Little Bit of Soap Lunacy

Little Bit of Soap Lunacy

I've been watching videos made with my free soap dough recipe. These videos have at least one step missing, if not more. Each step is very important.

I have made soap dough many different ways and condensed all my experience into the easiest most sure-fire way of making smooth soap dough recipes, books and video tutorials.

Many soap makers are jumping on board with the soap dough phenomena. I strive to master the craft of soap dough. This is a life-time endeavor. To begin to master something, anything, it has been said it takes a minimum 10,000 hours of apprenticeship. Just doing one's time, having the hours under one's belt, does not automatically make one a master. I practice my soap-craft daily and have since I began. I share this to let you know where I stand, how dedicated I am to understanding this soap-craft and to sharing my experiences.

Soap Dough Points

Touching soap dough with bare hands hours after it is poured is not safe. No matter if the soap dough seems firm. (This holds true for cold process soap as well, which is one-in-the-same. Curing is how cold process and soap dough are different.)
 
Un-molding hours after the soap dough is made is not going to show the best soap dough results. Waiting 3 days to work with it after pouring soap dough WILL work. And still, I leave my soap dough for a week in a bag before I use it. Patience is also a valuable tool to this, or any, craft one is striving to master.
 
Trace is not as important as some think. Trace is defined as leaving "traces" of soap lines, or evidence of soap, that drips off of the mixing tool (spoon or stick blender) on the top of the soap batter. Emulsion IS important. Trace is a sign of emulsion. "An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (un-mixable or un-blendable). The word "emulsion" comes from the Latin word for "to milk", as milk is an emulsion of fat and water, along with other components."

Here is where the rubber meets the road - examples of Sorcery Soap embellishments. If you like what I create, and see the potential of soap dough please follow the directions and you, too, will have smooth, pliable SAFE soap dough.

Knowing the difference between "saponification" and "curing" is important. Full saponification can take 3 days, and evidence of using an orange or yellow mica. The color will not fully change from the ugly orange it originally is to the intended color for 3 days. The question is, why?

Curing is water evaporation. That's it. Full stop. Soap dough does NOT cure until used and exposed to air, continuously. Air exposure causes water to evaporate. Soap dough does not cure in its pliable state, it is the opposite of traditional cold process soaps in this respect. Soap dough stays pliable because the crystalline structure of cold process soap is kept from locking by maintaining the water. Each time soap dough is molded, mashed, the structure is broken. Until the very last time, when the embellishment/figure is created and left to CURE with continuous air exposure. This is why soap dough is kept sealed or in an air tight container, to inhibit or retard water evaporation.

I have also discovered a different, undesirable, texture to soap dough when gelled. Gelling takes place when the soap is insulated or kept from cooling to ambient air temperatures by being in small container. Gelling is maintenance of heat generated from the saponification process, which is exothermic. If your mold is wooden, or in a container that is smaller/condensed, unlike a longer silicone mold in a wire cage (giving the over all soap more exposure to cool) the soap dough will gel. 
ex·o·ther·mic
CHEMISTRY
  1. (of a reaction or process) accompanied by the release of heat.
    • (of a compound) formed from its constituent elements with a net release of heat.
 
I have tried making small amounts of soap dough in bags and then placing them in mason jars. Guaranteed gel, which produces a sticky soap dough. A controlled, small amount of evaporation is necessary to have the perfect consistency to smooth, pliable soap dough. 
 

I hope this helps you on your soap dough making process.

Bee
Much of this information is discussed in greater detail in the Sorcery Soap Books, all but just the Soap Dough Recipes, which are ONLY the recipes, offered at $1 each. The soap dough recipes are offered as a favor, for those experienced soap makers.
Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.