Have you ever noticed the white powders that form on top of your handmade soap after a few days? Or perhaps you’ve opened up a brand new bar of soap to find it already coated in a slippery film. This phenomenon is called “soap sweating” and it’s completely normal (and even easy to prevent). Here’s what you need to know about soap sweating and how to keep your bars looking as good as new.
What Causes Soap Sweating?
Sweating is simply a phenomenon that happens between moisture and a humectant (the substance that preserves moisture). In this case, the humectant is glycerin. Glycerin in soap bases is a natural by-product of saponification and can sometimes be added as a moisturizing agent. Humectants attract and absorb moisture from the air. Glycerin in soap attracts moisture from the air, which forms on the surface of the soaps, this is so-called soap ‘sweating’.
Is Soap Sweating Bad?
You may have noticed that your soap sometimes “sweats” or forms beads of moisture on the surface. This is called “glycerin dew” and it’s perfectly normal! In fact, it’s a sign of a well-made bar of soap. Here’s what you need to know about glycerin dew and why it’s not something you need to worry about.
What is Glycerin Dew?
Glycerin dew is simply beads of moisture that form on the surface of the soap. It occurs when humid air comes into contact with the cool, moist surface of the soap. The water vapor in the air condenses into tiny droplets, which appear as beads of moisture on the soap.
Glycerin dew is perfectly normal and it doesn’t mean that your soap is defective in any way. In fact, it’s actually a good sign! It means that your soap contains a high level of glycerin, which is a natural humectant (meaning it attracts and retains moisture). Glycerin is an important ingredient in soap because it helps keep skin hydrated and prevents the soap from drying out.
Why Does Glycerin Dew Happen?
Soap makers strive to create a bar of soap that is long-lasting and doesn’t dry out quickly. To achieve this, they use a high percentage of hard oils (like coconut oil) and low percentages of soft oils (like olive oil). The hard oils give the soap its hardness and longevity, while the soft oils contribute to a creamy, luxurious lather.
The trade-off for using mostly hard oils is that these soaps can sometimes be drying to the skin. That’s where glycerin comes in! The presence of glycerin helps offset the drying effect of the hard oils, resulting in a bar of soap that is both long-lasting and moisturizing.
What Does It Mean When Soap Sweats?
You’ve just made a batch of beautiful, handcrafted soap. You can’t wait to cut it into bars and use it, but you notice something strange happening. Your soap is sweating! Is this normal? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s actually pretty common for handmade soap to sweat, especially when it’s first made. But what does it mean?
Soap Sweating Is Normal… to a Point
First of all, it’s important to know that sweating is normal and not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, sweating can actually be a good thing because it means that your soap contains a high percentage of glycerin. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of the soapmaking process and is beneficial for your skin because it attracts moisture.
However, there is such a thing as too much glycerin in soap. If your soap contains too much glycerin, it will sweat excessively and may develop an oily film on the surface. This film is called “glycerin dew” and it can make your soap slippery and difficult to use.
There are a few things you can do to prevent glycerin dew from forming on your soap. One is to storing your soap in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Another is to “cure” your soap for 4-6 weeks before using it. This gives the excess glycerin time to evaporate so that it doesn’t have a chance to form on the surface of the bar.
How to Prevent Soap Sweating
There are a few simple steps you can take to prevent soap sweating. One of the most effective methods is to store your soap in a cool, dry place. If you live in a humid climate, consider keeping your soap in the fridge (just be sure to wrap it up first so it doesn’t dry out).
Another way to prevent sweating is to let your soap bars cure for an extra week or two before using them. This will give the excess moisture time to evaporate before you start using them. Finally, avoid storing your soap in sealed containers or plastic bags, which can trap moisture and cause sweating.
How to Wrap Your Soap to Prevent It From Sweating
Soap makers know that one of the most frustrating things about making handmade soap is when it starts to sweat. You put all of this time and effort into making a beautifully crafted bar of soap, and then it sits in your bathroom and gets all mushy. No one wants to use a bar of soap that is starting to melt!
There are a few things that you can do to prevent your soap from sweating. One is to make sure that your soap is thoroughly dry before you wrap it. If there is any moisture at all in your soap, it will start to sweat as soon as you wrap it up. Another thing that you can do is to store your soap in a cool, dry place. If you live in a humid climate, this can be particularly difficult. But if you can find a place in your home that isn’t too hot or too humid, your soap will be less likely to sweat.
One of the best ways to Wrapping Your Soap to Prevent Sweating
The best way to wrap your soap to prevent it from sweating is actually pretty simple. All you need is some sort of food wrap (like Glad Wrap or Saran Wrap) and a piece of paper. First, take your piece of paper and fold it in half lengthwise. Then, take your bar of soap and place it on the paper so that the long side of the bar is parallel with the folded edge of the paper.
Next, take one end of the paper and fold it over the bar of soap, tucking it in so that the bar is completely wrapped up. Then, take your food wrap and cover the whole thing, making sure that the bar is completely sealed in. You can also tape the ends if you want to be extra careful. When you’re finished, your soap should be well-protected against moisture and should last for several weeks without sweating.
How to Fix or Prevent Soap Sweat
Have you ever opened up a bar of soap and found that the surface was wet? That’s soap sweat, and it’s a common problem among handmade soap makers. Soap sweat occurs when the moisture in the air condenses on the cold surface of the soap. While soap sweat doesn’t affect the quality of the soap, it can be aesthetically unappealing. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to fix or prevent soap sweat.
How Does Soap Sweat Form?
Soap sweat forms when the humidity in the air meets the cool surface of the soap. When this happens, the water vapor in the air condenses and turns into liquid water. Soap sweat is more likely to occur in humid environments or when bars of soap are stored in airtight containers.
Why Do Some Soaps Sweat More Than Others?
The type of oil used to make the soap can also affect how much it sweats. For example, olive oil produces a softer bar of soap that is more prone to sweating. In contrast, coconut oil produces a hard bar of soap that is less likely to sweat. The ratio of oils used in a recipe can also affect sweating. A higher percentage of hard oils will produce a bar of soap that is less likely to sweat.
How to Fix Soap Sweat
There are a few different ways that you can fix soap sweat. One way is to store your soaps in an open container or on a wire rack in a cool, dry place. You can also wrap your bars of soap in absorbent materials like tissue paper or craft paper. If you notice that one side of your bar of soap is sweating more than the other, you can rotate it so that the dry side is facing up.
How to Prevent Soap Sweat
If you want to prevent soap sweat altogether, there are a few things that you can do. One way is to make sure that your bars of soap is completely dry before you store them. You can also add sodium lactate to your recipe. Sodium lactate is a liquid salt that helps hardened soaps retain moisture, which can help prevent sweating. Another way to prevent sweating is to cure your bars of soap for 4-6 weeks before using them or selling them. Curing allows time for excess moisture to evaporate from the bars, which will help reduce sweating.
In Conclusion
Soap sweating is nothing to worry about—it’s just a natural phenomenon that happens when glycerin comes into contact with moisture in the air. But if you want to keep your soap bars looking sleek and new, there are a few simple steps you can take to prevent sweating.
Store your soap in a cool, dry place, let it cure for an extra week or two before using it, and avoid storing it in sealed containers or plastic bags. With these simple tips, you can keep your handmade soap looking as good as new!
