It’s officially spooky season and I have elected to celebrate this upcoming Halloween with a few soapy homages to my favorite horror films. The first soap to be released will be based on the movie The Blackcoat’s Daughter. The film presently holds a 74% rating on the Rotten Tomato Website and describes the synopsis rather succinctly:
Interestingly enough, I had no interest in this movie when it first came out. Possession movies used to be a favorite of mine, but they ultimately became formulaic over the years. Moreover, the notion of priests coming to the rescue at the end of these movies left a rather bad taste in my irreligious mouth. The xian god has sanctioned rape, war, and murder in his name throughout the bible while simultaneously threatening his children with eternal damnation for minor infractions, so I am not a fan of horror movies being created for the purpose of furthering xian propaganda. However, The Blackcoat’s Daughter takes the premise of possession and spins it in an unexpected direction and I am eternally grateful that my fiance made me watch when it was his turn to pick a movie.
The movie is slow, atmospheric, and creepy. While the pacing of the movie may be viewed as problematic to some, the terrifying details that quietly drift in the background leave one with a disquieting sense of dread that is way more effective than cheap jump scares could ever hope to be. The aforementioned details are so abundant that I found my second watch to be much more frightful than the first, as I was able to catch what I had missed in my initial viewing. I will not go into any further details about this movie, as I do not want to spoil it for those of you who have yet to see it. So on to the soap!
The soap was made with Hawaiian Pink Salt chunks interspersed through the bottom half of the batter to create the illusion of smoke and I used Crackling Firewood fragrance oil for a smokey scent. Check out these pics followed by my recipe!
RECIPE FOR 25OZ BATCH
10 oz Coconut Oil
5 oz Sweet Almond Oil
3 oz Shea Butter
2 oz Cocoa Butter
9.5 oz Water
3.8 oz Sodium Hydroxide
1 Tablespoon Pink Hawaiian Salt
Snake Skin Shed
Always follow safe soap making practices and run every new recipe through a lye calculator. If you don’t feel like making your own, feel free to purchase a bar in my shop!
As mentioned in a previous post, there are various additives that can change a soap batter’s color/or rate of acceleration/deceleration in trace or cause other effects. Trace is the state of emulsion, at which point it is safe to pour the soap can be poured into the mold. Acceleration is when soap batter becomes thicker at a faster rate than normal whereas deceleration indicates a batch that is slow to thicken up. Ricing is another issue that soapers must contend with and occurs when the soap begins to separate unnaturally in lumps while stirring to trace.
Fragrance oils can dramatically alter the speed of trace or morph the color of one’s batch. Understanding the effects that fragrance oil can have on soap can help you maintain the integrity of one’s design. First, we will discuss choosing a supplier and how to determine the potential performance of a fragrance oil before you formulate your recipe/design. Second, we will discuss some of the probable effects fragrance oils can have on one’s batter and the finished product.
SUPPLIERS & THEIR NOTES
If you read my post about micas, you know that finding a reputable supplier for your soap-making supplies is imperative if you want to make a safe, sound product that will perform well. Purchasing random fragrance oils from Amazon or individual sellers that lack any type of safety/performance reporting can quickly result in a substandard bar. Below is an example of a brief report from the Nature’s Garden website which displays a performance report on an individual fragrance oil:
The areas marked in red indicate that the company’s Fresh Cut Roses fragrance oil is devoid of phthalates and that it does not contain any of the chemicals listed in the CA Prop 65 Reportable Ingredients list. Suppliers of unknown origin may not always divulge such information on their fragrance formulations or offer advice on their use in soap-making, so sticking to reputable sellers that target soap-makers specifically is important.
COLOR & ACCELERATION
Some fragrance oils can radically change the color of your soap after cure. For instance, any fragrance oil containing vanillin will create a light tan to dark brown color, depending on how much vanillin the oil contains. Vanillin is the primary chemical component of the vanilla bean which is extracted for various uses. However, modern vanillin is typically synthetic. Either variation of vanillin will cause a significant color morph in soap and reputable suppliers often note vanillin content in the description of their products. Note the following examples from the Nature’s Garden website:
In the first image, the supplier offers notes from fragrance oil testing on cold process soap that was conducted by the company. In the second image, the supplier displays the level of vanillin in the fragrance oil and its potential effects. While you should always conduct your own testing on new fragrance oils, the information from the supplier is key to ensuring that you will not run into too many unexpected results.
The supplier here also notes whether or not the fragrance oil causes any acceleration, ricing, or deceleration, as well as the level of scent retention. Determining scent retention prior to use in soap will help you figure out whether or not an oil is appropriate for use in this craft. It is advisable to steer clear of fragrance oils with low scent retention when making soap, as the scent is an essential quality for many customers.
TIPS FOR NAVIGATING FRAGRANCE OILS
VANILLIN TROUBLESHOOTING
When using a fragrance oil with a high level of vanillin, the best practice is to simply work with the inevitable color morph (tan to dark brown). Plan the color scheme around the eventual color morph.
If there is minimal vanillin in a fragrance oil, and the color morph presents a problem to one’s soap design, a vanillin stabilizer may be used. These stabilizers can be purchased through most soap suppliers and the sole purpose of this product is to prevent vanillin-laden fragrance oils from turning one soap brown.
FRAGRANCE RETENTION
Fragrance retention can be difficult in some cases. Suppliers’ performance notes and customer reviews can give one a strong indication of how well a soap will retain its scent. The best practice for using just about any fragrance oil is to use a teaspoon of clay (french, rose, kaolin, bentonite, etc.) to one’s lye solution to help anchor the fragrance.
ACCELERATION/DECELERATION
If a fragrance oil is known to cause an immense amount of acceleration one could refrain from using micas that are known to can much of the same. Activated charcoal, deep blue, black, and purple micas, and titanium dioxide are notorious for causing acceleration. Also, some oils cause a quicker trace than others.
Hard oils, such as coconut oil, and butters tend to quicken the pace of trace, so reducing the amount one uses could help reduce the speed of trace. Also, it may be worth it to soap at room temperature as well. An easy way to soap at room temperature is to create one’s lye solution and allow it to sit (in a safe place away from pets and children) overnight and soap in the morning.
However, this effect could be utilized in designs that require texture throughout the bar. For fragrance oils that stall one’s trace, use softer oils, higher temperatures, and colorants known to promote trace.
If you are a beginner soapmaker, all of the little nuances and complexities of the craft may feel confusing initially due to the gargantuan amount of information out there. While making soap is a relatively straightforward process, the aesthetics of one’s batch is another issue entirely. The two main attributes of a soap’s appearance, color and design, can be greatly altered by several variables. For this post, we will focus on micas and their effect on acceleration and color.
When making soap, fats and lye are mixed until the batter reaches “trace.” Trace refers to the point of reaching emulsion, at which point additives (fragrance and/or color) can be added to the soap batter before pouring it into the mold. Acceleration occurs when trace is reached at a quicker pace than usual. While acceleration is not necessarily a bad thing, it can be detrimental to more intricate soap designs involving techniques such as a drop swirl or hanger swirl. Before I provide a rundown on the effects of different micas on acceleration and appearance, we must talk about suppliers first.
CHOOSING A SUPPLIER
You should choose a mica supplier based on your personal/company philosophy and the quality of the products on offer. I use Nurture Soap micas because their products are vegan and cruelty-free. The company also seeks out ethical sources for all of their products, which is a big deal when it comes to mica, as mining for the material has facilitated abusive child labor practices in other parts of the world. Lastly, the color selection from Nurture is amazing. It is extremely important to select a reputable supplier. DO NOT PURCHASE CHEAP MICA FROM AMAZON (or anywhere else).
Making such a purchase is a terrible idea because it is hard to ascertain what is actually in the mica when you buy it from a random company or individual on the internet. The price of mica from reputable companies is always higher than sketchy eBay or Amazon randos, but the expense is absolutely worth it. There are millions of stories from novice soap-makers on soaping forums lamenting the consequences of purchasing cheap micas, as these substances rarely work well. You may end up dumping a whole 1-ounce bag into your batch and still end up with barely-there color whereas reputable brands take only a small fraction of mica for the full effect.
To find a reputable mica supplier, you can simply join a large soapmaking forum and peruse its posts or watch/follow popular soap makers for research purposes. Here is a small list of reputable mica sellers to get you started if you don’t feel like digging any further:
Titanium dioxide is a popular soap additive and is often found in micas, where it is used to lighten colors. It is an opaque white powder that adds a bright, true white color when used by itself. The additive is generally viewed as harmless and is even a common ingredient in a variety of sunscreen preparations. However, using a mica with this additive (or alone) will accelerate trace measurably. Most dark micas will have much the same effect on acceleration. Dark or vibrant purples or blues will accelerate one’s batch quickly, as will any black micas or activated charcoal. Designs, soaping temperatures, water discounts, other additives, and fats must be adjusted accordingly (I will write on these shortly).
EFFECTS ON COLOR
The effects that mica has on color are relatively simple, for the most part. Nonetheless, there are still a few issues that can emerge. For instance, the majority of yellow micas tend to fade in most cold process soaps. It is advisable to add a neon yellow soap colorant along with any yellow mica you use to obtain a true lasting yellow color.
Dark micas are more prone to developing soda ash on the outer layer of one’s soap. Soda ash is composed of deactivated lye and only poses an aesthetic issue for soap. While there are some soapers who will encourage the formation of soda ash to give their soap a certain appearance, you may want to prevent soda ash for your own design goals. To stop the formation of soda ash, just spray your freshly poured batter with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). You may need to repeat the process a couple of times to fully prevent soda ash formation, especially if you used a black mica or activated charcoal. If soda ash still occurs, you can run your soap under running water and gently remove it with your hands. Dry well before selling.
Lastly, green micas can be deceptive. When green micas are added to a cold process soap, almost every single shade will take on an orange/brown hue initially. The good news is that the orange/brown hue will dissipate as the soap sits and becomes less alkaline (about 24 hours). However, there are some greens that may turn blue in some cold process soap batters. One of my favorite micas, Savage Garden from Nurture Soap, tends to turn blue in such batters, even after curing. To fix this, add a little neon yellow along with it to maintain its beautiful green hue.
CLOSING POINTS
If you have any questions about what you have read here, please feel free to reach out to me in the comments. Soaping is a great hobby, but there are many factors in making a pretty bar. I have learned a lot from other soapers over the past decade and I hope I can contribute to someone else’s growth in the craft!
Handmade soap created by a local individual or business can provide a number of benefits to the customer, environment, and local economy. For this article, we will focus on the benefits that handmade soap has for those who purchase handcrafted soaps instead of cleansing products (or cleansing bars). First, the majority of “soaps” one finds while pursuing the average store cannot actually be classified as soap.
Cleansing products that are heavily laden with detergents and foaming agents can be found on store shelves, masquerading as soap. These products are far more likely to dry out one’s skin. The proof of this sudsy deception can be found in the labeling practices for both soap and the previously mentioned cleansing products. According to the FDA, in order for a product to meet the criteria for soap it must fit the following description:
The bulk of the nonvolatile matter in the product consists of an alkali salt of fatty acids and the product’s detergent properties are due to the alkali-fatty acid compounds, and
the product is labeled, sold, and represented solely as soap [21 CFR 701.20]
The primary ingredients in soap are lye and fats, as any soap-maker will tell you. Lye is highly alkaline and reacts to fatty substances (such as vegetable oils, lard, butters, or tallow) to create soap through the chemical process known as saponification. While cleansing products may contain saponified fats, they also contain several other unnecessary ingredients to the point that said products can no longer be legally labelled as soap in some cases. Furthermore, glycerine is often removed from commercial soaps.
Glycerine is a humectant (which aids in softening the skin) and occurs naturally in the soap-making process. Larger companies often remove the glycerine generated by the soap-making process to add to lotions or sell separately by itself. Handmade soaps retain their glycerine and are typically devoid of potentially irritating additives. So, handmade soap benefits the customer through its inherent skin-loving properties!
I have plenty of handmade soaps in my shop if you care to follow the link:
This past Sunday, I was vending at a local event called the Punk Rock Flea Market. I did fairly well, but I found myself explaining (or rather defending) my use of snake skin shed in some of my soaps. While I tend towards a vegan diet for political reasons, the use of snake skin shed still aligns with my own political ideals, as snakes naturally shed their skin without human intervention. But why would anyone want to add snake skin shed to their soap batter? Because it is absolutely loaded with keratin! Keratin adds a silky smooth glide to the batch and adds a slight sheen to the finished product.
Previously, I used tussah silk in my soaps to provide that luxurious slip, but further research led me to boycott the material. Tussah silk is certainly cost-effective, as only a miniscule amount of the material is needed to reap its benefits, but harvesting silk is often problematic. Tussah silk is created by collecting and boiling silkworm cocoons, often with the silkworms still inside. If the silkworms are not boiled alive, manufacturers may leave the cocoons outside in the sun to kill the silkworms prior to boiling. While there is a variation of silk production that allows silkworms to leave their cocoons alive before extraction (called nonviolent or Ahimsa silk), the use of snake skin shed is still better for the environment and a sure-fire way to remain cruelty-free.
Tussah silk still relies on water and energy use to produce, but snake skin shed can be readily collected in some areas. Since snake skin shed requires minimal processing, it is ultimately more beneficial for the environment. If you are a soapmaker with ready access to snake skin shed, I implore you to use this material in place of tussah silk. Here is my method for including snake skin shed:
First, I collect snake skin shed from a friend of mine who owns a snake. I give her bars of soap in exchange. However, if you live in a rural area, you can most likely find another natural source of snake skin shed.
Second, I wash the snake skin shed in antibacterial soap and hot water to remove any bacteria or dirt from the shed.
Third, I mist the shed with isopropyl alcohol and allow it to dry.
Fourth and final step, I add the shed (amount: the size of a grape per lb.) to my water before I add my lye. After adding lye, it only takes about 5 minutes for the shed to break down. The heat helps to sterilize the shed as well.
The sheds I am given are typically very clean, but I like to make extra sure that they are sterile as possible before adding them into my soap batter. The combination of soap, rubbing alcohol, and heat from the lye solution ensures a nice clean process. While some customers may not appreciate the use of snake skin shed, it is still a worthwhile venture if you are looking for a cruelty-free replacement to tussah silk.
Alternative Soaping Tips By No. 44 
