Cold or Hot Process soap(Newbie)

[WWJD]

Your opinion ? I have made both styles of soaps. The cold process soap makes beautifull soaps with very low production pressure BUT the cure time is 2-4 weeks. The hot process soap making I have had not the best of luck, controlling the heat has been tuff but I would enjoy the quicker process. Lather, quality, fragrance ? what style is the proven leader?

Your opinion is valuable

[CareBear]

My opinion is that for CP you don't need 2-4 weeks, you need 4+ weeks. And that for HP to be top quality the same cure period is required.

That's What I Would Do.

[TallTayl]

ITA w/CareBear. There's no substitute for time. If you want your HP bar to last during use, then several months is best IME, but much of that depends on your formula.

To add to that - If you're looking for production volume, CP for sure. I can make 6+ batches of CP in the time it takes to cook one HP.

Plus, your batch size is limited by the size of your cooking vessel with HP.

[Faerywren]

Both types have their pros and cons. You'll have to decide which works for you.

[TexasBrat]

I go through phases of which process to make. When I need soap asap and can't wait I make cphp since they are going to look like fugly soaps anyway. If I want to play with color and have pretty soaps I make cp. Sure waiting for hot process to cure is ideal but you can use it right away without drying your skin. You can use cp soap right away too but it may burn and dry your skin.

You can always use sodium lactate to make a harder bar too.

[Kitn]

What works best for me is CP cured at least 8 weeks.

[eugenia]

I think that it's good to know both processes. I do CP, but if I have a batch seize, I just move on to HP and save it. I've done it right on the stove top, on low heat; eventually with lots of stirring the seized stuff becomes fluid again and I can get it into the mold after all. This is far easier then rebatching for me.

[jackbenimble]

This is a somewhat older thread but if most people do CP does that mean that most soapmakers will start making their fall/winter soap range in the spring nd summer so it has ample time to cure out?

[JacquiO]

This is a somewhat older thread but if most people do CP does that mean that most soapmakers will start making their fall/winter soap range in the spring nd summer so it has ample time to cure out?

Yes you always need to think a season ahead. Order your fall scents in the spring and vice versa.

[Kitn]

This is a somewhat older thread but if most people do CP does that mean that most soapmakers will start making their fall/winter soap range in the spring nd summer so it has ample time to cure out?

Yes, I start about 6 months ahead of time.

[Chefmom]

I am a hot process girl. I make cold process when I want a fragrance free soap. I like to have a no fragrance in my offerings, sometimes plain, sometimes with milk and oatmeal, but no fragrance.

I like the fact that with hot process I don't have to use as much essential oil for a strong scent. I can make a 12 pound batch of cold process with my equipment, but I can make a 8-pound batch with my hot process, so it's not a huge difference. If I want to make more than one in a day, then I guess I would buy another crock pot. I have never needed to make it at that production level, and I can produce a LOT of soap in a week if I need to (200+ bars)

I don't have to fuss with oil temperatures and lye temperatures, I just start the lye outside, then start the oils inside and when the oils are ready I introduce them, I don't fuss with a thermometer. After trace I can walk away for an hour at a time and not worry about it, when it's ready I have the mold ready and then pour the fragrance and in the mold. Then clean up and walk away without worrying about insulating or not, wrapping the mold etc. I come back the next day and unmold and cut if it's ready. If I wanted high production, I guess I could do two batches, one in the morning and one at night, I have three large molds. Or have two going at once.

I also have made one master batch, and then weighed the warm soap and made it into three or four different "flavors" so that I had different scents (usually at the holidays when I'm making assortments for gifts)

I also like melt and pour on occasion, especially now that I have so many fragrance oils on hand to play with. It comes out of my little individual molds so pretty, like gummi candies and those are nice for hand soaps, but I still like my essential oil soaps for showers etc.

I also like that I have never had a bad batch of soap from hot process, where I have had three epic FAILS from cold process. I hate throwing all that money away.

Cold Process looks professional to me, and that is good, but I also like the artsy homemade look of the hot process. Every bar is a little different. After it's wet it has dimension.

To quote some artsy friends "It's Serendipitous!"