Confirmation on Internet Info and other

[Dawni]

Well it doesn't look so good, to look at! As I was going for the process and results. Hardened well, smells good with 3 drops of honeysuckle FO. Don't know how long the scent will last, mad scientist mode. still got me. I will give it another day for testing and shelve the rest.
Do you have s salt ratio basic starting point as I was considering a Castile soap sample next?
Thanks

We like soap pictures whether it looks good or bad lol

Here's a recent thread with some info on salt.

 

[GlenS]

A wealth of help, thanks. BTW what is specifically "PPO" for the soap impaired?

 

[earlene]

PPO = Per Pound of Oil

This may help with some of the acronyms: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/the-acronym-and-abbreviation-definition-thread.51841/

 

[GlenS]

Thank you, bookmarked and favorited!

Hello,
Well so far batch #1 HP Lard/Coconut Oil is hard and I like it. Doesn't like sitting in water! Batch #2 HP Olive/Coconut Oil is still soft in the middle (approx. 10 days). Batch #3 HP Lard/Coconut/Olive Oil seems completely hard with a tiny smell from several drops of Honeysuckle FO. Feels good, doesn't lather as much as #1. Remembering the butchery of recipes and poor procedure may be responsible for any inconsistencies.
As an aside, I can confirm dripping FO on plastic tops of digital scales is ill advisable!!
Here is a view of Batch #3

 

[Nate5700]

Looks like soap! I wouldn't worry too much about the inconsistencies as you should expect different properties from the three different oil mixes, and it sounds like your results are what you'd expect.

 

[Dawni]

Batch #3 HP Lard/Coconut/Olive Oil seems completely hard with a tiny smell from several drops of Honeysuckle FO. Feels good, doesn't lather as much as #1. Remembering the butchery of recipes and poor procedure may be responsible for any inconsistencies.
Here is a view of Batch #3
View attachment 38282

Looks good! How'd the amounts feel though, not drying? Give it a few more weeks to cure, the lather will improve and it'll be even harder after

Or add 5% castor oil in your next trial if the lather still isn't enough for you

 

[GlenS]

Looks good! How'd the amounts feel though, not drying? Give it a few more weeks to cure, the lather will improve and it'll be even harder after

Or add 5% castor oil in your next trial if the lather still isn't enough for you

You are kind . No it doesn't seem drying. I still haven't been able to get SoapCalc up on my computer attached to the printer so I haven't been able to keep copies with the different values of the properties shown there...Have been considering the use of Castor Oil, so thanks for the support of that idea.
Batch #4 is coming soon . . . . .

 

[Dawni]

I still haven't been able to get SoapCalc up on my computer attached to the printer so I haven't been able to keep copies with the different values of the properties shown there...

Take screenshots until you get your printer hooked up

I use a mobile and that's what I do til I get time to copy my recipe to a notebook.

 

[GlenS]

Take screenshots until you get your printer hooked up

I use a mobile and that's what I do til I get time to copy my recipe to a notebook.

Neat idea, will try it also!

Looks like soap! I wouldn't worry too much about the inconsistencies as you should expect different properties from the three different oil mixes, and it sounds like your results are what you'd expect.

Good to get independent verification. Thank!

 

[GlenS]

@GlenS you will not be able to 'replicate' their soap. besides that it is probably a detergent bar, it is also triple milled I think.

Hello,
Late response but your question has been on my mind, could you describe what you mean when you say "detergent bar"
Thanks and Cheers

 

[Dawni]

Hello,
Late response but your question has been on my mind, could you describe what you mean when you say "detergent bar"
Thanks and Cheers

Soap is soap when it's made with lye and fats.

If you see ingredients that take longer to read out lol, like sodium cocoyl isethionate or some such, then it's most likely a synthetic "detergent bar" or syndet for short, or a hybrid.

 

[Lin19687]

TY @Dawni

 

[Dawni]

TY @Dawni

You're welcome.. Hope you didn't mind >_<

 

[Susie]

You are kind . No it doesn't seem drying. I still haven't been able to get SoapCalc up on my computer attached to the printer so I haven't been able to keep copies with the different values of the properties shown there...Have been considering the use of Castor Oil, so thanks for the support of that idea.
Batch #4 is coming soon . . . . .

How long are you curing these before judging them?

Never, ever put true soap on metal anything to rest. Fast route to DOS.

If you need help with recipes until you get your computer/printer issue fixed, feel free to ask. If I am off work, I'll be glad to make recommendations and run recipes through a calculator for you. As will half the forum.

 

[MGM]

@GlenS I know you're chasing this (potentially unattainable) fragrance and feel you had with C&E soap, but I bet that once you start making your own soap, you'll find all sorts of attributes that you didn't know were possible. So keep your mind open to various recipes and the wealth of information available on this site, and you may end up with something far suprior to your previous soap, at a fraction of the cost, and with the satisfaction of having made it yourself!

 

[GlenS]

Soap is soap when it's made with lye and fats.

If you see ingredients that take longer to read out lol, like sodium cocoyl isethionate or some such, then it's most likely a synthetic "detergent bar" or syndet for short, or a hybrid.

Thank you for adding that terminology to my repertoire! Syndet, cool!
Cheers

How long are you curing these before judging them?

Never, ever put true soap on metal anything to rest. Fast route to DOS.

If you need help with recipes until you get your computer/printer issue fixed, feel free to ask. If I am off work, I'll be glad to make recommendations and run recipes through a calculator for you. As will half the forum.

Hello Susie,
Thanks for your response and assistance. I didn't realize that the wire racks were so important. I saw a video where the bars are dried and cured on paper towels. Is it known what the connection is with the DOS and the racks?
I have gotten on SoapCalc on a tablet and have become more understanding of what the various different values can cause. I've made batches and the quantities shown without realizing the quality values. The batch #4 CP Olive/Coconut oil with what I thought was an appropriate amount of salt (added at the wrong time) and with FO (First try) is my fault IMO for not heeding the quality numbers. At 15 days it is still soft (malleable). My #2 batch HP Olive/Coconut Goatmilk made poorly with an approximation of a SoapCalc ratio is 24 days old and is still slightly malleable. I've used batch #2 on a thin piece that hardened enough early and it is very slippery. Concerned with slipping in the shower. But seems mild on my face and is a good alternative to shaving cream.
Going to let them sit and cure longer and see what happens.
Currently I am chasing a scent. The scent of Crabtree and Evelyn Goatmilk triple milled soap. It was suggested that it was lavender, but doesn't match the scent of the lavender FO soap Batch #5. It also isn't Honeysuckle FO, Batch #4. Thinking about trying to mix and match!! Purchased some Sodium Lactate to experiment with the next batch.
My batch #5 is a recipe I got from another Member for Olive/saltwater soap. It is coming up on it's two week cure time and will be tested next.
One last thing please, the soap mentioned with the probable DOS was my 1st batch. I used several pieces of the soap and liked it. It wasn't until the 4 pieces and about 3 weeks when I noticed the change in color and streaks of what looked like orange stripes on the surface of it, not on the interior. Is this consistent with DOS?
Thanks again

@GlenS I know you're chasing this (potentially unattainable) fragrance and feel you had with C&E soap, but I bet that once you start making your own soap, you'll find all sorts of attributes that you didn't know were possible. So keep your mind open to various recipes and the wealth of information available on this site, and you may end up with something far suprior to your previous soap, at a fraction of the cost, and with the satisfaction of having made it yourself!

Thanks for the encouragement and hope . I wouldn't have believed the amount of information on soap and the importance of it before I started. After the correct fragrance I would like to try getting a good recipe for a Goatmilk and another for Buttermilk. I want to see what these ingredients bring to the mixture. Then some form of exfoliate, possibly like oatmeal. I need mild.
Investigating sodium lactate to compensate for my not liking HP so much (now) and for my lack of patience.
Cheers

 

[Susie]

Hello Susie,
Thanks for your response and assistance. I didn't realize that the wire racks were so important. I saw a video where the bars are dried and cured on paper towels. Is it known what the connection is with the DOS and the racks?

One last thing please, the soap mentioned with the probable DOS was my 1st batch. I used several pieces of the soap and liked it. It wasn't until the 4 pieces and about 3 weeks when I noticed the change in color and streaks of what looked like orange stripes on the surface of it, not on the interior. Is this consistent with DOS?

The alkali substance reacts with the metal of the rack which causes rapid rancidity of the oils/fatty acids remaining. DOS is Dreaded Orange Spots (or in your case, Stripes).

I have gotten on SoapCalc on a tablet and have become more understanding of what the various different values can cause. I've made batches and the quantities shown without realizing the quality values. The batch #4 CP Olive/Coconut oil with what I thought was an appropriate amount of salt (added at the wrong time) and with FO (First try) is my fault IMO for not heeding the quality numbers. At 15 days it is still soft (malleable). My #2 batch HP Olive/Coconut Goatmilk made poorly with an approximation of a SoapCalc ratio is 24 days old and is still slightly malleable. I've used batch #2 on a thin piece that hardened enough early and it is very slippery. Concerned with slipping in the shower. But seems mild on my face and is a good alternative to shaving cream.
Going to let them sit and cure longer and see what happens.

You are not curing your soaps anywhere long enough to make any judgments on any of them. Learn to be patient. You can test a single tester from your first batch once a week and learn that you need to learn to wait. 4-6 weeks minimum. Yes, that is minimum. Until then you are wasting your time. I used to cure 6-8 weeks, but now that I live in a drier climate, I can cure less time. I do not even touch them before then other than to turn the bars at 1 week to let the other end dry.

Also, don't get so fixated on perfect "numbers" we've all been there, so you are following a well traveled trail, but shortly you will learn what this oil and that bring to the soaping party, and you will figure it out from there. Do stay within the "usual" oils for soap as your next step will probably be the infamous 9 oil soap as you chase those perfect numbers. Again, we've all been there, and most of us operate in the 5 oil or less range. And they are usually all on a list of 10 oils.

Currently I am chasing a scent. The scent of Crabtree and Evelyn Goatmilk triple milled soap. It was suggested that it was lavender, but doesn't match the scent of the lavender FO soap Batch #5. It also isn't Honeysuckle FO, Batch #4. Thinking about trying to mix and match!! Purchased some Sodium Lactate to experiment with the next batch.

Please wait to learn what your bars are going to give you in the proper amount of time before trying to add another ingredient. I know you are trying to fix a perceived problem, but two things you need to learn first is:
1. What oils will bring natural hardness to your soaps (I never use SL, don't need it.)
2. What the tincture of time will bring to your soap.

Most people who are hunting a lavender end up with a 40/42 if I recall correctly. I am not a fan of lavender, so I am not much help.

 

[GlenS]

The alkali substance reacts with the metal of the rack which causes rapid rancidity of the oils/fatty acids remaining. DOS is Dreaded Orange Spots (or in your case, Stripes).

Thanks for the explanation!

You are not curing your soaps anywhere long enough to make any judgments on any of them. Learn to be patient. You can test a single tester from your first batch once a week and learn that you need to learn to wait. 4-6 weeks minimum. Yes, that is minimum. Until then you are wasting your time. I used to cure 6-8 weeks, but now that I live in a drier climate, I can cure less time. I do not even touch them before then other than to turn the bars at 1 week to let the other end dry.

Also, don't get so fixated on perfect "numbers" we've all been there, so you are following a well traveled trail, but shortly you will learn what this oil and that bring to the soaping party, and you will figure it out from there. Do stay within the "usual" oils for soap as your next step will probably be the infamous 9 oil soap as you chase those perfect numbers. Again, we've all been there, and most of us operate in the 5 oil or less range. And they are usually all on a list of 10 oils.

Understood on the waiting period. I will let them cook. The Saltwater/Olive Oil soap hardened much faster than the HP soaps. I am not thoroughly following the part about the oils. Would you please elaborate and or dumb down? Thanks

Please wait to learn what your bars are going to give you in the proper amount of time before trying to add another ingredient. I know you are trying to fix a perceived problem, but two things you need to learn first is:
1. What oils will bring natural hardness to your soaps (I never use SL, don't need it.)
2. What the tincture of time will bring to your soap.

Most people who are hunting a lavender end up with a 40/42 if I recall correctly. I am not a fan of lavender, so I am not much help

The soaps I've produced seem fine to me except the really slippery one. I am not too concerned about bubbles, but some longevity and the mildness, plus cleaning seem the fairly important. As you say the time will tell. Also thanks for the hint on the lavender.

 

[Deborah Long]

@GlenS - The longer you wait for the cure to happen, the longer your soap will last also (since that's one of the qualities that you are looking for). For instance, the Olive/saltwater bar will do best with a cure of 6 weeks to 6 months! I love that soap, but found that the longer I wait to use it, the more I love it!

 

[atiz]

Thanks for the explanation!


Understood on the waiting period. I will let them cook. The Saltwater/Olive Oil soap hardened much faster than the HP soaps. I am not thoroughly following the part about the oils. Would you please elaborate and or dumb down? Thanks

Not Susie, but I think she meant that just looking at the numbers and trying to come up with the perfect combination by starting to include all kinds of oils will not give you the best result. (Yes, we have all done that.) Soap made with a few oils can be just as nice as ones made with many. Even if the numbers are not "perfect". You have to figure out what is the feel you really like, and which oils give you that. Numbers will not tell you that part necessarily (although they can be useful as guidelines).
And yes, waiting 6-8 weeks can make a big difference in how a soap feels / behaves. Once you have made enough batches, it will be easier to wait since meanwhile you can use some of the old ones that you are trying out anew