Salt & sugar in cp soaps?

[lindakschickens]

Right so I have read a few soap books now and each seem to have at lest one castile type soap with salt added to them wither mixed in the lye water or oil (added it to warm oil in my case) added 1 tbs of salt ( might be slightly more then I needed as my oils are 1.7lbs in weight oops) it came to trace once I started pouring it in my molds and it got a little more like a thin trace but I have a nice 8in? round silicon pant filled with soap as well as a cute little plastic soap mold slab with flower print and a tiny little plastic pinecone mold.

I added 1tbs of henna indigo, 1/2 tbs of chorella powder, 1 tbs of spirulina powder and 1tbs of salt to my olive oil pomace. I added 1 tbs of sugar to my water and dissolved it before adding my lye.

I also added a new FO I bought ( bought from the soap kitchen UK) called Hawaiian never used it before I kid you not it smells like Irish spring soap (which I love and have never reacted to be can't get here in the UK cuz I'm not paying that much). Now my soap is a swampy green colour and smells like irish spring (I love it lol)

Any one else use salt and sugar in the same cp soap? how did it turn out?

 

[Lion Of Judah]

Salt & Sugar are added to the lye water and dis-solved before mixing in your lye . Salt adds a little firmness/hardness to the soap and Sugar adds a little more bubbles to you soap. both are used 1tbs ppo . I do use it and my soaps comes out fine . Its not a must have in your soap as some soap makers do not use it and have other ingredients that accomplishes the same results.

 

[Sandra@SS]

working well for me. I use honey though.

 

[amd]

I use salt at 1 tsp PPO in my lye water. The idea with salt is that it helps the soap firm up so that you can unmold faster. You could also use sodium lactate. I didn't see a difference in unmolding time with either salt or sodium lactate, but with salt I have seen a difference in the way the soap shrinks during use. My highly unscientific observations were that a soap without salt/sodium lactate shrunk (wore) more unevenly during use compared to my soaps with salt.

 

[earlene]

Yes, I do occasionally use both in the same soap. No problems that I have noticed, either in the beginning nor down the road.

Subjectively, I can't say I notice any great difference with the soap with or without, but I haven't done any real comparative studies with a control soap.

 

[jcandleattic]

I use Sodium Lactate at 2% of my oil weight in all my soaps. It gives the soap a nice slip feel and helps harden up my soap since I use silicone molds. I can unmold sooner when using SL.

 

[lindakschickens]

Well I will admit I just unmolded my 3 molds of "Irish Spring" castile "brine" type soaps as they were really quite hard I have to admit this is the quickest I have unmolded any of my molds thus far. even the hard plastic ones were easy to unmold which surprised me as the last time I used hard plastic molds was with m&p soap and that stuff stuck in them like glue!

I just added the sugar in hopes it would help with the bubbly part of the soap as I hear sugar does that. I added salt for the harden part specially with it being 100% pure olive oil pomace so I thought it would be like really soft and take days to set up right.

I have never used sodium lactate how do you figure in how much you need does it alter the amount of lye needed?

Might make another batch of soap tonight lol. any one every add hibiscus flowers or powder to soap just for the heck of it?

 

[shunt2011]

I too use Sodium Lactate at 2% in all my soaps. Tried sugar/salt and found I prefer SL.
Sodium Lactate doesn't alter the lye at all. No changes/adjustments needed.

 

[lindakschickens]

I too use Sodium Lactate at 2% in all my soaps. Tried sugar/salt and found I prefer SL.
Sodium Lactate doesn't alter the lye at all. No changes/adjustments needed.

I'm really rubbish at math and that lot so is it always figured at 2%? and how would I go about figuring out how much is needed in grams?

 

[jcandleattic]

I'm really rubbish at math and that lot so is it always figured at 2%? and how would I go about figuring out how much is needed in grams?

For me, yes, it's always figured at 2% regardless of my recipe or my size batch.

First you would need to figure your weight in oils - let's say 1361 grams (roughly 3 lbs in oils) you would take that weight and multiply it by 2%
1361 x 2% = 27.22 grams of SL for that batch. If your oil weight changes, just change that number.
(x) oil weight multiplied by 2% = amount of SL to add.

(Here's where that algebra that everyone swears they have never done since school comes in. People do algebra, they just do not realize that's what they are doing...)

 

[lindakschickens]

For me, yes, it's always figured at 2% regardless of my recipe or my size batch.

First you would need to figure your weight in oils - let's say 1361 grams (roughly 3 lbs in oils) you would take that weight and multiply it by 2%
1361 x 2% = 27.22 grams of SL for that batch. If your oil weight changes, just change that number.
(x) oil weight multiplied by 2% = amount of SL to add.

(Here's where that algebra that everyone swears they have never done since school comes in. People do algebra, they just do not realize that's what they are doing...)

Well I have never done algebra seriously my parents took me out of school my 5th grade year after that everything else I know is self taught.

 

[Dennis]

I made a batch of 75/20/5 per cent OO/Babassu/Castor yesterday. In the lye water 3 Tbls of sugar and 3 tsp of salt were dissolved before adding the lye. This was for a 55 oz batch. Placed in the oven (170F - then turned off) for 90 minutes. Temp on removal was 140F. Insulated with towels and removed to the garage work bench. It's 90F out there most of the afternoon and evening. Unmolded this morning and cut. Wonderful!

 

[lindakschickens]

I made a batch of 75/20/5 per cent OO/Babassu/Castor yesterday. In the lye water 3 Tbls of sugar and 3 tsp of salt were dissolved before adding the lye. This was for a 55 oz batch. Placed in the oven (170F - then turned off) for 90 minutes. Temp on removal was 140F. Insulated with towels and removed to the garage work bench. It's 90F out there most of the afternoon and evening. Unmolded this morning and cut. Wonderful!

What are the benefits of putting soap in the oven?

 

[Obsidian]

Its called cold process oven process (CPOP) and its done to ensure a even gel by keeping the soap evenly warm.

 

[Dennis]

Its called cold process oven process (CPOP) and its done to ensure a even gel by keeping the soap evenly warm.

It's the only way I have ever made soap. I tried to prevent gel once by placing the mold in the freezer for a while before pour and returning it to the freezer after pour. It still gelled in the center. Oh well, the oven is easier but it did take me until this round of soapmaking (2018) to discover that I didn't have to leave the oven on. I was surprised at how warm it remained. If lovely wife had not wanted to use the oven I would have just left it overnight.

 

[cmzaha]

Salt has to be dissolved to add the hardness when used in such small amounts, it will not dissolve in oil so will really only give you some grains of salt in your soap. Dissolve the salt and sugar if both are used Before adding in your lye. Sugar will crystallize on the bottom of your container if it is not fully dissolved before adding in lye

 

[lindakschickens]

Salt has to be dissolved to add the hardness when used in such small amounts, it will not dissolve in oil so will really only give you some grains of salt in your soap. Dissolve the salt and sugar if both are used Before adding in your lye. Sugar will crystallize on the bottom of your container if it is not fully dissolved before adding in lye

Thanks for letting me know as one book I read said both salt and sugar will easily dissolve in oil. this time round (and from here on out) I will dissolve the salt and sugar in water. and I'll admit I have had sugar crystallize on me because I did not check to see if it was fully dissolved before the lye was added least I pulled it out so no odd chunk of sugar in a bar lol.

 

[lindakschickens]

Its called cold process oven process (CPOP) and its done to ensure a even gel by keeping the soap evenly warm.

Lol cpop (Chinese pop) lol well now I know there are 2 meanings for cpop now.

 

[jcandleattic]

Lol cpop (Chinese pop) lol well now I know there are 2 meanings for cpop now.

Edit - nevermind what I said was dumb. LOL maybe a mod/admin can delete this.

 

[lindakschickens]

Edit - nevermind what I said was dumb. LOL maybe a mod/admin can delete this.

why delete it I love it made my day