difficulty removing soap from molds/high altitude effects

[smeadows]

Hello all, I am new to the forum and I really appreciate all of the wisdom and knowledge! I have been making soap for over 10 years. I have settled on a recipe that seems quite good, 28% SHEA AND Coconut Oil, AND 44% Olive. The water:lye ratio os 2:1 (close) I have a few issues/questions:
I live in a very dry climate in Colorado at 6100 feet, and wondering if the altitude/dryness effects the percentages?
Also, my soap seems to clean and lathers well, but there IS a fair amount of dryness on my skin, and I don't know if this is unavoidable due to the dryness, or if it can change by changing the ratios/oils?
And...I have a very hard time removing the soap from the molds (Milky Way clear plastic molds). Anyone have suggestions?

 

[shunt2011]

Hello all, I am new to the forum and I really appreciate all of the wisdom and knowledge! I have been making soap for over 10 years. I have settled on a recipe that seems quite good, 28% SHEA AND Coconut Oil, AND 44% Olive. The water:lye ratio os 2:1 (close) I have a few issues/questions:
I live in a very dry climate in Colorado at 6100 feet, and wondering if the altitude/dryness effects the percentages?
Also, my soap seems to clean and lathers well, but there IS a fair amount of dryness on my skin, and I don't know if this is unavoidable due to the dryness, or if it can change by changing the ratios/oils?
And...I have a very hard time removing the soap from the molds (Milky Way clear plastic molds). Anyone have suggestions?

I'm not sure on the high altitude and any effects while soapmaking. But I don't think it would affect anything in the process.

However, you are having dryness due to the high CO. Most folks don't use more than 25% and many not more than 10-15%. You don't say what SF you are using so that too can affect the soap. I also find OO to be a bit drying in too high of usage.

Your recipe isn't really a very well balanced recipe at all. Have you tried using Lard/Palm/Tallow. They really make a nice bar of soap with CO, Olive and Castor you can't go wrong. I'm a lard lover in soap.

To remove the soaps from plastic molds you will want to freeze them for a couple hours and it should be easier to remove. I don't use them too often as they are a bear to unmold. You can also coat them lightly with some mineral oil before pouring in the batter.

 

[navigator9]

Love Milky Way molds, but hate unmolding from them. I've warped some of them, trying to gel my soap with a heating pad underneath, hoping that if they were gelled, they'd pop out easier. I still don't use them often, but here's what works for me. I add sodium lactate, one teaspoon per pound of oils, added to the water, before adding the lye. I also put them in the freezer for a couple of hours before unmolding. Caution...if you do this, be very careful when unmolding, because the plastic is brittle and can crack. I know this from experience. To unmold, I turn them upside down on the kitchen counter, and push gently with my thumbs. And keep my fingers crossed! With this dragonfly mold, I was never able to get it out of the mold with the dragonfly intact. Part of the body would always stick to the mold. After using sodium lactate, you can see the soap finally unmolded cleanly. Hope this helps.

 

[smeadows]

thank you!

 

[smeadows]

BTW, what is SF?

 

[penelopejane]

BTW, what is SF?

Super fat it's on each soap calculator. Check what your recipe is. The default for most soap calculators is 5%.

 

[jcandleattic]

I have not noticed any ill affects of soaping at high altitudes (I am also in CO) and have soaped in as high of an elevation as 10,500 feet when camping up in Leadville, and soaping at Sea Level when I take my equipment with me to visit friends in NY. It soaps the same for me.

I use high coconut oil content, but balance it well with other oils, and to myself and my testers my soap is not stripping at all. In fact in most swaps I'm in most people don't even know there is a high % of coconut in my soaps, and are always surprised when I tell them the percentage. However, with that being said, some people are just sensitive to high levels of coconut oil.

Colorado right now is experiencing record low levels of moisture in the air and because of that, people are experiencing higher levels of dry skin. It's been all over the news for the last several days here in Denver. They want to make sure everyone is well hydrated, because the risk is much greater to the elderly for dehydration, because the levels are that dangerously low.

IMO if you have been using this recipe for 10 years?? and are just now experiencing it being dry it could be due to the low levels of moisture in the air, and it could be because your skin is maturing also. I know at my age, my skin is definitely more dry than it was even 5 years ago.

 

[earlene]

And...I have a very hard time removing the soap from the molds (Milky Way clear plastic molds). Anyone have suggestions?

I prefer to use lanolin as a release agent in the MW and other plastic molds. Sometimes I use Vaseline if I don't have a jar of lanolin close to hand. I just rub in a thin layer inside the mold before I start making the batter. Both work really well for me as a release agent. Another thing you can do that also works well for me is to pop the molded soap into the freezer for 15 minutes or so before attempting to unmold (if I forget to use a release agent). Of course, make sure the soap is really solid before removing from these molds. I find it takes a few days before I can unmold and still have the designs intact.