Day 3 - How to Master Cold Process Soap Making in 30 Days

WEEK 1: Foundation & Safety First

Objective: Understand the theory, get familiar with safety, and prep your space and tools.

• Day 3:

  ✅ Study basic ingredients: Oils (olive, coconut, palm), butters, lye, water.

  ✅ Read: What each oil contributes to soap (hardness, bubbles, moisture, etc.)

Objective: Learn about basic soap-making fats and what they contribute.

What to learn:

• Olive oil – moisturising, mild, soft bar.

• Coconut oil – cleansing, hard bar, lots of bubbles.

• Palm oil – hard bar, stable lather.

• Castor oil – adds rich lather.

• Butters (Shea, Cocoa) – creamy lather, conditioning.

Tasks:

• Write notes on what each oil contributes.

• Start thinking about what oils you want to stock and use.

  
  

1. Saponification:

• Saponification is the chemical reaction that transforms fats and oils into soap. 

• It involves breaking down the ester bonds in triglycerides (fats and oils) and forming soap molecules and glycerin. 

• The reaction requires a strong alkali (lye), either sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for solid soap or potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap. 

2. Saponification Value (SAP Value):

• The SAP value represents the amount of lye (either NaOH or KOH) required to saponify a specific amount of fat or oil. You CANNOT substitute 1 oil for another because every oil has its own SAP value

• It's typically expressed as the milligrams of KOH needed to saponify one gram of oil. 

• Different oils have different SAP values due to variations in their fatty acid composition. 

3. Importance of SAP Values in Soap Making:

• Accurate Lye Calculations:

  SAP values are essential for determining the correct amount of lye needed in a soap recipe to ensure complete saponification. 

• Recipe Formulation:

  Understanding SAP values helps soapmakers formulate recipes with desired characteristics like hardness, lather, and cleansing ability. 

• Oil Substitution:

  SAP values can guide you in substituting oils in recipes, ensuring similar saponification characteristics. 

4. Using SAP Values:

• Consulting SAP Charts:

  Soap makers often refer to saponification charts that list SAP values for various oils. 

• Lye Calculators:

  Online lye calculators utilize SAP values to calculate the exact amount of lye needed for a specific recipe. 

• Superfatting:

  Some soapmakers intentionally use a slight excess of oil (superfatting) to make the soap more moisturizing and gentle on the skin

How to calculate lye values

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYuKZFvI0MU&t=1296