Soaping 101 liquid soapmaking video?

[Bisbeesoap]

I am so pleased to see this thread is still active. I just searched through the first 50 pages looking for an answer for my issue, and I didn't find it. I suppose it was on page 51?

I made a very small test batch of liquid soap paste yesterday, using the informative posts and recipe from IrishLass, and it all went beautifully. I diluted my paste today (at 1:.75, soap:water), and it's exactly the consistency and clarity I was hoping for. Only one problem. It's drying to my skin. The paste zap tested fine, so I don't believe it's lye heavy. Can anyone offer any suggestions as to why it would be drying?

My recipe:

Olive Oil (Pomace)
6.50 oz

Coconut Oil (76 degree)
2.50 oz

Castor Oil
1.00 oz


Potassium Hydroxide
2.10 oz

Glycerin
6.31 oz

I used the summer bee advanced calculator, dissolved the potassium hydroxide in glycerine over heat until it was crystal clear. I believe that's all the pertinent information.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Hi Bisbee, I didn't check your formula, but I've found that liquid soap can be drying at first... give it a couple of weeks and then see what you think.

 

[DeeAnna]

I am disheartened by all the newcomers who are using the "dissolve KOH in hot glycerin" method against the safety advice of Irish Lass, Susie, me, and others. Every newcomer who has posted here of late has done this, and one of those recently found out the hard way why the 100% glycerin method is not recommended. Has something changed to make people ignore the good advice?

It is so much safer and easier to dissolve the KOH in at least its own weight of water, and then add whatever glycerin one wants to equal the total "water" weight for the recipe.

I don't get it. :cry:

 

[Susie]

I am disheartened by all the newcomers who are using the "dissolve KOH in hot glycerin" method against the safety advice of Irish Lass, Susie, me, and others. Every newcomer who has posted here of late has done this, and one of those recently found out the hard way why the 100% glycerin method is not recommended. Has something changed to make people ignore the good advice?

It is so much safer and easier to dissolve the KOH in at least its own weight of water, and then add whatever glycerin one wants to equal the total "water" weight for the recipe.

I don't get it. :cry:

^^^^^This! Stop using glycerin to dissolve the KOH already! IrishLass' recipe no longer calls for that dangerous process! Not every video you see on YouTube is safe!

 

[artemis]

I am disheartened by all the newcomers who are using the "dissolve KOH in hot glycerin" method ...

I'm thinking it's because they are new and they are watching a video with bad advice and then looking for good advice after the fact. Perhaps the only way to really combat this bad advice is to get it out to the people who are not yet using the forum. Maybe some educational videos on the SMF youtube channel, to counter all those videos with soapers doing it wrong.

 

[Bisbeesoap]

Hi Bisbee, I didn't check your formula, but I've found that liquid soap can be drying at first... give it a couple of weeks and then see what you think.

I was hoping this might be the case. Thank you! I'll do my best to be patient

I am disheartened by all the newcomers who are using the "dissolve KOH in hot glycerin" method against the safety advice of Irish Lass, Susie, me, and others. Every newcomer who has posted here of late has done this, and one of those recently found out the hard way why the 100% glycerin method is not recommended. Has something changed to make people ignore the good advice?

It is so much safer and easier to dissolve the KOH in at least its own weight of water, and then add whatever glycerin one wants to equal the total "water" weight for the recipe.

I don't get it. :cry:

I don't know if this was directed at me, but here's my personal input. I may be new to the forums, but I am a seasoned soap maker. I actually made 2 batches, one as described in my previous post, and the second dissolving the KOH in equal parts water, then combined with two parts glycerin. This was not relevant to my question, so I did not include this piece of information. I made a calculated decision to try both methods to decide for myself which I prefer. I proceeded with due caution and respect towards the materials I was handling. In the end, yes, I, too, prefer the less hazardous method, and would recommend it overall.

 

[DeeAnna]

My comments were not directed at any person. As I clearly noted in my earlier post, I mentioned that newcomers (plural) have mentioned doing this recently. I was commenting about the situation in general.

 

[biarine]

Still I am using 100% water, I just made once with 60% water and 40% glycerine. I will just use glycerine if I will make a face wash or shampoo because glycerine is expensive.

 

[toxikon]

Hi soapy friends. I think I'm finally going to take the plunge into liquid soap. And don't worry, I'm not going to dissolve KOH into glycerin.

I read IL's instructions and did my best to paraphrase them for my own quick notes. Does everything seem correct? Thank you kindly.

IL's Liquid Soap

(Use SummerbeeMeadow's Advanced Liquid Soap Calculator: http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/advanced-calculator-solid-cream-or-liquid-soaps)

• 65% Olive Oil
• 25% Coconut Oil
• 10% Castor Oil

• 100% KOH
• Amount of water equal to KOH to dissolve KOH + 200% (of KOH amount) as glycerin added to oils
Ex: 150g KOH, 150g Water, 300g Glycerin

• 3% Superfat

Add to Dilution Water:
• 3% (of paste weight) Sodium Lactate

Dilution Rate
• 1 part paste to .62 part water (multiply paste weight by .62)

1. Melt oils in bowl/crockpot, add glycerin to oils
2. Dissolve KOH in equal amount of water
3. Add hot KOH solution to melted oils and whisk
4. Mixture will go through stages: opaque, clear amber, bubbles on top
5. After 10 minutes of whisking, may start to see bubbles flying up or a foamy head on (still liquid) solution, stop whisking
6. Tightly cover bowl/pot, off-heat, and let set for 6-24 hrs
7. Check periodically on mixture, scoop a spoon into it to see if it's a thick, sticky taffy consistency and translucent gold and check for zap
8. Heat water in pot to simmer, weigh paste into canning jar (leave enough room for water and stick blender)
9. Weigh out dilution water and SL and bring to boil, then add to paste
10. Seal jar and shake then place in simmering water to soften for 15-20 minutes
11. Open jar and check to see if it's reached jelly consistency - if not, simmer for another 10 minutes
12. When the consistency is lumpy jelly, pulse with stickblender until there are no more lumps - will become milky colour
13. Reseal jar and return to the simmering water and turn the heat off, let rest for 3 hours in water bath
14. When ready to add fragrance, add equal amount of PS80 (mix both together before adding to liquid soap) - if soap becomes cloudy, add additional drops of PS80 until clear

***edited with Susie's corrections.

 

[BattleGnome]

My only changes are that I've never actually seen steps 4/5. I mix to emulsion then walk away. If steps 4/5 happen it's while my back is turned. For me this is 5ish minutes with a stick blender and a bit of extra time to pretend I'm going to clean up immediately

 

[DeeAnna]

"...some members recommend IL's LS tutorial (because it is very good) for those who want to learn to make liquid soap without cautioning that it is an advanced method..."

You've been here 4 months, Zany, but you obviously haven't read Irish Lass' tutorial. Irish Lass updated her tutorial to recommend dissolving KOH in water. It's pretty hard to miss -- the update has been there in red and bold letters since October 2016.

With the exception of the original process of dissolving the KOH in heated glycerin, IL's method is as basic and as straightforward as it gets -- it's hardly an "advanced method."

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=428988&postcount=8

 

[Susie]

Hi soapy friends. I think I'm finally going to take the plunge into liquid soap. And don't worry, I'm not going to dissolve KOH into glycerin.

I read IL's instructions and did my best to paraphrase them for my own quick notes. Does everything seem correct? Thank you kindly.

Your water/glycerin amount should be a 25% solution in the end.

KOH
+ equal amount of water to dissolve
+ 200% KOH amount as glycerin added to the oils.

Example:

KOH 150g
Water 150g
Dissolve the KOH into the water.
Glycerine 300g mixed into oils.

 

[Susie]

"...some members recommend IL's LS tutorial (because it is very good) for those who want to learn to make liquid soap without cautioning that it is an advanced method..."

You've been here 4 months, Zany, but you obviously haven't read Irish Lass' tutorial. Irish Lass updated her tutorial to recommend dissolving KOH in water. It's pretty hard to miss -- the update has been there in red and bold letters since October 2016.

With the exception of the original process of dissolving the KOH in heated glycerin, IL's method is as basic and as straightforward as it gets -- it's hardly an "advanced method."

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=428988&postcount=8

^^^This, exactly!

IrishLass' recipe and method are dead easy, and very well written in plain English. They are as easy as CP bar soap, and I do not hesitate to steer people to it who have never made bar soap.

Your recipe/method (AKA Failor method), on the other hand, I consider outdated and unnecessarily complicated, and I do not recommend that ANYONE use it. Matter of fact, I really hate that you put it onto this forum, as people now believe it is the "official" method, and get turned off of what is a simple process that yields good results.

 

[toxikon]

Your water/glycerin amount should be a 25% solution in the end.

KOH
+ equal amount of water to dissolve
+ 200% KOH amount as glycerin added to the oils.

Example:

KOH 150g
Water 150g
Dissolve the KOH into the water.
Glycerine 300g mixed into oils.

Thank you Susie!

 

[Saponificarian]

Wowza!

 

[toxikon]

One more quick check before I go try this tonight! I used the Summerbee calc, it's a bit confusing to me, so I just want to make sure the numbers look correct for a 500g batch.

325g olive oil (11.46oz)
125g coconut oil (4.40oz)
50g castor oil (1.76oz)

106g KOH (3.74oz)
106g water (3.74oz)

212g glycerin (7.48oz)

Dilution:
573g water (approx)
28g SL (approx)

 

[Susie]

One more quick check before I go try this tonight! I used the Summerbee calc, it's a bit confusing to me, so I just want to make sure the numbers look correct for a 500g batch.

Ease into that dilution amount. And understand if you use heat to dilute, you are going to probably need additional water as some is lost to evaporation.

 

[toxikon]

Ease into that dilution amount. And understand if you use heat to dilute, you are going to probably need additional water as some is lost to evaporation.

Gotcha, thanks. Would you recommend just using a crockpot instead of the canning jar method? It seems like it'd be easier to slowly dilute and judge the consistency of the paste in a large container.

 

[DeeAnna]

It depends on the size of your batch and how much you want to dilute at one time. I often dilute enough to make about a quart of finished soap, and store the rest as paste.

There's also something to be said for diluting a portion of the batch if this is the first time making the recipe. If it gets over-diluted, then you can always add a bit more paste to correct the problem. And then the next dilution will go a bit easier since you'll have some idea of the final dilution. I still sneak up on the dilution even so -- but I'm able to sneak up a little faster.

A quart canning jar will work to dilute paste made from 250-300 grams of fat. This is based on Irish Lass coconut-olive-castor recipe. If you want to do more than that at one go, a crock pot might be best. Or if you don't mind trading a longer time vs. hovering, you can just dilute at room temp -- that's what I usually do.

 

[toxikon]

It depends on the size of your batch and how much you want to dilute at one time. I often dilute enough to make about a quart of finished soap, and store the rest as paste.

There's also something to be said for diluting a portion of the batch if this is the first time making the recipe. If it gets over-diluted, then you can always add a bit more paste to correct the problem. And then the next dilution will go a bit easier since you'll have some idea of the final dilution. I still sneak up on the dilution even so -- but I'm able to sneak up a little faster.

A quart canning jar will work to dilute paste made from 250-300 grams of fat. This is based on Irish Lass coconut-olive-castor recipe. If you want to do more than that at one go, a crock pot might be best. Or if you don't mind trading a longer time vs. hovering, you can just dilute at room temp -- that's what I usually do.

Thanks DeAnna! I was leaning towards a 500g batch, so perhaps I will divide it in 2, so, as you said, I will have some extra paste to work with if I dilute too much.