My Creamy Cocoa/Shea GLS Tutorial
- Thread starter IrishLass
- Start date
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This is an aside, but I finally saw flying bubbles and got that honey consistency today for the very first time...after using this recipe for about 2 years. So, if you don't see flying bubbles, or get that honey consistency, don't despair. It will still make excellent soap!
So far, so good. My paste is made and cooling. Everything came together very quickly and easily; I'm really looking forward to the finished product. Thanks so much, IrishLass!
CHIT!!! I thought I had sodium lactate... it's lactic acid. Bugger!!
Thank you IrishLass for sharing this!
It looks so luscious!
I'll give it a go as soon as I get some cocoa butter.
Just a thing about the recipe, I think there is a typo for KOH, the amount in grams, 3.47oz translates into 98.3 grams. I hope you don't mind me pointing it out.
You did such a great job posting this lengthy tutorial, mistake here or there was probably bound to happen haha.
I've never worked with stearic acid before. Can it be melted the same way as other oils, let say in a water bath or microwave?
Can it be added after the dilutions of the paste, without boiling jars, to save on time?
It looks so luscious!
I'll give it a go as soon as I get some cocoa butter.
Just a thing about the recipe, I think there is a typo for KOH, the amount in grams, 3.47oz translates into 98.3 grams. I hope you don't mind me pointing it out.
You did such a great job posting this lengthy tutorial, mistake here or there was probably bound to happen haha.
I've never worked with stearic acid before. Can it be melted the same way as other oils, let say in a water bath or microwave?
Can it be added after the dilutions of the paste, without boiling jars, to save on time?
LBussy
Well-Known Member
Outstanding! Thanks IL!
It's not necessary in that it doesn't do anything to the consistency of the finished soap. It does help with soap scum and low lather in hard water, and it does act as an anti-oxidant. If your soap is not going to be sitting a long time and/or you've not had issues with oxidation before, you can probably not worry about it.
You can use that:
Lactic Acid: C3H6O3 (90.08 mol)
Sodium Lactate: NaC3H5O3 (112.06 g/mol), Stochiometry: C3H6O3 + NaOH → NaC3H5O3 + H2O, Ratio: 1:0.444
Potassium Lactate: KC3H5O3 (128.17 g/mol), Stochiometry: C3H6O3 + KOH → KC3H5O3 + H2O, Ratio: 1:0.623
So 1 gram of lactic acid is neutralized by 0.444 grams of NaOH and gives 0.86 grams of Sodium Lactate. Since lactic acid is nearly always 60% solution as is sodium lactate, that's a wash BUT you are only getting 86% of that 60% solution (head hurt yet?). To get 1 gram of SL start with 1.16 grams of lactic acid and 0.516 grams of NaOH. If you want to just make a solution and have it, use the 1:0.444 ratio and use 14% more of the recipe amount (10 grams becomes 11.628 grams.)
Subject to someone pointing out a math mistake of course.
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You can use that:
Lactic Acid: C3H6O3 (90.08 mol)
Sodium Lactate: NaC3H5O3 (112.06 g/mol), Stochiometry: C3H6O3 + NaOH → NaC3H5O3 + H2O, Ratio: 1:0.444
Potassium Lactate: KC3H5O3 (128.17 g/mol), Stochiometry: C3H6O3 + KOH → KC3H5O3 + H2O, Ratio: 1:0.623
So 1 gram of lactic acid is neutralized by 0.444 grams of NaOH and gives 0.86 grams of Sodium Lactate. Since lactic acid is nearly always 60% solution as is sodium lactate, that's a wash BUT you are only getting 86% of that 60% solution (head hurt yet?). To get 1 gram of SL start with 1.16 grams of lactic acid and 0.516 grams of NaOH. If you want to just make a solution and have it, use the 1:0.444 ratio and use 14% more of the recipe amount (10 grams becomes 11.628 grams.)
Subject to someone pointing out a math mistake of course.
Ok, it's way to early in the morning to even begin to understand that. I'll read it again once the coffee has kicked in.
Thanks Lee!
LBussy
Well-Known Member
Yeah I struggled with how to share that ... let me try to put it in a spreadsheet and you can just tell it what you want.
Yeah I struggled with how to share that ... let me try to put it in a spreadsheet and you can just tell it what you want.
That would be awesome.... However, I do have a question - what process do you use? Just mix the lactic acid with lye and let it cool? Then mix with distilled water to the correct ratio?
I'm on my second cup of coffee now, had breakfast, and am fully awake. I think.
LBussy
Well-Known Member
I would add it to the water along with any other water-based additives, then add the lye. I would also consider mixing it in slower than normal. I generally get to 200 degrees when just mixing in the water. With the acid in there it could be more energetic.
Here's a spreadsheet. You can't edit this but you can download a copy from the file menu:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15jFA10AgPHySfgeOdOvDA1vJVF9RDgNCnDPcz93RdTQ/edit?usp=sharing
I plan to add the other acids as well. .... soon ...
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I would add it to the water along with any other water-based additives, then add the lye. I would also consider mixing it in slower than normal. I generally get to 200 degrees when just mixing in the water. With the acid in there it could be more energetic.
Here's a spreadsheet. You can;t edit this but you can download a copy from the file menu:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BQD9IJP6fE0MsjHP9Hx9YWSr83EAeMKx2xoyldD_8bE/edit?usp=sharing
I plan to add the other acids as well. .... soon ...
Awesome! Thank you for doing that. I can see it being very helpful.
IrishLass, another question... In your dilution ingredients list, you have PS80 (which I do happen to have). However, in the dilution instructions, it isn't mentioned until the addition of the superfatting oil (in your case meadowfoam oil) and the scent.
Is is only used for the SF and scent? Am I correct in understanding that if I don't superfat or add scent, I wouldn't need the PS80?
Sorry about seeming to hijack the thread but, believe it or not, this question was on my mind all night. I'm trying to understand the process and last night, with a couple of glasses of wine in me, I was having a little difficulty.
LBussy
Well-Known Member
Updated sheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15jFA10AgPHySfgeOdOvDA1vJVF9RDgNCnDPcz93RdTQ/edit?usp=sharing
The first one did not correctly take into account the strength of the original acid. This one does, plus I've added citric, ascorbic and acetic acids.
Acetic assumes 5% (vinegar) so this ends up being THE water instead of added to the water. Ascorbic and Citric assume 100% since you can purchase those as powder. The lactic acid that I have plus what I see online is 88% so I've changed the default there too.
Before anyone uses this for soap, please review my formulae since it's presently untested.
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LBussy
Well-Known Member
Just updated the spreadsheet again so if you downloaded it before right now - do so again.
Thank you IrishLass for sharing this!
It looks so luscious!
I'll give it a go as soon as I get some cocoa butter.
Just a thing about the recipe, I think there is a typo for KOH, the amount in grams, 3.47oz translates into 98.3 grams. I hope you don't mind me pointing it out.
Oh my- thank you so much for pointing that out, fuzz-juzz!
It was a silly typo on my part, as all my recipe notes say 98.3g. I just now fixed it. Whew! Stearic melts just fine in a water bath as long as enough heat is applied. The amount that I add to my canning jar with my paste melts perfectly fine in my boiling water bath.
I don't own a microwave, but I don't see why it wouldn't melt just as fine in there, too. For what it's worth, I've also used my conventional oven from time to time to melt my stearic for my shave soaps (set @ 200F/93C). I've never done it that way (I've only ever added it when diluting the paste), but I just remembered a post I read a while ago by 3bees~1flower (my liquid soap mentor) over at the Dish where she added stearic to her diluted soap. I just now looked it up, and here is how she does it: She adds the stearic to her diluted soap and then heats the mixture up in her microwave. Then she takes it out and stirs it to see if it has melted. If it has, she stick-blends it and lets it cool, periodically stick-blending as it's cooling (scroll down to post #744 here: http://www.thedishforum.com/forum/i...od-liquid-soap/page-30?hl=pearly#entry2745071.
HTH!
IrishLass
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Thank you IL
I was just wondering if there's a shortcut as I'm sometimes time poor.
And also, I have Ikea glass jars, I don't know if they can handle boiling. I might have to invest in something else.
I still have about 1.5 litres of tallow LS (failed pearly soap lol) to go through and I'll have a go at this recipe.
I was just wondering if there's a shortcut as I'm sometimes time poor.
And also, I have Ikea glass jars, I don't know if they can handle boiling. I might have to invest in something else.
I still have about 1.5 litres of tallow LS (failed pearly soap lol) to go through and I'll have a go at this recipe.
Mischief- no worries- you are not hijacking at all. All comments and questions are very much welcome, appreciated and encouraged.....especially if any of you are able to pick out any of my typos/errors and/or other things, such as when I've neglected to mention a certain important detail. Please, please don't hold back if you happen to find any discrepancies or areas of neglect. Mistakes are often inevitable when one is their own proofreader and is in a hurry to get things to the presses. lol I'm glad you folks have my back.
I'm so sorry my glaring omission kept you awake........ and I'm very happy you pointed it out to me. You'll be happy to know I went back and added it in where it should be (in Post #4 under letter B): I add the listed .024 oz. of PS80 to my jar of paste before I pour in the hot dilution water/EDTA/SL.
IrishLass
Ok, I have another question.... This one won't keep me awake, I promise. In the dilution stage, you're using 41.3% water to dilute. Could I ask how you came up with that percentage? When I diluted mine, I found that 41.3% wasn't enough to dilute all the paste. There was no way my stick blender could get through the thickness of the paste.
Misschief- did you also add the EDTA solution and SL solution to the paste? If not, then you'll have to tweak (increase) the dilution water % as I explained here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=569947&postcount=13
IrishLass
