Soy Wax Users
- Thread starter KiwiMoose
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Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Jeez Louise that means I have some in my basement with my candle supplies! For some reason was thinking it (soy wax) was different than soy wax flakes for candle making.
Yep!
Some of the candle soy waxes have additives that may affect the melting point. @KiwiMoose and @Dawni have experience and have used them successfully if I am remembering correctly.
^True - make sure you get 100% soy wax. I usually use GW415 and I hear that there is a suitable equivalent in the UK. I once used an entire 5kg box of GW464 without even knowing it (I thought it was 415, but they had sent me the wrong stuff!). 464 is described as hydrogenated soy with some 'soy based' additives. Both @Dawni and i never figured out exactly what those additives were.
For those in Europe, which soy wax should we buy? I do not want any additives. I found these:
- Eurosoy800
- NatureWax C-3
- EcoSoy C3
- PURE SOY S100
What are the differences between these soy waxes, and how to they affect the soap?
- Eurosoy800
- NatureWax C-3
- EcoSoy C3
- PURE SOY S100
What are the differences between these soy waxes, and how to they affect the soap?
I've actually used the S100 here in New Zealand and found that it had a higher melt point than GW415 and that did make a difference - much harder to work with for CP soap. Whichever soy wax you go with, get the lowest melt point that you can. I hear people mention the Eurosoy800 as being quite a good done.
ETA: Just looked up Nature wax C3 and this wouldn't suit with those high temps required.
ETA: Just looked up Nature wax C3 and this wouldn't suit with those high temps required.
Thanks! What is the melting point of eurosoy 800?
47-54°C
That sounds familiar. GW 415 melts in a flash for me when it reaches 51-52°C.
Thanks, that is great
I found & bought 5lbs of Golden Foods 415, 100% soy wax!!! 
Thank you @KiwiMoose for starting this thread; Thanks @Zany_in_CO for sharing “bunny’s” complied info into a link; ThankU2 @ResolvableOwl & @Mobjack Bay 4 Great information input. I’m excited to try soy wax in some!!!
Was thinking of trying this formulation, but if someone wants to chime in, don’t hesitate.
16oz oils:
OO 45%, soy wax 25%, CO 20%, Castor 10%. 3% SF, 2:1 water/lye ratio. Went lower superfat due to addition of coconut milk powder & sugar in lye solution.
Thank you @KiwiMoose for starting this thread; Thanks @Zany_in_CO for sharing “bunny’s” complied info into a link; ThankU2 @ResolvableOwl & @Mobjack Bay 4 Great information input. I’m excited to try soy wax in some
!!! Was thinking of trying this formulation, but if someone wants to chime in, don’t hesitate.
16oz oils: OO 45%, soy wax 25%, CO 20%, Castor 10%. 3% SF, 2:1 water/lye ratio. Went lower superfat due to addition of coconut milk powder & sugar in lye solution.
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
The recipe sounds good! 
🕯
You might give it a try first to “understand” the molten soy wax, i. e. just barely melt up the soy wax + CO. Then add the (cold) liquid oils, and (with a thermometer at hand) stir and get a feeling how low your temperature can drop until you see the melt become turbid and thicken up. False trace can be really annoying (keep in mind, soy wax is made for candemaking, and candle makers want waxes that have a sharp melting point and are solid below – contrary to the needs of soapmakers). It's better you know from the beginning how cold is too cold for your soy wax.
🕯You might give it a try first to “understand” the molten soy wax, i. e. just barely melt up the soy wax + CO. Then add the (cold) liquid oils, and (with a thermometer at hand) stir and get a feeling how low your temperature can drop until you see the melt become turbid and thicken up. False trace can be really annoying (keep in mind, soy wax is made for candemaking, and candle makers want waxes that have a sharp melting point and are solid below – contrary to the needs of soapmakers). It's better you know from the beginning how cold is too cold for your soy wax.
Thank you I’ll do that. I do have a tendency to soap at lower temps. Plus ya know, SCIENCEThe recipe sounds good!
You might give it a try first to “understand” the molten soy wax, i. e. just barely melt up the soy wax + CO. Then add the (cold) liquid oils, and (with a thermometer at hand) stir and get a feeling how low your temperature can drop until you see the melt become turbid and thicken up. False trace can be really annoying (keep in mind, soy wax is made for candemaking, and candle makers want waxes that have a sharp melting point and are solid below – contrary to the needs of soapmakers). It's better you know from the beginning how cold is too cold for your soy wax.
!If I ran into false trace with soy, would I be able to just stick with hand stirring through false trace until fluid again, as I’ve done previously when I false trace reared it’s ugly head? Or is this a recipe that could be heated up with a gentle burst in microwave? I have NEVER done that before, but read some “experienced” soapers have done so on occasion.
Run thru soap calc LOOKS okay but palmitic/stearic NOT balanced!
Last edited:
meena.shah
Well-Known Member
Hi I would like to know that after mixing lye and oil if we get false trace we can burst in microwaveThank you I’ll do that. I do have a tendency to soap at lower temps. Plus ya know, SCIENCE
If I ran into false trace with soy, would I be able to just stick with hand stirring through false trace until fluid again, as I’ve done previously when I false trace reared it’s ugly head? Or is this a recipe that could be heated up with a gentle burst in microwave? I have NEVER done that before, but read some “experienced” soapers have done so on occasion.
Run thru soap calc LOOKS okay but palmitic/stearic NOT balanced!
I've never had false trace with it, but I rarely soap below 38 degrees celsius - more often around 42 degrees ( just over 100 I think). My soap is very low in palmitic - only what i get from the OO, RBO and Avocado oils.Thank you I’ll do that. I do have a tendency to soap at lower temps. Plus ya know, SCIENCE
If I ran into false trace with soy, would I be able to just stick with hand stirring through false trace until fluid again, as I’ve done previously when I false trace reared it’s ugly head? Or is this a recipe that could be heated up with a gentle burst in microwave? I have NEVER done that before, but read some “experienced” soapers have done so on occasion.
Run thru soap calc LOOKS okay but palmitic/stearic NOT balanced!
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
That's not a drama. It's just something to keep this in mind when you evaluate your soap after cure. You might like it personally! “Unbalanced” high-S/low-P soap can be lovely, don't see this as a “law”. Anecdotally, such soaps profit from longer cure times (2 months +), and they might need some more persuasion to get them lather up nicely.
The upside is, when you test your first bar after 3 or 4 weeks, and you already like it, they will only become better with time, and you have fantastic, long-lasting bars of soap, that won't mush up quickly in the soap dish.
Microwave – hmmm. IME, soy wax (or rather the canola wax I'm using) is remarkably slow-tracing, so with a generally slow-moving recipe, stirring might not be sufficient to step up the saponification reaction to produce enough heat, so that the solidification is stopped/reversed. You might give stirring a try, but when you see that it doesn't cut it, reserve the possibility of microwaving (be by a microwave oven, microwave-safe dishes).
I am not the person to ask. I’ve never had to use microwave to reheat a thickening soap batter, but did read on SMF that some experienced soap makers do so on occasion. Maybe start a new thread asking others when/if & for how long?
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