Teach Soap

The last batch of cp I made I used well water. I have always used distilled water. I bought drinking water by mistake and didn't realize my mistake until I was ready to mix up my lye and water. I decided to use my well water rather than the drinking water. The soap is now cured and I can't tell any difference from all my other soaps. Why is the distilled water better?

MaryLou

I use our well water for soap also and always have except for my first few batches. I've never had any problems. We do have our water tested once a year.
I was told originally when I first started learning that undistilled water can cause DOS. In all the years that I've been soaping, I've had 1 batch get DOS, that batch was one of my first & I used distilled water with it. But it got DOS because I had it curing on white cardboard, so the moisture got trapped in the cardboard and was keeping the soaps moist.

This discussion was recently brought up in another group and honestly their reasoning didn't make sense to me. They said that it was to keep the impurities, iron and zinc out of their soaps. But a lot of these same people use goat milk in their soap. Goat milk is high in iron & zinc and if they're using local goat milk, wouldn't the goats be drinking the same kind of water?

p.s. Today I'm making soap using snow I collected yesterday from our first snow fall

_________________
Genny

Hard water has dissolved metal ions, which could make the soap more prone to DOS.

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

_________________
Genny

I have been soaping for only 8 months and been using bore water for all batches. Hard water with a lot of calcium. So far no DOS or problems.
I try not to add to the landfill.

Well time will tell for me. My water is hard. I now have another jug of distilled water but if the soap is good over the next several months with no d.o.s. I will probably use the well water again. Thanks everyone.

MaryLou

Genny, you have had enough snow to be able to use it? We have only gotten a dusting. I may have to try the well water. My mom has a well and the water also tests out very soft. (she has to have it tested yearly or the city would cap it). And it tastes sooo much better that what we have.

_________________
Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

_________________
Genny