Superfatting Questions for CP

[Primrose]

Kiwi, superfat and lye discount are the same thing, lye concentration is purely about how much water you are using to dissolve the lye

 

[KiwiMoose]

Kiwi, superfat and lye discount are the same thing, lye concentration is purely about how much water you are using to dissolve the lye

Thanks Primrose. I can feel @SaltedFig rolling her eyes because she has helped me to understand this before. So in essence the term 'SF' and the term 'Lye Discount' can be used interchangeably.

By George - I think she's got it!

 

[Lin19687]

Wow 26% must take for ever to cure out
My Calc is at 5% but when measuring oils I am a bit over the amount. Not a lot just a smidge so that will bring mine up a bit. Then there are fat additives too

 

[KiwiMoose]

Wow 26% must take for ever to cure out
My Calc is at 5% but when measuring oils I am a bit over the amount. Not a lot just a smidge so that will bring mine up a bit. Then there are fat additives too

I usually do 28% in my recipes - but I estimate this batch was more like 26%. And yes, it's still a bit squidgey after 3 days. I think it'll be alright to cut tomorrow though.

 

[atiz]

I'm a bit of a ditz when it comes to lye discount/superfatting - I always get confused.
If I put 5% superfat into the calculator AND use a lye concentration of 26% will that still be a 5% SF, or will the lye discount mean I have a higher SF than I have indicated I want?

SF or lye discount has to do with the ratio of lye to oils. Lye concentration has to do with the ratio of lye to water. They are independent variables, you can wiggle one without affecting the other.

 

[45parallelsoapco]

I soap at a 5% discount but have made soap with a 10% discount. It was awesome.

 

[Susie]

I superfat from 1-3% depending on the recipe I am using, and have done so for years

I just tried out my first 2% SF batch ever, at your suggestion. Now I know why you use such a low SF when you have hard water. This is going to become my go-to SF amount. Was hunting down the other thread you mentioned it on, but this will do. Many, many thanks...again!

 

[earlene]

I just refuse to say there’s anything about fat that’s “super.” I’m starting a movement of the people to call it “fat overage.”

Overweight soap? Obese soap?

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Is there some definitive source for which colorants disperse in water vs glycerin vs oil? I waste more colorant trying to remember which is which!!!

I use oxides and ultra marines. I use to use oil to disperse oxides & water to disperse ultra marines. Now I use glycerin to disperse both.

 

[steffamarie]

I use oxides and ultra marines. I use to use oil to disperse oxides & water to disperse ultra marines. Now I use glycerin to disperse both.

I tried using glycerin to disperse colorants for CP and I absolutely HATED it. They were difficult to mix in, to the point that no amount of stick blending was able to create an even color in one batch. Not a fan, but for some people I'm sure it works great! I'll stick with my oil I just use whatever liquid oil I have to hand, usually it's the last dregs of some canola or sunflower. I use a 3% SF in the calc but not oils from my batch so that's bound to be higher.

Something I've been a fan of doing recently is dispersing the mica in just enough oil to wet it and then adding some of the soap to the Dixie cup to help get it all out. Maybe I could accomplish the same effect by simply adding a small amount of soap to dry mica. I'm not a fan of adding dry mica to my large soap bucket because I feel I can never get all the clumps out. I'll do some testing and report back!

 

[earlene]

I know, but that Soap Queen lady always says to use sweet almond oil, which I never include in by base oils. It feels like cheating to disperse colorants with base oils. SPEAKING of which...Is there some definitive source for which colorants disperse in water vs glycerin vs oil? I waste more colorant trying to remember which is which!!!

Amy Warden covers mixing a variety of colorants very well in this video:

 

[DWinMadison]

Amy Warden covers mixing a variety of colorants very well in this video:

¡Muchas Gracias! I got to get another of these little frothers. My first one died a couple of years ago.

 

[amd]

I use 3% SF, although since I switched from lard to tallow I'm considering going up to 4 or 5. The tallow soaps are a bit more cleansing than I would like compared to the lard - but no one else seems to notice so maybe it's the soapmaker standing too close to the lye fumes and have messed with her head. If I do go up, I'll probably start adding a chelator/ROE. Most of my customer base has hard water and I don't want them mad at me for soap scum. When I was soaping at 5% I had problems with DOS popping up - I know, I know, supposedly the two aren't linked but that was the only change I made and it rarely happens now.

ETA: 2/3 of my soaps are milk soaps, so there is additional SF in my soaps that isn't calculated. If I tweak my SF it will probably only be for the AVJ soaps. The milk soaps are quite nice even with tallow.

 

[Obsidian]

I just tried out my first 2% SF batch ever, at your suggestion. Now I know why you use such a low SF when you have hard water.

What kind of a difference are you seeing? Is there any drying of skin?
I have never used under 5% due to my dry skin but I do have hard water. Wondering if trying a lower SF might be worth it.

 

[Terri E]

I also have never done anything below 5% due to dry skin issues.
I do use a chelator though because we have hard water in the mountains. That seems to do away with any possible soap scum.
My soap has never been oily feeling, just silky.
I’ll have to try 4% sometime to see how it feels on my skin.
I’ve never experienced DOS luckily.

 

[maxine289]

I always SF @ 5%. When I remember, I use oil from the recipe to disperse mica. When I forget, I use a little bit of any oil I have on hand to mix the mica. Sometimes I add the mica directly to the soap batter, without pre-dispersing, and stick blend it into the batter (it's usually ok). I used to agonize about having sweet almond oil, or some special "light" oil to disperse mica (as suggested by the Soap Queen lady), but I got over it. I got a frother because the Queen said I should, especially for titanium dioxide (which I never use any longer; I use Nurture Soap Winter White Mica instead). Haven't used the frother in over a year (one less thing to wash). I just mix the mica and oil with a small spatula. I don't use much pigments or ultramarines but when I do I use a spatula to mix. (There's a lot of stuff I thought I "HAD" to do or else my soap would be awful. Time and experience have shown me there's more than one way to make great soap).

 

[Terri E]

I always SF @ 5%. When I remember, I use oil from the recipe to disperse mica. When I forget, I use a little bit of any oil I have on hand to mix the mica. Sometimes I add the mica directly to the soap batter, without pre-dispersing, and stick blend it into the batter (it's usually ok). I used to agonize about having sweet almond oil, or some special "light" oil to disperse mica (as suggested by the Soap Queen lady), but I got over it. I got a frother because the Queen said I should, especially for titanium dioxide (which I never use any longer; I use Nurture Soap Winter White Mica instead). Haven't used the frother in over a year (one less thing to wash). I just mix the mica and oil with a small spatula. I don't use much pigments or ultramarines but when I do I use a spatula to mix. (There's a lot of stuff I thought I "HAD" to do or else my soap would be awful. Time and experience have shown me there's more than one way to make great soap).

Yes, Well said!

 

[Lin19687]

I also mix with oil from batter and a coffee wooden stirrer or if 1 color I just add to the batter and SB.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I always SF @ 5%. When I remember, I use oil from the recipe to disperse mica. When I forget, I use a little bit of any oil I have on hand to mix the mica. Sometimes I add the mica directly to the soap batter, without pre-dispersing, and stick blend it into the batter (it's usually ok). I used to agonize about having sweet almond oil, or some special "light" oil to disperse mica (as suggested by the Soap Queen lady), but I got over it. I got a frother because the Queen said I should, especially for titanium dioxide (which I never use any longer; I use Nurture Soap Winter White Mica instead). Haven't used the frother in over a year (one less thing to wash). I just mix the mica and oil with a small spatula. I don't use much pigments or ultramarines but when I do I use a spatula to mix. (There's a lot of stuff I thought I "HAD" to do or else my soap would be awful. Time and experience have shown me there's more than one way to make great soap).

I hear ya Maxine. I bought a frother but have used it only a couple of times. I usually put the micas straight into my soap batter and mix them from there. However, I'm not making the big batches that some of the other people are on here, so i don't have any problems with clumping.

 

[Susie]

What kind of a difference are you seeing? Is there any drying of skin?
I have never used under 5% due to my dry skin but I do have hard water. Wondering if trying a lower SF might be worth it.

I come from a soft water area, only got introduced to hard water 2 years ago, so I am accustomed to a slick feeling on my skin from the superfat. Now that I am in a hard water area, I am getting a lot of drag under my hand even with the use of tetrasodium EDTA. With a lower superfat, I now get much less drag, and I don't get that "ashy" look on my skin once I am dry. I will forevermore have to use lotion while in this area, so the best I can hope for is less drag and less dry appearance. There is a world of improvement with the 2% SF.

Regarding whether to mix micas with anything before adding to batter, why? Micas mix mostly fine without any pre-mixing required. And it is just another step I can eliminate, and less stuff to wash. I work in addition to soaping, so when I can soap, I need to soap, not waste time and effort on unnecessary steps. I very carefully stay away from things that require pre-mixing (like TD for many reasons).