Cream soap making has been something that has intrigued me for some time. I’ve made all different kinds of soaps, from liquid to hot process soaps, but never before experimented with making cream soap. Then one day I came across a great recipe for cream soap and was soon hooked on this new type of soap.
Cream soaps have a whipped cream feeling to them and make a great body wash. Of course it will depend a lot on the oils your use and how much water you put into your process but it’s not hard to control the texture at all. Depending on the adjustments you make you can have a soap that is almost salve like, or semi liquid or a soap with the texture of fluffy to dense whipped cream.
There are recipes for cream soap making that are hot press soaps and cold press soaps. If you do try the cold process soap method it can actually take close to 8-10 days for saponification to be completed. No matter which method you use, both of them will require the use of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. This is the first time I have ever used these in combination so it was quite interesting.
This is not really a soap for a beginner, but more for the experienced soaper. It is simple to make, once you have a good understanding of the other processes. This is not a method that used a stick blender, but uses the cake mix style mixer. Stick blender can not be used due to the fact that they just don’t seem to give you the volume you need from the oils you use.
Using a mostly cold process soap procedure this type of soap can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before it will get hard. Then it will need to cure for another 4-6 weeks. If you have the patience you’ll like making cream soap. It can be extremely creative as well. If you use a piping bag you can work with two or three different colors. You’ll also have a wide variety of molds you can use. For the most part silicon molds will work best for this type of soap but the molds will give you a lot of creative options.
The best part about cream soap making is the you do not have to work with hot oils and worrying about temperatures. Since there is no trace step you don’t have to worry about knowing when you have reached trace. Cream soap can be made using vegetable or animal fats or a combination of the two. The aromas will normally be a bit more intense and will hold for a long time. Since the base is very white using colors, especially pastels work very well. And finally, this type of soap will float in water. Kids and adults alike will love this feature.
