer 17

Conditioning
Moisturizing
Stable and creamy lather

Question 18

Lard

Answer 18

Conditioning
Adds hardness
Stable and creamy lather

Question 19

Macadamia nut oil

Answer 19

Conditioning
adds hardness
creamy lather

Question 20

Mango butter

Answer 20

Conditioning, moisturinzing, creamy lather, adds hardness

Question 21

Neem oil

Answer 21

conditioning, adds hardness, moisturizing, stabe and creamy lather

Question 22

Olive oil

Answer 22

Low cleansing

Conditioning

Question 23

Shea butter

Answer 23

conditioning
adds hardness
stable creamy lather

Question 24

sweet almond oil

Answer 24

stable creamy lather

Question 25

Tallow

Answer 25

cleansing
conditioning
adds hardness
stable and creamy lather
high stable bubbles

Question 26

How to incorporate herbs into soap?

Answer 26

replace water with herbal tea
use infused oils
add powdered herbs at trace (1 teaspoon per pound)
add herbs to top of bar after pouring

Question 27

When to add essential oils?

Answer 27

after trace and before pouring

Question 28

Red

Answer 28

quater cup Tomato puree added at trace. Discounted from water.

Question 29

Pink/Red

Answer 29

2 teaspoons of Rose clay added to lye water

Question 30

Pink

Answer 30

3 teaspoons Madder root added to lye water

Question 31

Purple

Answer 31

half a teaspoon of alkanet powder added at trace

Question 32

Blue

Answer 32

replace 15 ml oil with infused WOAD oil

Question 33

Green

Answer 33

1 teaspoon of spirulina added to the lye

replace 15 ml of oil with infused parsley oil

Question 34

Yellow

Answer 34

replace 15 ml of oil with infused tumeric oil

Question 35

Yellow/Orange

Answer 35

replace 15 ml of oil with infused Annatto oil

Question 36

Orange gold

Answer 36

quater cup pumpkin puree added at trace (discount water)

Question 37

Orange

Answer 37

2 table spoons of Morrocan clay at trace

Question 38

Brown

Answer 38

1 table spoon of Cacao at trace

2 table spoons of cinnamon at trace

Question 39

Blueish/grey/black

Answer 39

2 teaspoons of activated charcoal at trace

Question 40

What is the standard amount of water in soap

Answer 40

35-38%

Question 41

What is the most ideal temperature when combining oil and lye

Answer 41

40 C

Question 42

How long should soap be cured for?

Answer 42

4 to 6 weeks

Question 43

When should soap be discarded

Answer 43

Liquid oozing from soap - inacurate ratios/false trace
Hard chalky soap that crumbles when cut - too much lye
White powdery pockets throughout soap -too much lye

Question 44

What is soda ash?

Answer 44

This is known as soda ash, and is purely a cosmetic defect; the soap is perfectly fine to use. It’s the result of contact between unsaponified lye and carbon dioxide in the air, so covering your soap with plastic wrap or curing in a closed plastic tub may help with future batches. It’s also more likely to occur when soap is produced in cold working areas, and when using tap water in your soap (Berry, 2018). To remove the ash, you can gently rub the top of the cured soap under running water (while wearing gloves), or use a potato peeler or knife to gently remove the top layer.