What is the Bar Soap Process described as ''cold process'' ?
This is the most natural, traditional method of soap making. Most mass-produced bars are not actually soap at all, they are 'syndet' or 'synthetic detergent' bars. With the cold process method you are saponifying your oils from scratch using heat just to melt solid oils, this bar soap process saved energy and creates moisturising 'glycerine' which remains in your soap to soften your skin. In mass produced soap making the glycerine is extracted and sold as a valuable bi-product.
What will I learn on the course ?
First of all we will teach you which oils to select for your formula and explain the special qualities they will bring to your soap. Each group will then make a batch of soap from beginning to end. This might be a lavender soap (swirled with blue), a soap containing goat's milk, one with oatmeal and calendula petals or even a shaving soap. The soaps will all be fragranced with pure essential oils and made from botanical oils such as coconut, palm, olive and almond. We add petals, herbs and natural exfoliants as the mood takes us so you will end up with some very unique soaps to take home.
We will then stop for a scrummy lunch and in the afternoon we start again but this time each group makes a soap using one formula. The groups then choose three different colourants to add to their batch. We experiment with cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and paprika along with infused alkanet and annato (which is the colouring used in cheese). We also play with some of the cosmetic oxides and artificial colourants which are the only medium you can use to produce intense blues, pinks and greens etc.,
What can we take home with us?
We run a shop at the course where you can buy ingredients and equipment so that you are ready to make more soap when you get home. You will also have complete course notes and a cd containing some very useful software designed to help you with formulations. You will each take some of all the soaps made on the day so that you can impress your friends with your new skill. You will also find that you have made a lot of new friends who share your interest and hopefully you will take home their telephone numbers !
