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My Reward PointsTrace in soap making refers to the phase where the formula (emulsified water and oils) thicken up indicating the start of the saponification process. Reaching this stage means that the soap mixture will eventually solidify to get converted into solid soaps.
So, it is a significant phase in the soap making process. In this blog, we will study the different types of soap trace and their meaning in detail. We will also study how these trace types affect the soap making process.
What is Trace in Soap Making?
Trace in soap making signifies a stage where the oils and water reach a stable emulsion state. It means that they can no longer separate and start thickening. It marks the beginning of the saponification and can be visually examined as well. The different trace types indicate the consistency of the soap mixture.
Why does it Matter?
The soap trace gives us an idea that the soap mixture or batter is ready to be poured into the moulds. It is the exact time to add soap fragrances, colours, and other additives into your soap batter.
As a result, you get control over the soap’s consistency, colour, fragrance, and texture and you can introduce swirl patterns or layers into the soap at this stage.
What Does Soap Trace Look Like?
Now that you have got a fair idea about what soap trace actually is, let’s see more details on how does it look like:
1. Emulsion (No Visible Trace Yet)
At this stage, the batter has emulsified but there is no visible trail on the surface when you drizzle the mixture. It is more like a pancake batter and the right time to introduce intricate swirl patterns or designs in the soap mixture.
2. Light Trace
The soap batters start to leave a light trail when you drizzle it using a spoon or blender. At this phase, the soap mixture starts thickening and it is the best time to add fragrance, layers, and swirls to your soaps.
3. Medium Trace
The trail becomes clear after some time and sticks for a few seconds when drizzled. It looks like a pourable pudding or thick custard at this point and is the best time to add botanical extracts, embeds, and heavier ingredients in the soap batter.
4. Thick Trace
Finally, the soap batter starts thickening up and it starts holding its shape easily. At this point it looks like a thick pudding and you may add textured tops, layered designs, or structure to the soap batter.
What Affects Trace in Soap Making?
Though soap trace is a natural phase in the soap making process, there are some things that might affect the trace or speed up its forming. These things are explained in detail below:
Types of Oil Used
The types of oil used in the soap making process might also influence the time and consistency of the trace. For example, oils that cause a higher exothermic reaction such as coconut oil leading to faster trace development. On the other hand, olive oil and other oils that move slowly cause a longer time to trace development.
Temperature
A higher temperature leads to faster tracing as compared to lower temperatures. For instance, if you want to introduce intricate swirl designs into your soaps, keep the temperature lower at around 110-degree Fahrenheit.
Mixing Method
If you use a stick blender instead of manual hand stirring, it may speed-up the trace significantly. This happens because the speed and duration of the stirring would be much greater by using tools like stick blenders.
Fragrances and Additives
Certain fragrance oils lead to a seizing effect causing the soap batter to thicken rapidly. Additives such as clay powders or other powders and colourants may either speed-up or slow-down the trace process depending upon their properties.
Water Amount
If the water content is more, the soap trace would take time as compared to when the water content is low. So, the amount of water used in your soap formula will also determine the trace in soap making.
Common Soap Trace Mistakes
Now that we have understood the factors affecting trace in soap making, let’s look at some common soap trace mistakes made by soap makers, especially the beginners:
False Trace
False trace in soap making refers to the process where the soap batter seems to be emulsified leaving a thick trace even before it has saponified i.e. the contents have not reacted fully with the lye. This mostly happens due to oils that solidify at room temperature or if you mix the soap ingredients at a low temperature.
Overmixing
Overmixing the contents can accelerate the soap trace formation. It leads to rapid thickening of the soap batter which often leads to grainy soaps or causes the soap batter to set too fast when poured into the soap moulds.
Adding Additives Too Soon
Adding additives too soon may accelerate the soap trace before it has fully saponified. So, you must add the additives at the right time so that the trace in soap is real and leads to better consistency in the final soaps.
What to do if Your Soap Traces Too Fast?
Sometimes soap trace happens too quickly or at times, it also becomes very slow. The following tips and precautions may help you to control the soap trace occurrence:
Common Causes
- Soaping at a lower temperature, using oils that heat up slowly, and adding additives that affect the trace in soap making should be avoided.
- When the stick blender is used for a longer time or used at a higher speed, it may also affect the trace in soap.
- Using the oils, water, and other soap making ingredients in the wrong proportion may either create soap traces too fast or too slow.
Fixes
- Use the oils that don’t solidify at room temperature.
- Don’t stir the ingredients too fast or too slow and use them in the right proportion.
- If there is a false trace in the soap making, continue stirring the mixture until the emulsification happens properly and starts tracing lighting.
Tips to Master Trace Every Time
Here are some more tips to master the trace in soap making like a pro:
- Don’t stir the mixture continuously. Use a stick blender and blend the ingredients in short bursts.
- Monitor the texture of the soap batter continuously as its texture matters more than the estimated time of soap tracing.
- Use the oils according to your soap design requirements. For instance, if you want to leave intricate designs or patterns on your soaps, you require more time and thus, oils that slow down the trace (example olive oil) can be used.
- The fragrance oils should be added when you spot a light trace in the soap batter.
- Stop adding intricate swirls into your soaps when the batter has emulsified or starts showing a light trace.
- Let the soap batter show a medium or thick trace before adding the layers or embeds to your soaps.
When Soap Trace Changes Unexpectedly?
Here are some common causes that lead to false trace in soap making or other expected changes:
Natural Colourants Can Accelerate Trace
Using natural soap colourants may accelerate the trace due to their particle size, reactability with other soap ingredients, and higher water absorption capacity.
High Humidity May Slow Down Trace
High humidity slows down water evaporation which eventually leads to slow thickening of the soap batter.
Buttery Soap Recipes Trace Faster
Soap batter containing a higher amount of saturated fats due to butter solidifies faster leading to a faster development of soap trace.
Pre-Mixing Helps Control Trace Timing
Pre-mixing means using soap pre-mixes help you to introduce the soap ingredients in the right proportion leading to better control over the soap trace timing.
Conclusion
These were some key points on trace in the soap making process. We hope you have understood how to control soap trace and its consistency in the soap making process. Use of high-quality ingredients also helps and so you must buy them only from trusted sources. VedaOils is the leading supplier of soap making supplies and ingredients. Check their website today to get high-quality soap making supplies in bulk quantities.
