Oils are obtained by pressing of the vegetable or fruit. What is extracted and filtered is what many soapmakers use. The techniques involved are cold process, solvent process, heat process, and refined process. Each technique produces different grades of oils as some are used differently for different formulations. Let’s look at the different techniques used.
Cold pressing involves pressing and filtering. As the name implies, no heat is used to extract the oil from the seed. The oil that is produced afterwards is called virgin oil and it’s of the best quality and pricier but quantity is minimum compared to the other processes. Such examples are virgin olive oil and virgin coconut oil.
Heat process involves pressing and filtering of the vegetable/fruit with of course the aid of heat. Results of this process produce oils with a slight variation in color, taste or composition.
Solvent process will produce the highest amount of oil extracted. A solvent is mixed in with the solvent and once the solvent has evaporated the batch will produce oils. Although the quantity of oil produced is greater however, actives such antioxidants or extracts are removed in this process. Actives are key ingredients to have in leave-in body products as the skin can greatly benefit from them.
Refining process alters the composition of the oil by means of bleaching, deodorizing. This process removes properties such as color and odor from the oil.
A great example of oil that goes through the process mentioned above is coconut oil.
I just received a bag of mango butter and I must say I am in love! At first I wasn’t sure what to expect but very clearly from the first application of this butter on my skin I knew I can never be without. So what is mango butter and what is it good for? Let’s look at the profile for this incredible butter.
INCI: Mangifera indica (Mango) Seed Butter
Mango Butter
Color: pale gold
Shelf Life: 1 – 2 Years
Mango butter is an odorless butter obtained from the kernels of the mango tree. Although solid at room temperature it melts on contact. It has a melting point of about 100 degrees higher than that of shea butter (about 85 degrees). Because of this it makes it an ideal raw ingredient to use in solid bath products such as lip balms and lotion bars. In fact, it is a great alternative butter to that of shea butter to use in the summer months.
Like all butters, mango butter is moisturizing for the skin. It is said to help the skin retain its elasticity and it is a great ingredient to use for people with eczema and/or psoriasis.
It can be used as is or in combination with other soft oils in the formulation of bath products and soap. The usage rate can go as high as 100% for solid bath products.
This is a pre-made soap base made with vegetables oils and solvents. The solvents allow the soap to be re-heated many times. Some bases might contain surfactants which help the soap to lift off dirt from the skin and also increases lather. Melt and Pour soapmaking expands the soapmaker’s creativity to create visually striking effects. A multitude of transparent to opaque finishes and sometimes both can be created with melt and pour soaps. Another great thing about melt and pour soaps is that they can be used right away.
Why melt and pour soapmaking?
Melt and pour soapmaking is great for the new soapmaker in training. There is no handling of sodium hydroxide (safety is very important when handling this) or calculating percentages of oils, butters, etc. Melt and pour soapmaking is very basic and easy to understand. The real challenge is deciding what colorants and fragrance or essential oils to choose! SoapQueen.Tv has dedicated a series of videos of melt and pour soapmaking tutorials for easy learning.
A glycerin soap handcrafter can create detailed soaps using molds or creating his/her own. Great glycerin handcrafters such as Debbie Chialtas of Soapylove has created a niche in the soapmaking industry with her amazing creative and talented skills.
Melt & Pour soaps make great gifts as custom soaps. Instead of making a big batch you can make a custom soap using an individual mold. You can select the color and the fragrance and it’s ready to be used the same day.
As promised here’s the latest video from Anne-Marie Faiola from SoapQueen.Tv. Not only have I learned so much from watching Anne-Marie’s videos but I love going back to them time and time again. I always learn something new each time. Sit back, take good notes and enjoy learning!
A few readers have asked me, Rose, how do you make soap? Is it easy? What are the main ingredients in soap. Is it like cooking? Here’s a great post to read on the different ways to make soap.
There are generally 4 ways to make soap.
Melt & Pour: a pre-made glycerin base and the easiest to make. The name itself implies the process. You “melt” the base and “pour” into a mold. Additives such as oils/butters, colorants, fragrances, etc may be added to your soap base. Once the soap has cooled in its mold you can unmold and use right away. This method creates visually striking soaps for the handcrafter.
Cold Process: Mixing vegetable/animal oils and butters with a saponifying agent such as sodium hydroxide, poured into a mold. The soap “cooks” itself. The drying time generally takes 6 weeks. This method of soapmaking allows the soapmaker to be in the “Director’s Chair”. A soapmaker has control of what ingredients go in a batch of cold-process soap. The soapmaker can omit ingredients such as fragrances or any other allergens for those with sensitive skin.
Hot Process: This method has the same foundation as cold process soap except that soap is “cooked” before pouring into a mold.
Rebatching (Handmilling): Is a pre-made cold process soap that allows the soapmaker to handcraft beautiful soaps without having to touch caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). Choice of fragrance and additives can be added to the soaps.
In the next post I will share the first installment of a video series from Anne-Marie Faiola of SoapQueen.Tv on the process of making Cold Process Soap.
What is the main difference between hot process and cold process soap?
Hot process soap involves “cooking” the soap before it is placed in a mold. You can “cook” your soap in the oven (OHP), in a crockpot (CPHP), double-boiler (DBHP) and other various ways. I used a crockpot to make my soap.
CrockPot Hot Process
The drying of hot process soaps takes relatively a shorter time; about 2-4 weeks. Letting the soap dry out beyond the 4 weeks makes the soap even milder. Hot process soaps tend to have a textured look and feel, but expert soapmakers have mastered techniques to make their soaps look almost like cold process soaps.
As with scent, fragrance is retained more with this process.
Cold process soap is “cooked” after it is placed in molds. The drying process takes at least 6 weeks and the look and feel of this soap is much more smoother and creamier.
HotProcess Soap
I scented this batch of hot process soap with Bedtime Bath from Nature’s Garden. I also added ground oatmeal for mild exfoliation.
This wonderful soap was created with natural vegetable and plant oils such as olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil and castor oil. The great thing about making soap is the control you have in your ingredients. One of the ingredients I was able to incorporate in my recipe was Heineken beer at 50% of my water content.
It’s not intoxicating as you may think! The only benefits from using beer in your soap is that you get more bubbles in your lather as well as the faint aroma of hops.
Nonetheless, isn’t it a novelty to know that you can take a shower with Beer Soap and brag about it?
INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. It is a system of names for waxes, oils, pigments, chemicals, and other ingredients of soaps and cosmetics. The labeling of ingredients in any given product is listed in INCI format.
One of the most versatile oils ever used is Olive Oil. It is widely used in cooking food, soapmaking and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals.
It derives from the Mediterranean region and comes in a variety grades. The grade is dependent on the process of extraction.
Grades of Olive Oil
Virgin: oil was extracted without any chemicals. Rather it was extracted by physical means.
Extra-virgin: oil is commonly used in salads and cooking. It is derived solely from virgin oil.
Pomace: oil was extracted by heat using chemicals or solvents; this is also a less expensive grade of olive oil.
Refined: oil was extracted using chemicals and all taste and smell elements have been removed. This is considered to be a lesser grade of oil.
Pure: oil is a blend of virgin and refined olive oil. This is a low-end grade of olive oil.
It is a medium to heavy weight oil with a shelf life of 2 years. Yes even oils have an expiration date! In skin care, it is high in oleic acid which means its properties are: moisturizing, regenerative, softening and anti-flammatory. Also considered a humectant since it attracts external moisture to the skin and then absorbed rather well by the skin.
For the purposes of soapmaking I use Extra- Light Virgin Oil. I love getting the benefits of using olive oil and it gives my soap a soft, yellow natural hue.
As many of you know and have seen I love making soap! But more than that, I love to research the various oils that I will use. In believing that knowledge is key in anything you do and as one of the reasons I began this site is to inform the general public what these ingredients are and what they are good for, I will for the next several weeks begin writing a segment called Ingredient Profiles.
It is my hope that after reading these articles, you, my readers are well informed and understand why handmade soap is beneficial. After all, isn’t your skin the largest organ in your body? Love your skin and it will love you back
So far I have implemented a new cleansing regime called the Oil – Cleansing Method. To visit the post click here.
A week has gone by and I have noted that my skin feels smoother with hardly any troubles. I did get a bump on my chin area a couple of days after starting the routine, but keep in mind that any bumps, pimples, etc are usually the end result of a couple of weeks of oily activity under the skin. It is the skin’s self-cleaning method.
I did however decided to use a blend of coconut oil (50%) and walnut oil (50%). Why the change? Coconut oil has a high cleansing property. While using coconut oil may be too drying for some I decided to keep it at 50%. That’s where the walnut oil comes in. Since it has moisturizing properties and high Vitamin E content I feel that it will be a nice balance to the coconut oil.
Stay tuned for next week as I keep you updated on week number 2.
This blog is inspired by the day-to-day findings of everything that is natural and beautiful. I find beauty in photos, people, handmade items and fashion & beauty.
I am a crafty diva at heart who loves to make soap and bath products. I enjoy taking "Me" time and developing a great craft for almost anything!
This blog is inspired by the day-to-day findings of everything that is natural and beautiful. I find beauty in photos, people, handmade items and fashion & beauty.
I am a crafty diva at heart who loves to make soap and bath products. I enjoy taking "Me" time and developing a great craft for almost anything!
