There’s nothing quite like the dream of handmade soap. The scents, the swirls, the ritual. It feels wholesome, creative, even a little luxurious. You picture pouring silky batter into a mould, the scent of essential oils filling the room, and slicing through your first bar like butter. Then reality kicks in...

Your batter thickens too fast. Or it doesn’t harden. Or it cracks. Or it takes three weeks to unmould. Or the scent vanishes. Or the colours look... odd.

And suddenly, soap making doesn’t feel so relaxing anymore.

So what’s going wrong?

It’s usually not just one thing. It’s everything.
Not in a scary way, but in a connected way.

Soap making is a flow. A system. One decision influences the next, from start to finish. Let’s walk through the most important stages, and what they mean for your final bar.

1. The right formulation: Where it really begins

Everything starts here. The oils, butters, and additives you choose form the foundation of your soap's behaviour. Do you want more lather? A harder bar? Extra conditioning? Your formulation determines trace speed, curing time, and even scent retention.

Get this right, and the rest of the process becomes much smoother. Get it wrong, and you’ll constantly be troubleshooting symptoms rather than solving the root problem.

2. Temperature: The quiet force behind everything

Temperature isn’t just a number you check, it shapes how your entire batch behaves. 

From the temperature of your oils and lye solution to the room and even your mould, every stage of soap making is affected by heat.

Mix too cold, and you risk false trace or stearic spots that can trick you into pouring too early or leave pale, waxy clumps in the final bar. 

Mix too hot, and you can end up with acceleration, glycerine rivers or even a volcano effect, depending on your additives. The batter can become too thick too fast, making it difficult to control your design, texture, and sometimes even the pour.

And once it's poured, temperature still matters. Keeping your soap warm enough to gel, or cool enough to avoid overheating, depends entirely on how you manage the post-pour environment.

There’s no one-size-fits-all number, but most common issues are avoidable once you know what to watch for and how to formulate with natural ingredients correctly. It’s about understanding the needs of your specific recipe and creating the right conditions to match.

3. Emulsification: When wonderful chemistry kicks in

Before you can even think about trace, you need a solid emulsion. This is when your oils and lye solution blend together into a unified batter. Not separating. Not clumpy. Not grainy.

If your emulsion isn't stable, no swirl, layer, or sculpted top is going to save it. And even if the bar hardens, it may crumble, discolour, or cure unevenly.

Understanding the difference between emulsified and trace is the first step toward full control.

 

4. Trace: Getting it just right

Trace gets all the attention, and rightly so. It’s when your soap batter thickens enough to hold shape, allowing you to pour, swirl, layer, or spoon.

But trace isn’t one fixed point. It’s a spectrum.
Too thin and your colours bleed. Too thick and you’re wrestling porridge into your mould.

Trace is influenced by:

• Your oil blend (more hard oils = faster trace)
• Temperature (hotter = faster)
• Fragrance and additives (some speed it up, some slow it down)
• How long and hard you blend

Recognising the right trace for your design is what separates guessing from intentional artistry.

5. Gel phase: Optional but powerful

Ah, the mysterious gel phase. It’s when your soap heats up internally and becomes slightly translucent. Many soap makers (like us) chase it intentionally for deeper colours and a smooth finish.

Some avoid it to preserve pastel tones.

But here’s the deal: inconsistent gel can lead to patchiness, gel rings, or visual cracks. So you want to control it. Not leave it to chance.

This means knowing how to insulate your mould, control ambient temperature, and predict what your recipe will do.

6. Curing: The underestimated final step

Your soap might be saponified, but it’s not done. Curing is where the magic really happens.

This isn’t just about drying out. It’s about crystal structure. Internal water evaporation. Hardening. Mellowing. And scent development.

A good curing environment and the right curing time turn a decent bar into a silky, long-lasting, gentle soap you’ll be proud to use or sell.

Rush it, and your soap may feel slimy, melt away too fast, or even zap the skin.

So why does all of this matter?

Because soap making isn’t about luck. It’s about understanding the whole process and making smart, consistent choices along the way.

When you know what’s happening and why, you stop second-guessing.
You stop blaming your mould, your stick blender, or your essential oil.
You stop searching the internet at midnight, trying to figure out why your bar feels weird.

You start enjoying it. Creating. Tweaking with purpose.

You start making soap like a pro.

And that’s exactly what we teach you inside our online course

We don’t just give you a bunch of recipes. We show you how and why they work, so you can confidently tweak them, build your own formulas, and get consistent results.

Inside the Botanical Soap Making Course, you’ll learn:

☑️ How to formulate functional soaps confidently

☑️ How to blend essential oils to last to the last bit of soap

☑️ How to emulsify properly and recognise a stable batter

☑️ How to control trace for any design or swirl

☑️ How to time your pour temperature based on your recipe

☑️ How to encourage or avoid gel phase with confidence

☑️ How to cure properly for hardness, longevity and skin feel

☑️ How to preserve your soaps naturally for longer shelf life

☑️ How to fix common issues naturally, without synthetics

✖️ No guesswork. 

✖️ No fluff. 

✔️ Just beautiful, natural soap made with skill.

View our full course curriculum here!

Whether you’re brand new or you’ve been practising it for a while, this course is your shortcut to clarity, control, and real confidence in every batch.

👉🏼 Your next level starts here.
👍🏼 And we’ll walk you through every step.

ENROL NOW

See you there!

Hugs and bubbles,