CP Question: How Critical Are The Temps???

[welder]

Hello again.

I'm wondering how critical it is to the CP method to get both the lyewater and the oils to the exact same temp?

I'm also wondering how important it is to get them to 120 deg F, or whatever is recomended?

Is 75 degrees okay? What about 150 F?

I'm not asking whether it's okay to be a sloppy soaper, what I'm asking is whether both the lyewater and the oils have to be exactly the same temp, and how much tolerance the cold process has for variance on the temperature the liquids are brought to?

You see, I'm doing this experimentation to perfect a basic recipe for the oils and fats commonly found in Ghana, West Africa. You see, I'm starting a soapmaking business there with my sister-in-law and I'm thinking that she might have some trouble trying to get 40 gallons of palm oil and 10 gallons of lyewater to exactly 110 degrees F before mixing the lyewater into the oil pot. Holding the temp there while mixing for trace might be a challenge too.

Many of the basic feedstock fats & oils in Ghana are saturated and trace relatively easilly. This should make temperature accuracy somewhat less critical, shouldn't it?

The main ingredient will likely be palm kernel oil as it is the cheapest oil available there. The next largest ingredient will likely be palm oil. Both trace easy, from what I've read.

I know these aren't the best choices for skin conditioning soap, but the first goal is to produce laundry soap & dish soap, not skin soap.

Later on, after we've perfected making laundry & dish soap, we'll try making some hand soap by adding stuff like neem oil, peanut oil or shea butter to palm kernel oil.

Anyway, I'm thinking that as long as she gets the oil fairly hot before mixing in hot lyewater, the batch should turn out okay.

Am I being reasonable with that assumption? Are the temps very critical?

 

[SoapMedic]

congrats and best wishes on your project. I've made a lot of cp soap and in my experience, temp is not critical as long as both oils and lye aren't too HOT. I often pour my lye and get back to it several hours later when the solution is pretty cold. My oils are often slushy-cool but sometimes they are a bit on the warm side. I usually add scent to the oils before I add the lye (especially with fast moving fragrances). The chemical reaction heats everything up just fine and I get lovely soap. I stopped using a thermometer long ago...I check the outside of the lye container with my hand, if it's around body temp or cooler I'm happy with it. And as I said, my oils are often so cool they are nearly slush. Just be sure to stir really well. enjoy.

 

[heartsong]

x

i agree with soap medic. i've soaped from room temp, (my favorite) to 120 degrees-also had lye and oils with up to 20 degrees difference. the big deal is not to get it too hot, as you can burn your fragrance off.

 

[welder]

That's very comforting advice guys. Thanx!

This leads me to think that if my sister mixes up her lyewater first, she can put a big 20 quart stockpot over a very small fire to melt the oils.

By the time the small fire melts 10 or 15 quarts of palm oil, the lyewater may have cooled enough to be ready to add to the oil pot.

Since Africa is fairly hot, I'm thinking that she might need to cool the lyewater by bathing the lyewater vessel in a larger bucket 1/2 full of cold water.

I'm also thinking that because of Africa being so hot, my sister won't need to worry about insulating her soap after it's poured into the molds.

Are there any soapers here from hot areas like Arizona, Texas or Mexico? If so, do you need to insulate your soap after it's poured?

 

[carebear]

no, she probably won't need to insulate. but I'm thinking that perhaps HP is a better alternative all things considered - unless the cost of fuel is an issue. this way you needn't worry about temps at all.

the only desert area soaper I know actually doesn't even allow her soap to gel so I guess she has AC running &/or refrigerates.

you'll be guessing until the soaping is well underway - research is vital, but trial and error are the key.

 

[welder]

you'll be guessing until the soaping is well underway - research is vital, but trial and error are the key.

Yeah, I know.

I'm only trying to avoid her having too much growing pains like botched batches etc.

Ultimately, all I can do on my end is to buy her the basic hardware (scale, gloves cordless drill, paint mixer paddle etc) and do enough research that my tested recipes will give her good results when she starts out herself.