Keeping trace slow, not sure about EO

Seawolfe · Feb 22, 2015

I have a plan to make a batch tomorrow. I want to do my first faux funnel pour, and I have a recipe that should be slow to trace, I plan to soap close to room temp, use sodium lactate, full water, and have pinky promised myself that I won't go past emulsion.

Two questions:
1) Is adding sugar to the lye water to increase lather a bad idea? I do plan to gel, so I don't mind it heading up in the mold.

2) I know it's silly, but I'm using a new to me EO (geranium rose from SMR), and I don't know if it accelerates. If it does, I'll glop, but I'm determined to use it. So would it be smarter to add the EO to the oils before I add the lye? Or at the last minute after I mix the colors when I seperate the batter?

MorpheusPA · Feb 22, 2015

1) I haven't made a soap in ages that doesn't have sugar, and I don't notice acceleration at the amounts I use--1 tsp PPO of either table sugar or honey. Heating, however, definitely happens!

2) I tend to add accelerating FOs and EOs to my oils, it seems to dilute them out a little bit and reduce acceleration. But it still accelerates.

For an unknown scent, I'd try a small batch first to see if it's a bad actor. I have an absolutely wonderfully scented batch of plumeria soap that looks...well, not as I had intended, let's just say that. "Putrid" would be another word. I'm very glad it was only a pound.

Seawolfe · Feb 22, 2015

Well like I said, if it accelerates, I'm ok with glopping into the mold. I've read that some people have no acceleration with this EO from a different supplier, but saw one video (don't know where she got her EO) where it accelerates too fast for her planned dandelion swirl, but it was still pourable. I am going for 5 lbs, but it's oils I need to use up.

Thanks for the sugar info and the vote to add the EO to the oils

Susie · Feb 22, 2015

I'll second the sugar and adding the EO to the oils, if you need another vote.

navigator9 · Feb 22, 2015

I use FOs, but always add them to the oils and mix well, before adding the lye. I usually make my lye solution the night before, so it's truly at room temp. Also, if you're worried about things moving fast, stick blend in bursts, and stir with the stick blender in between. Can't wait to hear how it goes.

cmzaha · Feb 22, 2015

My Geranium Rose does not accelerate, so hopefully yours will not either. Sorry that was no help, I just noticed you mentioned Geranium Rose from SMF that is different from my true Geranium Rose. I really should learn to read better...:-D. I do know a while back someone else posted about it but I never saw what the results were. Will go looking for the post

Seawolfe · Feb 22, 2015

Ok for the record, SMR's Geranium Rose DOES accelerate past soap on a stick to pot full o' hard rubber. I hotted it all up, got to apple sauce in crockpot, mixed in the colors that were mixed in with held-back olive oil and pounded it into the mould. Ill post pics and more after I've had a drink or two to recover

Seawolfe · Feb 23, 2015

Well, that was interesting. I had everything cool, used sodium lactate, added the Geranium Rose EO to the oils, then added the lye, stick blended on low for about 2 seconds, turned to get something and BAM! Cheese in a pot!

I didnt take any pics, but it looked like this, only solid in a bucket:

So I bunged it into the microwave and then the crockpot so I could get it fluid enough to add the colors. Or at least some more oil - see, I pulled 8 ounces of OO from the recipe to mix colors into our use infused oils for colors (annato, alkanet, madder). In any case, I HAD to get that extra oil mixed in or it would be lye heavy. In the crockpot I got it to applesauce texture and was able to divide it and add the OO + colors, then blopped it into the mold. It was basically HP by this time.

But hey! I got me some bright colors! (that alkanet is a little too-too, but hey). So now I basically have geranium scented crayon soap :razz:
Thats ok - its certainly not what I was aiming for, but I saved it and I don't have to rebatch so its all good. And I have a very good learning experience about florals and acceleration!

DeeAnna · Feb 23, 2015

Oh, my, your soap turned out wonderfully after all that excitement. Well done! Bravo!!!

And I love your sense of humor, Seawolfe. A most excellent story -- I enjoyed reading it!

FlybyStardancer · Feb 24, 2015

It looks lovely! What did you use to get that green? And the rest of the infused colors look very similar to how mine came out! lol Well, your madder is darker than mine, and my alkanet is a tad darker, but who cares?

Yay for saving a misbehaving soap!

TJ · Feb 24, 2015

It still looks wonderful!
To slow trace next time make sure you use full water. I have added extra water (a couple tablespoons or so) and it has slowed trace noticably. Perhaps it will help with troublesome FOs?

Seawolfe · Feb 24, 2015

Oh I did use full water, it just went straight to cheese in a bucket when I added the lye and stirred a little

FlybyStardancer said:
It looks lovely! What did you use to get that green? And the rest of the infused colors look very similar to how mine came out! lol Well, your madder is darker than mine, and my alkanet is a tad darker, but who cares? Yay for saving a misbehaving soap!

Thanks!! Ah - the green is green oxide and French green clay, and my madder is darker than yours because theres also Morrocan red clay. Your alkanet is darker than that almost black band? Ima use half that next time.

FlybyStardancer · Feb 24, 2015

Seawolfe said:
Thanks!! Ah - the green is green oxide and French green clay, and my madder is darker than yours because theres also Morrocan red clay. Your alkanet is darker than that almost black band? Ima use half that next time.

At least with the loaf that I'm pretty sure gelled. It really came out black! The ungelled bar of extra came out purple. And to be fair, my oils had been infusing for months, instead of the couple weeks typically used for cold infusions!

Luv2Soap · Feb 24, 2015

Very nice!!!!

Keeping trace slow, not sure about EO

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