I use a spoon to break the paste up. What I generally do(especially if it is paste I have stored for a while), is just stab the paste blob as many times as possible to start with. Then when it is warmed up and softer, I scoop up globs to float in the dilution water.
Cold Process Liquid Soap
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Spoon, spatula, or potato masher ... whichever is handy and suits my mood at the time. 
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Well, that seemed easy after my normal hoop-te-da with 5-6 oil, swirled bar soap. But of course, I'm only half done.
I may not have blended long enough last night. I had a hard time remembering the consistency of Elmer's paste, but I sure knew wallpaper paste when I saw it, and I stopped shortly after that. It was pretty gloppy and gel-like. Eleven hours later, my paste is firm enough to hold a SS spoon upright, but not so hard that the paste must be split or broke when poking down. Too soft? It actually did zap after Susie's 20 minute benchmark, but not when I checked next in another couple hours. This morning it is almost tasteless, hardly worth rinsing my mouth afterward. I suppose the lack of fragrance adds culinary appeal
I made a really small batch, smaller than any of my bar batches, just 227 g (8 oz) of oils. Error would be amplified, for sure. But I took the chance because hey, I was experimenting, and I'm not exactly trying for enough to replace my automatic dishwasher.
Think it will still harden up? Or is WYSWYG? If it stays this consistency, am I stuck with a thin, watery dishsoap?
Next question: Is there a minimum recommended time for diluting to the final product? Susie implied clarity may be an issue, and I'd like to see this as soon as possible so I know what the standard is.
Thanks all for your help along the way.
I may not have blended long enough last night. I had a hard time remembering the consistency of Elmer's paste, but I sure knew wallpaper paste when I saw it, and I stopped shortly after that. It was pretty gloppy and gel-like. Eleven hours later, my paste is firm enough to hold a SS spoon upright, but not so hard that the paste must be split or broke when poking down. Too soft? It actually did zap after Susie's 20 minute benchmark, but not when I checked next in another couple hours. This morning it is almost tasteless, hardly worth rinsing my mouth afterward. I suppose the lack of fragrance adds culinary appeal
I made a really small batch, smaller than any of my bar batches, just 227 g (8 oz) of oils. Error would be amplified, for sure. But I took the chance because hey, I was experimenting, and I'm not exactly trying for enough to replace my automatic dishwasher
.Think it will still harden up? Or is WYSWYG? If it stays this consistency, am I stuck with a thin, watery dishsoap?
Next question: Is there a minimum recommended time for diluting to the final product? Susie implied clarity may be an issue, and I'd like to see this as soon as possible so I know what the standard is.
Thanks all for your help along the way.
You can dilute as soon as it is zapless. That will not affect clarity whatsoever. You add water until the globs are almost gone. It will be watery thin. All handmade liquid soap is thin. If you must have it thicker, you need to get a thickener of some sort.(IrishLass has several posts on this, as well as others.)
I have started just using the paste under the water faucet to make my dish water. And I dab a bit on a dish cloth or scrub brush directly if I have just one or two items. Sort of extrapolating on the Soap2Go idea. I found some silicone squeezable tube things at Walgreens that I loaded 100% CO dish soap paste into, and screwed the lid on. Dispenses a thin string of paste. Use as much or as little as you like. Works a charm. I am also using it to remove spots on laundry. I may try using more water in the beginning to get just a bit looser paste. Hmmm.....
Oh, and before I forget, if you are leaving it as paste for dish soap, you can add the EO as soon as you are done getting paste. You don't even have to wait for no zap. I do NOT use an EO in the paste I use to remove spots in laundry. But I take part of the paste and add EO for dishes, and leave part unscented for other uses.
Making CP liquid soap paste IS just as easy as making CP soap. It just takes a bit of time for dilution. But, if you think about it, you have to wait to unmold and cut CP soap the next day, so truly it is faster. AND you can use it as soon as you have no zap.
I have started just using the paste under the water faucet to make my dish water. And I dab a bit on a dish cloth or scrub brush directly if I have just one or two items. Sort of extrapolating on the Soap2Go idea. I found some silicone squeezable tube things at Walgreens that I loaded 100% CO dish soap paste into, and screwed the lid on. Dispenses a thin string of paste. Use as much or as little as you like. Works a charm. I am also using it to remove spots on laundry. I may try using more water in the beginning to get just a bit looser paste. Hmmm.....
Oh, and before I forget, if you are leaving it as paste for dish soap, you can add the EO as soon as you are done getting paste. You don't even have to wait for no zap. I do NOT use an EO in the paste I use to remove spots in laundry. But I take part of the paste and add EO for dishes, and leave part unscented for other uses.
Making CP liquid soap paste IS just as easy as making CP soap. It just takes a bit of time for dilution. But, if you think about it, you have to wait to unmold and cut CP soap the next day, so truly it is faster. AND you can use it as soon as you have no zap.
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Oh good, it sounds like I'm on track. It was fun trying something new. And yeah, it's pretty impressive that it does not require the usual drill of patience.
Sooo...ap. the dilution is optional. Is there any real advantage in diluting, or is primarily just to dispense by a conventional means? Well, I'll play around with it tomorrow - been gone most of the day today and am out the door again now.
Sooo...ap. the dilution is optional. Is there any real advantage in diluting, or is primarily just to dispense by a conventional means? Well, I'll play around with it tomorrow - been gone most of the day today and am out the door again now.
Apparently dilution is just for dispensing. Someone(I am sorry, but I forget who!) said they dabbed a little 100% CO paste on a sponge to clean their bathroom. That got me thinking. So now I am sort of flying by the seat of my pants on the rest of this. I definitely dilute for hand soap, so it will go into the foamers, and laundry soap so it will go into the jug(and dispense). But I just don't see that it is mandatory for any other use. I am about to make some shampoo paste that I intend to leave as paste to try.
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I use the soap paste direct on a damp sponge for general cleaning. I will sometimes shake a little Bon Ami (a powdered abrasive cleanser) in the sink or shower, spread some paste on a damp sponge, dab it in the Bon Ami, and scrub away on the dirtiest spots. Baking soda would work in place of the Bon Ami.
I think it can be easy to use too much LS paste ... "a little dab will do ya" ... but I love that it is a "dry" gel so it's not drippy. I try to remember to use the gel with the idea that I'm sort of diluting as I use it, not diluting beforehand.
This discussion reminds me of a comment I read on a LS Facebook page awhile back. The person said she didn't make or use LS for general cleaning because LS was so time consuming and difficult to make. I tried to explain that it doesn't need to be so complicated and labor intensive, but I've since learned to mostly keep my mouth shut. I think some soapers like the misery too much.
I suppose if I agonized over LS like that person, I'd have the same opinion she does. Thankfully I don't -- Susie and Irish Lass have been so helpful in de-mystifying LS making, so I see matters quite differently. I'm all for straightforward and sensible!
I think it can be easy to use too much LS paste ... "a little dab will do ya" ... but I love that it is a "dry" gel so it's not drippy. I try to remember to use the gel with the idea that I'm sort of diluting as I use it, not diluting beforehand.
This discussion reminds me of a comment I read on a LS Facebook page awhile back. The person said she didn't make or use LS for general cleaning because LS was so time consuming and difficult to make. I tried to explain that it doesn't need to be so complicated and labor intensive, but I've since learned to mostly keep my mouth shut. I think some soapers like the misery too much.
I suppose if I agonized over LS like that person, I'd have the same opinion she does. Thankfully I don't -- Susie and Irish Lass have been so helpful in de-mystifying LS making, so I see matters quite differently. I'm all for straightforward and sensible!
Ah-ha! It is DeeAnna that started that thought in me! Thank you for that! I LOVE how we all learn from each other and play off each other's ideas here! I love using the soap paste for dishes! Just rub a bit(I keep a tube by the sink) on a dish cloth, and away I go. It generally takes a dab about the size of a dime to do a whole sink full. I love how it gets greasy stuff clean! I am going to try your Bon Ami idea on some old bakeware that has the spray oil crud buildup on it. The SOS pads make me itch for days. And they tear up my gloves.
No happy dance yet for me... I have a slight issue (*sigh*). I skimmed a little paste off the top, put it into a sink filling with hot water, and noticed a complete lack of bubbles. So then I started poking around in the container and found a thin layer of liquid at the bottom. Crap, it zaps! So I dumped it all into a SS pot, turned the stove top on low heat for a few minutes, and hand stirred the liquid back in. Nothing appeared to melt so I turned the element off. Then I left the pot for a few minutes to troubleshoot on the forum (didn't find anything). When I went back to the pot it seemed like the paste was a little thicker so I put it all back into the original container. Both times I transferred the paste, it held together really well. I rinsed the original paste container in between transfers, and it bubbled like crazy. So at least I made a little soap even if not a lot!
Any tips on what to do? Sorry to mess up your nice clean thread; I can start a new one if the zap doesn't go away. I hate to say it, but I don't think I fixed the problem :shh:
Any tips on what to do? Sorry to mess up your nice clean thread; I can start a new one if the zap doesn't go away. I hate to say it, but I don't think I fixed the problem :shh:
I am happy you posted it here! This is where it belongs!
I am just going to review the recipe real fast to verify it with you:
CO 75%
OO 21.5%
Castor Oil 3.5%
Grated soap-0.5 oz
If I might ask your superfat percentage and the lye calculator you used, I might be able to start troubleshooting this in the morning(too sleepy tonight). Any possibility you could post actual amounts used? I am fairly certain you used 16 oz oils, but it would be nice to verify.
I am just going to review the recipe real fast to verify it with you:
CO 75%
OO 21.5%
Castor Oil 3.5%
Grated soap-0.5 oz
If I might ask your superfat percentage and the lye calculator you used, I might be able to start troubleshooting this in the morning(too sleepy tonight). Any possibility you could post actual amounts used? I am fairly certain you used 16 oz oils, but it would be nice to verify.
Thanks Susie, I'm glad my problem belongs somewhere!
You have the right recipe, but I only used 8 oz oils, not 16. I knew it was risky to go that low but I went for it anyway. So here are the amounts:
168 g CO, 49 g OO, 7 g castor, 56 g KOH, 169 g water, 7 g grated soap, 1/2 Tbls sugar. 0% SF. Used the Summer Bee Meadow calc like you recommended.
I repoked the paste (it sounds more perverse than it is, really) and it is definitely harder than it was before I stirred the lye water back in. I'll let it sit overnight and see what it does. Get some sleep -- no crisis here! :shifty:
ETA: I have borax and am not afraid to use it if that's a sure fix.
You have the right recipe, but I only used 8 oz oils, not 16. I knew it was risky to go that low but I went for it anyway. So here are the amounts:
168 g CO, 49 g OO, 7 g castor, 56 g KOH, 169 g water, 7 g grated soap, 1/2 Tbls sugar. 0% SF. Used the Summer Bee Meadow calc like you recommended.
I repoked the paste (it sounds more perverse than it is, really) and it is definitely harder than it was before I stirred the lye water back in. I'll let it sit overnight and see what it does. Get some sleep -- no crisis here! :shifty:
ETA: I have borax and am not afraid to use it if that's a sure fix.
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Looks OK on the SBM(not advanced).
You may have to use the borax solution. I can't think what else to do with it. Remember that you have to use boiling water to dissolve borax in. Put your paste back into the crock pot and turn it on high. Use 3 oz borax in 6 oz boiling water in a separate container. Then add only about a tablespoon of that mixture to warm paste before stirring very well, wait an hour and then zap test. It should not need much, so after the first tablespoon, I would probably use only a teaspoon at the time.
I tend to make only 500g oil recipes or larger for fear that small errors are magnified in smaller batches.
You may have to use the borax solution. I can't think what else to do with it. Remember that you have to use boiling water to dissolve borax in. Put your paste back into the crock pot and turn it on high. Use 3 oz borax in 6 oz boiling water in a separate container. Then add only about a tablespoon of that mixture to warm paste before stirring very well, wait an hour and then zap test. It should not need much, so after the first tablespoon, I would probably use only a teaspoon at the time.
I tend to make only 500g oil recipes or larger for fear that small errors are magnified in smaller batches.
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Actually, it seems to be good now. No more liquid on the bottom, and no zap that I can find. And the paste is really firm, which seems more in line with what I was expecting based on the other descriptions. But there are almost no suds to speak of -- is that normal? I'm not looking for a bubble bath, but still. It'd probably be great for my HE washing machine even though that's not why I made it!
Mine is not much in the way of bubbles, either. My hand soap lathers fine, but not my dish soap or laundry soap. The paste on the cloth/brush trick gives lots more bubbles. I use my dishwasher mostly, so it is rare I need a sink full of soapy water. It will clean just fine, though.
I get bubbles when I use my LS on a damp sponge or bath pouf or when I rub it between my hands for handwashing or if I use it in my hair as a shampoo. When I put some squirts of diluted soap in a bowl of water to wash dishes ... nope, it doesn't make more 'n a trace of bubbles that don't last. I'm trying to teach myself that removing grease off the dishes, not bubbles, is the important thing.
What's cool (at least from my geeky perspective) is how a container of clean water + my LS = clear solution. But add some greasy dishes and scrub them a bit, and the water turns milky. That's the soap working to emulsify the fat. Neat!
What's cool (at least from my geeky perspective) is how a container of clean water + my LS = clear solution. But add some greasy dishes and scrub them a bit, and the water turns milky. That's the soap working to emulsify the fat. Neat!
This is off subject, but I don't know where else to put it. Does anyone make their own dishwasher soap from scratch, not just borax and washing soda, but actual soap?
I am thinking some 100% CO paste with borax and washing soda probably won't make too many bubbles...but I don't want a kitchen full of suds, either.
I am thinking some 100% CO paste with borax and washing soda probably won't make too many bubbles...but I don't want a kitchen full of suds, either.
Susie -- I'd probably try putting a mix of your LS, borax, and washing soda in a quart jar, add some cold water, cap, and shake vigorously -- pretend you are your automatic dishwasher. If you get a lot more froth compared with the usual stuff you use in your dishwasher, I'm thinking this idea might not work too good.
I'm basing my suggestion on our discussion in the last few posts (above) where we say we get lather with a lot of agitation and aeration (sponge, bath puff, shampooing) but not so much where the agitation is low (handwashing dishes in the sink). An automatic dishwasher does a lot of splashing and aerating compared to hand dishwashing.
Just musing out loud, though -- I've not actually tried using my handmade soap in my dishwasher.
I'm basing my suggestion on our discussion in the last few posts (above) where we say we get lather with a lot of agitation and aeration (sponge, bath puff, shampooing) but not so much where the agitation is low (handwashing dishes in the sink). An automatic dishwasher does a lot of splashing and aerating compared to hand dishwashing.
Just musing out loud, though -- I've not actually tried using my handmade soap in my dishwasher.
I feel some experimentation coming on...but not today. I need to make laundry soap paste tomorrow, so that would be the best time.
*EDIT* Found some 100% CO paste. Used 1 tsp each of paste, borax, and washing soda in a quart jar and shook vigorously. Quick bubbles with quick deflation. Added 1/4 tsp salt. No bubbles. I am thinking I might be trying it in the dishwasher tonight.
*EDIT* Found some 100% CO paste. Used 1 tsp each of paste, borax, and washing soda in a quart jar and shook vigorously. Quick bubbles with quick deflation. Added 1/4 tsp salt. No bubbles. I am thinking I might be trying it in the dishwasher tonight.
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Oh, you kitchen alchemist, you! Looking forward to the results....
Thanks for answering all of my questions along the way, ladies. I *think* I can live without suds in my dishwater but wanted to make sure this was the norm. And what you said about agitation makes sense, considering all the bubbles I got when I rinsed my original container with the kitchen sink sprayer. I'll have to play around some more to see if I might be able to use it in my front load washing machine. I have been really hesitant to make/put anything in there that might get too sudsy, but this stuff actually might work
Susie, I'll be interested to know how your modified soap does in the dishwasher. Too bad dishwashers don't have a window in the door like frontload washing machines do!
Susie, I'll be interested to know how your modified soap does in the dishwasher. Too bad dishwashers don't have a window in the door like frontload washing machines do!
