What's whipped soap?
It is still cold process soap made with lye and oil/butter, but added a twist similar to whipping body butter. Normally one would dissolve the lye in some kind of liquid, melt the oil and butters, mix them together at a certain temperature somewhere between 85F to 110F. Whipped soap is different in the sense that it's made under LOW temperature, below butter's melting point. First of all, not every recipe can be made into whipped soap, it has to have high saturated fat and low unsaturated fat. Saturated fat is what make an oil or butter "hard", like coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter... etc. My whipped soap recipe consists of 80% solid oil and butters under room temperature.
Short summary of how to make whipped soap:
- Melt the hard oil and butter, mix it well, then pop it into the freezer until it start to solidify again, similar to making body butter.
- Take it out and whip it to pump in air, air is what fluff up the mixture.
- Pour in cool (I mean it) lye solution into the whipped oil/butter then whip some more.
- Last, pour in the soft oil (liquid under room temperature), fragrance oil, and colorant then whip for the last time.
- Pour into mold of your choice and keep it cool for 24 hours.
If you prefer watching me do it, here's my latest video showing the making of this year's whipped (floating) soap:
Photos of just poured soap in the mold:
Why make whipped soap?! Well, it's fun! Take one to your tub filled with water and it would never sink down to the bottom! It's the air you whipped into the soap that makes it float !
Whipped soap has a texture similar to marshmallow or angel's food cake.
This one is scented with Sea Salt & Yuzu
And this one is scented with Sea Salt & Rice Flower
They are very spa type scents, great for the summer.
Did I make it interesting enough that makes you itchy to try yourself?!
I haven't tried making it your way Emily. I have followed Nizzy's example and mine have never quite whipped properly. I would like to try your method, adding the liquid oils AFTER the lye.... maybe that will be more effective for me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI watched this video last night. The whipped soap looks great. I've recently read your blog and I watch your videos. Your soaps are WONDERFUL! I find your work inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI made my first whipped soap 2 weeks ago and it was so fun! The difference is that I did not melt the hard oils and butters, I just whipped them when they were at room temperature.
ReplyDeleteI use cocoa butter, that thing is hard and brittle under room temperature, impossible to whip without melting it down first.
DeleteThat is true, didn´t even think about it :) I just bought more cocoa butter so I can make more whipped soap. I think it is so fun for kids.
DeleteI have never tried a whipped soap before. Does it last just as long as regular bar?
ReplyDeleteWell, with the air built in the bar, though it's the same weight but bigger in size, I would say it last shorter in shower. Maybe partially because you tend to play with fun soap? :) :P
DeleteThis is such beautiful soap! I've done m&p whipped soap and it floats and last just as long per pound! Thank you Em for the nice tutorial and inspiring at the same time!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful soap! As always! Thanks for an awesome video :)
ReplyDeleteLove how you explain the what a whipped soap is, that is going to help so many people. And your soaps are super cute. =)
ReplyDeleteSo I read the directions, then decided to watch the video...but I am so distracted by listening to your parrot. Is that an African Grey? Lol.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like fun. I keep telling myself no new undertakings. I already sew, cook, preserve and make candles (although just simple container soy candles) for fun and profit and my husband does professional machine embroidery. But soap just seems like so much fun....
Yes, I have an African Grey, his name (or her we are not sure) is Soba, you know, the grayish Japanese noodle. Most of our pets names are Japanese food, LOL
DeleteIf it makes you feel better, other than soap making, I also make jewelry, spin yarn, knit, acrylic painting, and now getting into pottery. A girl can never get too many hobbies!
Hi there,
DeleteI love your blog and your soaps are just gorgeous!!
May I ask you how you cut your whipped soap? Do you use a wire or a knife? I made 2 batches of whipped soap today and cut them soon after I made them to avoid them being brittle and breaking. You say you leave yours in the freezer for 24 hours...which I would try if I wasn't so worried it won't cut anymore..
Thank you very much
Nicole
Nicole, I cut my whipped soap with a wire. I make my whipped soap cold and refrigerate also. Even though the recipe is more hard oil/butter than usual but it should not be brittle and break. I treat whipped soap no different than my other cold process soap.
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeleteDo you think I could use a whipped body butter that just didn't turn out right (cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, rosemary oleoresin, lime EO, coconut oil) to make a whipped soap? It's creamy and I whipped it, but after a couple of hours it hardened up a bit and I'd like to repurpose it since it made a ton and it'll go to waste. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteI you know exactly how much of each oil butter you used in that bobby butter sure you can turn it into soap, just run it through your lye calculator to figure out how much lye you need. Except, if majority of your body butter is made with cocoa butter your soap might not come out with much lather. If you email me your body butter recipe I can take a look and see what can be revised to get you whipped soap.
DeleteI am totally inspired by your soap, I haven't made cp soap for quite a few years as had no space but now i live in a place where i can have a soaping corner just for me and I am looking at this and I can see me doing this. Thank you for your lovely sharing
ReplyDeleteHappy soaping
angelina xxx
Mine look kinda like cake when I cut it, not smooth at all
ReplyDeleteWow, that's beautiful. I bet its creamy too.
ReplyDeletelove your tutorial! i have one question: when cutting whipped soap, do i have to use a wire? or can i use a knife? thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou can use a knife but you have to wait longer when the soap is firm enough or you might crumble the edges.
Deletehello question does this soap get hard. I made a rebatch into whipped soap and its firm out of the mold but I could still smash it with a little pressure. will it ever get hard like the regular soap?
ReplyDeleteIt does get hard like a regular CP soap but won't be as hard because of all the air pumped into the soap.
DeleteMade it, although not as pretty as yours.Thank you for sharing. Going to make more of this beautiful soap.
Deletehi, thank you for the recipe is amazing!! I would like to know what is the concentration and the overfat in you recipe,please.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your help!!
I assume you meant to ask about the concentration of lye water? I use 2:1 water:NaOH ratio and superfat at 8%. Whipped soap is better made with less water content, the less the better to maintain the fluffiness.
DeleteApart from being able to float in water, what other benefits are there for whipped soap? does it produce more lather? does it feel creamier?
ReplyDelete