Castor oil - do you mix with Lye or use as a superfatter?

[Ollieblue]

Just interested t..............

 

[Sunkawakan]

I do cphp and just add it to my oils when they're heating. Just include it in your recipie when you figure it as an additional oil and add the superfat amount in (I use soapcalc) so the lye is correct. I'm sure others do it differently and would be interested to know their opinions.

 

[dagmar88]

I do CP, and altough not everyone will agree with me, I don't think you have any influence on what oil is going to saponify or not. So I treat it like any other oil.

 

[TessC]

I'm with dagmar, I CP and just treat it as I treat the rest of my oils, I'm not convinced at all that you can save an oil from the saponification process by adding it at trace.

 

[artisan soaps]

..

 

[blueberrylolli]

what if you don't add lye for that oil, and at trace u add the oil?

say you don't use any superfatting for your original recipe, and then at trace add the castor?

 

[TessC]

Same thing, the saponification process isn't complete at trace, it continues for quite some time after the soap's in the mold, so you'd still lose it to the process.

 

[IrishLass]

What TessV said. From what I've read from those who have experimented with and tested handmade soaps in a lab, only about 10% to 20% of the oils have actually been saponified when the soap reaches it's traced stage. That leaves a lot of free lye left over to devour whatever oil you add to your pot at trace. And seeing how lye is an equal opportunity oil gobbler, you'll never know what oil will remain unsaponified in your finished soap (unless you are using the HP process, as opposed to CP).

IrishLass

 

[blueberrylolli]

even in hot process soaps? i thought it was complete when it gets cooked

 

[TessC]

HP is a different story. Yes, you add your superfat oils after the cook with HP.

 

[soapqueen]

So is there a differnece with hot process soaps e.g. if you cold process with, say, 5% superfat (and I agree it doesn't make any difference whether you add that in at the start or at trace) as compared to making a hot process with no superfat at the start, and then add 5% oil at the end. Has anyone compared this? I've never done HP myself, to me it looks like an awful lot of trouble and a bit scary.

 

[jennikate]

My castor goes in with rest of my oil. From what I have read here thanks everyone adding oil at trace still gonna get used so why bother.

 

[honor435]

i dont add any oils at trace, sometimes i add after the cook(hp), not sure that does anything either. hp isnt a bother, you get to use your soap sooner! i throw everything in crock, you dont have to check temps, you do have to wait til it cooks, but i usually just read. I like both methods.

 

[MikeInPdx]

I do HP and I've added castor with the oils and at the end of "the cook."

Honestly, I couldn't tell an appreciable difference on my skin, so I don't do it much anymore.....it just adds an unnecessary extra step IMO.

I've been meaning to try adding shea post cook but have yet to do it.