I see a lot of discussion on line about how to deal with soda ash on soap tops. Freshly poured soap is so glossily glorious – it can be a disappointment when you come back to it a day later to find it dulled and marred by an ashy deposit:
The ash is formed when the lye (Sodium Hydroxide, NaOH) in the soap reacts with Carbon Dioxide COĀ² in the air, and is totally harmless; the soap is no less effective. Nevertheless many find it to be aesthetically displeasing,Ā and I’ve seen many methods used, some fairly elaborate, to eradicate it. Ā In my early soapmaking days I was advised dip each individual bar into a pan of boiling water. Ā Yes, this removed the ash and resulted in wonderfully glossy bars, but wow, it was tedious. Ā I then read that could simply hold each bar in the steam that came from a boiling kettle. Only kettles these days don’t boil continuously – and flicking that switch 20 times a minute was….tedious. Ā Then I had a lightbulb moment – I could hold the soap in the steam that came from a pan of water at a rollling boil. Ā Yes, I am FULLY aware that I could have easily missed one of those steps out… That worked too but was still pretty longwinded and let’s be honest, tedious. Ā There was also the ever present risk of scalding myself trying to use these methods. I came perilously close, believe me.
These days my ash removing regime is simple, fast and effective. I use an ordinary steam iron, on steam setting, to remove the ash from the soap tops before I’ve even unmoulded them. Half of this loaf has already been steamed:
My old, but trusty, Morphy Richards…
Holding the iron just a couple of inches above the top of the soap, I press the steam button continuously to cover the soap in steam, moving the iron back and forth. This is the result
Easy peasy! Ā And absolutely zero chance of scalding myself. Ā It looks freshly poured but is actually fully set up and ready to be unmoulded. Ā I usually leave it for about 10 minutes to dry off, and then unmould:
And cut – notice how glossy it still is:
After the cut, before the tidy up – perfectly dry and glossy:
I’ve made a video of the steaming process, butĀ I’m struggling to upload it :-S Once I figure it all out I’ll add it to this post š