# Would like a recipe for a simple Castile-like soap that cures fast



## alexanderte

Title says it all. I’m into very simple things, and I would like the simplest soap that doesn’t need more than 4–6 weeks of curing. Do anyone have a recipe to share?

No animal oils, no colors, no fragrances – maybe with the exception of a dash of EO.

I only do CP. Would be helpful with lye concentration, and anything related to temperature that I should be aware of.

What are my options?


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## IrishLass

Welcome Alexanderte! The best suggestion I have is to make a 100% olive oil soap with a 45% lye solution (1 part lye to 1.2 parts water).

Or if you want more bubbles from your lather, you could make an 80% olive oil/20% coconut oil soap made with the same amount of water (45% lye solution). 

If using an essential oil, I would add no more than 3% EO per pound of soaping oils.


IrishLass


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## alexanderte

Thanks, IrishLass!

But if I make another Castile with 45% lye concentration – it still need to cure for 1–2 years, no?

I’ve heard that coconut oil as part of the recipe will make it cure faster, and I will most likely use that as part of my next soap.


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## kchaystack

Any recipe made with large % of oils that are liquid at room temp will need a longer cure.  Try something like:

40% Palm
15% coconut
30% olive
10% shea or cocoa
5% castor

The palm and the butters add stearic and palmic fatty acids.  The coconut adds the lauric fatty acid that crates bubbles.  Castor has ricinoleic that helps keep the bubbles around longer.


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## IrishLass

Ditto what Kchaystack said about soaps made with lots of liquid oils benefitting greatly from longer cures, but lengths of cure anywhere beyond the 4 to 6 weeks minimum will vary from person to person depending upon what they choose as being fine for them to live with. For example, one of my several versions of Castile-type soaps that I make (using 80% olive oil, 10% coconut oil and 10% castor) made with a 40% lye concentration, is great for me with only a 6 week cure. 


IrishLass


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## alexanderte

Thanks for the recipes!

Not intending to be nitpicky, but I’m a bit concerned about palm oil from the environmental perspective. I see that it is used in a few recipes in a book about soap that I bought as well.

Anyone got any thoughts regarding that? Is there an oil that I could use as substitute?


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## maya

Welcome! Thanks for joining us. Have you considered developing your own formulas for soap? There are many soap calculators available. One is http://soapcalc.net/default.asp


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## shunt2011

The only other alternative is to use a high percentage of butters (Shea/Cocoa) however you will also sacrifice in the lather with them.  I agree with formulating your own recipes using a soap calculator. Especially since you are opposed to Palm, Lard and want something that doesn't require a long cure.  You could also do 100% CO with a high SF.


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## green soap

For bath soaps I make non Animal Oils and non Palm oils soaps using olive, coconut, shea and/or cocoa butters and a tiny bit of castor oils; in that order.

Play around with the percentages of each using a soap calculator (I use soapcalc.net) until you get % for each oil for the soap properties you like.

I would be glad to give you my specific % but I use a lot more coconut oil than most other members here like. I have dry skin and my soaps are not drying to me at all, but a lot of people here keep coconut oil at less than 30 or even 20%.  It all depends on what your skin likes, and how cleansing you need your soap to be.  I do really dirty work so I need my soaps to be cleansing.

Just wanted to add that olive oil is somewhat interchangeable with almond and also avocado oils.  Choose the one(s) that are better priced where you are.  Also, shea and cocoa butters are similarly somewhat interchangeable in soaps, while they do have different properties when used in lotions or balms.


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## MySoapyHeart

alexanderte said:


> Thanks for the recipes!
> 
> Not intending to be nitpicky, but I’m a bit concerned about palm oil from the environmental perspective. I see that it is used in a few recipes in a book about soap that I bought as well.
> 
> Anyone got any thoughts regarding that? Is there an oil that I could use as substitute?



Alexander, I answered your pm, it got a bit long, sorry. I just noticed this before I am going night-night:

There are some subs for palm oil and I use a lot of them as I don`t use palm oil either:

The Coconut oil we already have discussed, remember the one with 15-20% Superfat.  
I think I also mentioned I used Sheabutter and Cocoabutter? Those are also great in soaps, but not too much as they can inhibit lather. I use it between 5 and 8% in my recipes, 10% at the most in one specific soaprecipe for my friend. 
Also I think Babassu is possible, but that oil is not so easy to get for us in Norway, you probably have to check some internet vendors. I just didn`t want the hassle of expensive shipping and customs, so I skipped that one.

You don`t want lard, but I love lard myself, the soaps gets particularly creamy and gentle. Since that is out, the above oils I mentioned are the ones I use in adition to the other ones I mentioned to you, like Almond, Avocado, Olive, Castor, Lard. 

Oh I forgot, I also use between 2-3% beeswax in several of my soaps. Makes them hard, durable and less prone to ash!


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## jules92207

shunt2011 said:


> The only other alternative is to use a high percentage of butters (Shea/Cocoa) however you will also sacrifice in the lather with them.  I agree with formulating your own recipes using a soap calculator. Especially since you are opposed to Palm, Lard and want something that doesn't require a long cure.  You could also do 100% CO with a high SF.



I was thinking the same as shunt with the 100% coconut oil with a higher sf. Maybe go for 15% -20% sf. That makes a nice simple bar.


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## doriettefarm

You could also try a salt bar.  That's typically 100% coconut oil with 20% superfat.  It will firm up fast so you can cut sooner than a bastile recipe.  But most folks like them best with a 2-3month cure so that may not be soon enough for your liking.  If you're determined to make an all-veggie soap that doesn't use palm oil and can be used quickly, I would look at liquid soap instead of bar soap.


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## TeresaT

I am curious; why are you so anxious to have a short curing time?  Making soap is not for those in a rush to get to the finished product.  You can certainly use a 100% olive oil soap as soon as it is finished curing for only 4 to 6 weeks, especially if you use a high lye concentration (like the 45% suggested).  That's less water to have to evaporate out.  It will be soap.  It will get you clean.  However, it will be soft soap that will be very mushy when it gets wet, so, it will not last very long.  You'll end up going through an entire batch of soap in a very short period of time.  But, it may not matter to you if you have short-lived soap.  What may matter to you is that you are actually using soap that YOU made with your own two hands. :clap:   (A totally awesome feeling.)  Personally, I love my soaps, but I also want them to last as long as possible, too.  So I give them a long cure.  My 100% olive oil soaps were made 08/04/2015, and I've only used one bar to test the qualities of the soap over the year.  It is a very nice bar of soap.  The lather has improved over time and I've noticed when I leave it on the counter for a little while (specifically for this "test") it doesn't get a slimy white soft coating as bad anymore.  The bar used to melt/suck up a lot of water when I'd leave it in a puddle for a few minutes. It took a long time for it to completely dry out.   Now it only gets a soft crustiness to it and dries by the end of the day.  I refer to it as my slime (or melt) test, to see how long a bar will last when it is not properly cared for when used.  I don't do it all of my soaps, just the ones with a larger portion of liquid oils.

ETA:  I'm not judging.  I'm just curious.  If you feel this question is being rude or intrusive, I'm sorry.  Obviously, you don't have to answer it.


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## alexanderte

Thanks for the responses all of you. It will take me some time to digest them, but I will read through and make notes.

TeresaT, I’ve got nothing against long curing times in general. I’m willing to wait a couple of years for my Castile soaps to cure, after all. But because I’ve just started out I’m a bit impatient to test my own creations. And I really want a simple Castile. But the good news is that I’ve ordered a couple from UK, and I recieved them today.

I’m known for being a bit impatient, and hopefully soap making can teach me something about that. 

Not sure if any of you have any experience with programming, but that’s my background. What every beginner usually wants is to as quick as possible have their very own program running. It usually is very simple and prints “Hello, world.” on the screen. Apparently, soap making is very different from programming.


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## kchaystack

alexanderte said:


> Not sure if any of you have any experience with programming, but that’s my background. What every beginner usually wants is to as quick as possible have their very own program running. It usually is very simple and prints “Hello, world.” on the screen. Apparently, soap making is very different from programming.



I have been a mainframe programmer for 15 years now.  

Making soap has a lot in common with programming.  There is a basic procedure that you always follow, but then you can add on bells and whistles til your heart is content.  You are really only limited by your knowledge which can be learned, and your imagination.  

I like both the art and science behind making soap.  I can not draw a stick figure - but I can create some pretty nice looking swirls.


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## alexanderte

kchaystack said:


> I have been a mainframe programmer for 15 years now.
> 
> Making soap has a lot in common with programming.  There is a basic procedure that you always follow, but then you can add on bells and whistles til your heart is content.  You are really only limited by your knowledge which can be learned, and your imagination.
> 
> I like both the art and science behind making soap.  I can not draw a stick figure - but I can create some pretty nice looking swirls.


Cool! What kind of language do you use?

I’m mostly into web development these days, although I’m considering transitioning to doing more design work/visual problem solving as it seems like my natural abilities are stronger in that area. Complex systems in the real world tend to melt my brain. I prefer when I can choose a small subset of a craft, lock every variable and dig deep into what I’ve chosen to focus on. This guess this translates to soap making in that I try to choose one method (CP), a few types (Castile and Bastile), a consistent way of doing it (following a strict process) and iteratively improve the way things are done.

Not sure if this leads to good soap, but it’s the way my brain (currently) is wired.


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## kchaystack

alexanderte said:


> Cool! What kind of language do you use?
> 
> I’m mostly into web development these days, although I’m considering transitioning to doing more design work/visual problem solving as it seems like my natural abilities are stronger in that area. Complex systems in the real world tend to melt my brain. I prefer when I can choose a small subset of a craft, lock every variable and dig deep into what I’ve chosen to focus on. This guess this translates to soap making in that I try to choose one method (CP), a few types (Castile and Bastile), a consistent way of doing it (following a strict process) and iteratively improve the way things are done.
> 
> Not sure if this leads to good soap, but it’s the way my brain (currently) is wired.



COBOL, JCL, SQL, and a little linux shell scripting.  I have dabbled in teaching myself ruby and java - but it isn't catching on without real world application.

I have done some html and css.  I keep playing with the idea of setting up my own e-store.  

You might find you really like those kinds of soap.  There is not one master recipe that will make everyone happy, no right or wrong.  So try it all in 1 pound batches and see what is best for you.


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## doriettefarm

kchaystack said:


> I have been a mainframe programmer for 15 years now.
> 
> Making soap has a lot in common with programming.  There is a basic procedure that you always follow, but then you can add on bells and whistles til your heart is content.  You are really only limited by your knowledge which can be learned, and your imagination.
> 
> I like both the art and science behind making soap.  I can not draw a stick figure - but I can create some pretty nice looking swirls.



I'm a mainframe programmer too with pretty much the same skill set (COBOL, DB2, SQL).  I agree the analytical skills needed for programming can also be applied to soap making (and baking which is my other favorite hobby).  Guess that's why I love watching Alton Brown on the Food channel . . . it's like science class applied to food


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## TeresaT

alexanderte said:


> Cool! What kind of language do you use?
> 
> I’m mostly into web development these days, although I’m considering transitioning to doing more design work/visual problem solving as it seems like my natural abilities are stronger in that area. Complex systems in the real world tend to melt my brain. *I prefer when I can choose a small subset of a craft, lock every variable and dig deep into what I’ve chosen to focus on. This guess this translates to soap making in that I try to choose one method (CP), a few types (Castile and Bastile), a consistent way of doing it (following a strict process) and iteratively improve the way things are done.
> 
> Not sure if this leads to good soap, but it’s the way my brain (currently) is wired*.



Ha!  That explains it!  That sounds like me and my hyper-focus type of ADHD.  I am flighty, flaky and forgetful.  However, when something grabs my attention, it _grabs my attention_ and I am consumed/lost in it for hours at a time.   I like archiving and filing and all of those tedious things.  Analyzing a process and making improvements to it so that it's more efficient.  "Finding a needle in a haystack."  All of these are my ideas of fun.   

We all have to do what's right for us as individuals.  Now I understand you a little better and can see why you are wanting a quick soap.


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## Arimara

doriettefarm said:


> I'm a mainframe programmer too with pretty much the same skill set (COBOL, DB2, SQL).  I agree the analytical skills needed for programming can also be applied to soap making (and baking which is my other favorite hobby).  Guess that's why I love watching Alton Brown on the Food channel . . . it's like science class applied to food



Don't get me started on baking and desserts. I'm hit-or-miss with it imo. I've been pining for German chocolate cake for years but my kid's allergic to tree nuts. You can't substitute nothing in that cake- it's coconutty-nutty perfection.


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## DeeAnna

To make a soapmaker's classic castile that lathers nicely, lasts a long time, and only requires a 4-6 week cure --> use 100% olive oil, whatever lye solution concentration you prefer, the usual 5% superfat (lye discount), and a blend of 95% NaOH and 5% KOH (potassium hydroxide).


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## alexanderte

TeresaT said:


> Ha!  That explains it!  That sounds like me and my hyper-focus type of ADHD.  I am flighty, flaky and forgetful.  However, when something grabs my attention, it _grabs my attention_ and I am consumed/lost in it for hours at a time.   I like archiving and filing and all of those tedious things.  Analyzing a process and making improvements to it so that it's more efficient.  "Finding a needle in a haystack."  All of these are my ideas of fun.


I can totally relate to the hyper-focusing. The past couple of weeks have been very intense when it comes to soap making. Now that I’ve gotten my equipment, learnt some basics about the process, and done three batches then I feel like I can relax a bit. I can’t wait to try my own soap, but I have to say that I really enjoy the process. Part of the process is keeping a very detailed log of everything I do. The structure of the log is always evolving.

Another aspect I enjoy a lot is designing the packaging. If I plan to sell my soaps at some point then I guess that’s just as important, if not more (from a number-of-soaps-sold perspective), than the actual soap making.


DeeAnna said:


> To make a soapmaker's classic castile that lathers nicely, lasts a long time, and only requires a 4-6 week cure --> use 100% olive oil, whatever lye solution concentration you prefer, the usual 5% superfat (lye discount), and *a blend of 95% NaOH and 5% KOH (potassium hydroxide)*.


So this blend of NaOH and KOH is what makes it cure faster?


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## DeeAnna

The KOH makes the soap more soluble in water. Thsi means the usual stringy oleic soap gel doesn't form as easily with a KOH-NaOH castile as it does with a castile made with NaOH only. I won't debate the "cure faster" issue -- all I will say is if you want to make a true castile (100% olive oil) and would like it to last a long enough time, make lots of nice lather, and be mild to the skin after a more typical 4-6 week cure, then try using the mixed lyes.


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## Arimara

DeeAnna said:


> The KOH makes the soap more soluble in water. Thsi means the usual stringy oleic soap gel doesn't form as easily with a KOH-NaOH castile as it does with a castile made with NaOH only. I won't debate the "cure faster" issue -- all I will say is if you want to make a true castile (100% olive oil) and would like it to last a long enough time, make lots of nice lather, and be mild to the skin after a more typical 4-6 week cure, then try using the mixed lyes.



That said soap would still benefit froma 3 month cure at least. I used a slice of one of the olive oil castiles I made like this and the middle is turning to mush. OP may benefit from making a 2lb batch of this so that some of the soaps will have the chance to cure longer and not be used up in about two or three weeks or sooner since he's a guy.


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## DeeAnna

I haven't noticed any hint of mush with the batch I made -- the bar I'm using daily in the shower is staying nicely hard while still lathering well and having a decently long life. But, as always, everyone's mileage varies.


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## Arimara

True. To be fair, this one is partially gelled but I'm scratching my head because none of the gelled soaps I had did this. I'll just use another tester batch to be sure.

Note- BB's Clementine Cupcake is a little too annoying for me to soap with. I thought it would be nice for a child friendly soap.


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## jakethemouse

Hello all,

I'm new here. I believe all cp soap should go through the 4-6 weeks or until you bar stops losing water weight however have read there a ways to speed up the curing time. First and most obvious are the oils you use and water discounting which has already been mentioned. 

Diy natural had a blogpost about other methods such as using a dehumidifier, fans, zeolites, oven and heaters to reduce the humidity and moisture in the curing area.

The waiting is the hardest part for me too. Sorry about the long post


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## kumudini

^^Don't know if I understood you correctly but if despite what all you read you still believe that all NaOH soap needs minimum 4-6 weeks cure, that's great because that IS the truth. You cannot really hasten cure.

welcome to the forum and the addiction 



DeeAnna said:


> To make a soapmaker's classic castile that lathers nicely, lasts a long time, and only requires a 4-6 week cure --> use 100% olive oil, whatever lye solution concentration you prefer, the usual 5% superfat (lye discount), and a blend of 95% NaOH and 5% KOH (potassium hydroxide).



you make it look so simple DeeAnna, its like a curse has been lifted off of the castile and it could regain its queen status in the soap world again. I was wary of trying a regular castile after reading so many negative sentiments about it, so I tried the super lye castile but it felt like a block of plastic and didn't make any lather for me after a full year. So I never made any after that. Now I'm going to try the dual lye recipe.


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## redhead1226

Jake - I have been reading a lot of FB posts lately from newbies wanting to "speed up" curing time by using dehydrators like you say. First - Whats the rush? Second - I think there are magical things that happen to soap over time. The soap has basically gone through saponification pretty quickly. However I have used soap that I have made 8-10 months later and they are far better than they were at 4-6 weeks. In fact a soap I made that I didn't even like, I now love! I don't think you get the same results by putting a fan on it IMO. SMH


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## The Efficacious Gentleman

jakethemouse said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I'm new here. I believe all cp soap should go through the 4-6 weeks or until you bar stops losing water weight however have read there a ways to speed up the curing time. First and most obvious are the oils you use and water discounting which has already been mentioned.
> 
> Diy natural had a blogpost about other methods such as using a dehumidifier, fans, zeolites, oven and heaters to reduce the humidity and moisture in the curing area.
> 
> The waiting is the hardest part for me too. Sorry about the long post





Castiles are a prime example of why moisture loss does not equal cure. After some months a bar will not lose much more moisture, and yet there is a very noticeable difference between a 3 month old Castile and a 12 month old Castile. It's not down to moisture loss, so it must be something else. 

Even in a more balanced bar, speeding up moisture loss will.........speed up moisture loss. But moisture loss clearly cannot be all that happens in curing, so speeding up moisture loss is not speeding up curing.


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## DeeAnna

I agree with The Gent -- moisture loss is NOT the same as curing. There are structural changes in the soap that happen in the soap over time that are not necessarily related just to moisture loss. We've had this discussion before and will again I'm sure, but I doubt my opinion will change because it's based on my experience, not on what is being passed around by bloggers on the internet. There are some things for which time and patience are the solutions, and curing soap is one of them. 

This is so easy to check, so there's no excuse for not doing the research yourself. Test the lather of a soap after it's made at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks and then for every month for at least a year. Look at ease of lathering, amount of lather, and quality of lather. Evaluate the soap bar for slickness, hardness, etc. 

An impatient soaper can get around the cure waiting period by making soap regularly so you get a regular soap-making fix and the soap "pipeline" is filled with soap of varying ages so there's always good soap to use.

***

I want to emphasize that adding a bit of KOH to a high oleic soap recipe does not change the essential nature of the soap. The soap and its lather still have a slick feel and the lather is more dense compared with a coconut oil soap or another freely lathering soap. What the KOH does do is reduce the amount of concentrated oleic gel that forms when the soap meets water -- the added KOH reduces or eliminates the slime/snot that makes an all-NaOH castile so unappealing to many. The lather builds quicker and easier, and you'll see more light, fluffy bubbles rather than mostly a low, dense lather. A 5% KOH high-oleic soap is definitely more pleasant to use at 4-6 weeks of cure than the same soap made with all NaOH. 

Is this soap at its best after only 4-6 weeks compared to when it's multiple years old? I don't know. Maybe castile connoisseurs will take up the challenge. What I can say is using 5% KOH makes a high oleic soap a type of soap I might make more of, compared to the all NaOH version.


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## earlene

DeeAnna said:


> I want to emphasize that adding a bit of KOH to a high oleic soap recipe does not change the essential nature of the soap. The soap and its lather still have a slick feel and the lather is more dense compared with a coconut oil soap or another freely lathering soap. What the KOH does do is reduce the amount of concentrated oleic gel that forms when the soap meets water -- the added KOH reduces or eliminates the slime/snot that makes an all-NaOH castile so unappealing to many. The lather builds quicker and easier, and you'll see more light, fluffy bubbles rather than mostly a low, dense lather. A 5% KOH high-oleic soap is definitely more pleasant to use at 4-6 weeks of cure than the same soap made with all NaOH.
> 
> *Is this soap at its best after only 4-6 weeks compared to when it's multiple years old? *I don't know. Maybe castile connoisseurs will take up the challenge. What I can say is using 5% KOH makes a high oleic soap a type of soap I might make more of, compared to the all NaOH version.



The bold above is mine, not DeeAnna's, but it is what I wish to address here.

First, I wish to thank DeeAnna for the Dual Lye tutorial and mention that I used it to create two batches of dual lye Castile soap this past June (2016).  One was with pomace OO and one was with regular OO.  Both were with [40% Lye Concentration].   So the water loss was greatly reduced right off the bat.  I will be making this soap again with more water sometime in the future, but so far that's all I have to report on regarding a dual lye Castile as it compares to a single lye Castile.

You can read my in-depth comparison of the two different types of Castiles here.  My single lye Castile (NaOH) was 15 months old compared to the 6 months-young dual lye Castile when I tested them.  I did try the young one when it was much younger, but I don't think I posted about that and did not find it any more un-ready than it is right now.

In short, NO, it is not at it's best at 4-6 weeks, because it is not at it's best at 6 months.  Not in my current experience.  My 15 month Castile (Single Lye and full water) has no snot-slime ropes, while my 6-month dual lye (95% NaOH/5% KOH  at 40% Lye) Castile does.

Would it be different if I had made the dual lye Castile with full water?  I don't know, as I did not do that.


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## Seawolfe

It helps to think of it like beer or wine making. If you have ever had beer or wine served too early, it can range from nasty to semi-drinkable (like the fraternity kids would probably drink it). Leave it be for a while and it will be fabulous. Soap is the same way - DON'T try to rush it. STOP RUSHING THE CURE!! :headbanging:

If you want soap you can use immediately, make liquid soap. Or bath bombs or lotion or lotion bars or bubble bars with SLSA to have something to use.

In the meantime make a batch of soap per week, and yes test the ends to see how it gets better over time.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman

One good way to remove the need for a quick cure is to make a different type of soap a week on rotation, so after the first 4 weeks of waiting, you only have to wait a week for a new soap! If you can't use that much up reasonably quickly, make it every 2 or 4 weeks or whathaveyou - regardless of how often it is, the goal would be to have a batch being cured when you make a new batch so you get some sort of delayed-but-instant gratification


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## Gerry

Seems there are a few IT/system technology people here.  I'm paid big money mainly to tell large corporations and government that their software projects failed because of their quest for big-bang instant gratification.  Transformations must be incremental and strategic.  What you do today might only impact the bottom line 2, 5, or even 10 years out.


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## Kelley

I stay away from palm too. I think coconut oil can be used in higher quantities instead of palm but it's more expensive. 
Crazy as it sounds a 50/50 olive/coconut recipe produces a lovely soap. Or a 40/25/20/15 olive/coconut/Shea/cocoa butter. 
As for cure time I mostly do CPOP. The result is the smooth finish of a CP soap with a harder bar more quickly. 
Also if you are an experienced soaper you can do a  1.5/1 water to lye ratio.


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## shunt2011

CPOP does not shorten the cure time, it causes that saponification to happen more quickly.  Cure is time for water/liquid evaporation and other chemisty things happening.  Soap requires 4-6 weeks to cure period.  Some longer.


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## Kelley

Yes, I know but I get a much better results with CPOP. Colours are brighter. Never had soda ash from it. The best for me is never having to wait more than a day to unmold. 
Also, if using a huge water discount or/and high amount of coconut oil I don't need to leave any more than 1 week for a hard bar.


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## shunt2011

Kelley said:


> Yes, I know but I get a much better results with CPOP. Colours are brighter. Never had soda ash from it. The best for me is never having to wait more than a day to unmold.
> 
> Also, if using a huge water discount or/and high amount of coconut oil I don't need to leave any more than 1 week for a hard bar.




Hard soap doesn't mean cured soap. Also, CO is not a substitute for palm. Lard and tallow are replacement/subs. The more CO you have the more quickly the soap dissolves.  If you're just looking for hard soap then I suppose you're good. Not necessarily a quality soap. Also a very cleansing soap.  There is much more going on in soap than hardness with a good cure.  4-6 weeks is a must for me. Regardless of how little liquid used. 50%  or more OO and it gets a longer cure.   It's all about quality for me and my customers. My soaps are hard when I unmold them but not cured.


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## Zany_in_CO

alexanderte said:


> Title says it all. I’m into very simple things, and I would like the simplest soap that doesn’t need more than 4–6 weeks of curing. Do anyone have a recipe to share? ... No animal oils, no colors, no fragrances – maybe with the exception of a dash of EO. ... I only do CP. Would be helpful with lye concentration, and anything related to temperature that I should be aware of.   What are my options?


Hi Alex,
I hear you! Except for the animal fats, you just described ME when I first started soaping! I wanted a 100% olive oil soap so much, but, once made, I couldn't stand the icky slime it produced when lathering up. Not only did I have to wait (a week?) to unmold, but 3 months before i could use it! UGH. I didn't have the advantage you have of getting excellent advice from all the lovely and generous people in this group.

But I digress. (1) I recently discovered a trick to get "No Slime Quick Cure" Castile that's hard enough to ship in two weeks (altho longer cure is better), that has the smooth texture of triple-milled French soaps. (2) Is something I developed for a soaping buddy by request during my early days of making transparent soaps. It's basically a rebatch with glycerin & water. Contact me off list if interested.

EMAIL: [email protected]


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## shunt2011

CeeMoor said:


> Hi Alex,
> I hear you! Except for the animal fats, you just described ME when I first started soaping! I wanted a 100% olive oil soap so much, but, once made, I couldn't stand the icky slime it produced when lathering up. Not only did I have to wait (a week?) to unmold, but 3 months before i could use it! UGH. I didn't have the advantage you have of getting excellent advice from all the lovely and generous people in this group.
> 
> But I digress. (1) I recently discovered a trick to get "No Slime Quick Cure" Castile that's hard enough to ship in two weeks (altho longer cure is better), that has the smooth texture of triple-milled French soaps. (2) Is something I developed for a soaping buddy by request during my early days of making transparent soaps. It's basically a rebatch with glycerin & water. Contact me off list if interested.
> 
> EMAIL: [email protected]




The OP hasn't been here in almost a year. His post is from June 2016.  Not likely to get a response.


----------



## DeeAnna

"... recently discovered a trick to get "No Slime Quick Cure" Castile ... Contact me off list if interested...."

If you don't want to share your technique with all and sundry, that's absolutely your choice, but please then have the courtesy to handle this matter privately.


----------



## Zany_in_CO

shunt2011 said:


> The OP hasn't been here in almost a year. His post is from June 2016. Not likely to get a response.


OH NO! Too funny! Oops! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Thanks for the head's up, Shunt.



DeeAnna said:


> If you don't want to share your technique with all and sundry, that's absolutely your choice, but please then have the courtesy to handle this matter privately.


Yes, of course! I don't know why I didn't think of that!

I totally apologize for just leaving it like that, DeeAnna, but I had to run. It gets crazy here sometimes. I hope you know by now that I'm happy to share whenever I feel I have something to contribute, but I have not shared this technique with anyone to date and I needed a "guinea person" to give it a go. You know how it is... something that works perfectly fine for one of us, doesn't always go smoothly when you share it with someone. Alex seemed to be of similar mindset and I felt he would be someone I could communicate well with and therefore a good candidate to give it a go. Also, I'm techno-challenged and I was hoping he would be willing to take pics or do a video of it. 

Once again, I sincerely apologize, to everyone. My bad.


----------



## Kelley

shunt2011 said:


> Hard soap doesn't mean cured soap. Also, CO is not a substitute for palm. Lard and tallow are replacement/subs. The more CO you have the more quickly the soap dissolves.  If you're just looking for hard soap then I suppose you're good. Not necessarily a quality soap. Also a very cleansing soap.  There is much more going on in soap than hardness with a good cure.  4-6 weeks is a must for me. Regardless of how little liquid used. 50%  or more OO and it gets a longer cure.   It's all about quality for me and my customers. My soaps are hard when I unmold them but not cured.


I'm interested in learning about the coconut oil dissolving more quickly. I won't use palm but I have recently started using lard. I love how creamy they are with lard. 
You are right. The longer the cure, the better. I can't wait the full 4 weeks to try a new soap. I have been known to use it myself after a week. I wouldn't sell it until 4 weeks though.  I don't understand what happens during cure other than water loss but I do know that it is doing a disservice to customers to sell them too soon.


----------



## DeeAnna

"...I'm interested in learning about the coconut oil dissolving more quickly. ..."

What is it that you're wanting to know? 

It's simply a fact that soap made with shorter fatty acids is generally more soluble in water. Fats that have a lot of these short fatty acids include coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and babassu oil. So a soap made from these fats will dissolve faster than a soap made with fats that have longer fatty acids. These fats include lard, tallow, and palm. 

For a soap that is mild to the skin, long lasting, and has a nice lather, you want to strike a balance by using a blend of fats that create soap that dissolves easily and creates fluffy fast lather vs soap that lasts longer and creates a creamy lather.


----------



## cmzaha

Kelley said:


> I'm interested in learning about the coconut oil dissolving more quickly. I won't use palm but I have recently started using lard. I love how creamy they are with lard.
> You are right. The longer the cure, the better. I can't wait the full 4 weeks to try a new soap. I have been known to use it myself after a week. I wouldn't sell it until 4 weeks though.  I don't understand what happens during cure other than water loss but I do know that it is doing a disservice to customers to sell them too soon.


Coconut oil soap is very soluble which is why it will lather in salt water. Off the topic, but you mention not using palm, which by the way, the US (if you are in the US) is one the the least users of palm. The tiny bit soapmakers use will not make a difference. What I was going to mention is, if you ever use stearic acid be careful most readily available stearic is palm stearic and it is really necessary for cream soap and shave soaps


----------



## Margo

I don't make fake 'Castile' soap with other oils.  The original Castile soap is made with 100% olive oil.  Period.  It takes almost a year to cure CP castile soap.  There are no shortcuts. The end!
Here are photos of my HP Castile soaps made with 100% Olive Oil


----------



## DeeAnna

"...The original Castile soap is made with..."

The "original Castile soap" would have also been made with vegetable-ash lye and a boiled soapmaking method. And only the Castile region of Spain. 

"...Here are photos of my HP Castile soaps..."

No, those are photos of your 100% olive oil soap. 

Since you're going to insist on strict, historically correct accuracy from the rest of us, then have the honor to apply your own rules to yourself as well. Your soap, by your rules, does not qualify to be "Castile soap" any more than anyone else's soap does.

***

That said, the name "castile" has been long used to describe a high quality soap typically made with vegetable fats (and even some made with tallow and veg fats.) This has been the widely-used commercial and colloquial meaning of "castile" in the US, Europe, and the UK for the past century or more. This meaning is furthermore supported by case law, at least here in the US.* It's perfectly valid for soapers to use "castile" as the name for a 100% olive oil soap and for anyone, soaper or otherwise, to use it as the name for a 100% veg oil soap.

* James S. Kirk & Co. v. Federal Trade Commission, 59 F.2d 179 (7th Cir. 1932), http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/59/179/1471747/


----------



## shunt2011

Margo said:


> I don't make fake 'Castile' soap with other oils. The original Castile soap is made with 100% olive oil. Period. It takes almost a year to cure CP castile soap. There are no shortcuts. The end!
> Here are photos of my HP Castile soaps made with 100% Olive Oil


 
Goes the same with what you claimed recently  in a post as you making  Aleppo soap. 
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=42556&page=545

 We can'nt make true Aleppo soap. Though you claimed to.  Nobody jumped in and attacked you on your statement.  Please think before posting.  Your comments more times than not are not very nice and are rather arrogant.


----------



## Zany_in_CO

DeeAnna said:


> The "original Castile soap" would have also been made with vegetable-ash lye and a boiled soapmaking method. And only the Castile region of Spain. ... No, those are photos of your 100% olive oil soap. ...
> 
> That said, the name "castile" has been long used to describe a high quality soap typically made with vegetable fats (and even some made with tallow and veg fats.) This has been the widely-used commercial and colloquial meaning of "castile" in the US, Europe, and the UK for the past century or more. This meaning is furthermore supported by case law, at least here in the US.* It's perfectly valid for soapers to use "castile" as the name for a 100% olive oil soap and for anyone, soaper or otherwise, to use it as the name for a 100% veg oil soap.
> 
> * James S. Kirk & Co. v. Federal Trade Commission, 59 F.2d 179 (7th Cir. 1932), http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/59/179/1471747/



DITTO what DeeAnna said. 

Thank you for posting that. I've long wanted to mention that, technically, "castile" means a soap made with all vegetable oils, i.e., containing no tallow.   But, in Margo's defense, she meant no harm and was only passionately parroting what she learned elsewhere. KWIM? I hope we can agree, that many soapers become "victims" of soaping forums and groups where "castile" means 100% olive oil soaps. It's just one of those pieces of mis-information that gets passed down the line -- on and on and on -- until it becomes "cast-in-stone" -- or, as I call it, "soapstone"! Haha. ... Hence, the necessity of inventing the soap-making-world jargon, "bastile" (bastard + castile), to mean olive oil + other vegie oils. 

BTW, maybe it's just me, but that link didn't work for me. With the name James S. Kirk & CO, I'm guessing that refers to "Kirk's Castile" soap -- which, if I remember correctly, is all coconut oil. ??? Please correct me if that's wrong. Obviously, he won his case.


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman

Is it not also what other people (ie those who don't soap but buy soap) tend to think, too?  When you say "champagne", do you mean a wine produced only in the Champagne region of France, or just a keyword for a sparkling white?  Most people now say "Prosecco" or sparkling white for anything not actually "champagne" (even though Prosecco is also region specific).

But when people think of Castile, what are they expecting?  Many people who are new and learn more about what soaps are made of are often quite amazed to learn that Dr Bonners Castile is not just Olive oil.  And that he is also not actually a doctor!


----------



## SaltedFig

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Is it not also what other people (ie those who don't soap but buy soap) tend to think, too?  When you say "champagne", do you mean a wine produced only in the Champagne region of France, or just a keyword for a sparkling white?  Most people now say "Prosecco" or sparkling white for anything not actually "champagne" (even though Prosecco is also region specific).
> 
> But when people think of Castile, what are they expecting?  Many people who are new and learn more about what soaps are made of are often quite amazed to learn that Dr Bonners Castile is not just Olive oil.  And that he is also not actually a doctor!



The French winemakers from Champagne vigorously defend their regional name, and have won a significant number of court cases across the world in the last decade or so. I know here in Australia our winemakers changed the names of their product to avoid facing legal action.

The soap makers from Marseille and Castile don't seem to have the same geographical protection, although the French will soon (if this is anything to go by, they are well on the way to getting protection in the next few years: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ance-as-marseilles-finest-soapmakers-in-bitt/).

Castile? Not seeing any geographical protection, which is sad in a way, but the reality of advertising and common usage of of words (here in Australia, for years people would call a ball point pen a Bic, even if it wasn't, just because the company name was so closely associated with the pen type that the name became the common usage for the pen, much to the annoyance of other manufacturers at the time!).


----------



## IrishLass

CeeMoor said:


> BTW, maybe it's just me, but that link didn't work for me. With the name James S. Kirk & CO, I'm guessing that refers to "Kirk's Castile" soap -- which, if I remember correctly, is all coconut oil. ??? Please correct me if that's wrong. Obviously, he won his case.


 
For what its worth, the link comes up fine for me. 


IrishLass


----------



## Kelley

I haven't made a cream soap or shave soap yet. I have read about stearic making bars harder but not anything else. There is just so much to learn! 
I'm in the UK btw. Maybe I should use Palm, if it's going to make a better soap. I'm an orangutan fan and so I avoid it but only because I have had some wonderful results without it. I guess I can buy the sustainable kind...
Thank you for your help.


----------



## shunt2011

Kelley said:


> I haven't made a cream soap or shave soap yet. I have read about stearic making bars harder but not anything else. There is just so much to learn!
> I'm in the UK btw. Maybe I should use Palm, if it's going to make a better soap. I'm an orangutan fan and so I avoid it but only because I have had some wonderful results without it. I guess I can buy the sustainable kind...
> Thank you for your help.



If your not opposed, lard makes an awesome soap.  Better than palm.


----------



## shunt2011

CeeMoor said:


> DITTO what DeeAnna said.
> 
> Thank you for posting that. I've long wanted to mention that, technically, "castile" means a soap made with all vegetable oils, i.e., containing no tallow.   But, in Margo's defense, she meant no harm and was only passionately parroting what she learned elsewhere. KWIM? I hope we can agree, that many soapers become "victims" of soaping forums and groups where "castile" means 100% olive oil soaps. It's just one of those pieces of mis-information that gets passed down the line -- on and on and on -- until it becomes "cast-in-stone" -- or, as I call it, "soapstone"! Haha. ... Hence, the necessity of inventing the soap-making-world jargon, "bastile" (bastard + castile), to mean olive oil + other vegie oils.
> 
> BTW, maybe it's just me, but that link didn't work for me. With the name James S. Kirk & CO, I'm guessing that refers to "Kirk's Castile" soap -- which, if I remember correctly, is all coconut oil. ??? Please correct me if that's wrong. Obviously, he won his case.



Unfortunately, she makes negative comments like this quite often and offers nothing much as far as help or assistance to others and it's not nice.


----------



## Zany_in_CO

IrishLass said:


> For what its worth, the link comes up fine for me.


 Thanks, Irish. I just tried it again and it worked!


----------



## Sapolandia

*Substitute for palm oil?*

Palm oil is very hard to find where I am - and I remember having read that it has great soap making qualities - so I was wondering what I could substitue it with? I have a lot of Shea butter and quite a lot of Argan oil - the cheapest oils here are olive oil and sunflower oil.. 

Best wishes!


----------



## toxikon

Sapolandia said:


> Palm oil is very hard to find where I am - and I remember having read that it has great soap making qualities - so I was wondering what I could substitue it with? I have a lot of Shea butter and quite a lot of Argan oil - the cheapest oils here are olive oil and sunflower oil..
> 
> Best wishes!



Welcome to the forum! If you'd like your question to be seen by more people, I'd definitely recommend starting your own thread in the Beginner forum.


----------



## dixiedragon

Sapolandia said:


> Palm oil is very hard to find where I am - and I remember having read that it has great soap making qualities - so I was wondering what I could substitue it with? I have a lot of Shea butter and quite a lot of Argan oil - the cheapest oils here are olive oil and sunflower oil..
> 
> Best wishes!


 
Yes, if you start your own thread, people will respond to your question (since it's the first post) and  you'll get more info.

The most direct replacement for palm is lard or tallow.

If you want to use shea, I make a recipe that I like that is 50% shea and has a 2% superfat. Shea has a lot of unsaponifiables (things that don't become soap). These make for a nice, gentle soap but can also negatively effect lather, and the lower superfat will help with that.

Castor 5
Coconut 20
Shea butter 50
Sunflower 25
2% superfat.

I do think this has a longer cure time than a lard soap, though. Next I make this I will probably replace some of the sunflower with olive and/or rice bran.


----------



## Sapolandia

Thanks Dixiedragon and Toxicon 

I want to make a soap that I can use in my face, and as shampoo and balm at the same time. Argan oil and shea butter are the only things I ever apply to my skin, but I've noticed that the soaps I've made from shea dissapairs quite fast, and leaves quite a lot of fat in the shower. Not really a problem, but always room for improvment I recon. I am considering 5% palmoil, and 5% castor oil - and 20 % coconut oil - for the qualities these oils have, and the fact that I don't have easy access to these oils (very expensive as well where I live..) But as I mentioned I have a lot of shea and argan - but I'm not sure what kind of qualities they have in a soap. I don't want to waste them either, since they are so great when applied straight on the skin.


----------



## dixiedragon

Sapolandia said:


> Thanks Dixiedragon and Toxicon
> 
> I want to make a soap that I can use in my face, and as shampoo and balm at the same time. Argan oil and shea butter are the only things I ever apply to my skin, but I've noticed that the soaps I've made from shea dissapairs quite fast, and leaves quite a lot of fat in the shower. Not really a problem, but always room for improvment I recon. I am considering 5% palmoil, and 5% castor oil - and 20 % coconut oil - for the qualities these oils have, and the fact that I don't have easy access to these oils (very expensive as well where I live..) But as I mentioned I have a lot of shea and argan - but I'm not sure what kind of qualities they have in a soap. I don't want to waste them either, since they are so great when applied straight on the skin.


 
I'm not sure how you mean to use a soap as a balm? If you have short hair, using soap as shampoo is probably okay, but soap as shampoo on long hair is not a good idea.


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## Margo

*Pure Castile Soap*

If you only do CP soap, then you have to wait for it to cure.  Pure OO soap is Castile soap.  If you use any other oils it is not Castile soap (I don't care what others say)  If you want to make just soap then don't call it Castile soap if you're not using only OO. Pure Castile soap made with OO takes almost a year to cure if you're doing CP.  
I make Castile soap using OO using the HP method and it is cured and ready to use from three days to one week.
Sorry, I don't share recipes


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## kchaystack

Margo said:


> I make Castile soap using OO using the HP method and it is cured and ready to use from three days to one week.
> Sorry, I don't share recipes



Ok first, if you claim that Castile is 100% olive oil, you have already told us your recipe. 

Second, your soap is not cured in 3 - 7 days.  HP is safe to use as soon as it is finished cooking, the chemical reaction with the lye and fat has finished - but HP needs to cure as much as any other soap.  So for a NaOH lye about a year.  HP soaps do NOT cure faster - you normally use more water in them, so they need a longer cure than a CP soap.  

This is a well documented fact from most of us on this forum.  Please stop spreading this urban legend that HP cures faster.


----------



## WeaversPort

kchaystack said:


> Ok first, if you claim that Castile is 100% olive oil, you have already told us your recipe.



Shhh!! Don't tell anyone. My castle soap is 100% olive oil as well! It has lye, water, and olive oil. 

I started to add other stuff: sodium chloride, sodium lactate, honey, oats, small bits of avocado, pulped carrots, leftover spinach that had gone through a borrowed Vita Mix... But then I realized it wouldn't be 100% olive oil anymore. It would be something like 97% olive oil, and disqualified from the castile Olympics for juicing. 

I also rearranged the soap molecules by hand, using magnets to make it cure faster. But don't tell. That's part of the secret recipe.


----------



## anshika154

40 oz. olive oil
5 oz. palm oil
5 oz. coconut oil
16 oz. water
6.7 oz. lye
Between 1.5 and 2.2 oz of fragrance or essential oil, according to your preference

Make sure that you run your recipe through a lye calculator to make sure that all of your measures are correct!

In this recipe, I added a little more palm oil and coconut oil.


----------



## earlene

Sapolandia said:


> Thanks Dixiedragon and Toxicon
> 
> I want to make a soap that I can use in my face, and as shampoo and balm at the same time. Argan oil and shea butter are the only things I ever apply to my skin, but I've noticed that the soaps I've made from shea dissapairs quite fast, and leaves quite a lot of fat in the shower. Not really a problem, but always room for improvment I recon. I am considering 5% palmoil, and 5% castor oil - and 20 % coconut oil - for the qualities these oils have, and the fact that I don't have easy access to these oils (very expensive as well where I live..) But as I mentioned I have a lot of shea and argan - but I'm not sure what kind of qualities they have in a soap. I don't want to waste them either, since they are so great when applied straight on the skin.



Sapolandia, I am not sure using 20% CO soap on the face is wise.  Maybe for young very oily skin, one might be able to get away with it, and I think you'd need a high SF.  And if you use 5% palm in addition to that 20% CO, you have a very stripping soap.  My guess is that soap would really dry out the facial skin.  

But what do I know, I never use soap on my face anyway.  

Argan oil is rather expensive here, so I've only used it when it was a free sample, and it was such a small sample, I didn't really notice what it brought to the soap.  As far as shea in soap, I tend to use it in a very low percentage; around 5% to 8% when I do use it.  

How much fat is left in the shower probably depends on your SF of your soap formula. I tend to SF low at about 2% or 3% most of the time.  But could what you are seeing left in the shower be soap scum?  Homemade soap without chelating additives tends to leave behind more soap scum than synthetic bar soaps, which is even worse in hard water (as opposed to soft water.)


----------



## shunt2011

I use 20% CO soap on my face but it's SF at 8% and High lard with avocado, castor and Shea.   I also use salt bars with a 20% SF and 80% CO.   I'm older and my skin is not dry at all.  It will vary from person to person. My skin is the best it's been in years.


----------



## HMZ

DeeAnna said:


> To make a soapmaker's classic castile that lathers nicely, lasts a long time, and only requires a 4-6 week cure --> use 100% olive oil, whatever lye solution concentration you prefer, the usual 5% superfat (lye discount), and a blend of 95% NaOH and 5% KOH (potassium hydroxide).



Hi DeeAnna! Thank you so much for the info. My concern is that I have tried doing Castile soap with dual-lye twice and each time I've noticed that the soap takes 3 to 5 days to harden and be able to unmold, whereas with only NaOH solution I am able to unmold it within 48 hrs. Is this normal to happen with Dual-Lye Castile?


----------



## cmzaha

HMZ said:


> Hi DeeAnna! Thank you so much for the info. My concern is that I have tried doing Castile soap with dual-lye twice and each time I've noticed that the soap takes 3 to 5 days to harden and be able to unmold, whereas with only NaOH solution I am able to unmold it within 48 hrs. Is this normal to happen with Dual-Lye Castile?


Are you changing your lye concentration? I use dual lye in all my soaps and it makes absolutely no difference in my de-mold time, which for my soaps is usually 6-10 hrs.


----------



## HMZ

cmzaha said:


> Are you changing your lye concentration? I use dual lye in all my soaps and it makes absolutely no difference in my de-mold time, which for my soaps is usually 6-10 hrs.



I used 40% Lye concentration in both times and soaped at room temperature. First time I experimented with 12oz Olive oil the second time I made a batch for a 5lbs mold. I made the larger batch 24 hrs ago and it still very soft in the mold


----------



## earlene

What percentage is your KOH?  Is it 5% or is it more?  How are you doing the calculations for the dual lye?

What soap calculator are you using? The one here at SMF will do the calculations for dual lye for you, making it easier and hopefully eliminate any calculation errors; although it's always possible, even with a lye calculator to still make a human error.

Another question:  Did you use [40% Lye] when you made the single lye Castile, and soap at room temperature?

Castile isn't going to heat up with that high lye concentration without additional help, such as CPOP.  Even the 5-lb mold probably won't heat up enough to gel on its own.  So if it doesn't gel, it's going to take longer to firm up.


----------



## HMZ

HMZ said:


> I used 40% Lye concentration in both times and soaped at room temperature. First time I experimented with 12oz Olive oil the second time I made a batch for a 5lbs mold. I made the larger batch 24 hrs ago and it still very soft in the mold





earlene said:


> What percentage is your KOH?  Is it 5% or is it more?  How are you doing the calculations for the dual lye?
> 
> What soap calculator are you using? The one here at SMF will do the calculations for dual lye for you, making it easier and hopefully eliminate any calculation errors; although it's always possible, even with a lye calculator to still make a human error.
> 
> Another question:  Did you use [40% Lye] when you made the single lye Castile, and soap at room temperature?
> 
> Castile isn't going to heat up with that high lye concentration without additional help, such as CPOP.  Even the 5-lb mold probably won't heat up enough to gel on its own.  So if it doesn't gel, it's going to take longer to firm up.



Hi Earlene,
Yes I did 5% KOH and I used the Dual-Lye option in the Soapee calculator. 
For the single Lye Castile I did 33% Lye and soaped at room temperature.


----------



## earlene

With [33% Lye] concentration, you had more water, which provides the raw soap more opportunity to heat up and  gel, which if it did, would explain why you were able to unmold sooner.  But the size of the batch matters, too.  Were they comparable in size to the ones you just made using [40% Lye]?


----------



## Zany_in_CO

Hi HMZ and Welcome!

If interested in a simple Casile Soap that cures fast many members (not all) like this recipe. It is not a dual-lye recipe but cures fast. I prefer the 85% Olive Oil, 10% Coconut Oil, 5% Castor Oil variation, but you can certainly do 100% Olive Oil or whatever suits your skin:

Zany's No Slime Castile 
*https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/zanys-no-slime-castile.72620/*

When you have time, please go to the Introduction Forum and take a moment to introduce yourself to the group, including your level of experience in soap making. That will help us to help you.


----------



## HMZ

earlene said:


> With [33% Lye] concentration, you had more water, which provides the raw soap more opportunity to heat up and  gel, which if it did, would explain why you were able to unmold sooner.  But the size of the batch matters, too.  Were they comparable in size to the ones you just made using [40% Lye]?



I was working with smaller batches while using the 33% lye solution.



Zany_in_CO said:


> Hi HMZ and Welcome!
> 
> If interested in a simple Casile Soap that cures fast many members (not all) like this recipe. It is not a dual-lye recipe but cures fast. I prefer the 85% Olive Oil, 10% Coconut Oil, 5% Castor Oil variation, but you can certainly do 100% Olive Oil or whatever suits your skin:
> 
> Zany's No Slime Castile
> *https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/zanys-no-slime-castile.72620/*
> 
> When you have time, please go to the Introduction Forum and take a moment to introduce yourself to the group, including your level of experience in soap making. That will help us to help you.




Thank you so much Zany for the information! I am really excited to trying this recipe out. Does it have to be sea salt?



Zany_in_CO said:


> Hi HMZ and Welcome!
> 
> If interested in a simple Casile Soap that cures fast many members (not all) like this recipe. It is not a dual-lye recipe but cures fast. I prefer the 85% Olive Oil, 10% Coconut Oil, 5% Castor Oil variation, but you can certainly do 100% Olive Oil or whatever suits your skin:
> 
> Zany's No Slime Castile
> *https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/zanys-no-slime-castile.72620/*
> 
> When you have time, please go to the Introduction Forum and take a moment to introduce yourself to the group, including your level of experience in soap making. That will help us to help you.



Can you please help me find the introduction forum? I am not sure how to find it. Sorry


----------



## Zany_in_CO

HMZ said:


> Can you please help me find the introduction forum? I am not sure how to find it. Sorry


No need to apologize. I should have included the link. My apologies.
*https://www.soapmakingforum.com/forums/the-introduction-forum.16/*

Find the button top right , dirctly opposite the title on the left, that says "Post Thread". Click on that and start typing.  

For future reference, it would be good for you to  go to the top of the page. Click on "FORUMS" on the top left to see all that are available. Check out the *Beginners Forum*. That's a good place to start a thread on any subject you are interested in. Browse to your heart's content until you get the hang of it. Don't be shy about asking questions. There is no such thing as a "dumb question". More often than not, we all learn when the question is answered. 



HMZ said:


> Thank you so much Zany for the information! I am really excited to trying this recipe out. Does it have to be sea salt?


You're welcome. Ya know, I don't think anyone who tried that recipe has asked that question!  Good for you!
I use Morton's Sea Salt from the grocery store. Sea Salt has trace minerals that are beneficial to skin. It's not expensive so I would recommend you use that. 

MAKE FAUX SEAWATER - Use for water portion of the lye solution.
*  1 quart warm water
  1 Tablespoon sea salt
  1 Tablespoon sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)*

I make up a quart at a time and store it in the fridge until I need it.

Some people who are close to an ocean use real sea water and there's a _*separate thread*_ for that. If you choose to use plain table salt, it would be helpful to start a thread with that in the title. 

HAPPY SOAPING!


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## Hope Ann

HMZ said:


> Thank you so much Zany for the information! I am really excited to trying this recipe out. Does it have to be sea salt?



Zaneys Castille is fabulous!

Hope


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## HMZ

Zany_in_CO said:


> You're welcome. Ya know, I don't think anyone who tried that recipe has asked that question!  Good for you!
> I use Morton's Sea Salt from the grocery store. Sea Salt has trace minerals that are beneficial to skin. It's not expensive so I would recommend you use that.
> 
> MAKE FAUX SEAWATER - Use for water portion of the lye solution.
> *  1 quart warm water
> 1 Tablespoon sea salt
> 1 Tablespoon sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)*
> 
> I make up a quart at a time and store it in the fridge until I need it.
> 
> Some people who are close to an ocean use real sea water and there's a _*separate thread*_ for that. If you choose to use plain table salt, it would be helpful to start a thread with that in the title.
> 
> HAPPY SOAPING!



Thank you so much Zany! I really appreciate you tking the time to answer my questions 



Zany_in_CO said:


> You're welcome. Ya know, I don't think anyone who tried that recipe has asked that question!  Good for you!
> I use Morton's Sea Salt from the grocery store. Sea Salt has trace minerals that are beneficial to skin. It's not expensive so I would recommend you use that.
> 
> MAKE FAUX SEAWATER - Use for water portion of the lye solution.
> *  1 quart warm water
> 1 Tablespoon sea salt
> 1 Tablespoon sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)*
> 
> I make up a quart at a time and store it in the fridge until I need it.
> 
> Some people who are close to an ocean use real sea water and there's a _*separate thread*_ for that. If you choose to use plain table salt, it would be helpful to start a thread with that in the title.
> 
> HAPPY SOAPING!



I found very coarse sea salt in my pantry and I did use it. I hope it being coarse wouldn't affect the ratios.


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## Hope Ann

Zany_in_CO said:


> I make up a quart at a time and store it in the fridge until I need it.



i do this as well.  May i suggest labeling it well? Dunno how many times theman tried to feed it to me.

Hope


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## Zany_in_CO

HMZ said:


> I found very coarse sea salt in my pantry and I did use it. I hope it being coarse wouldn't affect the ratios.


Shouldn't be a problem.


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## HMZ

Zany_in_CO said:


> Shouldn't be a problem.



so for what percentages of OO in your recipes do you do 0% superfat?


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## Zany_in_CO

HMZ said:


> so for what percentages of OO in your recipes do you do 0% superfat?


All.


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## linne1gi

anshika154 said:


> 40 oz. olive oil
> 5 oz. palm oil
> 5 oz. coconut oil
> 16 oz. water
> 6.7 oz. lye
> Between 1.5 and 2.2 oz of fragrance or essential oil, according to your preference
> 
> Make sure that you run your recipe through a lye calculator to make sure that all of your measures are correct!
> 
> In this recipe, I added a little more palm oil and coconut oil.


That's a heck of a lot of water!  I would suggest discounting this, unless this is a hot process soap.  Otherwise I suggest twice the lye amount for water.  So you have 6.7 oz lye, should be 13.4 oz water.


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## HMZ

Zany_in_CO said:


> All.



Thanks for always replying 

One more question  What's the baking soda role in your Castile recipe?


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## Zany_in_CO

HMZ said:


> One more question  What's the baking soda role in your Castile recipe?


A long time ago there were recipes for making faux seawater on the net. I got the one I used from another soaper. Take a look at this thread.
*FAUX SEA WATER*


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## HMZ

Zany_in_CO said:


> Shouldn't be a problem.


Hi Zany! I'm Back! 
I want to tell you that I made your Castile No Slime recipe and tested it after 3 weeks and I LOVED IT! But I have a little probIem. When I used individual molds it worked perfect, but when I used a loaf mold it was extremely hard to cut and crumbled on me  I'm wondering if prefer a type of mold over another.


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## KiwiMoose

HMZ said:


> Hi Zany! I'm Back!
> I want to tell you that I made your Castile No Slime recipe and tested it after 3 weeks and I LOVED IT! But I have a little probIem. When I used individual molds it worked perfect, but when I used a loaf mold it was extremely hard to cut and crumbled on me  I'm wondering if prefer a type of mold over another.


I always make ZNSC in cavity moulds so i don't have the cutting issue.


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## AliOop

Cavity molds are great for soaps that will harden before you can get to cutting them. If you use a loaf mold, you will have to watch it closely so as to cut when it feels like cold cheddar cheese. That may happen much sooner than you think! If you wait too long, it will be too hard and will crumble, just as you experienced.


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## linne1gi

AliOop said:


> Cavity molds are great for soaps that will harden before you can get to cutting them. If you use a loaf mold, you will have to watch it closely so as to cut when it feels like cold cheddar cheese. That may happen much sooner than you think! If you wait too long, it will be too hard and will crumble, just as you experienced.


Yes, For example, I cut my salt soaps (80% Coconut Oil, 20% Shea, 75% salt) made in a loaf in about 3 hours, and it’s still quite warm.


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## AliOop

That’s true, and thanks for helping me clarify. I didn’t mean that the soap itself must be cold.

My high-CO soaps are always warm when I cut them, but their consistency is like cheddar cheese right out of the fridge (as opposed to cheddar that has been sitting out at room temp, which would be too soft to cut). Hope that makes sense!


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## Zany_in_CO

HMZ said:


> Hi Zany! I'm Back!
> I want to tell you that I made your Castile No Slime recipe and tested it after 3 weeks and I LOVED IT! But I have a little probIem. When I used individual molds it worked perfect, but when I used a loaf mold it was extremely hard to cut and crumbled on me  I'm wondering if prefer a type of mold over another.


LOL   Hi HMZ! I'm glad you liked the ZNSC but so sorry to hear it crumbled when you used a loaf mold! I always use a loaf mold and don't have that problem. So, all I can say is what others have said, that you probably waited too long to unmold & cut. The only other thing I can think of is the "faux sea water". If you used too much salt to make it, that could result in crumbly soap as well. You might want to go over your notes to see if you missed something or did something differently.


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## HMZ

Zany_in_CO said:


> LOL   Hi HMZ! I'm glad you liked the ZNSC but so sorry to hear it crumbled when you used a loaf mold! I always use a loaf mold and don't have that problem. So, all I can say is what others have said, that you probably waited too long to unmold & cut. The only other thing I can think of is the "faux sea water". If you used too much salt to make it, that could result in crumbly soap as well. You might want to go over your notes to see if you missed something or did something differently.



Hi Zany 
Actually it was still kind of soft after about 18 hours so I waited few more hours, not sure if that was too long  
And regarding the faux sea water I'm sure I did it accurately as you mentioned. Now by 1 quart you mean 32 fluid oz, right?


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## Zany_in_CO

HMZ said:


> by 1 quart you mean 32 fluid oz, right?


Although 32 fluid oz. of water = 1 quart, in soapmaking we weigh the water as well as the other ingredients. I hope that answers your question.


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## linne1gi

Zany_in_CO said:


> Although 32 fluid oz. of water = 1 quart, in soapmaking we weigh the water as well as the other ingredients. I hope that answers your question.


In the original “faux sea water” the ingredients do not seem to be weighed as it calls for 1 quart water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon baking soda. So in HMZ’s defense, the “in soapmaking we weigh the water as well as the other ingredients “ doesn’t make sense.


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## Zany_in_CO

@linne1gi    Picky, picky, picky.  LOL  Honestly? I just really didn't understand the question or even why it was asked. Also, unsure of HMZ's level of experience, hence the basic "we weigh" everything.


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## HMZ

Zany_in_CO said:


> @linne1gi    Picky, picky, picky.  LOL  Honestly? I just really didn't understand the question or even why it was asked. Also, unsure of HMZ's level of experience, hence the basic "we weigh" everything.


  Yes I do weigh everything, but I was making sure that I used the correct weight when using a quart, since I've noticed some people mention that some measurments vary between the US and Europe. Maybe it was a dump question from me


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## Zany_in_CO

HMZ said:


> Yes I do weigh everything, but I was making sure that I used the correct weight when using a quart, since I've noticed some people mention that some measurments vary between the US and Europe. Maybe it was a dump question from me


It wasn't a dumb question at all considering your reason for asking it.  It does get confusing, obviously, we both were confused. Most people won't remember this but when Jack Kennedy was first elected to office, in his inauguration speech in 1961 he promised we would change to the metric system. He also promised we would land on the moon. The moon landing happened. Converting to the metric system did not. It would be so much better if we had done that, to my mind at least.


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## linne1gi

Zany_in_CO said:


> It wasn't a dumb question at all considering your reason for asking it.  It does get confusing, obviously, we both were confused. Most people won't remember this but when Jack Kennedy was first elected to office, in his inauguration speech in 1961 he promised we would change to the metric system. He also promised we would land on the moon. The moon landing happened. Converting to the metric system did not. It would be so much better if we had done that, to my mind at least.


Yes, the metric system is so much better. In medicine, that’s what is used most often, and I use it because, in my mind, grams are much more precise than ounces.


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## Zany_in_CO

So true. In the Architectural/Engineering practice we had up until my DH retired in 2008, drawings had to be in both metric and imperial.


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