Teach Soap

Does the water and lye amount in a recipe affect how much soap you get in the end (oz/g)? I am pretty sure the water quantity influences the ending amount but unsure about the lye.

Thank you. I hope this question is clear, and not too silly for the TS forum.

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~Alyssa
We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

ive always wondered this too. i think it does

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ASH

ive always wondered this too. i think it does

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ASH

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~Alyssa
We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yes it does.

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

The water surely adds to your yield. I have also noticed that 10 - 20% of my lye amount also carries over to increase my yield slightly. So (completely hypothetical numbers with no formulaic value other than as a math example) if I use...

20oz oil
10oz water
2 oz fragrance
10 oz of lye...

My yield in soap will be 33 - 34oz.

Please please please do not use these numbers for a formula, they're just for ease of example.

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In this world you can be either oh so smart or oh so pleasant. I used to be smart. I prefer pleasant. You may quote me. ~Elwood P. Dowd

In Alicia Grosso's Everything Soapmaking Book she says that a 1# batch will weigh about 24 oz; a 4# batch will weight about 6# and an 8# batch will weigh about 12# with the addition of the lye and water. Hope this helps!

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

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~Alyssa
We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Example: A 4# batch only means you are using 4# of oils.
4# of oil = 64 oz
+ 1.5 # water = 24 oz.
+ 10 oz lye
total ounces = 98
98 divided by 16 (1 lb) = 6.125
So your total batch weight will be about 6 pounds.

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