What is saponification?
Saponification is the term used to describe the chemical reaction that makes soap possible.
The soap manufacturing process is done by mixing different bodies and ingredients.
Saponification then results from the chemical reaction between a fatty substance, in principle vegetable oils, and an alkaline agent, such as soda to obtain solid soap and potash to obtain liquid soap.
This process is long, but it allows to make a quality soap.
Why use hot or cold saponification?
Both methods work and produce soap, however, hot saponification impacts product quality.
Hot saponification
Hot saponification is widely used by manufacturers because it makes it possible to produce more quickly and thus in larger quantities.
Base ingredients, such as vegetable oils and sometimes even animal fat, are heated for several hours to obtain a soap paste that is then rinsed with water to remove the remaining sodium hydroxide.
This method is not really environmentally friendly, as it consumes a lot of energy (water, electricity), nor qualitative, as heating the oils deteriorates their benefits and thus the soap will be of inferior quality.
However, the widely recognized Aleppo soap and Marseille soap are hot saponified soaps.
They are all soaps of the same quality, with proven dermatological virtues, since the oils used during their manufacture, such as olive oil, palm oil or bay oil, are heat-resistant oils.
Cold saponification
Here is a more environmentally friendly method that allows you to enjoy all the benefits of the soap components.
A handmade soap
This method is the classic method, the one used by our grandfathers. With the exception of ingredients such as shea butter or beeswax that must be melted at low temperature to be incorporated into handmade soaps, the other elements are not heated and production is done at room temperature.
The fats are added in excess to eliminate all the sodium hydroxide. And after mixing the ingredients, the soaps are poured into the molds for a period of 48 hours, then they are unmolded and stored away from light for a cure of at least 4 weeks.
A more natural and "surgras" soap
These cold soaps and "surgras" are much more gentle and moisturizing because this method during which the ingredients are not heated allows the full benefits of these components to be preserved.
Note that cold saponified soap making is less energy intensive and therefore more environmentally friendly.
Moreover, the selection of raw materials also contributes to the quality of the product, by choosing organic ingredients for example, you guarantee a care that respects your skin and the environment.
It is said to be "surgras" in reference to the excess oil that is added to eliminate all the alkaline agent (this surplus comes from adding excess fat or reducing sodium hydroxide).
This superlubrication gives a much softer, less aggressive soap that intensely hydrates the skin and preserves the hydrolipidic film that is often damaged when you have dry, sensitive skin.
When you have this type of skin, surgras soap may be more advisable than Marseilles soap.