The Secret Life of Soap with Kevin Dunn

Kevin Dunn

I'm the first to admit that I've had a fear of soapmaking for years! I get a lot of crazy looks at the HSMG Annual Conference because my response when asked what kind of soap I make is always..."I don't". I do, however, have a deep respect for chemistry and after hearing Kevin Dunn, Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College, I've made it a personal goal to make soap at least once before the next conference.

Kevin's lecture this year covered the following points of interest in soapmaking:

• Soda Ash and Other White Blemishes
• Sulfated Castor Oil
• Jojoba Oil and its Substitutes
• The Secret Life of Soap

Some highlights on these topics are:

• Not all white spots are soda ash.
• Soda Ash forms only at the surface of the soap, not within it.
• Soda Ash washes off with water.
• Soda Ash is not very soluble in alcohol.
• Soda Ash appears where lye meets air, so keeping soap covered helps to eliminate soda ash.
• Soda Ash is common in "lye-heavy" soap, so double check SAP values.
• Unmolding soap too soon can cause soda ash, so do not unmold until it is "tongue-neutral".
• Sulfated Castor Oil is also known as "Turkey Red Oil".
• Sulfated Castor Oil does not form "soap-scum" in hard water and is less alkaline than soap.
• Sulfated Castor Oil is a liquid made by reacting castor oil with sulfuric acid and has a SAP Value between 82-97 depending upon the supplier.
• Jojoba Oil is a liquid wax with chemistry similar to spermaceti and sebum.
• Due to rising costs of Jojoba, it may be necessary to use a substitute in your formulations to keep costs consistent. Acceptable substitutes include: Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Oleyl Alcohol, Beeswax, Candelilla Wax, Cetyl Esthers and/or Carnauba Wax.
• High-water raw soap contains lye droplets.
• Low-water raw soap contains lye channels.
• Soap can be made with lye between 25% and 50% NaOH.
• High-water soaps "gel" at lower temps.
• Mid-water soaps "gel" at higher temps.
• Low-water soaps do not gel.

For those with an avid interest in the science behind soapmaking, Kevin Dunn's book, "Scientific Soapmaking: The Chemistry of the Cold Process" may help demystify the process!

For a full pdf of slides from Kevin Dunn's lecture, click this link

Allison B. Kontur

www.BathBodySupply.com