Making CP soap without thermometer or stove

[SequimSoaper]

Hi,

I'm new to making soap. I watched a video that teaches how to make cold process soap. Their method is different than I've seen and I am wondering if anyone has tried it.

Their method is to put room temperature water in a big pot and add the lye to it. Stir until lye is dissolved. Now start adding fats, hardest ones first. Continue stirring and adding fats; the heat from the lye water melts the fats. When melted, add any liquid oils. Start blending with a stick blender on and off until soap reaches trace. Add additives and pour into greased mold.

Has anyone tried this? Any ideas on this technique?

Thanks,
Cyndie

 

[jennikate]

Ok where did you see that? I am curious. I don't see why it wouldn't work.They are using the fact lye water gets very hot to melt the oils and start process.

 

[Guest]

Hi Cyndi
That method is called room temperature cold process or RTCP . If you are brand new to soap making , it might not be the best thing to try first off . If the lye & oil mixture cools down before the oils are emulsified , it will be hard for you to determine if you have reached a true trace . I have tried this method and it isn't my favorite , but it might be yours .
If you haven't made soap before . I would suggest making a very simple small recipe just to get the feel for what happens at each stage of making soap , especially the reaching trace part , once you know exactly what the traced soap should look like you shouldn't be fooled by a false trace .
A great starter recipe is 75% OO and 25% CO it is called bastile , a nice mild easy to make soap .

HTH

Kitn

 

[carebear]

it'll go better if you put your oils in a pot, then make up your lye solution in a separate container and add that to your oils and stick blend away.

seriously, pouring oils and butters into a lye solution is a recipe for disaster - splashing and splattering - in my book.

I've tried several times but my results are not consistent so I don't go that route any longer. But it works for some.

 

[alwaysme07]

seriously, pouring oils and butters into a lye solution is a recipe for disaster - splashing and splattering - in my book.

So true!!!!

 

[MikeInPdx]

What carebear and Kitn said.

 

[SequimSoaper]

Name of Video

Hi,

The name of the video is "Homestead Blessings: The Art of Making Soap".

Cyndie

 

[SequimSoaper]

Thanks for the input!

Thanks so much for the input. I appreciate the warning about adding the fats to the lye water!

Cyndie

 

[Guest]

You would never add the oils to the lye .It is always lye added to oils . That is scary . The tut maker is passing on some bad info .

Kitn

 

[carebear]

well, I'm a big splish splasher.

(and not that you would - but absolutely positively never add water to lye, though - THAT would absolutely be uber dangerous)

 

[xyxoxy]

I don't use that method exactly but I do use a similar RTCP method where my lye is pre-mixed and stored at room temp. It's a variation of SoapmakerMan Paul's method.

My oils are also at room temp or when neccessary warmed up just enough to melt them (hasn't been an issue all summer).
I blend all of my oils reserving about 5% to blend in my fragrances.
I add any liquid and colorant to the oils until I'm happy with the color.
I then add the lye mixture.
When I start to see signs of trace I add the remaining oil with the fragrance.
Usually within minutes or less I'm ready to pour.

This seems to save me from a LOT of problems such as:
- FO Panic from those that like to accelerate trace
- FO Panic from forgetting to add the FO
- Having to settle for the wrong color because I reached trace too quickly
- All sorts of problems related to mixing up lye for each batch
- Worrying about temperatures