Cold process soap v. Hot process soap

[Treece]

OK, I've been reaserching saponification and I have come across Hot Process Soap. Now, my question is why is CPS considered better than HPS? It seems that HPS would be easier to make than CPS since measurments don't have to be as acurate.

So, if HPS is easier, why is CPS considered better?

[3bees~1flower]

i started out making CP and THEN i tried HP : ...i will never go back to CP. i love the interaction that i have with HP. i make mine in the crockpot and absolutely love it. the clean up is soooo much easier as you are cleaning up finished soap while with CP soap you are cleaning up raw, caustic soap which i don't like. i love the feel of HP soap better than CP.

[my3monkees]

Soap! One of my favorite subjects! LOL
I think the big thing with CP is that you can do prettier swirls and fancier techniques with it. Since it is poured while it is still thin. HP gives more of a marbled look than a swirl usually. Which I personally like. I also like the more rustic look HP tends to have.
I personally prefer HP, being the impatient person that I am. Means it can be used right away(does get better with curing time though). I also feel better doing HP since I have small kids in the house. I know that when I'm done,my soap is soap. So there is no danger if they get into it. No raw caustic soap sitting around. I also like knowing that if I wait until after my cook to add my superfat, that is the oil that will actually be the moizturing oil. Since all the other oils have already been saponified.
I only do CP for specialty bars, such as salt bars. Last time I tried to HP those, I ended up with a crumbly mess.
I still think it is important for measurements to be just as accurate with either process though.
Hope that explains it a little bit!

[amcal]

I don't think it's a matter of "better" they are just different.

It's very difficult to get a smooth bar of hot process soap. IMHO has a much more rustic look to it. There's nothing wrong with the more rustic look but it's different from the smooth look you get with CP. The benefits are that it is ready to use as soon as it cools, you can use less fragrance but where you heard that you don't have to be precise with your measurements is completely wrong. Soap ingredients - whether hot or cold process - must be measured precisely.
Here is what HP looks like - you can see that you have to sort of gloop it in the mold and if you want it to be smooth, it may need some trimming and even then, I've yet to see a bar of HP that was smooth.
http://www.candletech.com/hpsoap/step9.htm

Again, this is jut my opinion but cold process has a smoother, cleaner, denser/richer look. http://nicheworldcorp.trustpass.alib...s/showimg.html It's easier to be more "artistic" with CP and to me, it's just easier. You just mix your lye and oils bring to trace, pour, gel, cool and cut. Contrary to popular belief, CP soap, once it has completed the saponification process, can be used right away too but the longer you wait, the more mild it becomes. There is just a difference between the two - it's a matter of preference.

[JessicaS]

HP tends to melt faster in the bath.

I have made HP as well as CP soap. I make HP when I am playing with scents I just got and am too impatient to wait for a good cure.

[JanB]

Also, a lot of the books for home soapmakers are focused on CP soap. Our favorite, The Soapmaker's Companion, barely even mentions hot-process. (I just checked it last night when I saw this thread, in case she talks about why she prefers CP, and it's not even mentioned in the index!)

[mgilleran@earth-co]

I started out with HP, and then switched to CP. I did HP first because I was so excited & didn't want to wait for my soap to cure. I found that I still needed to let it cure 3 weeks or so to get a better quality HP soap. It is soi soft for the first few weeks. For my family I don't mind HP soap. It does look messier like a PP mentioned. It just never gets the smooth consistency like CP soap. Think of it like cooking chocolate. If you cook it too fast or too hot it gets a strange texture. Soap seems the same way. For soap that I want to give as gifts, I like the look of CP soap better. It also takes more EOs for CP, because some of the fragrance is depleted during the process, because of the chemical reactions. With HP the process is already completed before you add the EO. I would disagree that measurements don't need to be exact. In my opinion, any time you are working with lye you need to be precise. You can still have lye-heavy soap with HP. I still use HP if I am making soap to use in making laundry soap, but for anything else I like CP.

[jlpumkin]

I agree with pp that with HP you still need your measurements to be correct. I think that HP melts faster and CP is creamier. It depends on my recipe which method fits the bar.. If I want to leave behind some oils or butter then I like HP because I feel like more melts onto the skin yk? But if I'm making a really expensive bar with great ingredients I want it to last as long as possible. I guess that's part of my criteria for deciding between the two.