How to Speak Soap: A Beginner’s Guide to Common Handcrafter Terms

If you are just starting your soap or cosmetic making journey, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we will provide the terms and definitions for common terms that you’ll come across while formulating and crafting your product. From legal terms to industry “slang”, this article will cover a wide variety of words you might encounter.   Let’s get started!

 

 

Acid: When an acid dissolves in water, the pH of the solution is less than 7. This solution is considered acidic.

Additives: Any ingredient added to soap that is not a part of the soap molecule itself. Therefore, lye, water, and saponified oils/fats/butters are not considered additives. Examples of additives are colorants, fragrance, herbs, alcohol, silicon dioxide, and excess oils/fats/butters that remain unsaponified.

Alkali: When an alkali dissolves in water, the pH of the solution is greater than 7. This solution is considered alkaline. Alkali is a synonym for base.

Base: When a base dissolves in water, the pH of the solution is greater than 7. This solution is considered basic. Base is a synonym for alkali.

Base Oils: Usually oils like olive oil, palm oil, or coconut oil. Along with the lye, these oils provide the backbone of the finished soap product.

Caustic: A caustic material is one that can cause chemical burns of the skin or eyes. For soapmakers, the most familiar caustic substances are sodium and potassium hydroxides.

 Cold Process: A soapmaking method where oil and lye are brought to their desired temperatures, mixed, and allowed to react without additional heating.

Essential Oil:  An undiluted volatile oil extracted from plant matter by distillation, expression or solvent extraction.

Fair Trade:  Trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries.

Fixed Oil:  An oil that can be heated without volatilizing, that is, without evaporating at atmospheric pressure. These are the common soapmaking oils, including coconut, palm and olive oils.

 Flash Point:  The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a liquid may ignite. The ignition source might be a spark, flame or hot surface.

 Fragrance Oil:  A blend of aroma chemicals, synthetic or natural, that may be diluted with a carrier such as propylene glycol, vegetable oil, or mineral oil.

Gel Phase:  Produced by increased heat during saponification; during gel phase, the soap batter will look like translucent jelly.

Gross Weight:  Total weight of the container and contents.

HDPE, PET, etc:  Plastics commonly used in cosmetic packaging; for more information on these ingredients, please see our previous blog post,  Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Packaging, Part II-Tips for Packaging Your Cosmetics (http://www.cuttothetrace.com/2016/09/handcrafted-soap-cosmetic-packaging-part-2-tips-for-packaging-your-cosmetics/)

Hot Process:  A soapmaking method that uses an outside heat source to complete saponification. Typically, those practicing the hot process method will use a crock pot, although it is possible to use this method in the oven.

Kosher: in order to be certified as Kosher, a product or ingredient must be produced in a way that is compliant with the standards of Jewish laws.

Lye: The commonly used name for sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH). Lye is dissolved in water and then combined with other ingredients such as oils or butters to make soap. Soap cannot be made without lye.

 Lye Calculator: A tool used to help calculate the amount of ingredients needed for a receipt; can also provide acceptable ranges for different chemicals or attributes..

Melt & Pour: Uses a soap base that is commercially produced and completely saponified; it is formulated to be re-melted and solidifies immediately upon pouring.

Micas: minerals that are mined from the Earth and processed into powders, then coated in iron or titanium dioxides that give them their color.

Mold:  Soap molds can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and refer to the form used to shape your product.

MSDS:  An MSDS is a Material Safety Data Sheet. For each material used by the soapmaker, an MSDS should be available for reference by employees. The sheet contains information on the hazardous properties of the material, first aid measures, and other important information. The sheets are available from vendors who sell these materials.

 Natural Soap Colorants: Colorants made from plants and their roots.

 Natural:  Non-manmade products such as minerals or plants.

 Net or Net Contents:  The amount of product, not including packaging.

 Organic:  Used to describe an ingredient that has been produced without GMO’s, fertilizers, and other manmade chemicals or ingredients.

 pH:  The pH scale runs from 0-14, with acids at low pH, bases at high pH, and neutral water at 7.

 Pigments:  Typically manufactured in a lab (though some are still naturally derived), this colorant category includes oxides and ultramarines.

 Rebatch: Describes the process of shredding (or dicing) previously made soap and mixing it with a liquid, where the shredded soap will dissolve. Frequently used to add ingredients that could not withstand high temperatures or a caustic environment.

 Saponification:  The chemical reaction between oils or fats and lye to produce glycerine and soap.

 Soap (FDA definition): The bulk of nonvolatile matter in the product consists of an alkali salt of fatty acids and the product is labeled, sold, and represented only as soap.

 Superfatting: The practice of making soap with excess fat or oil (usually, between 5-10%).

Sustainable (Sustainability):  The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.

Tare:  Weight of an empty vessel or container. The tare weight is subtracted from gross weight to get the net weight.

Trace:  Occurs when a soap becomes an emulsification (when the lye water and oils will no longer separate). You can confirm trace visually when you lift your stirring utensil from your soap batter; if it leaves trails on top of the batter, you have reached trace.

Unsaponifiable Matter:  The weight percent of an oil, fat or wax that does not react with alkali to form soap.

Learning to speak soap will help you to feel more comfortable as you’re navigating recipes and tutorials on your way to making your first batch. But, if there is something you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to ask! The handcrafted soap and cosmetic community is full of generous, knowledgeable individuals; some of which even teach hands on classes. If you’d like to see if there’s a class taking place near you, visit http://www.soapguild.org/handcrafters/find-classes.php for more information on locations and some online options, too. You can also find more terms and definitions by reading our Glossary of Soap Related Terms, located in our How-To Library at http://www.soapguild.org/how-to/make-soap/soap-glossary.php.