Next Soap Experiment

[WallyN]

hiya gang!
For my next experiment, I’m gonna use the following attached recipe. For all you experts out there, I have a couple of questions with this formula:
Am I using too much palm? (it’s sustainable)
If so, which oil should I alter?
Is my super fat too low at 5%?
Is my lye too much at 38%?
I’m desperately trying to practice swirl techniques, but every batch thickens up too quick on me, and I have to glob it into the mold.
I use EO’s, but haven’t decided on what colors or essential oils to use.
Thanking you all in advance!

 

[lsg]

I use the standard 5% superfat for most of my soap. I would add at least 5% Castor oil and reduce the olive oil by 5%. The stronger the lye concentration, the quicker the trace. Here is a link concerning lye concentration. https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/lye-concentration.19124/

 

[WallyN]

Thanks is!! Very helpful

Thanks isg... sorry for the typo

 

[KiwiMoose]

Hi Wally,
Apparently Pomace moves quite quickly (I've never used it, i use regular OO) so you might want to consider changing that out. Don't know about that Palm either sorry because I don't use that either. 5% superfat is what i always use.
For swirls I use circa 30% lye concentration. Yours is circa 27% in that recipe which should be ok but it will take longer to cure. Be careful of FOs accelerating trace - use a citrus if you can because they tend to slow trace. And don't stick blend too much

 

[Els]

I haven't used Pomace yet, so no comment there. I have used palm at a high percentage, and it does accelerate trace. Actually for me at more than 50% it was a normal time to light trace, but seconds from light trace to setting hard!
I would be inclined to use less Palm for more swirling/messing about time. You might also have success by pouring and swirling early, when you first get a trace?

 

[dibbles]

Palm speeds things up for me. If you aren't opposed to using animal fats, lard is super slow and will give you lots of time to work.

 

[Dawni]

I use pomace but rarely more than 30% and it doesn't speed up trace that much that it's a drastic difference... Maybe you need to stick blend less, instead of switching out oils?

Can't say about palm, I've never used it, sorry.

Also my personal preference for coconut oil is less than 20% which also means I use a lower SF. I did start with 25% and found it drying even with a 5% SF so I've since experimented with lower numbers.

Although, with less coconut comes with less bubbles so if you want a lot of those you might need to add 5% castor oil (I rarely use it though btw), but what I get is enough for me.

 

[WallyN]

Thanks again everyone for your help!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thanks again everyone for your help!

You might want to check out the YouTube videos by Kapia Mera. I sometimes use slight variation of the recipe she posted for her indigo ombré pour. I think I may have subbed in avocado oil for sweet almond (maybe...). It’s a well-behaved recipe for me. I soap at 85 to 90F (batter temp when I start), and with my lye concentration at 33%. I minimize stick blending and bring the batter to a stable emulsion or a very, very light trace. I also find lard is super easy to work with.

 

[WallyN]

Thanks mobjack bay. I’ve realized that I stick blend too much. My next batch will be in Sunday and I’m certain it will come out much better.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thanks mobjack bay. I’ve realized that I stick blend too much. My next batch will be in Sunday and I’m certain it will come out much better.

Have fun and post pics!

 

[earlene]

How did your batch go, Wally?

Pomace speeds trace a lot for me. I don't even use a SB when I use pomace in my soap recipes. I would not recommend using a recipe with pomace if you are new to swirling and learning. It will not remain fluid long enough if you are slow, like I am when trying a new technique.

Also, if you are swirling, you are using colorants as well. Some colorants cause soap batter to thicken faster. Titanium dioxide thickens batter noticeably faster and it is an ingredient in some shades of mica. So I would recommend avoiding a SB and only mixing to emulsion before you separate out the batter into the portions you plan to add color. Then mix the colors in with a whisk, watching for the differences that you may see in how quickly or slowly the colors influence the batter (in terms of making it trace more quickly.) I leave TD to the last, because it thickens so quickly.

 

[WallyN]

Thanks earlene!
I do use pomace OO, so thank you for the heads up. I ran behind this week, but just poured a mold, so I’ll put that up soon. With this one, I used indigo powder which mixed decently, and turmeric. However, the turmeric batter accelerated very quickly, so I had to glib it in, then poured the indigo over. Looks like a Frankenstein loaf right now.