Is making soap "just chemistry"

[penelopejane]

Someone on this forum recently said making soap is “just chemistry”.

I don’t agree. I think there is the science of soap making, the method of soap making, the art of soap making and the artistry of soap making.

I've been making soap for 2 years and I can make the same soap, same recipe, exactly the same method and it doesn’t turn out the same despite my detailed notes. I am not one of those talented people who can whip up a batch throwing oil in with lye and produce a superb batch of soap. I have to work at it. I am still at the "method" stage.

I admire those who are artists. Soaping 101 has the art of soap making down pat. Handmade in Florida and Aunty Clara are artists.

Does that make sense to you?

 

[jcandleattic]

To me, soapmaking is combination of chemistry, art, creative outlet, and so much more. So, no, IMO it's not "just chemistry" unless you are talking it's very very basic level.

 

[toxikon]

To me, soapmaking is combination of chemistry, art, creative outlet, and so much more. So, no, IMO it's not "just chemistry" unless you are talking it's very very basic level.

It's comparable to cooking/baking to me. You can get into the science side of things by following recipes to the gram or researching the maillard effect or advanced cooking techniques or knife skills. And you can focus on creating beautiful plates of food with vibrant colours, perfectly decorated cupcakes, etc. There's definitely elements of both science and art co-mingling.

 

[Cellador]

My problem with most hobbies is that they are one-sided or aimed at a very specific aspect - one works with my physical abilities, one may tap into my creative side, one may get my brain working....Soaping tends to combine all of these. I love it! I can explore focus on one aspect or another, depending on how I'm feeling.
So, no, soaping is much more than "just chemistry" to me.

 

[isha]

I'm not that creative artistic person.. I mean I can't paint but can admire art. N soaping to me is art so much detailed intrigued with chemistry.. I was always the one with high grades in school n away from art.. But soaping for last 6 months. I'm challenging my artistic brain. Everytime I was a video or look at aunty Carla's water discount. Soap... I'm thinking genius... Work of art.. I can never do it.. Then I pull up my socks n give it a try.. I've tried couple of swirls and layers.
Water discount/ aunty Carla's work is next in my to do list..
It's not just chemistry.. It's chemartistry [emoji2]

 

[DeeAnna]

As one of the resident geeks here, I sure hope I'm not the one that you're talking about, Penelope Jane, because it's not accurate. Yes, soap making is certainly a lot about chemistry, and I do think that aspect is fun and interesting, but if that's all it was, it would not be nearly as much fun nor as interesting to me as it is. Being a geeky type of person, I don't need a purely science-y hobby. Soap making challenges me to be more creative with color and design; to better appreciate scent, texture, and color; and to accept that I cannot entirely control the outcome.

 

[penelopejane]

As one of the resident geeks here, I sure hope I'm not the one that you're talking about, Penelope Jane.
Soap making challenges me to be more creative with color and design; to better appreciate scent, texture, and color; and to accept that I cannot entirely control the outcome.

No DeeAnna it wasn’t you who said it, you actually rebutted it at the time.

I’m a bit of a micro manager (ok control freak/perfectionist ) and I find making soap and releasing that control is good for me. I struggle with the chemistry and really appreciate your easy to understand insights. It’s taken me two years to get consistently good results.

A friend makes the most gorgeous soaps and just throws in unmeasured, unmixed TD and a pinch of this and that and turns out the most beautiful soap every time. I so admire those people but I stubbornly stick to my precise measurements so that if I hit on the perfect bar i can repeat it in my non-artistic way.

I think the combination of science and art keeps soapmaking interesting and challenging for me anyway.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I think somewhere around 9 months after I started soaping I posted a "What Now?" thread here because I started to feel like I'd learned everything I needed to know about making soap.

And to be fair to my neophyte self, I kinda truly had. That is, I had figured out the process side of things to consistently make good bars. And I had settled on a recipe that I liked very much. At that point I wasn't really "doing art" I was just making soap - no color or solid color, one scent, no swirls.

I have a friend, actually the one who got me into soaping, who stopped here. She makes soap for her family on schedule when it's needed. Same kind every time. If I can presume to speak for her I think she takes pride in her competence and in providing a useful product to her family, but doesn't necessarily love soaping for itself.

But what has kept things interesting for me was moving beyond that basic process stuff that you might call "just chemistry" into more creative and artistic directions. Testing dozens of scents, trying special additives, learning all the swirls and trying new things like that rainbow mica line soap I did. IMO, those are the things that move beyond basic competence in a household chore and into a fulfilling handicraft hobby.

 

[SparksnFlash]

If memory serves, and it well may not, it seems it was someone who got a little verbal spank for something. He/She lashed a bit calling some pretentious, etc and said "it's just chemistry" in response to other's intense advice. I don't believe it was intended to cover the entire experience of soapmaking. For me, making soap is "just chemistry", while soapmaking is much more.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

If memory serves, and it well may not, it seems it was someone who got a little verbal spank for something. He/She lashed a bit calling some pretentious, etc and said "it's just chemistry" in response to other's intense advice. I don't believe it was intended to cover the entire experience of soapmaking. For me, making soap is "just chemistry", while soapmaking is much more.

Oh, it was THAT thread, was it? :mrgreen:

 

[Kittish]

The kinds of crafts I like best are those that combine elements of science and art. Leathercraft, soap making, perfumery, cooking and baking, and (soon) 3d design to go along with the printing side.

For me, appearance and aesthetics come second to function. But if I can do it without compromising function (or taste/texture in foods), then yes, I want what I make to be pretty as well as functional.

 

[lenarenee]

As someone who's been allergic to chemistry for her entire life but was forced to learn a little bit of it in order to pass some college courses, I can guarantee you that there is no such thing as "just chemistry".

The laws of chemistry are brilliant. They create miracles. They transform. Give life. Take it away. Chemistry is life.

Want to feel awed and humbled at the same time? Read a bit about the most famous polar molecule in the world.

 

[penelopejane]

^^^ :mrgreen:
It's not just the chemistry either! There's the maths as well.
Luckily I have a DH who helps me because it gets tricky. He has saved all of you from some tricky questions. Things like:
I have a 15ml sample FO which I want to use at 6% how much mix do I want? How much oil do I use?
I have 15 sample size FOs to test. How many testers will fit in my mold? I worked this one out for myself and I was very proud of myself!

 

[SunRiseArts]

making artisan soap is an art.

What is art? The general accepted definition of art is the quality, production, or expression of what is beautiful, appealing, and or more than ordinary significance.

I say making soap and adding design and other elements t it, definitively fits that definition.

 

[Ivanstein]

I am having trouble understanding why people think chemistry isn't art...?

Just the same as watching the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels. Its all completely engineered, right down to how hard they pull back on the stick to make a perfectly round loop in the sky. Everything is by the numbers, but it sure ends up a thing of beauty.

Fractals are "just math" but create some of the most beautiful patterns found in nature.

I could go on...

 

[MorpheusPA]

Technically, I'd say it's "just" chemistry and physics. All else follows. Which means it's all physics, since chemistry is an emergent property of physics. And we're emergent chemistry.

:think:

But that's true of any part of the Universe. And while we can't create art that isn't allowed by the laws of physics, we still make art with it.

 

[bathgeek]

It's comparable to cooking/baking to me. You can get into the science side of things by following recipes to the gram or researching the maillard effect or advanced cooking techniques or knife skills. And you can focus on creating beautiful plates of food with vibrant colours, perfectly decorated cupcakes, etc. There's definitely elements of both science and art co-mingling.

Toxikon we think alike! I had to stop baking because waistlines we’re expanding too fast and you can only give away so many cookies before even neighbors hide when you ring the doorbell. So I was ecstatic to make soap instead!

 

[toxikon]

Toxikon we think alike! I had to stop baking because waistlines we’re expanding too fast and you can only give away so many cookies before even neighbors hide when you ring the doorbell. So I was ecstatic to make soap instead!

No kidding girl! I made a few big batches of cookies last weekend and I've been snacking on them since. Groan!

 

[SunRiseArts]

I am having trouble understanding why people think chemistry isn't art...?

Just the same as watching the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels. Its all completely engineered, right down to how hard they pull back on the stick to make a perfectly round loop in the sky. Everything is by the numbers, but it sure ends up a thing of beauty.

Fractals are "just math" but create some of the most beautiful patterns found in nature.

I could go on...

I agree. Chemistry, math, medicine, they are all arts. Proof is that half of the time doctors do not know what is wrong with you! :twisted: