Advanced Cold/Hot Process Soapmaking
Soapmaking 210 is an intense soapmaking class for intermediate and advanced soapmakers the information presented in this class relates to both cold and hot process soapmaking. The main objective of this class is to teach students the information necessary to make a truly great bar of soap. Students learn the desirable soapmaking characteristics of different fatty acids and the fatty acid profiles of various natural oils. This class covers the chemistry of the saponification process, an explanation of how natural soap differs from commercial "soap," the different extraction methods used to produce oils, the likelihood of each oil to cause an allergic reaction, and a description of which factors affect the speed of trace and which factors affect the speed of saponification. Each student receives five small bars of soap: one of olive oil, one of coconut oil, one of palm oil, one of rice bran oil, and one of castor oil, so the student will be able to understand and appreciate the qualities of each type of oil when used in soap.