What is Trace in Soap making?

Most of you who make soap by the cold process method knows what trace is and what it looks like. For those who are new to soap making may have never heard of the term.  According to Odie of Riverlea Soap, trace is the so-called "point of no return" in soap making. It is the point where the oils or the fats in your soap have successfully mixed with your lye solution. More appropriately, this is the point where your oils and your lye turn into soap. Did you know that there are tell tale signs of trace?  Yes, it is true.  Odie says there are two signs that your soap has traced:

• Your soap has a thick consistency similar to cake batter after you've mixed it.
• If after you drizzle some of the soap on the surface of the mixture, it leaves behind a "trail" that takes a while to sink back in the mixture.

In the article titled, What is Trace in Soap making? , the author goes into detail about achieving trace, factors that affect trace, false trace, checking trace, and superfatting. So if you are a newbie to cold process soapmaking and want to learn more about trace, I would highly recommend reading this informative blog post.