Snap Shot – Soap Terminology…..
French Milled Soap – (or triple milled soap) Is a commercial process where soap (typically made from synthetic detergents) is made, dried into crystals then rolled three or more times through steel rollers. This repeated milling crushes the crystals turning them into a fine paste. This paste is then pressed and formed into bars. Removing glycerin from the soap is necessary to keep the soap from being too sticky and adhering to the rollers. French/Triple milled soap means that all soap bars will be identical with no variations in color and texture. True milled soap is impossible to do if you are not a commercial manufacturer with the steel rollers.
Hand Milled Soap – Is basically another way to say rebatched although there are some who will use the term ‘hand milled’ to imply the triple milled process. Hand milled (or rebatched) soap is made by taking handcrafted saponified soap (cured soap made from vegetable and/or animal products), grating it down or cutting into chunks, remelting and remolding it. This is typically done when a soap batch goes wrong or doesn’t turn out quite right and the handcrafter wants to salvage the soap. By hand milling (or rebatching) the soap you can also add the cut chunks to a new batch of soap to create a confetti type look. Most of the time rebatched soap is softer than normal soap.
Melt and Pour Soap (otherwise known as ‘glycerin’ soap) – Melt and pour soap is a premade base that is typically sold in one pound slabs. Even though it is a soap based product it may also contain detergents. It is formulated to withstand re-melting and accept additives. It also does not have to contain glycerin as the glycerin may be extracted to render the soap transparent.
Melt and pour soap is gently heated then color and fragrance is added then poured into molds to cool. Once cool the soap can be popped out and is ready to use.
Contrary to what some believe melt and pour soap it not more conditioning or gentle to the skin.
Cold Process – This is the most commonly used method of creating handmade soap as it does not require an external heat source to initiate saponification. A sodium hydroxide/water solution is mixed with an appropriate amount of fats/oils and stirred until light trace. The soap is then poured into a mold (typically a log or slab mold) and left to cool for 24 hours. Unmolded and cut the soap will then cure for 3-4 weeks to let excess moisture evaporate leaving a hard bar of soap. Typically cold process soaps are harder and longer lasting than HP (hot process) soaps.
Hot Process – A method similar to cold process with the addition of an external heat source. The same sodium hydroxide/water/oil/fat mixture is used but once combined it is heated up and boiled until the excess liquid has evaporated. Once the soap has been poured into molds and cooled it is ready to unmold, cut and use. Because the excess liquid was boiled off there is no curing time. Hot process soap tends to be softer than cold process soap.
Saponification – Is the chemical reaction created by combing oils or fats with an alkali and water. By combining the exact weights needed the heat generated is sufficient to initiate the chemical reaction that turns raw ingredients into soap. It is very important to use the correct amount of fats/oils to sodium hydroxide/water. If measurements are off or incorrect you will have soap that is too soft, too crumbly or worse – lye heavy (remember great grandma’s handmade soap?).
Country Meadow soaps are handcrafted using the cold process method. We do not hand mill/rebatch our soap. We make it perfect the first time and any batches that do not meet our standards are disposed of.
Rebecca
Country Meadow Ltd.
www.countrymeadowltd.com