Favorite Soap Making Myths

[danahuff]

I'm curious as to whether you have a favorite soap making myth you have been able to debunk through experience.

One of mine is that oils and lye have to be exactly the same temperature. It has been my experience that they just need to be relatively close.

Another is that you cannot melt butters or fats in the microwave. I do it every time I make soap, and there are plenty of other soap makers who also use the microwave, but you hear folks express concern about what microwaves do to the emollient nature of butters and solid oils. I can't think saponification would be worse than a microwave. The key is just to keep an eye on it and warm it in short bursts of 20-30 seconds (depending on the amount of butters and fats).

What are your favorite myths? How did you figure out they were wrong?

 

[Genny]

Actually lye & oil temps don't even have to be relatively close. I use the freshly mixed lye to melt my butters & hard oils all the time Just don't have hotter oils than your lye, that can cause a volcano.

Here's another soap making myth that I've heard once in a while: That you have to wait until trace to add fo's. I've added them to my oils & everything turned out fine.

Or going above a 10% superfat will cause dos. I've done 30% superfat many times without any dos.

Or if you have a lye burn, neutralize it with vinegar. Tried it and it was the worst burn I've ever had. Every lye burn I've had since then, I just use water and then wash it with soap.

 

[soapcakes]

Another tip I just learned was that you don't have to bring the soap to trace; as in, you don't need to stickblend it until you see that it leaves a trail on the top of the soap. You can just stickblend it until the oils and lye water have fully emulsified without having it any thicker. This has helped me tremendously when working with a lot of different colors, or working with an f.o. that accelerates.

 

[danahuff]

Soapcakes, that is a really helpful tip. I have had an awful time trying to swirl two colors.

Genny, thanks for the clarification. I have also been adding FO and EO at trace because I thought you had to.

 

[Lindy]

Tips rather than myths...

• If you have a tricky or new FO that you're not sure of take your soap just barely to emulsification and then change to a large slotted spoon. Add your FO and hand stir to the level of trace you want then pour. This gives you a little more control.
  
  If you get soap on a stick put it into your crockpot and turn it into HP by adding additional water and some Sodium Lactate.
  
  If you have a discolouring FO add it to the coloured part of soap but not in the "white" part.

Cheers

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

I've read this one on the internet, mostly in articles about 'old fashion soap'
Lye soap will help dry up poison ivy
curious to see what you'll think about that. I have 2 nephews who get poison ivy really bad. I dont wanna be spreading incorrect info to inlaws

 

[danahuff]

I have seen references to poison ivy soap, but I haven't tried them and cannot attest to the efficacy. They either seem to be melt & pour with additional ingredients like calamine or oatmeal or jewelweed, or they are proprietary, and you can't see the recipe. Sorry I can't help there! Maybe someone on the forum has a good poison ivy soap recipe.

 

[Genny]

Well actually with the poison ivy thing, immediately washing with any soap after coming into contact with poison ivy will help decrease your chances of getting a rash.

Thankfully I'm not allergic to poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac so I've never had any rashes or anything from it. But my husband who is very allergic to it breaks out in rash & oozing blisters within hours of touching poison ivy. We've found that when he uses my salt bar soaps (90% coconut, 10% castor oil & 20-30% SF) it seems to dry up the oozing blisters and helps decrease the rash and itching.

But if he uses my regular basic soap recipe, it doesn't help at all.

 

[green soap]

I've read this one on the internet, mostly in articles about 'old fashion soap'
Lye soap will help dry up poison ivy
curious to see what you'll think about that. I have 2 nephews who get poison ivy really bad. I dont wanna be spreading incorrect info to inlaws

I live where there is a lot of poison oak, so this refers to poison oak. Not sure if poison ivy is similar.

For poison oak, cool soapy water within the first 20 minutes of exposure is the best remedy to control the poison and prevent further spreading.

 

[Hazel]

I'm allergic to poison ivy and (I know this is blasphemy) I use blue Dawn dish detergent with cool water. I figure since the problem is from the oil in the plant then a degreaser will remove it the best. If I do blister, I put rubbing alcohol on it to dry it up.

I know the idea of this sounds horrible but it works for me. I'm not recommending this for anyone else. I'm just stating what I do.

 

[Lindy]

I've heard of CP soaps made with Jewelweed that people swear works on Poison Ivy... I don't know from personal experience...

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

I know washing where the contact occured asap is the best advice. The info I read made it sound like homemade soap was better for the rash than store bought.... and it sounds like the jury is still out

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

I've heard of CP soaps made with Jewelweed that people swear works on Poison Ivy... I don't know from personal experience...

I have used fresh jewelweed , I does work well. you just break open the plant rub it on the effected area. after washing if possible. But how is soap made from it? is it a powder or a liquid would it surive the lye?

 

[Lindy]

There are a couple of ways to introduce it into your soap. You can infuse the fresh jewelweed into an oil that will be use in the soap. Another way is to take your jewelweed, or any herb really, and put it into a blender with some of your oils and blend it until it is more of a slurry which you will add to your soap. If it's fresh it will be less scratchy, but if it is dry, soak it in the oils before whizzing it in the blender and that will soften it to make it less scratchy.

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

You just sent my little brain into over drive! lol Im dyeing to try that now

 

[countymounty22]

Jewelweed and yarrow oil might be a good combination. I just read an article about making your own salve and it listed those two ingredients. Also, the professional soaper I swap soaps with here sells a stick with yarrow oil in it. One of the benefits she lists is that it is good for cold sores.

 

[Genny]

Jewelweed and yarrow oil might be a good combination. I just read an article about making your own salve and it listed those two ingredients. Also, the professional soaper I swap soaps with here sells a stick with yarrow oil in it. One of the benefits she lists is that it is good for cold sores.

Which is illegal for her to suggest that.

 

[IrishLass]

Myth: Adding an oil to CP at trace ensures that it will remain unsaponified or mostly unsaponified. [Dr. Dunn put that one to rest through his experiments.]

Myth: One should never use more than 20% coconut oil to soap or it will be too drying. [The fact that some people find more than 20% drying does not mean that everyone will find it drying. Much depends on individual skin-type. And even if one does find it drying, there are tricks to work around that, such as increasing the superfat.]

Myth: Soaping hot always causes a quicker trace. [I've found much depends on my formula and my additives.]

And a related Myth: Temps don't matter at all. [I've found that they matter significantly when soaping my formulas that use a high % of hydrogenated PKO and butters (120F goes a lot better for me than 110F or lower.)]

Myth:Adding your FO up front to your oils will make the scent fade in your soap. [I personally have not found this to be the case at all.]


IrishLass

 

[Genny]

Myth:Adding your FO up front to your oils will make the scent fade in your soap. [I personally have not found this to be the case at all.]

IrishLass

I've only found that to be true of fo's that have vanilla in it. A lot of fo's I put in with my oils so I don't forget to add them later. Unless it's a seizing fo ofcourse.

 

[IrishLass]

I've only found that to be true of fo's that have vanilla in it. .

Ahhh. I tend to steer clear of the vanilla FOs in my soap (I hate that pesky yellowish/brown lather).