# Replacing water with vinegar



## Soapprentice (Feb 8, 2017)

Hey guys, recently I went through some amazing threads regarding adding or replacing water with vinegar. I have a question regarding the curing when using vinegar. Curing is done to evaporate water from the soap right, when we use vinegar, will the curing time reduce? As there is less or no water in the soap?


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## ngian (Feb 8, 2017)

Vinegar has also plenty of water. Around 94-95% and the rest of it is mainly acetic acid which adds hardness to the soap bar while curring similar to as adding less water in a recipe without vinegar..


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## mx5inpenn (Feb 8, 2017)

First, curing isn't only about water evaporation. A lot more is going on in those little bars!  Second, as ngian said, vinegar is mostly water. It will tell you on the bottle, most is 95%.


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## Dahila (Feb 8, 2017)

I know we had a huge thread about it, but I can not find it.  Ngian?


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## TeresaT (Feb 8, 2017)

Soapprentice said:


> Hey guys, recently I went through some amazing threads regarding adding or replacing water with vinegar. I have a question regarding the curing when using vinegar. Curing is done to evaporate water from the soap right, when we use vinegar, will the curing time reduce? As there is less or no water in the soap?



Nope.  Vinegar is 5% acetic acid diluted with 95% H2O.  If your recipe calls for 100  grams of water and you use 100 grams of vinegar instead, you have actually only used 95 grams of water.  The other 5 grams are acetic acid.   Those 5 grams of acetic acid are going to react with X grams (I forget off the top of my head) of NaOH to make sodium acetate.  The only real benefit of having sodium acetate in your soap is initial hardness.  It makes the soap much easier to unmold.  This is especially evident in high soft oil recipes.  Conversely, if there is too much sodium acetate in the soap, it makes for a brittle bar that crumbles when you cut it. Vinegar as a water replacement in no way benefits the cure.   I'm almost positive I started the vinegar bandwagon last year when I questioned the use of it.  I didn't think it was possible and the wonderful scientists proved me wrong.  Since then, I have used vinegar as part of every recipe with impressive results.  Someone (sorry, don't remember who) suggested neutralizing a large amount of vinegar to use so I wouldn't keep forgetting the extra NaOH and ending up with a high SF.  I neutralized an entire gallon and it works well for me.  I soap at room temps with 50% pre made lye solution and dilute it with the neutralized vinegar to 33.333%.  




ngian said:


> Vinegar has also plenty of water. Around 94-95% and the rest of it is mainly acetic acid which adds hardness to the soap bar while curring similar to as adding less water in a recipe without vinegar..



Yes



mx6inpenn said:


> First, curing isn't only about water evaporation. A lot more is going on in those little bars!  Second, as ngian said, vinegar is mostly water. It will tell you on the bottle, most is 95%.



Yes


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## Soapprentice (Feb 8, 2017)

Thank u all so much guys, I am not sure how I forgot the vinegar is only 5% acid.. it my 'Oh yeah!' Moment..

and yes Teresa, I went through all your posts before using vinegar and the unmoulding was great as I use a lot of soft oils due to unavailability of palm,lard or tallow and having dry skin.


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## Relle (Feb 8, 2017)

SMF previous thread
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=57268


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## Pepsi Girl (Feb 8, 2017)

I am actually using some of that ACV soap right now! And I must say it again "Hazel made me do it"!!


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