What is Hot Process soap making?
Hot process soap making methods are ways to make soap that, by applying extra heat after trace, is fully saponified within a few hours. As explained in the cold process soap making method, soap is the product of a chemical reaction (called “saponification”) where fatty acids, combined with an alkali, give a salt (=soap) as the final product. When extra heat is applied to the soap mix, saponification occurs within 30 to 90 minutes, depending on batch size and ingredients. Hot process soap is therefore ready to use, at least from a strictly chemical point of view, very quickly. Even soap that is fully saponified at the end of the process (such as Hot Process soap, for instance) must be cured (that is, allowed to lose excess water, as well as possibly residual free alkalis) for at least 4 weeks. Although longer curing times are particularly important for cold process soaps, it’s a fact that good soap always needs correct curing times.
