There are a lot of terms thrown around when you’re learning how to make soap. The most tricky of them for a newbie to learn and recognize is ‘trace.’ All the books, blogs and videos say to stop stick blending when you’ve hit ‘trace’ and then, more confusingly, it may have been referred to as thin, medium or thick trace. What is trace? Simply put, trace is a point in the soap making process when oils and lye water have emulsified. Once the soap has reached thin trace, it will continue to thicken over time.
Mixing lye water and oils together starts the saponification process. Saponification occurs once the oil and lye molecules create new soap molecules. If you are a visual learner, this Soap Queen TV episode explains the saponification process visually. And for even more information, in Erica Pences’s online classes (here and here) she delves deep into trace and the uses of different types of trace. Once the lye and oils are saponified and the two will not separate, the soap has reached trace!
Immediately upon pouring lye water into oils, the mixture will begin to turn slightly cloudy and milky. With a few pulses and stirs of the stick blender, the entire mixture will turn a creamy consistency. This process happens fairly quickly. Before the age of stick blenders, it could take hours for soap to reach trace! In the photos below, you can see the lye water and oils are beginning to emulsify. Trace has not been achieved.
Notice the streaks of oil in the photos below? These mixtures have not reached trace, because they are not thoroughly mixed. Some of the oils have not yet started saponification, and the mixture is not completely emulsified. These mixtures need more stirring and stick blending to reach trace. If the soap was poured into the mold at this point, the soap would not properly set up. There may also be pockets of unsaponified oil and lye in your soap, which may cause skin irritation.
With a few more pulses and stirs with the stick blender, the soap will reach light trace. Light trace refers to soap batter with no oil streaks, and has the consistency of thin cake batter. The batter will be easy to pour, as shown below. Thin trace is an ideal time to add colorants and fragrances because the thin texture is easy to stir and blend. Light trace is perfect for swirled cold process designs, such as the Fall Sherbert Cold Process and the French Curl Cold Process soap.
Once the soap reaches light trace, medium trace soon follows. Medium trace can be recognized by a a thick cake batter or thin pudding consistency. Trailings of soap stay on the surface of your soap mixture when lightly drizzled from a few inches overhead. Medium trace is a great time to incorporate additives that need to suspend within the soap such as poppy seeds in the Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Tutorial.
Adding poppy seeds into medium trace soap keeps them evenly suspended throughout the batter.
In order to reach thick trace, excessive stick blending is usually required. Thick trace is the consistency of thick pudding and holds its shaped when poured. Thick trace is perfect for bottom layers, as it is able to support lighter soap on top. It’s also great for creating textured tops, as seen in the Christmas Tree Swirl Cold Process. An extremely thick trace is necessary for creating cold process soap frosting, as seen in the Whipped Cold Process Frosting on Soap Queen TV.
When making cold process soap, beware of false trace. False trace occurs when soap batter appears to be a thick consistency, but the oils and butters have not saponified. Perhaps the most common cause of false trace is using solid oils or butters at too cool of a temperature. If solid butters and fats are below their melting point, the oils and butters may re-solidify. When this occurs, the soap batter may begin to thicken due to the oils and butters cooling and solidifying, and not because saponifaction is taking place. To avoid false trace, ensure any hard oils or butters are thoroughly melted and do not cool during the soaping process.
Factors that can affect trace:
- Stick blenders bring soap to trace more quickly than stirring by hand. When mixing your water and oils, alternate between stirring and pulsing the stick blender in short bursts. Once the soap has reached a thin trace, do not continue stick blending unless you’d like to reach a medium or thick trace.
- Some fragrance oils can accelerate the soap batter, causing it to reach a thick trace more quickly. To avoid this, use a whisk to blend in fragrance oils rather than a stick blender. Mixing in a fragrance oil with a stick blender can cause even the most well behaved fragrance oil to accelerate trace. Read more in the Soap Behaving Badly post.
- Adding fragrances after colorants and other additives gives you more time to work with the soap before a medium or thick trace is reached.
- Some additives, such as clay, affect trace. This is why pre-mixing with water helps to slow water absorption when using clays. The water and oil absorbing properties of the clay can speed trace.
- The oils and butters used will affect how quickly the soap will reach trace, and how quickly it will turn into medium or thick trace. Soap made with a high percentage of hard oils and butters will reach trace more quickly than soap made with mostly liquid oils. For example, the Castile Cubes Cold Process are made with 100% olive oil. With no hard oils or butters, this soap could be stick blended for a long time before reaching medium trace!
- Temperature also plays a part in trace. When soaping at higher temperatures, medium and thick trace will be reached more quickly than when soaping with cooler temperatures. If your design requires a lot of swirls, soaping at room temperature is common.
- Water discounting results in faster trace. A water discount is the process of decreasing the amount of recommended water in a recipe. Water discounting results in a harder bar of soap, with a shorter cure time. But, when water is discounted the recipe will reach medium and thick trace faster. Because of this, water discounting is recommended for more advanced soapers.
- Adding cold additives, such as cold milk or cream, at the end of your soapmaking process can dramatically speed trace.
- Increasing the superfat in a recipe will result in a slower moving recipe. Superfat is the amount of oils and butters in the soap that did not go through saponification. Increasing the amount of free-floating oils will slow down trace, but it also leads to a softer bar of soap that is more likely to develop DOS. In our experience, a superfat of 5 percent produces a balanced bar that behaves well.
The best way to learn about trace is to make soap! It can take some practice to get a feel for what trace looks and feels like. When making soap, do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to trace?
I have made several batches of soap over the last several days and have never been able to reach trace (it never really gets thick, at one point I thought I might have made it to a thin trace…. ?…)
My soap still set up in the end- I was able to cut it into bars to finish curing, but I am trying to figure out where I am going wrong.
The mixer I use is similar to a stick blender- it is a mixer on an electric drill. The first batch I mixed for a good 40 minutes-1hr and never really got anywhere.
I’m wondering if it’s the drill. That would get the soap emulsified, but it can take awhile – probably at least an hour. I would recommend trying a stick blender. They get the oils and lye mixed in just a minute or two! You can find them online, at a kitchen supply store or a department store like Target.
Also, what is your recipe and what temperatures are you using? Other factors can slow down trace as well. Let me know and I’ll help you troubleshoot. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
This was my problem as well … then I did some research and Used a blender … I use ge magic bullet it thickens in like 30 seconds
Blenders work really well for soap! They save a lot of time. We love them. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi, I made CP soap for the first time today. It turned into a goopy gloopy mess. My oils were at *125 degrees, and lye mixture was at *80 degrees. When I added the lye, it started to thicken rather quickly, i stick blended it until the oils all seemed to spoonify, but by that time it was really really thick, and had dis coloration. I have know idea how to fix it. I scooped it into the mold, and its resting. How can I fix this EPIC FAIL.
Hi there!
It sounds like it may be related to temperature. Did the soap start to thicken as soon as you poured the lye in? If so, it may be false trace. That happens when the cool lye water starts to solidify the hard oils or butters in your recipe. It will thicken almost immediately. You can see what that looks like here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/spot-prevent-false-trace/
The good news is you did exactly what we recommend – keep stick blending until it’s smooth! Keep a close eye on it over the next few days. If the soap appears smooth and doesn’t have any wet spots, it should be OK. If you notice an uneven texture or pools of oil, you can Hot Process Hero it: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/hot-process-hero-2/
Let me know how it looks! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have just started making soap, after i fill my molds, I am using single square molds,
and take them out, they seem to be all uneven, there are pockets that did not get filled by the soap?
so i get an uneven shape with areas that did not get filled by the mold.
I am going to try a wood mold with a silicone liner to see if that make a difference.
is there something i am doing wrong when i fill my molds? Am i pouring with to thick of a trace?
I’m wondering if it may be the thicker trace! It can be hard for the thicker soap to get into the mold. I would recommend placing the mold on a solid surface like a cutting board. Then, as you fill the cavities, tap the cutting board on the counter. That will release the air trapped in the soap and help it settle into the molds. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi there!
Last week I attempted soap-making for the first time. My first batch came out really bad, maybe because my pot wasn’t made of a non-reactive metal. I tried a second batch (using a stainless steel pot) and since I broke my stick blender making the first batch, I tried hand-whisking it. It ended up thickening up a bit, but then separated instead of coming to trace. To try and save the batch, I put it on the stove on medium heat while stirring constantly. It ended up coming to this well-mixed thick (sort of hot-processed) consistency. I cooked it for a total of approx. 3-4 minutes. I poured it into the mold and by the next day, it had solidified nicely and when I cut it, it seemed perfectly fine. It looks like there are no weird pockets of unmixed oils.
Do you think that my soap is safe to use, despite never having come to trace? How can I tell?
Thank you so much in advance,
Ayala
Hi Ayala!
I would recommend pH testing the soap after about 5 days! Find out how to do that here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/troubleshooting-lye-heavy-soap/
As long as the pH is 9-10 and there are no lye pockets, it should be just fine to use! Let me know how that pH test goes.
For your next batch, I would definitely recommend a stick blender. Hand stirring usually takes at least two hours to emulsify, while the stick blender does that in a minute or so. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello! Hope you are doing well. A quick question…
I have used this fórmula for hotel process:
50.72 oz soy oil
6.87 oz NaOH
17.66 oz Water
It took a long time to become medium to thick trace…then heated up for about 45 min until gel stage…then pour it to the mould. Now, 24 hours later it hasn’t solidified “yet”.
I’m not sure if this question has been already made. I apologize.
Just need an expert opinion about it.
Have a great week ahead.
Take Care!
Hi Javier!
Thanks so much for that recipe! The oil, lye and water amounts are all correct so I don’t think it’s the recipe. Is the soap a liquid texture? Or is it soft to the touch? Let me know and I’ll help you troubleshoot. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
good day
i’m a newbie on making soaps, is there a way on making color white soap? your response is much appreciated. thank you and more power Godbless
Hi Gina!
You can use titanium dioxide to whiten soap! It’s a powder colorant. We like to mix 1 teaspoon with 1 tablespoon of a lightweight oil and add it to the soap at trace. 🙂
Read more about titanium dioxide and how to use it here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/sunday-night-spotlight-titanium-dioxide/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can you help me . I’m making lye soap with lard we have leftover from butchering. I used 16oz lye, 28 1/2 oz cold water.7.28lb lard. We have been storing for 2 1/2 hours . Why isn’t it tracing ? It’s like 90 degrees .
This is all hand stirring . I stir fast and ny husband slow! Does that make a difference? I’ve heated it to 110 and it’s just seems to melt the soap.??
With hand stirring, it can take several hours for the soap to trace – usually at least two hours. We definitely recommend using a stick blender! It gets the soap emulsified in just a minute or two. If you don’t have one on hand, you can use a hand blender. That will still take several hours but is a bit faster than hand stirring. 🙂
Stick blender: https://www.brambleberry.com/White-Stick-Blender-Kitchenaid-P5604.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I don’t understand this, I used to make bar soap from suet all the time before I had a stick blender and I’m sure I never stirred for more than an hour! Maybe trace is quicker with suet?
That may be the case! We’ve found it takes us a couple hours to emulsify soap with a whisk or hand blender, while a stick blender emulsifies it in a minute or two. We definitely recommend it to make the process go faster! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I cannot get my lard goat milk soap to come to trace. The first time I used this recipe it took a little longer than I was used to but I achieved the trace I was looking for. I love the soap and decided I would make more. It will not come to trace. I can feel it is thickened in the pot and the oil does not actually separate out. I poured it into the mold to see what would happen. It did set up and has a great thick lather but a heavy oil after feel. I tried again and the same thing happened.. I poured it into the mold and it looked to be going through gel this morning. Is lard difficult to use? Is my Lye bad? What if the lye produced trace with the milk? Can it really be the difference between a stick blender and a hand mixer? I have plugged the measurements into the lye calculator
Hi Amy!
Hmm, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on! When your soap is in the mold, do you notice any pools of liquid? Or is it just fairly soft? Is it setting up fully? What’s in your recipe, and what is your superfat level? Also, how old is your lye? Are you using a hand mixer? Let me know and we’ll get this figured out! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble BErry
I apologize if this question has already been addressed. I’ve read most of the comments, but didn’t find the answer…anyway;)
I made a batch of goats milk soap a few days ago. The recipe is as follows:
75 lard, 20 coconut and 5 castor at 8% SF. I’ve made this one several times with both water and milk. Everything went perfectly, took forever to trace due to soaping at lower temps, but that’s normal with most milk soaps and lard does take a while to trace. This one had no EO or FO and had the addition of fine ground oats. Poured into mold just fine and did a nice decorative top, so no false trace or it wouldn’t have stayed put. There was a small amount that didn’t fit in my loaf mold so I poured it into a small mold and did the same swirls on top (perfect for market giveaways and tips to the baristas at my fav coffee shop!). After that I popped the loaf in the freezer and left the little one on the desk in my work room, just to keep it out of the way.
Now to the problem…
I caught my sons flu bug! I felt so terrible that I totally forgot about the soap! It’s been in the freezer for three days! Ugh! First I thought no biggie, I’ll just take it out, let it defrost a bit and cut. It did sweat a bit, as usual, just water. I made sure there were no oils leaking when I wipe it up with a paper towel. All seemed fine as I cut, maybe a bit soft, but cuts were smooth since I kept the soap cutter clean. The bars were cut in the kitchen and I took them into the work room to place on the drying rack. So far so good, right? Maybe a bit soft, but fine they will harden. So really…doesn’t sound like you have a problem! Well…I had an itch next to my eye as I was on the way back into the kitchen to wash off my hands! Now you see it! Yep…boy oh boy did I burn the crud out of my skin. I didn’t panic and washed it off right away, just have a bit of red where it got me! I so should know better, but I’ve never had soap that was ready to unmold burn. The one that was left out is just fine and perfect, no bite when given a shock test. I even tested the scraps that were left from overfilling by washing my hand with it and wow, this is lovely soap!
Now for my question, about time I know, just want to be thorough. Will this soap, during cure time, become useable? Since it was done at 8% SF, not including the fat in the milk. The milk was mixed with the lye for about 20-30 mins before pouring it into the oils, then the whole thing mixed for another hour (alternating between the stick blender and hand mixing). I don’t think there is any chance it has lye pockets or spots because of all the mixing. I really hope I won’t have to toss or rebatch this one, I’ve had to do several rebatchings lately and would rather not do another…it’s such a pain and turns my pretty milky soap brown.
Sorry for the novel, again I just want to be thorough and a bit entertaining isn’t bad either 😉
Thanks in advance. Love your blog by the way it’s been a great help in figuring out this whole soaping business!
Brooke
I think your soap will be just fine! The cold temperatures in the freezer can slow down the saponification process just a tad. I think that’s why your soap was still stinging after it was taken out. I would recommend letting it sit at room temperature for another 2-3 days and zap testing it again. If it doesn’t zap, it should be just fine to use! Let me know how that test goes.
Hope you’re feeling better Brooke! Glad you’re enjoying the blog. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Very interesting. Please I’m not yet used to soaping terms, what’s “zap testing” and “Shock testing”?
Thank you.
Zap testing is a way to check for lye heaviness! It involves tapping the soap lightly on your tongue. If it zaps you, that means the soap is lye heavy. It’s a nice quick way to check! 🙂
Learn more about testing your soap for lye heaviness here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/troubleshooting-lye-heavy-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have noticed that the recipes I usually choose to soap with are slightly higher in solid oils which is why they thickened up on me so quickly. So I decided to tweek a recipe a make it 7oz more of liquid oils. I also decided to use very little beeswax and some honey. I have watched soap queen’s video that you should soap at high temps when using beeswax. I also have searched out other people’s experiences and decided to soap at 110. As I was pouring the lye into my oils I could see something that I thought might be the beeswax setting up but then looked fine. I had warmed up the honey to liquify it and also added my colorant, and FO along with some calendula oil and blended then added a few spoonfuls of the blended soap batter to it-mixed- and added it to the soap batter and proceeded to stick blend. I felt I blended everything together well and felt it had come to trace and wanted to get it into molds before it started to set up. I did notice a sheen look to the batter-just a little and stirred a couple times then poured it into molds. I was anxious to get it into the freezer. I put the molds into the freezer for 45 mins checking on them several times; then put them in the fridge for 20-30 mins. It was only a 2lb batch and small molds. After taking them out of the fridge I set them aside in another room-I remembered I hadn’t sprayed them with alcohol so I went a head and sprayed them. I am used to my batches setting up and hardening so quickly I am not sure what to think since they still fell soft when I push slightly on the side and i’m not sure how to describe the feel of the top. Is this because I used more liquid oils and do you think it will eventually harden, or do you think it could be something else? It will be 24 hours at 11 AM today (Sunday April 17 2016) I had them covered for a little while then decided to just leave them uncovered. Thank you.
Hi Brooke!
With more soft oil, that soap will take a bit longer to harden up. I would recommend checking again in another couple of days. By then it should be ready to unmold. 🙂
To help speed that process up, you can add sodium lactate! We recommend 1 teaspoon per pound of oil to your cooled lye water. Read more about sodium lactate here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-sodium-lactate/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you Kelsey. I did add sodium lactate to my batch also. Although I only added 1tsp because I thought the beeswax would make up the difference in making the soap hard. If I remember right I believe the temp of the lye water was slightly above 110, because it was shortly before I added it to my oils to begin. Is that to hot of temp to add sodium lactate?
I did unmold my soap today, also cut it, it was still very soft and still feels wet (for lack of a better word..) I can tell as the day has gone on that it is drying/curing so that is a good sign. 🙂
Sodium lactate is pretty sturdy, so it should be just fine at 110! We usually add it at 110-130F. Also, glad to hear that soap is hardening up nicely. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I am in desperate need of help. I have been making soap for 7 years now and It is my favorite thing to do. I bought some new soap mold and was excited to make large fish soap bars for fathers day. The first batch I made looked good but when I uncovered it the next day it still felt warm which was unusual for me. I waiting until the molds felt cool. When I removed the soap it had burn marks that look like oil had not set up. I was discourage but figured I must of wrapped the soap molds too much and they over heated. I made another batch today and was pleased with how they looked. I wrapped them very lightly this time hoping that they would turn out better. After cleaning up I checked on the soap. It had only been 30 minutes and they looked horrible. They look completely burnt this time. The whole center looks like oil. They are ruined. I am at a complete loss as to what went wrong. Please help me.
Hi Edel!
It sounds like your soap may be going through gel phase! During gel phase, the soap gets really hot and gelatinous. The good news is that gel goes away, and doesn’t affect the final bars at all. Some people prefer to gel their soap, as it helps the colors look more vibrant. 🙂
You can see pictures of gel phase and learn more about it here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/gel-phase/
This post has more tips about how to force or avoid gel phase: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/when-to-insulate-handmade-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
My question is what do you suggest we do if our soap accidentally reaches a heavy trace before we’ve had the chance to pour? This last time I made soap (only my second time) I forgot how quickly it can set and by time I finished adding my essential oils in and tried to mix again the soap was already a very thick pudding and my blender was not strong enough. I then tried to hand stir it all in and I got it all mixed in the end but the soap ended up like mashed potato thickness! I then didn’t want to waste it and mashed it all into the mold (which of course created a problem when I unmolded-I had to dig it all out in little pieces and I’m now hoping I can remelt it and pour again so it isn’t wasted).
I knew when doing this that it probably wasn’t the best idea but I just panicked and didn’t want it to go to waste or harden even more. What should I have done in this situation?
Hi Simone!
I have definitely had that happen before! The soap getting thick can be a bit surprising for sure.
If you notice your soap starting to thicken up, I would recommend plopping it in the mold as quickly as possible! If you planned a different design, you may have to save that for your next batch. My favorite thick trace design to do is a spoon plop design. That design is just like it sounds – you plop the thicker soap in with a spoon. It looks really pretty! You can see how to do that here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/creamy-cow-milk-cold-process-tutorial/
You can also add a teaspoon or so of a lightweight liquid oil, like sweet almond oil. That can thin the soap out a bit so you can work with it. Keep in mind this can increase the superfat in the soap, making it a bit more soft.
If it moves too quickly and you’re not happy with the end result, you can rebatch the soap! That involves shredding it and melting it over a double boiler. See how to rebatch soap in this video: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/soap-queen-tv-presents-how-to-make-rebatch-soap-2/
Hope that helps. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Sweet almond oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Sweet-Almond-Oil-P3205.aspx
I just made a batch of soap using coconut, olive and palm oil.. .when I added the lye and then the sandalwood scent I went to pour it in the mold and it was sort of like gravy that has set out on the counter for a bit? Lumpy sort of… is it still ok? I went ahead and left it. This is only my second time making it and the first batch turned out fine. It was with a baby powder scent though?
Thank you
Hi Jana!
I missed this question – sorry about the delayed response.
As soap sits in the bowl while you work with your design, it can get sort of grainy. Did it look kind of thick with little bits in it? That’s normal! It just needs to be whisked to get back to a smooth consistency. You can see that consistency in step 9 for the Psychedelic Spin Swirl Tutorial: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/psychedelic-spin-swirl-cold-process-tutorial/
Can you tell me a bit more about your recipe and the temperatures you soaped at as well? I’ll help you troubleshoot. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi. I have a question that I can not seem to find the answer to. I made two small batches of soap last night, which both did some strange things. The first batch was 35% coconut oil, 40% olive oil, 10% almond oil, 10% Canola Oil, and 5% mixture of Argan and Jojoba oils. My first problem was my lye cooled quicker than expected and my oils were hotter than expected (lye was at 95 degrees and oil was at 160 degrees). I tried to cool down my oils, but it wasn’t working fast enough. So I went ahead and mixed everything. I am pretty sure I reached a light trace and then added a cup of powdered oatmeal and 0.6 total ounces of lavender and lemongrass essential oils. Everything seemed to look fine even after I put it in the mold, but it wasn’t going into gel stage. So I turned on the electric heater, which pushed it into what looked like partial gel. The other batch, which had about the same mixture of oils but I added some fresh peppermint from my garden instead of oat, went straight into gel stage and looked great. I double checked my Lye Calculator (SoapCal) and it was super fat by 8% for the oat and 10% on the mint.
Well here is my dilemma. When I looked at the loaf today, both did their own uniquely strange thing. The oat looks like the alien brain and looks hard and dry. It is also very hard to the touch. The mint looks like the alien brain too, but it’s soft and has some droplets of oil sitting in the middle of the mold (not the outside, but in the middle like dew drops). So did I completely ruin my soaps or is this just cosmetic? I haven’t tried to take it out of the mold yet.
Let me update:
I cut my loaf today and it seems they turned out pretty good with the exception of the oat. I have a dark green center and an ashy top. Ugh. Yep, I finally made my first oops.
Hi Amanda!
I’m glad to hear the soaps turned out well! Sounds like the dark center may be gel phase, and the top has soda ash. Soda ash happens when unsaponified lye reacts with naturally occurring carbon dioxide in the air. The good news is it’s only aesthetic, and doesn’t affect the final bar. This post talks about how to get rid of the soda ash on your bars and prevent it in future batches: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/explaining-and-preventing-soda-ash/
I think the batches were acting odd because of temperature! When the oils are on the hotter side, it can do some odd things like heat tunnel or make the soap a bit firmer than usual. I’m wondering if the middle of your soap got quite hot, while the outside remained cool (which could explain the partial gel and soda ash).
We love soaping right around 100-130F. We find that keeps everything melted and gives us some time to work with it. What I like to do is mix my lye before I prep my oils and colors. That gives it a bit of time to cool, without getting too cold. If your house is quite cool, you can make that lye after everything is prepared. If your oils cool down in that time, you can microwave them on 30 second bursts until they’re around 120F. 🙂
Then, to ensure a nice even gel phase, pop a top on that soap. That can be anything flat, like a piece of cardboard or a cutting board. If your house is cold, you can also put it on a heating pad. That will help the entire soap gel. Read more about gel phase here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/gel-phase/
And more about when to insulate soap here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/when-to-insulate-handmade-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello! I made a batch of Chai Tea soap today where I subbed in chai tea for water. I used cinnamon leaf, clove bud, nutmeg, and sweet orange essential oils. It would not even reach thin trace! I mixed and mixed and mixed. Then I just let it sit but it started to separate and eventually I gave up and threw it out. Do you know why it would not thicken at all?
Thanks!
Hi Alice!
Hmm, that’s strange! Typically, spicy essential oils actually speed up trace, so I’m a bit stumped as to why the soap didn’t thicken. Can you tell me a bit more about your recipe? Also, how long did you stick blend for? Thank you! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi, I have a question about filling molds. My mom and I made a shave soap but it was so messy because we put it in these 6oz tins and the soap hardened way too quickly that we couldn’t really finish filling all the tins and we had to just make a big slab of soap which is not a problem because it was a lovely soap but I was just wondering if you had any tips on filling the tins and at which state of trace I should start filling the tins. Or if I just have to do really small batches. Thanks 🙂
Hi Joey!
You can do larger batches if you like! When filling molds, we like to have the soap about medium trace. At that stage, the soap is thicker but still pourable. You can see a good example of medium trace in the Lemon Poppy Seed Soap (the bottom layer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8ReVwhBCDU
If your soap does get a bit thicker, you can scoop it into the molds with a spoon! Just make sure to tap the mold frequently to get rid of any air bubbles trapped in the layers. 🙂
In the Spiced Copper Cold Process Tutorial, our trace was nice and thick so we spooned it into the mold: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/spiced-copper-cold-process-soap-tutorial/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
That was great, thanks so much for the info 🙂
You’re welcome! 🙂
I was wondering if the stick blending method to thickening the trace of Cold Process soap would work to thicken the trace of melt and pour bases?
Hi Holly!
Melt and pour has a different texture than cold process, so stick blending won’t help thicken it. I’m not entirely sure what stick blending would do to melt and pour! It may whip in quite a few air bubbles.
Melt and pour is very fluid when it’s melted, but will start to thicken as it cools off. The thicker texture (around 125F) is perfect for swirling! Learn more about swirling melt and pour soap here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/tips-for-swirling-melt-pour-soap/
What sort of designs are you wanting to get in your melt and pour soap? Let me know and I can help you find a fun tutorial. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi, I just love watching your videos. I just purchased Rose Kaolin clay but i’m not 100% sure of how to use it in CP soap making. Do I dilute it with water and if so what is the ratio? What are the benefits of the clay in CP soap?
TIA!
Hi Patricia!
Thank you, so glad you love watching the videos! That means a lot to us. 🙂
When using clay in cold process soap, we recommend mixing at a rate of 1 teaspoon clay to 1 tablespoon distilled water. If you’re making a bigger batch, you may have to increase that to 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons, etc. Then, add the clay 1 dispersed teaspoon at a time until you get the color you like. The distilled water helps the clay mix in easily and prevent clumping.
As for benefits, clays add a gorgeous natural color to your soaps! They can also add mild exfoliating properties. Learn more about clays and how to work with them in this Sunday Night Spotlight: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-brazilian-clay/
Rose clay is also great in other products, like masks and scrubs! I’ll include some tutorials below you may like. 🙂
Rose Clay Sugar Scrub: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/soaks-and-scrubs/rose-clay-sugar-scrub/
Rose Clay Exfoliating Mask: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/rose-clay-exfoliating-mask-soap-queen-tv/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi,
Im new to cold process soap making and would just like to know if I can use regular tap water or filtered water to mix with my lye. Will it make a difference? What does the distilled version do different and how do I make it or purchase it?
Hi Kimberley!
We recommend using distilled water for soapmaking! Tap water and filtered water can have microbes or bits of metal that do odd things in soap. For instance, we’ve used filtered water before and found all our recipes were going rancid within a couple weeks. Read more about oil rancidity here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/dreaded-orange-spots/
Distilled water is made by boiling water and collecting the steam from that process. The steam is nice and pure, ensuring no weird reactions in soap. You can find distilled water in the grocery store, typically right next to the jugs of purified water. 🙂
-Kelsey
I have been having difficulty getting my soap to anything beyond thin trace. My first batch I blended for two and half hours when both oils and lye were at 120 degrees. The soap got hard over night. The next couple batches I used the same recipe and one still took hours to come to trace, one made it to hard in three days another in about 5-6. (equal coconut oil and olive oil)
The next recipe was more coconut than olive and some hemp oil, great result in looks but soft soap that took about five days to harden.
My last batch was equal coconut and olive oil, but I tripled the recipe to fill more than one mold. It has been a week and still not all the way firmed up enough to even take out of the mold. Am I just not waiting long enough? HELP!
Hi Kat!
I think I can definitely help you out! Are you stirring your soap with a hand blender? If so, I would definitely recommend switching to a stick blender. A stick blender can emulsify the soap in as little as 30 seconds, depending on your recipe! It’s a great tool to have.
Perfect Pink Stick Blender: https://www.brambleberry.com/Perfect-Pink-Stick-Blender-P5245.aspx
Even with stick blended soap, it can take a couple of weeks for that soap to harden up, especially with a softer recipe. However, after it cures for 4-6 weeks, it should firm up.
To help speed that process up, you can add more hard oils to your recipe. Hard oils include palm oil, palm kernel flakes and cocoa butter. Those oils help your batch trace faster, and also make firmer bars.
Read more about those oils and how to use them here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-common-soapmaking-oils/
This post on Formulating Cold Process Recipes is really helpful as well: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/formulating-cold-process-recipes/
Sodium lactate is also really helpful. Adding 1 tsp. per pound of oils to your cooled lye water helps your bars firm up more quickly. 🙂
Read more about sodium lactate here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-sodium-lactate/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you, I have actually been using a stand mixer. This was the first batch that didn’t set after a week. I just pulled it from the mold and it had set firmly in places and was near perfect but the rest of it was like clay. It smelled great 🙂 but was mush. I read where you can melt it down and remold. Does this help? If you do this should you add cocoa butter or harder oils when it is melted? I have all kinds of oils and what not and a tub of cocoa butter I need to use so this wouldn’t be a stretch, but I have never not had one set up at all like this. Good learning tool when things go wrong.
Hi Kat!
You can try rebatching that soap if you like! That involves grating the soap up and melting it over a heat source. That can help emulsify the soap nicely, and get rid of extra water that makes it soft. Read more about how to rebatch soap here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/soap-queen-tv-presents-how-to-make-rebatch-soap-2/
Also, because your recipe has already turned into soap, I would recommend adding more oil. Instead of hardening it, it can actually make it feel more soft and oily. Instead, I would recommend adding equal parts or double of a nice hard soap. That can help firm the batch up overall. Our Basic Rebatch is nice and firm: https://www.brambleberry.com/Grated-Rebatch-Soap-Base-Basic-P4540.aspx
Then, for the next batch, a stick blender is really helpful. It gets things emulsified in no time. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
You are just using a lot of olive. they usually take longer but its worth the wait.
I agree Vanessa, I love the way softer soaps feel! They will take longer to trace and cure, but they feel nice on the skin. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
My soap reaches trace very quickly. I use 100% coconut oil and super fat at 20% water content at 38%. I notice that when I add my lye to the oil it almost immediately solidifies. I am guessing that my lye solution is too cold? Thx
Hi Tami!
I’m thinking that’s it as well! Most coconut oil has a melting point of 76F. If your lye is cooler than that, it may be solidifying the coconut oil, causing it to thicken up quickly. This is referred to as “false trace.”
I would recommend upping the temperature of your lye to at least 100F. We typically like to soap with both oils and lye around 120F. That keeps everything nice and melted, and gives you time to work with your design. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi,
I tried making cow milk soap here i mixed lye with frozen milk n continued d recipe.its been 2 days almost 50 hrs my soap is not completely saponified,it is still v soft at d bottom..how can u help me wid dis??
Hi Neha!
I would recommend giving your soap a few more days to harden in the mold. Normally, we recommend giving soap around 3-4 days, but depending on the recipe, it can take up to a week to be able to unmold. Patience is key when soaping! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
If the lye water and oils are at a greater than 10 degree different, will it quicken trace? What if your lye water is too hot? Thanks for the great post! I am trying to figure out why my soap reaches such fast trace. I will admit, I don’t take temperatures but I’ve had six successful batches. My only complaint is that it traces too fast to do much cool/pretty stuff. Can I use a candy thermometer?
Hi Cindy!
If the lye and oils do have quite a bit of difference in temperature, it can affect trace. For instance, if your lye water is too cool (90F or lower) it can start to harden the hard oils and butters in your recipe. This will cause the butters to solidify and thicken quickly. It’s called “false trace.” We recommend having both your lye water and oils around 100-130F to help prevent that.
Also, a candy thermometer will definitely work! Anything that accurately takes temperatures is good to use. Just make sure the candy thermometer isn’t made of aluminum. Aluminum reacts with the lye and creates toxic fumes. We love using this infrared thermometer: https://www.brambleberry.com/Infrared-Thermometer-P6087.aspx
If the lye and oils are hotter (140F and up), that can speed up trace as well. I’ve found having both at 120F works best for me! It will take some experimenting to find your perfect temperatures, but 120F is a good place to start. 🙂
Stick blending is another huge factor. Depending on your recipe, it can take just 20-30 seconds of a combination of stirring and stick blending to emulsify soap. Once there are no oil streaks, you can stop stick blending. This is called “thin trace.” Then, as you add color and fragrance, the soap will thicken slightly. For more intricate designs, it helps to stick blend until the soap is just emulsified so you have lots of time to work with your design.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Just an update. I started using the candy thermometer and…. huge success! I currently have the most adorable salt soap in molds waiting to be taken out tonight and have a Taiwan swirl which needs another day or two before it is ready to come out of the mold. Thank you so much for your help! I am so excited!
Yay, that’s so exciting! I’m glad to hear you’re soaping up a storm. If you take pictures, we would love to see them on our Facebook page. 🙂
Bramble Berry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I made a batch of cold processed soap four days ago. In my soap recipe I used natural Arknetta, dried beetroot powder and pink clay. The soap took a long time to trace using a stick blender – about 10 minutes. The resulting soap is smooth, moist and almost wet. I put the excess soap into two single soap moulds and when I finally removed the soap it fell apart. I am not sure if i should re-batch the soap – I thinks that I have used too much water and not enough lye. Your suggestions are appreciated.
Hi Mary-Rose!
I’d love to help you out! Can you tell me a bit more about your recipe, including what oils you used, the temperatures you soaped at and where and how you stored the soap? If the soap has a lot of soft oils, it will take longer to harden up. In that case, it should start to firm up after 4-6 weeks of curing. 🙂
However, because the soap in the mold fell apart, I’m wondering if that batch separated. That may explain why some of the bars are soft while others are harder. Let me know and we’ll get this figured out!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello,
I have just made my first batch of CP soap. I followed the recipe on soapqueen tv – equal parts olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil. I did get thick trace as I had to spoon the soap into the moulds. I am using individual silicone moulds for each soap. I removed the soaps after 48 hours and they still seem very soft. Bits of soap were left along the edge of the mould. Why is this?
Also, I added in French Pear fragrance but don’t seem to be able to smell the fragrance so well. It seems to have a strong smell but not of the fragrance, maybe one of the oils? Does the fragrance come through more as the soap hardens?
Thanks,
Lucinda
Hi Lucinda!
That soap may just need to sit a little bit longer! Soap typically takes 3-4 days to harden in the mold. If you notice it’s soft to the touch or sticking to the mold, let it sit a couple more days until it’s firmer. It will then continue to harden after 4-6 weeks of curing. Learn more in the How to Store Handmade Bath Products post: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-store-handmade-bath-products/
To help your soap release faster, you can use sodium lactate! The usage rate is 1 teaspoon per pound of oils in your cool lye water. Read more in the Sunday Night Spotlight: Sodium Lactate: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-sodium-lactate/
Also, how much fragrance oil did you add to the soap? We usually recommend .8 ounces of fragrance per pound of cold process soap for a strong smell. However, that will vary based on the fragrance! You can find out exactly how much to add using our Fragrance Calculator: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/use-fragrance-calculator/
Also, we tend to choose all of our fragrances based on how they smell after 6 weeks of curing. So, that scent may become more noticeable as the soap cures. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank You!!!!
I am brand new to soap making. I tried my first two pond cold batch. I used a very simple recipe. Just olive, coconut, caster and palm oils. I used lye and water. I hand stirred it to a light trace. I poured it into the mold. I covered the mold with handi wrap. I covered the mold with a bath towel and let it rest for 48 hours. It formed 2 distinct layers. The top is very oily and the bottom is solid. Is this because my apartment is too hot? Can this batch be saved? I have read a lot of the blog and did not find my problem. I put the entire batch back in the mold and put it in the refrigerator. The oil layer solidified but liquefied again as soon as I took it out. Like I said this is my third and biggest batch. My first, one pond batch turned out great. My second batch was a 1/2 pound batch with fragrance and fillers. It is OK. So I tried the bigger 2 pound batch and it did not work. I look forward to your suggestions.
Jim
Hi Jim!
Oh darn, I’m sorry to hear that! I think your soap separated.
While you can hand mix your oils together, it usually takes at least two hours to do so. I’m thinking that soap may not be fully mixed together. You may have been seeing the oils start to solidify, which looks similar to trace but isn’t. That is called “false trace.”
We definitely recommend using a stick blender. Stick blenders usually only take 30 seconds to 1 minute to get everything fully mixed together. We use this Perfect Pink Stick Blender all the time with great results: https://www.brambleberry.com/Perfect-Pink-Stick-Blender-P5245.aspx
For the separated batch, I would recommend using the Hot Process Hero method! In that method, you basically cook the soap to help it emulsify. Learn how to do that here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/hot-process-hero-2/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Yesterday I tried the beginners kit for cp soap. Several things went wrong….It was very warm in the house, I waited for lye water to cool, tried to warm up oil to get them close in temp. Finally at 112′ I mixed together. First with ss spoon, then stick blender, it did nothing holding it up right. I tilted the blender and it blended the layers together. But it came to thick trace fast, it looked well blended but was thick. Could not even add fragrance. Had to spoon it into mold, it was even getting lumpy. It will be 24 hrs in about 3 hours, I covered it and let is sit in the hot garage, thinking of gelling it. Looking at it now, the top has oil on it. What did I do wrong? It is in the house now and I will wait until later to check the mold and maybe slice it. Should I wait or cool the lye water down, not heat up the oil? And stir very little, until it looks blended then stop? I hope to do swirls with different colors and add fragrance.
Thanks for all of your help.
Hi JCC!
Oh no, I’m sorry about that! I’m wondering if that soap may be separating.
The Cold Process Beginner Kit has several hard oils, including palm and coconut. Sometimes, if the lye water is too cool, it can start to harden those oils up before everything is fully emulsified. This is called “false trace.” I’m thinking that may be what happened here!
The good news is you can use the Hot Process Hero method to help those oils fully mix in. Find out how to do that in this post: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/hot-process-hero-2/
To help prevent false trace next time, it helps to have your oils and lye water around 120-130F. What works for me is to mix the lye and water together and let it sit at room temperature. Then, while the lye cools, I prepare my oils, colors, fragrances, etc. During that time, the lye water usually cools to around 130F (if it’s a bit hotter, you may need to wait a bit). Then, I check my oils. If they’re cooler, I pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until they’re around 130F as well. That method may work for you!
When it’s time to blend those oils, it only takes a couple bursts of the stick blender to get them mixed in! I would recommend alternating pulsing the stick blender and then stirring with it for about 30 seconds. If there are no oil streaks and the batter is all the same color, that means the soap is at thin trace and you’re ready to add color and fragrance! If not, just pulse the stick blender a few more times.
Hope that helps! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Cold Process Beginner Kit: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/cold-process-beginners-kit/
This is a perfect article, containing all the necessary information! Thank you! Somebody reminded me of a question I once had and never asked, concerning the superfat and fragrance oils. I never understood how these work in connection to the amount of the lye. They’re also oils, right, so how can we not count them in the amount of oils? Do they rise the superfat %? Another question is how to fix the scent in the soap, for example lemon, grapefruit, orange evaporate completely everytime I use it.
Hi Dagmar!
You are so welcome, glad you found the article helpful!
Fragrance oils are considered additives. That means they are not counted in your main batch of oils. Because they are an oil, they can add a bit of softness to your batch. However, fragrance oils are usually added at such a small amount they don’t affect the main batch too much. If you’d like a harder bar, you can decrease the superfat to 3% or 4% to account for any extra fragrance oil added. 🙂
Also, citrus essential oils tend to fade in cold process soap. To help them stick, you can “anchor” them with a deeper scent, like Patchouli Essential Oil. Learn more in the How to Prevent Scent Fading in Soap post: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-prevent-scent-fading-in-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I’ve just made my first batch of CP Soap, the recipe was 30% of each coconut oil, palm oil and olive oil, and 10% castor oil. I didn’t add any fragrance. My oils were about 110 degrees and my lye water was 120 degrees, but as soon as I turned the stick blender I notest that the batter was getting thicker fast, I ended up with a thick trace very quickly. What did I do wrong? I guess I’ll have to wait and see how it turned…thank you!
Hi Romina!
Thanks so much for providing your recipe and the temperature! That’s really helpful for me. I’m wondering if it’s the castor oil. Castor oil is very thick, and it can make that batter thicken up a lot quicker. Typically, we recommend using about 3-8% castor oil in your recipe. I would recommend giving that a try and seeing if your soap traces more slowly! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Free Beginner’s Guide to Soapmaking: Common Soapmaking Oils: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-common-soapmaking-oils/
My interest is emulsification. Can you give some pros and cons about it? I like soaping at room temp and stick blend/hand stir till the oils and lye seem almost mixed together. Sometimes there is a slight oil level just above the batter. Is this emulsification??? I will pour quickly into jugs and mix in my colours, FOs, etc and give each jug a blast of the SB, trying to get thin trace. Not sure if it’s thin and scared of d presto on etc so think I end up with a medium trace! Loool can you advise or can you guys do a video on the different stages of emulsion and trace?
Hi Christine!
When your soap is emulsified, there should be no streaks of oil or different colors in the batter. If you’re stick blending and continuing to see color (like the pictures above), it is not fully emulsified. The soap will be fully emulsified when there are no more color changes. You can see a great example of thin trace in the Infinity Swirl video on Soap Queen TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–NxCfEq8kM
In that video, the soap is fully emulsified but still very thin. Depending on your recipe, it can take just 20-30 seconds of stick blending!
If you want a nice thin trace, we recommend stick blending until your soap is just emulsified. Then, whisk in all your colors and fragrances, as stick blending them in can thicken it up.
Hope that helps! If you have any other questions let me know. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi, Iv just started making soaps.. in all the types I have made they trace with in the first minute.. is this ok?
Hi Rose!
It definitely depends on the recipe! Recipes with harder oils, like coconut and palm, can take as little as 30 seconds of stick blending to reach thin trace. Recipes with a lot of soft oils, like olive oil, can take longer to trace.
Sometimes, if your recipe has a lot of butters, you can get “false trace.” False trace occurs when the butters start to harden and thicken the soap but aren’t fully emulsified yet. Can you tell me a bit more about your recipe? I’d be more than happy to help you troubleshoot. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have been learning soap making for several years, I have read and read that stick blending allows one to reach trace within 20 minutes, give and take. I found that using a stick/immersion blender I reached trace in less than 5 minutes. It was too fast for me to do anything so I switched to a regular whisk and still reach trace in 5 minutes give and take. I do see the “trace streaks” and see it thicken. Oils never separated, as a matter of fact I have soap. My question/fear is lye pockets and skin irritation possibilities. I do not know what or if I am doing something wrong as it traces so fast. I use the room temperature method where oils are melted and the lye is left over night. PLease advise why is it tracing so fast?
Hi Astar!
If you have solid butters, like cocoa butter, in your recipe, you can get something called “false trace.” The butters start to solidify and thicken the soap, but aren’t fully emulsified. Can you tell me a little more about your recipe? That way I can help you troubleshoot! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks for the great info! I am so appreciative of this blog for sharing all kind of soaping info. I have yet to make my first batch-still reading/researching and collecting supplies before I begin. This blog offers so much support and gives me confidence that I can have success and fun soaping!
Hi Bobbie!
You are so welcome, I’m glad you like the post! It means a lot to us to be able to help you out. Have fun researching and then soaping! It’s pretty addicting. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
That song gives me an earworm! Cute title!
Hi Linda!
We couldn’t resist! It’s been stuck in our heads all day. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you for the very helful post. I’ve recently had a bad experience with my soap (after adding fragrance oils, one of my batches separated and at the end (even after extensive blending never went hard and had oil on the surface), another became solid hard in seconds and the third one went curdy). Unfortunately, sellers here do not specify if the fragrance is OK for CP soap and how it behaives in CP soap. I have the question: the supefat part, should it be in the whole batch of oils (in this case we cannot be sure which oils will not be saponified) or it’s better to take superfat part separately and add it when the light trace reached? Many thanks!
Hi Oksana!
Fragrance oils can definitely play a part in trace, that’s for sure! We have a great blog post about that you may like.
Soap Behaving Badly: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soap-behaving-badly/
The easiest way to calculate superfat is to use our Lye Calculator. That takes a portion of all the oils in your recipe and makes them free-floating. That way you don’t have to add the oils later because the superfat has already been factored in. All you have to do is plug in your recipe and choose a superfat level. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Superfatting Soap – An Explanation: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/superfatting-soap-an-explanation-2/
Using the Bramble Berry Lye Calculator: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/using-the-bramble-berry-lye-calculator-2/
Thank you Kelsey! All information is amazingly useful! I’ve tried at least 4-5 lye calculators, but brambleberry one is the best one.
You’re welcome! So happy you like the calculator. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Fantastic post! It’s so helpful to see pictures and read detailed descriptions of trace. When I first heard about trace, I was a bit confused about how to tell if the soap is at light, medium, or full trace. My first few batches of CP traced very slowly. At the time, I didn’t know why it was taking so long, or if it actually was traced but I was just missing it. I made my first 3-4 batches of CP soap in October-early November. Then, during the week leading up to Thanksgiving, I started soaping like crazy so I could get my Christmas soaps made soon enough to give them enough time to cure before Christmas. I feel like I learned more about trace during that intense period of soaping days than I have every learned from any book or article. I now feel more confident about recognizing trace, and also have a sense of just how traced a particular recipe needs to be, depending on my planned fragrances, colors, and patterns I’m wanting to do.
One thing I have noticed is that it’s okay to let a batch of soap sit for a period of time without stirring it. From reading about soap making, I had gotten the impression that you have to quickly and continuously stir the oils and lye until they trace. If I take a break from stick-blending, however, and just let the soap sit, it will thicken up a good deal and even seems to speed up the trace sometimes. What I usually do is alternate between stick-blending and whisking (my stick-blender can get pretty hot, so whisking gives it a chance to cool down), and then occasionally will let the soap just sit for a few minutes in the pot. This seems to move the trace along well for me.
To add to the affects of fragrance on trace, I have used one FO that reversed the trace to the point that the soap batter separated almost into oils and lye-water again. It was a spicy-type fragrance, so I was expecting and prepared for an acceleration in trace and was surprised when just the opposite happened. But then, after the soap separated, once I started stick-blending again, it seemed to trace faster than before.
I have not made many batches of CP yet, so I don’t know a whole lot about trace, but I think there is definitely no substitute to experience when it comes to “knowing” trace. 🙂
Hi Olivia!
Practice is a great way to find out about trace! It really helps to see it right in front of you.
I often switch between stick blending and stirring with the stick blender, that way I can see the progress my soap is making.
Thank you so much for sharing about your experiences!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you so much for your comments on slow trace. I had the same problem about it taking forever to get to trace. I’m a beginner and doubted my own ability to recognize when I had gotten any kind of trace! I never considered that leaving your mixture sitting for awhile would automatically thicken it up. On the batch I did today I had a little leftover in a measuring cup. When it was time to clean it out I noticed how thick it was. The light bulb should have went off but it wasn’t until I read your post that I realized that it was thick from just sitting for awhile. There is no substitute for experience. I’ve been reading online soap blogs and watching You tube videos till I’m blue in the face and have never noticed any mention of this. I can always rebatch if I screw up. I’m sure I’ll become a pro at rebatching!
Getting the hang of trace definitely takes a little bit. When I first started, all my soaps were so thick because I didn’t realize it would get thicker as it sat! Then, I was paranoid about my soap being too thick so I wouldn’t stick blend much at all and it would be too thin. Eventually, after some practice, you can get just the right trace! Before you know it, you’ll be a pro Darlene. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have to agree with Sylvia about wishing I could have read this two years ago. I eventually figured out that water discounting works for me to help accelarate trace, but it took awhile. This is a great resource, thank you!
Hi Lassie!
You’re welcome, I’m so glad you like it!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Wow! What an awesome article! I wish I would have read this two years ago, when I was stumbling around terrified while making CP…always afraid I would totally mess it all up and not quite understanding emulsification and light trace.
I think this is a really great review for everyone.
Thank you so much!
Hi Sylvia!
I’m so glad you like it! I’m with you, I was totally clueless about trace when I first started. Hopefully this article will help people. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry