Soap is made through saponification, combining fat and an alkaline substance. The process can be done in batches or continuously. Sodium or potassium hydroxide can be used. The soap is then molded and cooled.
Basically, the soap making process is the combination of fat and a strong alkaline substance which results in a chemical process called saponification. Saponification involves the breakdown of a fat into fatty acids and glycerin. The fatty acids can then react with a carbonated salt to produce soap. Ancient soap makers used a combination of animal or vegetable fat and wood ash to create soap, but today many manufacturers replace the wood ash with sodium hydroxide. Potassium hydroxide can also be used to make softer soap, one that dissolves more easily in water.
The soap making process can be divided into two main groups: the kettle process and the continuous process. The kettle process produces soap in one batch at a time while the continuous process produces soap continuously. Most large soap manufacturers use the continuous soap making process because it produces a more consistent product. The continuous process also creates soap faster, making soap in about six hours compared to the four to 11 days it takes for the soap-making process.
In the continuous soap making process, the melted fat is sent to a container where hot water is sprayed under high pressure. This separates the fat into its component parts. The fatty acids are then purified and sent to another container, where the alkaline substance is added. Once the soap is made, some manufacturers may whip it up to incorporate air. The whole mixture is then poured into molds and left to cool, or it cools into large slabs which can later be cut.
The first step of the kettle soap making process is to boil the fat and the alkaline substance together. Salt is then added to allow the soap to separate from the glycerin, which sinks to the bottom of the container and is removed. Another batch of the alkaline substance is then added to the mix to turn any remaining fat into soap. After this, the soap is cast: water is added and the liquid is boiled. This causes the soap, called pure soap, to rise to the top and the water and other substances, collectively called nigre, to sink to the bottom. The soap is removed and, like soap made by the continuous method, it is cooled in molds or left to cool as a large slab to be cut later.
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