Making your own soap is both relaxing and beneficial, as you get to control exactly which ingredients go into it and experiment with different scents. If you are making soap in bulk, you will need to cut it into individual bars once it is ready. While you could theoretically use a regular stainless steel kitchen knife to cut it into bars, this is not only extremely difficult, but results in very uneven soap. Specially designed soap cutters allow you to make more even cuts, resulting in a professional-looking bar of soap. Choosing the best soap cutter depends mostly on how you want your finished product to look.
The first thing to keep in mind when looking for a soap cutter is that some of them are specifically made for soap made from scratch and cannot be used with the glycerin-based “melt and pour” soap. This type of soap does not get as hard as soap made from scratch and is a lot more fragile, so it is more likely to break or crumble if you use soap-cutting tools designed for soap from scratch. You will also need to get a tool that fits your budget and your workspace. If you only have space for a counter-top soap cutter, you may not want to buy a large tabletop soap cutter.
If you are a large-scale soap maker and planning to cut hundreds of bars a day, you may want to invest in a professional soap cutter capable of cutting numerous bars with one press. There are several different types available, including manual cutters and special air-powered cutters that allow you to apply up to 600 pounds (about 272 kg) of pressure with just your hands. Many of the professional molds can be custom designed to fit your specifications, which is handy if you want every bar of soap to be a particular size. For smaller batches, you can still use a bulk soap cutter that cuts a smaller number of bars with each press.
There are also several different types of soap cutter tools that are designed to cut a single bar at a time. You can get cutters that create straight edges, wavy edges, and even fancier ridged edges. If you opt for a single-bar cutter, you may want to purchase a special mold with cutting guides to help you cut evenly. Whichever soap cutter you choose, just be sure to opt for one with a stainless steel blade to avoid rusting and make clean-up easier.