This process is called cold process because the saponification process takes place without the use of a heat source. Nevertheless, the soap has a relatively high temperature during the saponification process.

The main advantage of this method is the possibility of colouring and thus creating various patterns in the final soap. A minor disadvantage is the curing time of the soap; in order to evaporate the residual water in the soap, it is necessary to let the soap rest for 2–4 weeks so that the water evaporates and the soap remains nicely hard. The harder the soap, the longer it will last in the bathroom.

For making soap by the cold process you will need:

Protective equipment – goggles, gloves, digital scale, bowls, spatula, spoons, stick blender, soap mould, pH strips, sodium hydroxide – you can buy it commonly in a drugstore, distilled water, Oils – olive (pomace), coconut, castor, sunflower, ... it depends on the recipe, Butters – cocoa, mango, ... , Waxes – beeswax, Essential oils, fragrance oils, Colorants.

Procedure:

The basic steps in making cold process soap are:

1. Preparation of the lye solution (sodium hydroxide solution)
2. Preparation of oils and butters
3. Mixing the oils with the lye solution – reaching trace
4. Adding fragrances and colorants
5. Pouring into the mould – 24 hours of the saponification process
6. Cutting the final soap
7. Curing process, 2–4 weeks

We describe the production in more detail in the attached video.

Measuring the final pH:

After 2–4 weeks comes the measurement of the pH of the final soap. Moisten a piece of soap with water, apply a pH strip and compare it with the scale that is provided directly on the packaging of the pH strips. The soap should have a pH lower than 9.5.

What did we use in the video?