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Evidently you're not familiar with Zany's No Slime Castile. Try it. You will be amazed at how quickly it sets up, unmolds, cuts and cures. It's a game-changer for 100% olive oil castile soapmakers! :nodding:


I made @Zany_in_CO ’s No-Slime OO Castile! Small batch to start. Fragranced with BB Frosted Fir for Christmas attempt. I think it turned out well, considering I’m still a newbie. Thank you, Zany!

ETA recipe as I used it.
118.87g liquid (faux sea water according to recipe)
69.92g NaOH
425g Olive oil
25g Castor oil
50g Coconut oil
2 oz FO

I put one teaspoon arrowroot and the FO with the castor oil and let sit for one hour. I think I will use less FO next time. This is a very strong scent and it makes me sneeze!
 

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You're welcome, Mom!

Next time, use BB's Fragrance Calculator. It seems 2 oz. is too much and not recommended based on IFRA guidelines. You might want to consider making a second 500g batch, unscented, and add it to the first batch, grated up and melted, i.e., Oven Rebatch

500 grams CP Frosted Fir FO
View attachment 74408

HTH :computerbath:
Got it, thank you! I think I will do that today. It smells lovely, just way too strong. I did place an order for that Frankincense & Myrrh you suggested, plus a Christmas tree and a star mold, some micas. I'm feeling about ready to start getting fancy! Appreciate your help @Zany_in_CO !
 
Following up on @Zany_in_CO 's No-Slime Olive Oil Castile Soap! Yes, I made it, and I made it with Brambleberry Frosted Fir FO. In the past, I've used very soft fragrances (coconut, banana, vanilla), so in this batch I simply used too much FO and had to rebatch it. Thanks to Zany for tips on how to rebatch! Here is the result so far. I think I will probably rebatch one more time because the fragrance really is strong! I have a sensitive nose...my hubby likes the strong fragrance. I'm going to let it cure for a couple weeks and reassess then.

Pic 1. Shred strong fragranced soap and mix with new batch of unscented soap.
Pic 2. Side view of cut bar. You can't see the shreds! Maybe just barely.
Pic 3. side view of uncut bar...but when I slice the end off you can't see the shreds anymore.

Ultimately, this recipe is easy enough for even a beginner like me! I'm happy with the soap as soap. It's really lovely! Nice lather and all that. Just too much FO from this-here newb. Even so, I'm still super happy with it!
 

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Following up on @Zany_in_CO 's No-Slime Olive Oil Castile Soap! Yes, I made it, and I made it with Brambleberry Frosted Fir FO. In the past, I've used very soft fragrances (coconut, banana, vanilla), so in this batch I simply used too much FO and had to rebatch it. Thanks to Zany for tips on how to rebatch! Here is the result so far. I think I will probably rebatch one more time because the fragrance really is strong! I have a sensitive nose...my hubby likes the strong fragrance. I'm going to let it cure for a couple weeks and reassess then.

Pic 1. Shred strong fragranced soap and mix with new batch of unscented soap.
Pic 2. Side view of cut bar. You can't see the shreds! Maybe just barely.
Pic 3. side view of uncut bar...but when I slice the end off you can't see the shreds anymore.

Ultimately, this recipe is easy enough for even a beginner like me! I'm happy with the soap as soap. It's really lovely! Nice lather and all that. Just too much FO from this-here newb. Even so, I'm still super happy with it!
@Admin thank you for moving my post to the correct thread!
 
Tried 2 batches of Zany's No-Slime Castile soap. Both barely hand whisked for 2 minutes and it was so thick already! In a moment of panic, I thought it was a false trace and whisked on. In the end, had to scoop it into my loaf mould and pushed the batter into the corners.

Both started as a muddy olive but 12 hrs later it was an off white. Shiny hard bars that should be cut as soon as it comes off the mould. I really like the creamy shiny look of these bars.

Batch 1 (Uncoloured) Unmoulded at 10 hrs and edges crumbled a bit but just nice for cutting. Very obvious from the pics that the sides had a lot of air pockets.

Batch 2 (Green layer) Unmoulded at 18 hrs and edges came out nicely but slightly too hard for my wire cutter. Was going to add Spearmint EO to see if it thinned out but panicked and forgot. This batch I poured immediately once I felt the batter thicken. So bottom layer was still fluid enough to have no air pockets. But the top half just couldn't be helped.

Would trial another batch with normal water to see if it traces just as fast.

100% Olive Pomace and 37% Lye Faux seawater.
 

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Tried 2 batches of Zany's No-Slime Castile soap. Both barely hand whisked for 2 minutes and it was so thick already! In a moment of panic, I thought it was a false trace and whisked on. In the end, had to scoop it into my loaf mould and pushed the batter into the corners.

Both started as a muddy olive but 12 hrs later it was an off white. Shiny hard bars that should be cut as soon as it comes off the mould. I really like the creamy shiny look of these bars.

Batch 1 (Uncoloured) Unmoulded at 10 hrs and edges crumbled a bit but just nice for cutting. Very obvious from the pics that the sides had a lot of air pockets.

Batch 2 (Green layer) Unmoulded at 18 hrs and edges came out nicely but slightly too hard for my wire cutter. Was going to add Spearmint EO to see if it thinned out but panicked and forgot. This batch I poured immediately once I felt the batter thicken. So bottom layer was still fluid enough to have no air pockets. But the top half just couldn't be helped.

Would trial another batch with normal water to see if it traces just as fast.

100% Olive Pomace and 37% Lye Faux seawater.
Interesting comparison! Thanks for sharing. I wonder if you used some other oils or butters in addition to the OO? When I made my batch, it did trace quickly, but not so quickly that I couldn't work with it. If you do it again with just water, please share! Mine came out a lovely creamy white as well.

@Zuleika , did you use any fragrance oil? What colorants?

Edited to add, maybe not creamy white. Mine look more buttery in photos. In person they are creamy off-white.
 
Both barely hand whisked for 2 minutes and it was so thick already!
What temperature did you use? (100-120°F?)
You may want to try soaping at a lower temp like she does in the YouTube demo in Post # 1. It will take longer to trace but that's better than accelerated trace. ;)

100% Olive Pomace and 37% Lye Faux seawater.
Pomace is known for accelerating trace. :eek:

37% Lye Faux seawater? I don't understand. Are you sure you used 1.7:1 Water : Lye Ratio? (Note the decimal in 1.7)
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Both started as a muddy olive
Hmmm. 🤔 That's odd. Is that normal for you? Any idea what caused that?

Would trial another batch with normal water to see if it traces just as fast.
Faux Seawater is key to the "no slime" result. So I wouldn't advise you to try that. I think a lower temp will do the trick. :nodding:

It would help me to help you if you could post the printout of your recipe. :)
 
@MomInWA No colorants or FO,100% olive pomace.

@Zany_in_CO My room temp was about 82F. Oils probably closer to 90F since my Lye was a tad warmer. Oils not heated, just room temp. I used pomace since that's what I have on hand and cheapest for me. Thought it would accelerate faster but it just rocketed past me. :oops: My fastest ever tracing soap. Even faster than my 100% Palm oil soap test.

Posted my recipe below. I adjusted the Faux seawater for 100g (+1.8g table salt & 1.8g baking soda) of water based on your recipe. I did add 1% SF for just in case. Would it help if I added less salt/baking soda? Or should I use more water for my lye faux seawater? Like 1.8:1 or 2:1

I remembered I poured in the lye water and started stirring to get them mixed and felt the whisk being so heavy after a minute. Was afraid they weren't mixed thoroughly so whisked on. 😅

Reference my fresh batter vs the later colour in the 2nd pic. I guess the pomace was greener? I really liked the end colour so all good. I must say, the slightly fruity smell of olive oil is nice on this unfragranced bar.

Probably trial another batch this weekend.
 

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Probably trial another batch this weekend.

Oh my. I haven't got time to explain everything, so FWIW here goes...

1) Make up a quart of the faux seawater ahead of time. Add the salt & baking soda to cold water. Then heat it in the microwave to dissolve completely. I use a Pyrex 2-cup measure. If the contents are cloudy or yellow, I nuke it again to get it completely clear. IMO, doing the math for a 450g batch is tricky. Set a 32 oz. container on your scale. Pour the 2-cup contents into the container. Add water to reach 32 oz. Store it in the fridge until ready to soap.

2) Don't second guess the formula. Follow the recipe exactly as written (temps & SF). Use the screenshot in post #2 to calculate NaOH and water amount for the lye solution. Round up or down to whole numbers to make it easier to weigh.

3) Patience. Make the lye solution and allow it to cool to temp. (20-30 minutes?)

4) Warm the oils to temp and add the lye solution while stirring.

5) If the batch seizes, let it be. Set the timer for 5 minutes and walk away. When you return, it should be going into gel phase. It will be easier to stir gently then and pour into your mold.

HTH and GOOD LUCK!
 
Pomace olive oil is a known accelerator. I don't use it for that very reason - it causes almost instant trace for me, especially if it is warmer than room temp.
Probably due to a difference in climate or product but I've been using Pomace from Soapers Choice and Kirkland Pure OO from from Cosco since 2004. I generally soap at 100-120°F for formulas high in liquid oils without a problem. Neither accelerates trace for me.

As a matter of fact, just the opposite is true when it comes to making LS. Olive Oil is known to take "forever" to trace (45 minutes for me) and requires a long cook to become soap -- a common experience among the members of the Liquid Soap Yahoo Group (now defunct). That's why Carrie Petersen's GLS was a game-changer for me. It only takes a few minutes for my castile LS batch to become soap before my very eyes. :nodding:



The only time I soap cool is when making GM soaps or soaps that contain known heaters. Just weird, I know, but true nevertheless.

For the life of me, I cannot account for the difference in experience that others have. :smallshrug:
 
This is good to know, thank you. I almost used some last night.
Just because it MIGHT accelerate trace, there's no reason not to use Pomace Olive Oil. Whether you make ZNSC or any other formula, I encourage you to give it a go. Just be preparted and follow the advice above...

5) If the batch seizes, let it be. Set the timer for 5 minutes and walk away. When you return, it should be going into gel phase. It will be easier to stir gently then and pour into your mold.
:nodding:
 
Thanks all for the helpful advice! No time this wkend to soap. Will update when I do trial again.

My previous Olive pomace didn't accelerate like this one did. Previous was a non-food grade. Current one is a food grade. It was cheaper than the non-food grade so I got it for cooking and soaping.
 

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