What is the difference between the process of making commercial soaps and handmade cold process soaps?
There are two processes for making soap. Commercial soap (Irish Spring, Dove, Body Shop soap) is manufactured by using a hot process method. In the hot process, oils and alkali are boiled together for a period of time to create saponification (the process where the oils and the alkali merge together). During the boiling, the soap product and glycerin separate. In large commercial processes, the glycerin is separated out and sold, and the soap mixture is then formed into bars or other shapes. Since the soap mixture is boiled for such a long time, the oils in the hot soap process can go rancid. So to counter rancidity, whole arrays of chemicals are added to keep many hot process soaps fresher for a long shelf life. Handcrafted soap manufacturers mostly use the cold process method of production where oils are heated just to the melting temperature and mixed with an alkali to create saponification. It is then poured into molds, cut and cooled off, and then cured for approx. 4-5 weeks. Cold
