Am I ready?

[sydmurph]

Whipped up an 80:20 Coconut/olive batch, blended to medium trace, put lid on insulated bucket and let it go. I don’t know how much gelling it did - soap isn’t clear - but it’s been about 5 days and it’s really solid. No zap. Am I good to dilute? What’s the reason for the vaseline/clear stage of gel when making LS? Does it even matter?

 

[DeeAnna]

Yes, you should be good to dilute. Although I'm not sure about the "really solid" part of your post. Usually liquid soap paste is a firm, well, paste -- like really firm jam or soft gumdrops. So just to make sure -- you did use KOH, right? And what was your lye concentration and superfat?

The vaseline stage only means the soap has gotten warm enough to turn into a liquidy "gel" phase, as opposed to staying in solid form.

Gel during saponification is usually an indicator that saponification is going along fast enough to warm the soap up to cause this phase change. Soap can saponify without gelling, however, so gel not an absolute requirement for good soap.

And soap that has gone into gel and then cooled off isn't necessarily translucent. It depends on the fats, water content, etc.

 

[cjisler]

Show us how it turns out. CPLS is my new favorite thing.

 

[IrishLass]

Yep- , as DeeAnna said, you're good to dilute. For future reference, as soon as there's no detectable zap, you're good to dilute, regardless of how firm or solid or clear or opaque the paste is.

Re: the term 'solid' in regards to the paste....depending on how much water I add up front, mine can get fairly firm, like a gumdrop or a Starburst candy or a piece of salt water taffy that's been let to sit naked out on the counter for a few days, as opposed to the consistency of a really fresh one still in its wrapping....... or as soft as a fresh one.

In regards to the clarity/non-clarity of the paste, that's neither here nor there in terms of it being ready to dilute or not. Depending on the oils I use and even on how much liquid I add up front, I may end up with opaque paste or translucent paste. In my experience, neither has ever had any bearing on anything.......not even the clarity of my finished, diluted soap. The only thing that really matters is zap or no zap.


IrishLass