Handmade soap sweating is a common problem that soapmakers face at certain times of the year. And trust me when I say it can get messy & so frustrating to see your soaps dripping and pooling in moisture and not know what to do. This blog post is all about what it is and how to manage soap sweating!
Note that I don’t say ‘prevent’ sweating because it is not really possible to prevent it altogether because of the nature of handmade soaps but we can do things to help!
What is Soap Sweating?
Handmade soaps are inherently rich in glycerin because it is a byproduct of the saponification reaction. And glycerin is exactly one of the reasons why handmade soap is so good for the skin. Here’s the deal: Glycerin is a humectant meaning it can draw the atmospheric moisture and retain it within or underneath its surface hydrating our skin. But when the surrounding humidity gets really high, especially during the monsoons or sometimes even during the hot, humid seasons, the glycerin attracts moisture to itself and it appears as beads of sweat all along the surface.
In the worst case scenario, your handmade soaps will get all wet & slimy that is honestly very unappealing.
How to manage handmade soap sweating?
We can’t mess around with natural humidity but we can take some precautions to control or manage it to a certain degree.
Use less of or avoid ingredients that have inherent humectant properties like aloevera, coffee, honey, sugar and salt. They can increase the soap sweating multifold.
Soaps containing alternate liquids with sugar content like beer, fruit purees etc sweat more than soaps with dry additives.
Controlling humidity with the use of a dehumidifier or a cold air conditioned room can help
If sweating is not too much (not oozing!) you can also blast a fan on it to help
You can plan your soapmaking & curing times outside of the monsoon periods but this is really not ideal for soapmakers in business or for those involved in bulk production. Home based soapmakers can halt production for a while if needed.
Consider airtight packaging (shrink wraps) for your soaps for the monsoon period IF plastic packaging aligns with your values
Soaps that have cured already should be packaged and shielded from moisture by placing them in closed containers or even covered cardboard boxes.
Water discounting can help with soap sweating to a certain degree
Just let it be!!! Most often, they get back to their normal self after the wet spell recedes.
Can the sweating soap be used?
Of course! As much as it can be unappealing, soap sweating does not ruin your soap. You can use the soap as usual without any concerns of safety.
A point to consider:
In my opinion, soaps that have gone through sweating have a higher chance of going rancid and getting Dreaded Orange Spots (DOS). So I normally make less number of soaps per batch during the humid seasons and aim to make more batches as they move out because of this reason.
Did this post help you understand this common soap issue and what to do about it???Let me know any questions you may have down in the comments below!