"Room temperature" soaping

[LilianNoir]

I've been curious about this phrase for a while. I had some issues soaping too warm when I started, and then my last batches were too cool (lord, help me). And I had people recommend or mention that they soaped at "room temperature" without issue. Well technically, my batch that was too cool was room temperature. Lye at 80, oils at 82. Oils were technically melted but not clear (and surprise! stearic spots).

I think that people define "room temperature soaping" differently. To most, I imagine they mean the lye is room temp, but then what temp are their oils? If lye is room temp(78-80) and oils are fully melted at 100 -120 (I found that at 100 my oils were starting to look a little cloudy), that's a 20-40 degree difference.

So I'm curious to get a poll of sorts from folks.

What do YOU mean by "room temperature soaping"?
If you soap at "room temperature" what temperature is your lye solution, and what temperature are your oils?

 

[shunt2011]

Room temp to me is just warm. I melt my hard oils/butters in the microwave. I then add my liquid oils to those. My lye is literally room temp.

 

[dkChelan]

I've been doing room temp and using my still- hot lye water to melt the hard oils. Seems to work great! No more microwave. I read something about this and will dig up the article. Also, there are some good conversations in here about heat transfer method which appears to be the same thing. I am pretty new at this myself.

 

[Billthesoapguy]

I soap at 110-130 F for both soap and lye solution. I like for both to be around 110, but if they lye was made a few hours ahead of time....it will be 85-90 degrees. When that happens, I make sure the oils are hotter....closer to the 130 degree mark.

it seems to work well.....and I have not really had any issues.....

hope that helps!

Bill

 

[LilianNoir]

I've been doing room temp and using my still- hot lye water to melt the hard oils. Seems to work great! No more microwave. I read something about this and will dig up the article. Also, there are some good conversations in here about heat transfer method which appears to be the same thing. I am pretty new at this myself.

So when you say "room temp" you mean your *oils* are room temp, and your lye is warm/hot?

See this is what's interesting to me. I see folks using the term "soaping at room temp" all the time, but it very much seems to mean different things to different people which can make it confusing when someone says "oh just soap at room temp"

Room temp to me is just warm. I melt my hard oils/butters in the microwave. I then add my liquid oils to those. My lye is literally room temp.

@shunt2011 so do you even measure the temp of your oils? Or just melt the hard ones, add liquid and go?

 

[Relle]

I do the same as Shunt, I don't have a thermometer to even measure oils. Make up the lye, let cool for about an hour, melt the hard oils in the micro, then add liquid oils to those then add lye. Easy.

 

[LilianNoir]

I think maybe my original question/thought is getting a little lost. I'm not asking about the steps or general soaping temps so much as what people consider "room temperature".

So, for example,
@Relle do you consider that process you described as "room temperature" soaping?
To me, it wouldn't be, since neither the lye nor oils are room temperature (in my, admittedly limited, experience, lye solution doesn't cool to room temp within an hour)

I'm looking to see what people define a room temperature soaping. I see a lot of variability within that term and (more out of curiosity than anything) am looking to see just how broad the definition can be.

 

[shunt2011]

So when you say "room temp" you mean your *oils* are room temp, and your lye is warm/hot?

See this is what's interesting to me. I see folks using the term "soaping at room temp" all the time, but it very much seems to mean different things to different people which can make it confusing when someone says "oh just soap at room temp"


@shunt2011 so do you even measure the temp of your oils? Or just melt the hard ones, add liquid and go?

No, I don’t Measure the temp. I also master batch oils on occasion and just heat till warm.

I've been doing room temp and using my still- hot lye water to melt the hard oils. Seems to work great! No more microwave. I read something about this and will dig up the article. Also, there are some good conversations in here about heat transfer method which appears to be the same thing. I am pretty new at this myself.

This is the heat transfer method.

 

[mishmish]

Particularly with fragrances that seize, I will have my oils just warm enough that I'm sure everything is fully melted and mixed. Lye solution at room temperature.

When I first started soaping, I was soooo careful to have everything at the recommended temperatures, checking with thermometer, etc. Then for a while I got into the "measure out hard oils, use barely clear hot lye to melt them, add liquid oils to cool it off as the hard oils finish melting" technique. Now I tend to soap at room temperature most of the time except for lavender eo which ashes badly for me if I soap it too cool.

Sometimes I'll melt oils and prep lye the night before, so in the morning when I go downstairs I might set some more oil to melting and mix some lye just before I make the room temp soaps, so that when I'm done wth those and take a break I can come back and make some more soap in the conventional way.

 

[Cosmo71]

I have soaped both hot like Soap queen suggests (130ish) and cool 85! I get a longer time to play with the batter before it goes to thick trace when I soap at the warmer temperature. I still heat my hard oils to melt and blend them (in the microwave but I mix my oils when I do my lye and let them both cool down to room temp...which right now is about 85!

 

[dkChelan]

So when you say "room temp" you mean your *oils* are room temp, and your lye is warm/hot?

See this is what's interesting to me. I see folks using the term "soaping at room temp" all the time, but it very much seems to mean different things to different people which can make it confusing when someone says "oh just soap at room temp"


@shunt2011 so do you even measure the temp of your oils? Or just melt the hard ones, add liquid and go?

I've typically added all of my oils together without heating (or measuring temp), then using the hot lye to melt the combination of hard / soft oils. The other day I tried using the hot lye to melt just the hard oils before combining with the soft and I had a volcano mess before pouring. Then it occurred to me that I was outdoors in 90 degree summer which may have played a part. Doh!

 

[linne1gi]

I've been curious about this phrase for a while. I had some issues soaping too warm when I started, and then my last batches were too cool (lord, help me). And I had people recommend or mention that they soaped at "room temperature" without issue. Well technically, my batch that was too cool was room temperature. Lye at 80, oils at 82. Oils were technically melted but not clear (and surprise! stearic spots).

I think that people define "room temperature soaping" differently. To most, I imagine they mean the lye is room temp, but then what temp are their oils? If lye is room temp(78-80) and oils are fully melted at 100 -120 (I found that at 100 my oils were starting to look a little cloudy), that's a 20-40 degree difference.

So I'm curious to get a poll of sorts from folks.

What do YOU mean by "room temperature soaping"?
If you soap at "room temperature" what temperature is your lye solution, and what temperature are your oils?

I use master batched lye, which is room temperature. My room is about 80. I melt my hard oils just barely - add my liquid oils and start soaping. I rarely take the temperature of the lye or the oils. For the first 5 years I didn’t even own a thermometer. I am soaping about 8 years now. The 10 degree thing is a myth - there’s a lot of soap making myths around. I am usually able to make multiple colors without any difficulty. I don’t seem to get stearic spots, and I think the key is to make sure the hard oils are clear (but not hot).

 

[cmzaha]

I use masterbatch lye so my lye temp can go as low as 65ºF in the winter. I masterbatch my oils in batches in ready to go batches in hdpe buckets that I melt until just clear or slightly cloudy. I very seldom take temps, if my batter false traces I just stir until it starts to heat up then continue on.

 

[linne1gi]

I use masterbatch lye so my lye temp can go as low as 65ºF in the winter. I masterbatch my oils in batches in ready to go batches in hdpe buckets that I melt until just clear or slightly cloudy. I very seldom take temps, if my batter false traces I just stir until it starts to heat up then continue on.

My room temperature is around 80, I live in South Florida and I’m unwilling to run the AC more than this. Even winter here is warm.

 

[StarChild]

I mix my oil and lye between 90-110, but aim for 100.

 

[Relle]

I think maybe my original question/thought is getting a little lost. I'm not asking about the steps or general soaping temps so much as what people consider "room temperature".

So, for example,
@Relle do you consider that process you described as "room temperature" soaping?
To me, it wouldn't be, since neither the lye nor oils are room temperature (in my, admittedly limited, experience, lye solution doesn't cool to room temp within an hour)

I'm looking to see what people define a room temperature soaping. I see a lot of variability within that term and (more out of curiosity than anything) am looking to see just how broad the definition can be.

I do consider this RT, although I don't measure the temp. I cool my lye on the cold tiles in the shower recess and it doesn't feel warm to the touch on the outside of the container in about an 1 hr, not under an hour. Some days I don't get to soap after I've made up the lye, so it will be the next day. My oils are only just melted and by the time I get organized it has cooled down somewhat.
My first ever soap it took me 2 1/2hrs to get it in the mould with hand stirring and trying to get the lye and oils to temp with a thermometer. I thought if I was ever to make soap again, I wouldn't be doing that again and have never used a thermometer since. I haven't the time to fiddle around and this works for me.

 

[Llyshanevaeh]

Sometimes I soap at "room temperature" meaning I let my lye sit over night or over several days because I don't get to all of the batches I had planned. Most of the time I mix my lye in the morning, wait a couple of hours, then soap. I've never timed it or taken the temperature of my lye or oils when I go to make soap. This has never had any measurable affect on my soap, or I just haven't noticed and I make some pretty intricate designs/layers. not over mixing is more of a factor to me than temp.

 

[GemstonePony]

65-75°f is what I would consider room temperature. I freeze most of my liquid, so it's not uncommon for my lye mixture to top out at 130°f or lower. The other day I got distracted by one last thing, and a few minutes later my lye was 76° and still cooling. I start soaping around 120° so my oils are still warm enough to be liquid (80°) when I'm done, but I don't start soaping at room temperature.

 

[jcandleattic]

I masterbatch both my lye and my oils, so in the summer time, I soap at true room temp. My basement in the summer is usually around 70-75°.
In the winter my masterbatch oils are slushy, so I have to microwave them until they are a just warm and clear.
The only time I have problems is because of the FO, but not the oil/lye temps.

 

[Kenyaful]

There‘s a fragrance I love that causes me to wait until my lye cools otherwise I love the heat transfer method.