Soaping 101 liquid soapmaking video?

[Dahila]

I had already scented soap in foaming pumps, and it is awesome) Will upload the pictures shortly

 

[Susie]

Yay! You have no idea how happy it makes me when folks succeed!

 

[Dahila]

Yes, I know you are an awesome person Susie) Thank you for being so kind

 

[shaan]

I use soap calc lye calculator. Keep liquid at 38% and superfat 1% as my lye is only 85% pure..
For the first two times i used whole liquid part as glycerin,the next two times i used half water half glycerin.
I use pomace as it is much lower in cost than virgin olive oil.
Now,what i do is-
- melt my oils in crockpot.
-mix lye and glycerin/water together.bring it to boil while continuously mixing and it gets completely clear.
- pour it in the oils and mix everything with whisk.
- after around 20 mins of mixing and going through different textures and colors it turns to a thick,white paste..
- now,i got this each time. First time i kept the crockpot on during the whole process.so it turned to a transparent paste in an hour.
Second and third time i turned the crockpot off as soon as i added the lye sol,and mixed it with crockpot off..but it again stopped at the same white paste stage..i thought leave it on its own..but nothing changed till next day,it even got harder..so i cooked it till vaseline like the next day.
For the fourth time, i did not use crockpot at all. I melted my oils in a stainless steel pot,then added lye to it,whisked it..but again it turned to a white thick paste turning harder..so i dumped in crockpot and again cooked it till Vaseline like stage.. hmmmm..
Thats it.
And yes,then i added water multiplying by 0.75 of paste weight..let it sit whole night..mix it up next day,my paste gets very thick again after mixing,so i add more water...then add essential oils to it..and bottle it..and then i get honey colored thin liquid.

 

[Dahila]

I followed step by step Irsishlass tutorial. It seems to work

 

[FGOriold]

I think some of you misunderstand the use of phenolphthalein in soapmaking. It is used to determine excess lye in your paste/soap not the overall pH. I use it successfully each and every time and never have and never will do a zap test on paste. It all comes down to the methods we choose and what we are comfortable with. It was explained very will in a group discussion as such:

"pH doesn't matter as long as the soap is neutral. Phenolphthalein is a color indicator with a pH range of 10.0 - 8.3 and no that does not mean it turns pink at a pH over 10 and clear at a pH of 8.3. What it does mean is the phenolphthalin will indicate if there is excess lye in a formula by showing pink over a range of 10.0 - 8.3. A solution can show pink at a pH of 8.4 and another show clear at a pH of 10.0. The color change is dependent upon the balance between the acid and the alkali. If any alkali is left in the formula, the solution will remain pink until enough acid is introduced to the solution to neutralize the alkali. Soap will have a pH range as well depending upon the oils used in the formula and a pH meter will only measure for pH....so a 100% olive oil soap may still have excess alkali at a pH of 9.6 but a 100% coconut oil soap will be slightly superfatted at a pH of 9.6."

So some can use the zap test consistently and understand it and others can use the phenolphthalein consistently and successfully - it comes down to experience with each method.

 

[Susie]

It does indeed! I can't wrap my mind around the whole pink/not so pink/clear thing of phenolpthalein. Therefore, I am no help whatsoever to those who choose to test with it. I can only help with zap/no zap as that is what I understand and have used successfully. That is the best thing about a forum, many people contributing, so people get information they can understand and use.

 

[DeeAnna]

Yep, it's what works consistently and successfully for the person is the method to use.

 

[lpstephy85]

Not sure if I am on the right path. I mixed my oils and glycerin lye solution this morning and stick blended to a thick trace which is when I started to get the bubbles flying around my head. I never got a bubbly froth though that Irishlass mentioned. I figured since I had the flying bubbles I would cover it and let it rest. That was at noon eastern today and at 6:30 I still don't think it is a paste and was zappy. When I stirred it was a caramel color on top and a little thicker but then a thin darker liquid underneath. Wasn't able to get a picture. Is that normal?

 

[DeeAnna]

Since you haven't gotten a response by now, I'm going to offer my novice opinion. I'm thinking if you can get the thin layer mixed back into the thicker part, that would be a good thing. You may be getting some separation of the fats and lye solution, and you don't want that. Then just cover it and check on it tomorrow. It may be saponifying on the slower side, and there's nothing wrong with that ... but if I were you, I'd sure be impatient for it to do its thing!

 

[lpstephy85]

Since you haven't gotten a response by now, I'm going to offer my novice opinion. I'm thinking if you can get the thin layer mixed back into the thicker part, that would be a good thing. You may be getting some separation of the fats and lye solution, and you don't want that. Then just cover it and check on it tomorrow. It may be saponifying on the slower side, and there's nothing wrong with that ... but if I were you, I'd sure be impatient for it to do its thing!

Lol, yeah I have been pretty impatient with it! I stirred it a couple of times to get it back together but whatever. I am just going to leave it alone until the morning. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

[CookbookChef]

Hi Susie, on post 233 of this whole thread, you said the following:

"If it is still zappy, put your paste back into the crock pot on low and add oil(either CO or OO) a teaspoon at the time, stirring and heating for at least half an hour between additions until it stops zapping."

So, I just don't want to get myself confused. Are you saying that I could of totally avoided using the Borax altogether if I just would of stayed with it? I was saying before your post of 233 that I was going to add oil to my paste as it was so zappy. I did that, twice, and it was still very very zappy. I ended up needing to add Borax to it. So, are you saying if I would of just kept up with it, no matter how many additions off oil and no matter how many hours it would of taken, that I would eventually have a neutral paste? I just want to make sure I understand you, cause if possible, I NEVER want to add Borax every again. I liked it, but it gave me such trouble in the thickness of the soap in the dilution of it.
Thank you so much Susie!!!

 

[FGOriold]

Not sure if I am on the right path. I mixed my oils and glycerin lye solution this morning and stick blended to a thick trace which is when I started to get the bubbles flying around my head. I never got a bubbly froth though that Irishlass mentioned. I figured since I had the flying bubbles I would cover it and let it rest. That was at noon eastern today and at 6:30 I still don't think it is a paste and was zappy. When I stirred it was a caramel color on top and a little thicker but then a thin darker liquid underneath. Wasn't able to get a picture. Is that normal?

Oftentimes when you use the glycerin method, you can stick blend for too long and you are ultimately stick blending finished soap (since the glycerin method speeds up the entire process, based on your formula and temperature, it can be done in as little as 15 minutes). When this happens you end up with a frothy or foamy layer on top and a darker and thicker more liquid layer on the bottom. This is ok and it will dilute just fine. If it was still zappy at this point, you may have used too much lye.

 

[FGOriold]

Hi Susie, on post 233 of this whole thread, you said the following:

"If it is still zappy, put your paste back into the crock pot on low and add oil(either CO or OO) a teaspoon at the time, stirring and heating for at least half an hour between additions until it stops zapping."

So, I just don't want to get myself confused. Are you saying that I could of totally avoided using the Borax altogether if I just would of stayed with it? I was saying before your post of 233 that I was going to add oil to my paste as it was so zappy. I did that, twice, and it was still very very zappy. I ended up needing to add Borax to it. So, are you saying if I would of just kept up with it, no matter how many additions off oil and no matter how many hours it would of taken, that I would eventually have a neutral paste? I just want to make sure I understand you, cause if possible, I NEVER want to add Borax every again. I liked it, but it gave me such trouble in the thickness of the soap in the dilution of it.
Thank you so much Susie!!!

If you do not want to have to neutralize your soap for the excess lye with borax or other additives, then try to formulate with a small superfat from the beginning and make sure you are measuring very carefully (in grams is best). If your soap paste ends up with a lye excess, adding oils will help because you are giving that lye something to saponify and use up, but you no longer have control over any excess superfat you may end up with which could bring you additional problems down the line with that excess oil floating to the top of your finished soap.

All in all, this sounds like it has been great learning experience for you - the best way to learn.

 

[lpstephy85]

View attachment 11425

So this is what I woke up to (those are marks from my whisk) so it is very thick and still zappy. I know everything was measured to a T so I don't see how I could have used too much lye and I know my scale is ok because I check it every time is use it with a nickel. I think I will just let it sit longer and see if it is still zappy later. Should I leave it off heat or turn the crockpot on?

 

[Susie]

If you do not want to have to neutralize your soap for the excess lye with borax or other additives, then try to formulate with a small superfat from the beginning and make sure you are measuring very carefully (in grams is best). If your soap paste ends up with a lye excess, adding oils will help because you are giving that lye something to saponify and use up, but you no longer have control over any excess superfat you may end up with which could bring you additional problems down the line with that excess oil floating to the top of your finished soap.

All in all, this sounds like it has been great learning experience for you - the best way to learn.

^What Faith said!

I have only had to add oils once. I learned from that experience that a small superfat is best. But to avoid over superfatting, you add small amounts of fat, and give it time to saponify between additions. I add, stir, wait half an hour, test. And repeat as needed.

But you need to figure out why you had lye heavy soap to begin with. Did you intentionally use a negative superfat, or did something happen along the way? The best way to avoid having to go through this is to have some superfat to begin with.

 

[Susie]

View attachment 11425

So this is what I woke up to (those are marks from my whisk) so it is very thick and still zappy. I know everything was measured to a T so I don't see how I could have used too much lye and I know my scale is ok because I check it every time is use it with a nickel. I think I will just let it sit longer and see if it is still zappy later. Should I leave it off heat or turn the crockpot on?

I can't see the pic, but your description is great, so I don't really need to see the pic. I have a few questions so that I know exactly what is going on before we go any further. I would rather ask than assume anything.

I know that you posted a recipe in post #223, and asked about frac. CO later. Is that the recipe you used, and did you make any other additions/changes? What method did you use, and any other additions?

Your soap should not be zappy if you used that recipe, and your scale is good(you check it, so I know it is correct). So, we have to start looking at the beginning and go from there.

 

[lpstephy85]

I did make a change but that change was ran through Soapcalc:

15% castor oil
23% CO 76
62% OO

Glycerin 10.6oz
KOH 3.55oz
Superfat 3%
90% purity checked

Is it possible that my lye has a higher purity?

I added the lye to the glycerin at room temp than boiled until clear and free of flakes. Then added my lye solution to my melted oils and hand stirred for a couple of minutes and then used the SB for a couple of more until it reached a thick trace. I then went back to the whisk and stirred until I saw the flying bubbles. Once I saw that I put the lid on it and kept the crockpot on warm since my basement is cold. I left it alone for a couple of hours but still didn't get a paste consistency so about 4-5 hours in as I was leaving for the night I shut the crockpot off.

 

[FGOriold]

I did make a change but that change was ran through Soapcalc:

15% castor oil
23% CO 76
62% OO

Glycerin 10.6oz
KOH 3.55oz
Superfat 3%
90% purity checked

Is it possible that my lye has a higher purity?

I added the lye to the glycerin at room temp than boiled until clear and free of flakes. Then added my lye solution to my melted oils and hand stirred for a couple of minutes and then used the SB for a couple of more until it reached a thick trace. I then went back to the whisk and stirred until I saw the flying bubbles. Once I saw that I put the lid on it and kept the crockpot on warm since my basement is cold. I left it alone for a couple of hours but still didn't get a paste consistency so about 4-5 hours in as I was leaving for the night I shut the crockpot off.

Can you post your oils amounts in quantities used and not just the percentages?

 

[lpstephy85]

Here is the amounts:

2.4 oz Castor
3.7 CO 76
9.9 OO

Here is the pic I tried posting earlier: