Is this normal?

[hozhed]

Been making soap for awhile, and cold process for a few months only. Made a batch of olive oil soap only and had to mix the living bejeezus out of it before it would trace....it finally did. Almost burned up my stick blender....lol. normal?

 

[lenarenee]

Yes very normal....a high olive oil soap takes longer to trace and longer to cure well.

 

[shunt2011]

Yes, totally normal for 100% Olive oil. When doing this most will reduce their water to help trace more quickly. Also, it will take 6 months for it to be a great soap a year is even better.

 

[hozhed]

Yes, totally normal for 100% Olive oil. When doing this most will reduce their water to help trace more quickly. Also, it will take 6 months for it to be a great soap a year is even better.

6 months.....what was I thinking?:sick:

So, what oil should I add to make it cure faster, and still be "castile" soap,....or doesn't castile have to have 100% olive oil?

 

[lpstephy85]

6 months.....what was I thinking?:sick:

So, what oil should I add to make it cure faster, and still be "castile" soap,....or doesn't castile have to have 100% olive oil?

Castile is 100% OO. You can do 70% OO and fill the remaining 30% with your oil choice (run it through a calc) and you have a bastille soap.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

But even then it might be not so great before 3 months

 

[Susie]

I take it you learned your lesson on doing proper research. Welcome to the Hard-Headed Soapers' Club. I learned much the same way.

 

[hozhed]

I take it you learned your lesson on doing proper research. Welcome to the Hard-Headed Soapers' Club. I learned much the same way.

Sounds about right............I'll just call it my "Christmas soap" and make it seem to my family that I knew exactly what I was doing...................lol

 

[shunt2011]

Welcome to the do and then learn club. I too learned the same way. Personally, I don't even like castile, I find it way too slimy even after a really long cure. I would recommend more like a 50% olive, 25% Lard/Palm, 20% CO and 5% Castor if you want a higher olive. If you aren't opposed to Lard 55% lard, 20% CO, 20% Olive and 5% Castor is really nice too. Or you could substitute the lard with palm. There are quite a few very basic/nice soap that can be made.

 

[lpstephy85]

But even then it might be not so great before 3 months

Yes, good point :-D

 

[MorpheusPA]

Sounds about right............I'll just call it my "Christmas soap" and make it seem to my family that I knew exactly what I was doing...................lol

Been there, done that. My Castile and Bastile soaps are already done for Christmas this year and are aging in the guest bedroom.

I do very little Castile. Mom likes it for her face. It's also a soap type that people have heard of and connect with luxury, so it's impressive to include it in a gift bag. Most discover very quickly that they don't care for it when they use it, but occasionally the stuff makes a convert who now won't use anything else.

Never underestimate a good Bastile. 70% OO, 15% palm, 10% coconut, and 5% castor is a very nice soap. Lather is creamy, with only a few bubbles, and a bit more spare than some may like. However, it feels fantastic on your skin and conditions like nobody's business.

Those are my favorite winter soaps. They bring the best of Castile to the table while having workable lather and less slime.

 

[hozhed]

Been there, done that. My Castile and Bastile soaps are already done for Christmas this year and are aging in the guest bedroom.

I do very little Castile. Mom likes it for her face. It's also a soap type that people have heard of and connect with luxury, so it's impressive to include it in a gift bag. Most discover very quickly that they don't care for it when they use it, but occasionally the stuff makes a convert who now won't use anything else.

Never underestimate a good Bastile. 70% OO, 15% palm, 10% coconut, and 5% castor is a very nice soap. Lather is creamy, with only a few bubbles, and a bit more spare than some may like. However, it feels fantastic on your skin and conditions like nobody's business.

Those are my favorite winter soaps. They bring the best of Castile to the table while having workable lather and less slime.

Very good info...........Going to try some Bastile tomorrow, and see how it goes.

 

[SoapyWater]

This is my favorite Olive Oil Recipe (but you have to move at a great pace)

2lbs

Olive Oil 28.8oz
Castor Oil 3.2oz

Lye 4.1oz
Water 8.2oz

FO up to 2ozs.

You can hand stir this. No stick blender needed. It will go quick and you can cut it within the same day. Also you will have a solid bar of soap by your 4th week. It lathers great and not slimy.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[hozhed]

This is my favorite Olive Oil Recipe (but you have to move at a great pace)

2lbs

Olive Oil 28.8oz
Castor Oil 3.2oz

Lye 4.1oz
Water 8.2oz

FO up to 2ozs.

You can hand stir this. No stick blender needed. It will go quick and you can cut it within the same day. Also you will have a solid bar of soap by your 4th week. It lathers great and not slimy.

GOOD LUCK!

Soapy, gonna give your recipe a whirl and see how it comes out. It sounds like a good soap.

 

[CTAnton]

I'm with Morpheus about the qualities of a good bastille...
One of my first recipes was one very similar to her recommendation...I didn't have high hopes for it, especially after learning the term"snotty"!, which I have learned on this forum in reference to high percentage olive oil soaps.
I gave a bar away to one of my highly subjective friends and she adored it.
I then had to try it for myself and I was hooked.Definitely a keeper of a recipe as far as I'm concerned.No snottiness, decent lather but oh, how you're face feels afterwards...priceless!!

 

[Sonya-m]

This is my favorite Olive Oil Recipe (but you have to move at a great pace)

2lbs

Olive Oil 28.8oz
Castor Oil 3.2oz

Lye 4.1oz
Water 8.2oz

FO up to 2ozs.

You can hand stir this. No stick blender needed. It will go quick and you can cut it within the same day. Also you will have a solid bar of soap by your 4th week. It lathers great and not slimy.

GOOD LUCK!

I'm surprised you say this is a fast mover, is that simply because of the lye solution strength (33.315%)?

Also just a 4 week cure time? I'm surprised for a 90% soap that 4 weeks works. I assume it's much better after a lot longer?

 

[shunt2011]

^^ This
I make a high OO Bastille and it still requires more than 4 weeks to cure. I've done a similar recipe and found it had very little bubbles. Castor just helped stabilize what little bit there was. I need CO or PKO in my soaps. No question. Can't deal with the slime. I know some love it. Not me. I even decided I'm not making it anymore. Once what I have in stock is gone, it's gone.

 

[Susie]

Has to be the FO accelerating that. Can't be the base oils.

 

[MorpheusPA]

My very high OO Bastile soaps are tolerable after four weeks--it's not like anybody's going to complain. Lather's a bit spare, thinner and flatter than it will be later. The soap is, however, already gentle and entirely workable.

The lather is better after 12 weeks and the soap really comes into its own at 16 weeks. Gentleness seems to increase a bit over the period as well. Durability goes way up, and hardness goes from "hard" to "could pound nails with this."

I find that any soap that uses 40% or more OO benefits from an extended cure, but even high OO Bastiles are completely usable at four weeks if you want to.

 

[dosco]

Welcome to the do and then learn club. I too learned the same way. Personally, I don't even like castile, I find it way too slimy even after a really long cure. I would recommend more like a 50% olive, 25% Lard/Palm, 20% CO and 5% Castor if you want a higher olive. If you aren't opposed to Lard 55% lard, 20% CO, 20% Olive and 5% Castor is really nice too. Or you could substitute the lard with palm. There are quite a few very basic/nice soap that can be made.

Or you can try the Andalusian superlye recipe with 100% olive oil and "way too much" lye(!).

It'll still need awhile to cure, though.

-Dave