Teach Soap

I need help. I have been using this recipe from my teacher which is half of a recipe from Susan Cavitch Book. It's the Soap Essentials Bar recipe. I love the soap. Don't plan on changing anything (unless it's very wrong for some reason). Except I can't figure out in grams how much EOs or FOs to add. My print out says 3-5 tsp. Well I know that's not acurate. Here is my recipe. I have entered it into Soapcalc and my numbers are not matching up correctly. It is 15% Super fat. It does dry much quicker than 4 weeks.

Distilled water - 340g
Lye - 119g
Olive Oil - 454g
Coconut Oil - 284g
Palm Oil - 170g

It makes 2.12 lbs. If I want to make a bigger batch I better figure out how to get the correct amounts.

If anyone more advanced can help that would be wonderful!

This calculator is very helpful- Even if you're not using a brambleberry fragrance, I just pick one that is close in scent and hope for the best, because it's better than just guessing.

Are you TRYING for 15% superfat, or that's just what comes up in the calculations?

The recipe I posted is what I use and it has 15% superfat. Right now it's just what I know. Still new to soaping.

I don't know what the benifit of 15% superfat of say 5% Is.

I'm still new, too, but what I understand is that that level of superfat will lead to soft bars that go bad faster. I usually stick to around 7%. In the process of reading about books and authors I found that one (or a few, I can't remember) authors of soaping books advocated that level of superfatting, but I can't remember why and it was something that others criticized. Honestly, I made my first batch of soap having read not much more than one recipe and (luckily) being directed to a lye calculator that was relatively easy to use. It wasn't until after I made my first batch that I read about all the problems I could have/should have had (I made milk soap, too, which has a lot of potential for problems apparently). If it works for you, great. Just something to keep in mind if you have problems with the bars in the future.

Of course, the batch I made today was inexplicably lye heavy. So obviously I don't know what I'm talking about!

I would start with a 5-7% superfat. Go higher and you risk the chance of DOS (dreaded orange spots). Follow the lye amount on the calculator for this amount of superfat and add everything right up front. There is no need to add any oil or butter at trace. Lye does not discriminate. At trace, lye is very active and it will take whatever it wants. If you are new to soapmaking, it's best to let your soap gel. Keep an eye on it, so it doesn't overheat. Then once you're comfortable with the process, try ungelled soap.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I do agree about the gelling... I've had so much more luck with gelled soap than with soap where I actively tried to prevent gel.

I agree with Irena, 15% sf is too high. As for the amount of eo/fo, it depends on the particular eo/fo max use rate, for the one you are using. You cannot use the same amount of clove as you can lavender etc. So which eo/fo (s)?
The batch you listed is 908g (you use the oil weight to calculate the scent load). IF, for example, the eo/fo you are using has a 5% max use rate, then you can use up to 45.4 grams of scent.

Your comment "it does dry quicker than 4 weeks" is bothersome to me as well. Soap needs curing time. It may be "dry" but that does not mean that it is properly cured. Cp soap takes 4-6 weeks to cure (full to high olive oil takes months more). The longer the soap cures the harder it will be, the longer it will last, the milder it will be, in other words, the better the soap will be. So don't cheat on your curing time.

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Well I don't know what to say. A little disipointed in my teacher giving a recipe that could have issues. UGH! I will try to figure out the Soap cal and start over with how much Lye to use.

It's a fairly hard bar after 4 weeks. It lathers really nice.

Thanks Ladies for the input.

Sorry about your teacher, but even books have incorrect printing at times. That is why we always advise running every recipe through the lye calc. So if you know this, remember and do this, then you have learned a valuable lesson that your "teacher" has yet to learn! So good for you! Have fun playing with the lye calculator, it can be a great teaching tool. I suggest upping and lowering a lot of oils to see what it does to the numbers. It can be enlightening, but is not a hard and fast ruler either, so try different things and enjoy the journey!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Thanks Tammy!

I will do that. If I want to sell my soap at some point, I want a quality product.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

you're welcome Carri! Yes, testing is a great learning tool, so have fun and enjoy the journey!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy