A question from a novice

[rutledge54]

I have a newbie question. When you add aloe or tea, or anything else to the lye instead of water, doesn’t the lye kill anything of benefit in the liquid?

 

[artemis]

I have a newbie question. When you add aloe or tea, or anything else to the lye instead of water, doesn’t the lye kill anything of benefit in the liquid?

Most likely, yes.

 

[Anne121x]

Hi, I cannot find how to post a new question on the forum so sorry for butting in on this one.
To answer your question yes I would think lye will kill most things. I always add therapeutic ingredients after trace.
My question is I cannot seem to make nice soap in small individual molds. They get white and ashy all round and sometimes crumbly when the same mix looks perfect in a loaf mold.
I did manage in the past to make some but do not know what I did differently. Is it best to pour into molds at high temperature or better at low temperature so they do not cool down too quickly? I have no idea as I have tried everything, insulating them overnight etc and nothing seems to work.

 

[lsg]

Hi, I cannot find how to post a new question on the forum so sorry for butting in on this one.
To answer your question yes I would think lye will kill most things. I always add therapeutic ingredients after trace.
My question is I cannot seem to make nice soap in small individual molds. They get white and ashy all round and sometimes crumbly when the same mix looks perfect in a loaf mold.
I did manage in the past to make some but do not know what I did differently. Is it best to pour into molds at high temperature or better at low temperature so they do not cool down too quickly? I have no idea as I have tried everything, insulating them overnight etc and nothing seems to work.

Are you using a high amount of solid fats, butters or oils in your soap recipe?

 

[Lion Of Judah]

have you tried spraying the tops with rubbing alcohol ?

 

[MKLonestar]

have you tried spraying the tops with rubbing alcohol ?

Make sure that it is 91% or higher? It is easily found at Walgreens, Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid, etc.

 

[earlene]

Easily found? It really depends on where you live. When I can find it, I do buy it, but it is not easily found at all those stores all over the US, and the rest of the world is another story altogether.

Some Walmarts I have been in only sell 50%, which surprised me, but that is the case.

 

[MKLonestar]

Easily found? It really depends on where you live. When I can find it, I do buy it, but it is not easily found at all those stores all over the US, and the rest of the world is another story altogether.

Some Walmarts I have been in only sell 50%, which surprised me, but that is the case.

Earlene, I wonder if I am having an easier time finding it because I am on the coast . I can hardly find the 50% anymore. When we lived in N. Texas, it WAS harder to find the 91% (my husband reminded me of that just a second ago), so when I did find it, I stocked up as well (and the bottles are smaller than the ones I see all the time now). So, yes, I was incorrect, 91% may be completely easy to find depending on locale. Thank you for pointing that out.

 

[Dennis]

Found plenty of 91% alcohol on Amazon UK. Here's one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TYEG81I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This one in the USA on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TYEG81I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Lots of choices, spray bottles, quarts, gallons. Also per cent alcohol from 50 to 99.