Early in my soapmaking days, another soapmaker encouraged me to take careful notes of each and every soapmaking — the exact amounts of the ingredients used, along with a detailed description of each step in the process. Benefiting from my many failed batches, you can avoid most of the following pitfalls, but careful note-taking will help ensure you don’t make the same mistakes twice.
Nearly all of the problems listed here are related to imprecision. You can avoid most of them by following directions carefully, and regularly testing scales and thermometers for accuracy. Remember, as frustrating as the occasional failure is, most mistakes are small, and soap is forgiving. The major goofs are lifetime lessons.
Test the pH of any suspicious bars. Read the instructions on page 131 before taking any action.
If you are at all uncertain of your diagnostic ability, purchase a pH test kit and test the soaps yourself. Wait until the bars have cured, about three to six weeks after they were cut and trimmed. If you are concerned about particular areas on the bars, test these directly.
Aubrey Hampton, in his book Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care, discusses pH and stresses that a wide range of values can be acceptable for skin-care products. He wrote that the skin can adjust to a pH of 8.0–10.5 more easily than it can to the synthetic chemicals which are added to lower pH. The term “pH balanced,” like so many advertising gimmicks, has been exploited; a neutral (7.0) reading does not reveal enough about a product.
CAUTION
Never pour raw soap down the drain.
A range of 5.5–10.5 seems to be an acceptable range for hair and skin products; be aware that pH readings may vary somewhat from test to test. I aim for a range of 5.5 to 8.0. Aim for a range rather than a precise number. If you have any doubt about a soap, do not use it.
Though pH tests serve a purpose, they do have their limitations. I have noticed that even when a bar of soap tests within the neutral range, the soap solution (some soap dissolved in water) can test slightly alkaline. Do monitor the bars, but aim for a safe range, not just one specific value.
