Latest soaps and HP fluidity lessons

[josianeg]

I’m not usually this impatient, but I was hoping for a reply/replies this morning because I was planning to cook today...

If someone other than Dawni knows the answer to even just some of these questions, I would really appreciate it.

 

[szaza]

Hey @josianeg you'll often get more response if start a new thread since people will focus on your question.

I'll try to answer with what I know.
1) not sure if it matters, I think I add my oil first, but I'm actually not sure and it could easily be the other way around (I don't often add my sf after cook anymore)

2) any yoghurt is ok, I even use soymilk yoghurt and it works just as well as regular or goatmilk yoghurt or... so I don't see why greek would be different.

3) honestly, that depends on how lazy I am. I oven HP, so if I warm my yoghurt I just put it in the oven next to my soap (+-70°C)

4) yup.. first 1T/ppo of yoghurt (more isn't necessarily better in my experience) and then the rest of the liquid. If you go as high as 3:1 I'd subtract the yoghurt from the total liquid though again, I'm lazy, sometimes I don't (though mainly when there's a bit less water in my recipe, 3:1 is quite a lot)

5) stir/no stir seems to be a personal preference. I also don't stir my low temp oven HP. It just sits there and gently gels (no volcano due to low temp). Since the batter is most fluid in gel phase I wait until it's in full gel, then zap test and mix in whatever I prepared.

Hope this helps!

 

[Bladesmith]

Nice. I was just writing a response. Glad you got a response

Got an email as apparently this was a watched thread from a while back

I add my superfat first then follow that with yogurt then any extra water with colorant added last.

Greek yogurt is fine, I prefer regular though. Just mix it really well.

I use 4-5% Yogurt (by weight as a percentage of total oil weight)

I can't help with the low temp stuff as I only do high temp, stirring the whole time to force the soap to cook fast and also force the volcano.

 

[josianeg]

Since the batter is most fluid in gel phase I wait until it's in full gel, then zap test and mix in whatever I prepared.

Hope this helps!

Yes thanks!

I find most people zap here test, isn’t it dangerous if there’s still lye left?

 

[szaza]

There's a video in a pin (I think on the top of the lye based or beginner soap forum) on how to safely do a zap test. General consensus is it's the most reliable test method to see if the soap is done saponifying. If you don't feel comfortable zap testing, don't. It's not a must I pretty much never have a zap after a complete gel.

 

[josianeg]

Nice. I was just writing a response. Glad you got a response

Got an email as apparently this was a watched thread from a while back

I add my superfat first then follow that with yogurt then any extra water with colorant added last.

Greek yogurt is fine, I prefer regular though. Just mix it really well.

I use 4-5% Yogurt (by weight as a percentage of total oil weight)

I can't help with the low temp stuff as I only do high temp, stirring the whole time to force the soap to cook fast and also force the volcano.

Did I read correctly “force the volcano”? Why?

 

[Bladesmith]

Did I read correctly “force the volcano”? Why?

Yep. In order to speed up the reaction to the point where the soap is fully cooked in around 10 minutes, you always get the rapid expansion that people call a “volcano”. As long as you are standing there, you can just keep stirring and it will keep it from going over your pot. It is best to have a larger container than you need when doing that so you give yourself a little leeway. Depending on the recipe, it can climb pretty fast.

 

[szaza]

Yup, there are some people on this forum who seem to prefer that method, however it's not something you should do on your first try with HP.
Also, a lot of people overcook their soaps. It doesn't need to take very long for HP to be finished, even with low temp HP. Often 20-30mins is enough for me.

 

[Bladesmith]

Right. For me, there’s a few reasons I prefer the method. The first is time. I want to be able to pull all my soaping stuff out of the closet, make the soap, and put it all back up and finish cleaning in under an hour.

Even more important than time to me though is making a really smooth hp soap. I use a double broiler as I’ve found the sides of a crockpot get very hot and contribute to crusties forming. By using a double broiler and stirring the soap the whole time, I can completely eliminate lumps, bumps, and crusties.

Other people may not have to do that. It is what works for me and it is a little bit more advanced but hot process is pretty simple and forgiving, in general.

Edit: Like szaza said above though, it’s really probably better to keep it simple the first time. If for no other reason than to observe the different stages and get comfortable with the process.

 

[josianeg]

Thank you guys! Which me luck!

 

[josianeg]

Well, my first batch is done! Can’t wait to see how it’ll be compared to my CP soaps but it’s definitely soap!

I was never this happy to see soap suds while doing dishes! It’s a breeze to clean up afterwards, compared to CP.

 

[szaza]

I'm glad everything went well! Congrats on your first HP

 

[Dawni]

Thought I should show how "fluid" my batter ends up.....
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OW9b5NBZc3rb6mMx4gSXcUsdlZXYZl1z/view?usp=drivesdkI hope it works lol

This is a 60% RBO soap, with mango and cocoa butters making up around 25%. It stayed this way for quite a while... Took my sweet time molding 2 loaves and some mini molds, and there weren't many dried bits stuck to the pot. I guess what I'm trying to say is that your recipe also partly determines how fluid your soap can be.

 

[earlene]

Thought I should show how "fluid" my batter ends up.....
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OW9b5NBZc3rb6mMx4gSXcUsdlZXYZl1z/view?usp=drivesdkI hope it works lol

This is a 60% RBO soap, with mango and cocoa butters making up around 25%. It stayed this way for quite a while... Took my sweet time molding 2 loaves and some mini molds, and there weren't many dried bits stuck to the pot. I guess what I'm trying to say is that your recipe also partly determines how fluid your soap can be.

It looks like Cream of Wheat (hot cereal).

 

[szaza]

Thanks for sharing! That's awesome fluidity you got there ;-)

 

[Dawni]

It looks like Cream of Wheat (hot cereal).

I had to look it up haha.. Yeah it does kinda look like it lol. In real it looked like baby food minus the flavor haha

Edit:
Could not edit my earlier post... But the RBO is 55% not 60% and the butters are 26%. Full recipe here if anyone is interested