What Is Soap?
A substance used for washing and cleaning purposes, generally made by mixing a fat with an alkali, such as sodium or potassium hydroxide, and made of the sodium or potassium salts of the acids found in the fat, according to the dictionary definition.
What is the difference between Cold Process vs Melt & Pour?
There are a few different ways to make soap, but the most common are Cold Process and Melt & Pour. What are the differences between them? Depending on the results you want, each method has advantages and disadvantages.
Cold Process
Cold process soapmaking is a method of creating organic body soap from the ground up. Your base ingredients are completely under your fingertips. By mixing various types of oil (typically coconut, olive, or palm oil) with lye (sodium hydroxide), true natural soap is created. You must be sure to use the right proportions, or else you will end up with a mess of sticky goop or useless soap. Because of the chemical process, there are still serious safety concerns to remember. Since not all essential oils, fragrances, or artificial colors withstand the cold phase, your design options are minimal.
With cold process soap, you can still have some fun. What you need to do is be organised and know what can and cannot be done. However, the moulds you use must be handled with care. Since it is simpler to release the soap from silicone and wood, they are more widely used. Once the soap has dried, depending on the form of your mould, you should remove your soap bars from the large slab. After that, you’ll have to wait 4-6 weeks for your natural body soap to be ready to use, but once it’s finished, it’ll last a long time.
Melt & Pour
As a soap-making tool, this is getting popular. Melt & Pour is a pre-made soap base, meaning you don’t have to go through the hassle of gathering supplies, purchasing ingredients, making it from scratch, and waiting weeks for the soap to heal. However, you do not have complete power of any of the ingredients used to make the soap. Anyone can buy the same premade soap base and make a soap bar that looks really familiar.
It is easy to melt down and add colour, scent, essential oils, and other ingredients. Molds can be made out of something, and Melt & Pour soap can be removed from them even more easily. You may also have a lot of fun embedding smaller pieces of coloured soap into bigger bars since it dries easily and does not need processing, ready to go right away.
Kid-friendly
Melt and Pour is a fun craft to do with your kids. While cold and hot process soaps include lye, melt and pour soap allows children to “make soap” by melting and pouring into pleasant moulds. You will have to deal with hot soap, but older children can follow your instructions with ease. Molds come in a variety of styles, including flowers, shells, and Disney characters.
