Newbie question about temperature

[IsItSoapYet?]

I have checked out soapcalc.com and see how to get a recipe in order for a batch of soap, and that is a really neat tool, but I am wondering where I will look to find a temperature guide for when to mix the melted fats and the lye together? In the book I have, it gives different temps that the lye and fat should be at when its time to mix them together and each recipe has different combinations of temps. However, I have read on some how-to webpages that a) the temp doesn't matter, period...b) the lye and fat should both be around 110 degrees F...c) the lye and fat should be within 5 degrees F of each other. Wondering what is the preferred method of other soapers for figuring out temps for the CP method? Many thanks in advance for advice!

 

[amanda131]

I've been letting my lye get down around 110-100 and just going for it, I don't even really check what my oils are. I can't say this is "right" but it's been working for me!

 

[Saltysteele]

assuming you're doing cold press, i'd suggest around 100 degrees (that is what i was recommended).

as long as my lye and my oils are within 5-10 degrees, and in the 90's to 110, i start mixing

 

[amanda131]

I was assuming Cold Press also!

 

[IsItSoapYet?]

yes, you both assumed correctly. Thanks for the info. That makes it so simple.

 

[rubyslippers]

I CP and when my lye/water hits between 110° - 115° I check to see the temp of my oils. If my oils are the same temp or within 10 degrees of my lye water temp I start soaping. If I am going to use a FO with a low flashpoint, I might let the lye cool a little longer.

 

[artisan soaps]

..

 

[IrishLass]

I let the actual melting point of my oils/fats be my guide as to what temp to soap at, and have worked out through experimentaion how warm I can have my oils/fats and how much cooler I can have my lye water so that when the two meet, the cooler lye water will not bring the temp of my fats down below their melting points and thus cause a quick psuedo trace on me (which used to happen to me a lot in the beginning).

For the particular hard fats that I use, I've found that as long as they are heated 120 degreesF and my lye is body temp when they are combined, my soap batter is fine and stays fluid without prematurely re-solidifying on me (aka- pseudo trace). I use a lot of hard butters in my soaps like mango butter, cocoa butter, and sometimes kokum and illipe butter which have a tendency to resolidify if soaped too cool.

IrishLass

 

[CynthiaRosario]

Does anyone know WHY anything has to be cooled at all? It's not necessary in hot process.

 

[nebetmiw]

Because it is cold process not hot process. Hot process is making soap while cooking it. Cold process is melting hard oils letting them cool down and then adding lye/water that has cooled to same temp. Cold process is used for more creative soaps and making swirls and such. It does not require a stove or crockpot or oven to make the soap.

 

[new12soap]

There are several reasons why temperatures matter. Even in hot process you don't want to scorch your oils or have a boilover. In cold process, as IrishLass said, soaping too cool can solidify your harder oils and butters and give you false trace, stearic spots, etc. Soaping too warm or with too great a difference in temps can result in volcanoing or overheating. There is a "sweet spot", and that will vary a bit depending on your recipe. For beginners I would suggest that you never heat your oils warmer than your lye. 110-115F is a good starting range for your baseline.