It's true - I mainly add it at the end to give more volume to the scent and superfat to help mix everything in
I think soapers have various practices when it comes to when the glycerin is added. I actually add it to my lye water these days. In that way I am absolutely sure the glycerin is mixed in thoroughly. Because it's non-reactive, it really doesn't matter much when it goes in. Because it loves water so much, it makes it easier to get it fully incorporated if I add it to water rather than to oil. That's my thinking anyway.
I didn't realize I left that step out of the article. I'll have to make some time and go in there and change it.
Doesn't really matter as far as I can see, you just cook longer if you have more water. I usually microwave my shaving soap until it's stiff enough. I just cook enough for me. 300gm lasts a year. Microwave until foam (30s) stir down, repeat until ready.I have a quick question as I've read everything here. I have never made any soap HP method. I'm going to try a shaving soap and I'm confused about the water concentration. I've seen so many variations with the dual lye method. What lye concentration do I want? I feel like an idiot but I'm not getting it. Does it differ with the length of the cook? More water more cook time I would think. Pls straighten me out on this.
For a small supply of tallow, you can just buy cheap (high fat) ground beef and save the fat after you brown it. Don't let the water all boil away, you don't want to get the fat smoking hot or it will smell like a hamburger right off the grill when you make soap with it.
I use a large spoon to remove the fat after scraping the beef over to one side of the pan and put the hot fat into an empty yogurt cup. Let it solidify in the fridge, then pop the tallow out and remove any gelled protein from the bottom. Save up a couple "pucks", then melt them with a cup of so of water in a small pan and allow it to just simmer for about ten minutes, then cool and chill. once it's solid, run a knife around the tallow and lift it out, discard the water. If the water is dark colored, repeat the simmer with fresh water. Freeze the tallow until you are ready to use it, unwrapped (this will remove water as it holds a bit). Make soap when you have enough.
Or check at your local grocery, they often have beef fat trimmings they will sell cheap and you can render the tallow. A bit stinky, and you must keep the temperature low, but inexpensive.
Brambleberry's Drakkar is mighty powerful stuff indeed. I would have used about six drops, maybe four, and it would still be way too much for me, never did like Drakkar. Fortunately, it does fade somewhat with time, and in a month or so won't be so strong.
Lol, two drops of Drakkar in 70 gr of soap was too much for me, although it was bearable six months later. Not my scent.
Most u-tubers use enough soap for an army for each shave, far more than is either necessary or desirable. You want light, slick lather with lots of water, it must be shiny and almost run off your face. I get my best shaves when the lather actually drips off the razor as I shave -- it's the lubrication of the skin than counts, lather must be very slippery to allow the edge of the razor to slip over the skin while cutting the hairs off cleanly. Gummy dry lather is useless.
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