A superfat of 1% to 3% is good safety margin. The second reason is to increase the mildness of the soap on the skin. Soap sometimes cleans so well that it dries or irritates the skin. Increasing the superfat above the 1% to 3% safety margin can help tame this tendency.

That said, superfat is a totally personal thing. Some soapmakers go up to 15% and swear by it. It also depends on the recipe. For instance, we recommend superfatting coconut oil soap at 20% so it isn’t too harsh on the skin.

Many soapmakers like to have some extra oils in their soap that are leftover and not bound to lye. Any extra oil left in the soap and not attacked by the lye is called a ‘superfat. ‘ The terms ‘superfat’ and ‘lye discount’ can be used interchangeably.

Many throughout history have used animal fat, also called tallow, to make soap. When animal fat is mixed with an alkali substance, it can produce sodium, magnesium, or potassium tallowate. All three types of salt are used as soaps. Nowadays, most soaps you buy in stores are synthetically made.

Tip: You cannot superfat liquid soap to the same degree that you can with bar soap. The max you can superfat liquid soap is around 3%. However, a 3% superfat is actually very high if you want to add a scent!

An average superfat is usually between 1–7%. This means 1–7% of oils in the recipe are “free-floating” in the bar and were not turned into soap. A superfat is also referred to as a “lye discount.” This is because in order to turn fewer oils into soap, you reduce the amount of lye in the recipe.

Saturated Fats For bar soap, they give the soap hardness as helping the soap last longer in the shower. The most commonly used saturated fat used for commercial soap making is beef fat, also known as tallow. It is usually the first and most abundant ingredient in many soaps.

Things That Increase Soap Lather

• Coconut Oil – This is the number one soap making ingredient for creating lather with big, luxurious bubbles.
• Castor Oil – This is often used in a low percentage in soap recipes.
• Sunflower Oil – This oil helps to stabilize the lather so it doesn’t disappear right away.

However, these soaps lather up well in any water temperature. Some of the most common plant oils used for soap making are canola, sunflower, olive and palm oils. These oils are rich in Omega 3 acids (also called unsaturated fats) They are considered the good fats that the body requires.

Saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature and consist of straight-chained molecules. For bar soap, they give the soap hardness as helping the soap last longer in the shower. Most commonly used saturated fat used for commercial soap making is beef fat, also known as tallow.

As the soap swirls around the fat in the milk, trying to break it down, the food coloring gets moved around as well. You can watch it continue to swirl as the soap tries to do its job. This is what happens in your small intestine as well. The bile surrounds fat particles to break them down.

How to Make Soap Using Animal Fat. At least one day in advance, slice the reserved fat into chunks, removing meat. Add 1” chunks to a stock pot or crock pot and cook at a low temperature until the fat liquifies. This can take several hours, so if you have the convenience of a slow cooker, put it to work for you.