Superfat CP soaps - can you control what is the superfat

SoapDaddy70 · Sep 30, 2020

Hello everyone. I have a question about superfatting in cold process soap making. I have only made one batch of soap so far but have been reading non stop since doing so. I have a pretty boring job so I have been reading and researching all sorts of things. I understand the concept of superfat and the math and science behind it. The thing I just read about that blew my mind is that when doing cold process you really have no control over what in your recipe is left behind as the superfat. Is that correct? I was reading that even if you added lets say shea butter after trace that still would not guarantee that it would be the one left behind as the superfat. Is there anyway to force certain oils to be part of the superfat when doing cold process or should I not even worry my newbie brain with such thoughts.

LilianNoir · Sep 30, 2020

"The lye takes what it wants" is a well known saying for soapers.

The only way to "force" a particular oil/fat to be part of the super fat is to add it after the cook during hot process. There is no way to know or or effect what the lye processes during cold process.

GemstonePony · Sep 30, 2020

SoapDaddy70 said:
Hello everyone. I have a question about superfatting in cold process soap making. I have only made one batch of soap so far but have been reading non stop since doing so. I have a pretty boring job so I have been reading and researching all sorts of things. I understand the concept of superfat and the math and science behind it. The thing I just read about that blew my mind is that when doing cold process you really have no control over what in your recipe is left behind as the superfat. Is that correct? I was reading that even if you added lets say shea butter after trace that still would not guarantee that it would be the one left behind as the superfat. Is there anyway to force certain oils to be part of the superfat when doing cold process or should I not even worry my newbie brain with such thoughts.

Lye eats what lye wants when it wants, so for CP you have virtually no control over what that is regardless of when it's added to the batter.
For hot process, you can add an item of preference after you've cooked the lye and other oils, but you still can't guarantee that there isn't a little lye lying around to munch on that as well.
With HP, you can hedge your bets slightly on what the lye mostly eats and what it mostly doesn't.
With CP there is active lye in the soap for a few days after it's mixed, so there really isn't a way to sneak anything past the lye monster.