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Thanks for the tip about citric acid. My latest liquid soap batch is definitely lye-heavy, paper tested or not. Are other acids not recommended. I've got muriatic acid that I can dilute but not sure what the salt by-products would be.

My point was I searched health & beauty sections of several stores in my area, and the closest things I could find related to cocoa butter were products with some cocoa butter mixed with other ingredients. Years ago, when I searched for similar types of products, it seemed easier to find mono...

I found this thread while searching for how lecithin might impact cold process soap. I'm looking because I'm about the make a very small test batch CP soap using cream cheese and white baking chips, which is comprised of sugar, milk, non-fat dry milk palm kernel, palm oil and soy lecithin. If...

Cocoa butter is apparently popular enough these days that it's become a lesser component in a mixture of many ingredients; listed after mineral oil, water, beeswax, and paraffin in the Queen Helene product. :(

Wild! I went grocery store shopping in the desperate hope I'd find cocoa butter. No luck. But I checked out the ingredients list for "white baking chips". So I bought a bag. Sugar is good for bubbles, palm kernel and palm oil, milk are used in soap making. I gotta do a test batch.

I fully appreciate that. My original recipe was based on using a soap calc. I think my KOH was the main culprit. It was a premix liquid and I only tested to make sure it could float an egg - no precision. No worries. I had lots of fun and learned a lot thru my mistakes. I learn much better...

Thank you, Zany, for the info and the link. I must have reviewed a couple dozen articles and videos on LS making before making my first batch. My core problem is I have always viewed recipes and directions as suggestions or guidelines. :) And I had the hubris to start by creating my own recipe...

So glad I found this discussion. Made my first LS batch; had all kinds of strange effects, including the foaming, applesauce stage, then a pudding stage that lasted for hours. I start playing with the batter, gradually adding more KOH and water. That finally worked. Then I added some borax in...

Just watched a couple of YT vids mentioning testing the potash water concentration by floating a potato or an egg. I assume that crude buoyancy test works for any chemical in solution, but I'm not sure yet.

Thanks. I've always loved playing with chemicals. Soap making is a late in life discovery for me, but maybe it's a case of save the best for last. ;-)

Thanks for your response. I didn't know both types can be effectively combined. The LS I added was just old commercial stuff I've had for a really long time. It's funny; the brand is "Softsoap". :) I haven't been able to use it full strength because my skin overreacts to the detergents. I kept...

I made a batch of cream and turmeric CP - hated it. Color was okay, but the texture, eh. It didn't lather well. I just didn't like it, so I decided to try my first rebatch. Instead of grating (my wrists aren't up to that challenge, I cleaved the soap into small pieces and put it on the stove on...

I have been using the Rooto 100% lye as well. I checked the MSDS sheet on this product, just to make sure.

"Appealing smell was the greatest influencer of consumer preference, while color and appealing smell were the best indicators of natural soaps’ estimated pricing and consumers’ perceived quality, and consequently acceptability." In spite of all the scientific flowey-ness of the report, their...

Thank you. I like to dig deep when I get into a new activity. Last night I was thrilled to find this scientific study online about homemade soap and the saponification process. It will take me a while to absorb it all, but I like that kind of fun. :) According to this report...

Thank God you replied! Thank you so much, DeeAnna. After seeing so many clueless soapmaking videos and recipes, I was beginning to doubt my decades of education and experience on the basics of chemistry! :) I won't bother with converting, unless I'm feeling especially smart-assy. I'll try to...

This may not be a beginner question, but I'm dying of curiosity and riddled with confusion. Soap is defined, chemically, as a salt because the fats used are [fatty] acids and the sodium and potassium lyes are strong alkalis. Acids and alkalis will typically produce salts when mixed together...

Thanks for your responses. I understand the SB technique is to use it in short bursts and combine that with manual stirring. I have tried that. I've had my old Braun SB for 25 years and it's still going strong. Perhaps I viewed the wrong liquid soap videos? There is a stage where I've seen...

My understanding is soap batter mixing can be very hard on a meager stick blender. Is there a standard countertop blender that is good for blending soap batter? Can a standard countertop blender be modified for mixing soap batter. Standard blenders come with speed variations and have a stronger...