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Regarding getting to trace quickly - someone here suggested doing a batch without using a stick blender to really get a feel for what the batter is doing. My realization was that I was often blowing right through emulsion so I never saw it before hitting a light or even medium trace. This...

Hi Carrie - Have you considered using a soap calculator like https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/ ? You would simply put in the dimensions of your mold (length, width, height) and it will automatically show you amounts of each of your oils, water, lye needed to fit that mold. Hope my putting in...

I hang a couple of DampRid moisture absorbing bags in the room where soaps go to live and cure. I’m always amazed at how much water they suck up. Those plus a small fan for increased circulation seems to do the trick for keeping moisture at bay.

I made a plain white cp soap in 10" mold. As it got firm I stuck several fat boba type straws into it and let it finish setting up. Removed the straws the next day (pushing them through often worked better than pulling them up). Put the loaf back into the mold. Melt clear M&P and color small...

My coconut oil is melted in the bucket due to the hot weather (and my lack of an air conditioner). I'm wondering if I can still use it in this melted state? Do I need to do something to it first? Will it measure the same? Does anyone have this problem when it gets above 80 degrees?

WSP has soap embed paper that dissolves. WSP has soap embed paper that dissolves. Haven’t tried it yet but it sure sounds interesting. https://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/water-soluble-embed-paper-for-soap.aspx

This thread sort of continues ones from 2017 discussing baby vomit/cheesy smells in soap using cow's milk and one from 2020 discussing baking soda in soap. But I thought it best to just start a new thread. I want to use powdered cream in an Oatmeal, Cream & Honey soap but I am concerned about...

We've got a wind advisory and possible snow (in the Puget Sound?!) which means another atmospheric river. And it also means crock pot pot roast - bring on those potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms!

Sodium citrate is also great in the kitchen for keeping cheese sauces from breaking - especially cheddars. Restaurants use it all the time.

But wasn’t it so much fun running through the sheets?!

When letting it “cure for a while” - would help to shred it first? Also, would you want/need to use the same recipe again and adjust the lye as if you were simply making a larger batch and the shreds were just part of it?

Fantastic info on oils used - you're rewriting my formulations! But what about cooling once in the tubes? What are your best practices? Great article! @BWt

@AliOop - Thank you! Your directions were so concise and understandable! Between you and @Mobjack Bay this has been the best thread ever!

So how do you know how much sugar/sorbitol and sodium citrate to add to your total MB lye solution? I’m loving 1:1 master batching the lye but have the same issue of my batter heating up and accelerating. I had been adding my additional water/milk/aloe directly to oils before the lye.

I'm relatively new to soapmaking & this forum but have come up with a question that might be of interest to other newbies. I am making a 76oz batch of coffee themed/scented soap. It will be divided into thirds - dark brown, light brown and white. My FO smells fantastic but discolors to dark...

@AliOop - when I said I didn’t like the NaOh flakes it was because they seemed to have a harder time dissolving. My folly appears to have been making & keeping it in the garage where it is so cold. (I’m in the Seattle area so I know y’all in other areas are chuckling right now.) Having just...

Maybe my batch was too big - 1500 grams. Thanks for corroborating my observation!

Darn that spell check. 🥹

I do use SoapmakingFriend (and love it) and understand adding the extra liquid as stated to account for what lye concentration I choose. I’m just wondering if anyone felt it was a lot of lye when they made their master batch? Also, I’m using up the last of my lye flakes which I don’t like. Do...

Relatively new diaper here and am loving this site. I’ve made my first pitcher of 1:1 master batched lye. I weighed out my water/ice in the pitcher making sure to tare the weight first. Then in a second container I weighed out the exact same weight of lye. Then I stirred the lye bit by bit...