OK I'm going to step out of my comfort zone and try the crock pot method. What's your best tip for me!! :-?
HP first time
- Thread starter Pepsi Girl
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FOhoarder said:I love HP! Use sodium lactate and don't do a water discount and it will be easy to mold. Have fun!
Thanks I appreicate your input!!
Prepare for it to separate after trace. This happened with my last two batches (ive only done hp 3 times now - im usually a CPer) and I just stick blend it back together. I googled separation in HP and found tutorials that include separation as something that is to be expected. ::shrugs:: Not sure how often it happens. All I'm saying is: be prepared
DragonQueenHHP
Well-Known Member
dissolve a tablespoon of sugar into the lye water before you mix it I find it adds to the creaminess and the suds
Don't stir! I know people like to stir every 15 mins or so. But I've noticed that by doing so you leave a bit of soap scraps on your slowcooker which will harden while the rest of the soap is cooking and you get these lighter colored scraps in your end product. I just stir when I've let my soap cook till the little 'island' is gone, 15mins after that. If the soap isnt ready yet, get all the scraps in your soap so your slowcooker has no soap anywhere above the line of your cooking soap and cover again (bit difficult to explain).
I also like sodium lactate in my HP, at 1.5%. Remember to dissolve it in water if you have the powder. (Which I didnt do the first time I used it... )
I also like sodium lactate in my HP, at 1.5%. Remember to dissolve it in water if you have the powder. (Which I didnt do the first time I used it...
)Sanguine said:
I have this problem actually!! Little hardened soap scraps that are lighter in my soap. So you are saying just to not stir, scrape off any additional soap above the main soap "line" and not mix it in, right? I just want to make sure I understand what you said. Thanks!
Cake Baby said:
When I suspect that the soap is cooked. ('island' gone + 15mins) I stir it with a wooden spoon and then clean every bit of with spatula and add it to the soap. Unless you have been stirring a while and notice that those bits are harder, you take them away. Also try to keep your soap mass together as long as possible, while you're scenting and coloring and who know what else, those bits that are not with the soap mass are getting hard pretty fast from the moment the lid is of. I've also noticed that they are not so easy to incorporate with the "wet" soap when pouring in the mold. Hope this helps
Sanguine said:Cake Baby said:
When I suspect that the soap is cooked. ('island' gone + 15mins) I stir it with a wooden spoon and then clean every bit of with spatula and add it to the soap. Unless you have been stirring a while and notice that those bits are harder, you take them away. Also try to keep your soap mass together as long as possible, while you're scenting and coloring and who know what else, those bits that are not with the soap mass are getting hard pretty fast from the moment the lid is of. I've also noticed that they are not so easy to incorporate with the "wet" soap when pouring in the mold. Hope this helps
It helps very much, thank you! One more question... Once your soap has come to trace, do you put the soap on low? And how long does it usually take for your "island" to disappear? (I guess that was two questions) I've read some tutorials.. I manage and get mine to cook but my crockpot is giving me some trouble and I'd like to find out a little more about others' experiences. Thank you!
I keep my crock pot on low. i do have a few that i got at the thrift shops that dont get hot enough so i have to put them on high so it depends on your crockpot. My soap is ready in about an hour or so not much more. I'm not a stirrer either. I just let it cook and stir when my island is gone. I get little to no dry cooked soap on the sides. As far as separation, it depends on your recipe. I find my recipes with high olive oil I get some separation but nothing my whisk won't fix.
Thankyou for all the great tips :!: I'll be taking care of my mom for the next couple weeks, but when I get home I'm going to try it
"Low and slow" just like Ramone on "CARS"
"Low and slow" just like Ramone on "CARS"
