Craftswoman's tips: 3 tricks for making the perfect soap

I like to share my expertise because I'm generous. But before you can do something well, you have to know how to make mistakes, because you learn from your mistakes.

1/ Formulate in a hurry

A soap formula is precise. Each oil has its own saponification index, and requires a different amount of lye to be saponified. So if you take a formula with coconut oil and replace it with borage oil, you're sure to have a very soft soap that will go rancid very quickly. Or, you'll add too much lye and your soap will be caustic: guaranteed dangerous soap! You can frame it, have a contemporary art exhibition, but don't use it on your skin because it will melt🫠.

2/ Unmold DURING the freezing phase

During the saponification process, your soap will go through a phase where it re-liquefies: the gel phase. It's as if it takes on the texture of a runny muffin. Unmold it at this point and cut it: it will collapse limply on itself, saying to you: "Why did you do this to me? Don't you respect me?" then will fall silent forever. Very stylish lava flow effect, though.

3/ Do NOT line your mold

Take a wooden mold or any other rigid material. Don't use a silicone mold, or you'll risk ruining your success. Pour your soap batter. Wait 24 to 48 hours for saponification to complete. Unmold. Oh. Unmold? Try again? Well, well... The soap is stuck to the side of the mold forever. Now you can wait for it to cure and offer it with the mold integrated.

Don't thank me for these tips, they're free, it's nice. Florine Legros, thanks for the inspiration ;)

Solène Lebon