trace question

[mychicknpi]

I recently got Anne Watson's book on soap making and I am wondering how many experienced soapers, or even unexperienced ones like me , use her method of telling trace. I have blended to thick trace when I made my soaps and the tops were less than smooth.....they were like textured stuco really. But I was afraid I would miss trace or have false trace....so I am hoping her suggestion would be a better method. Suggestion?
Thanks,
Anna

 

[BakingNana]

What's her method? I don't have that book.

Trace for me is when I can form a star on the surface of the soap by drizzling from the stick blender and I see the whole star before it disappears. This keeps me from getting to the 'pudding' stage, especially if I want to swirl. Just made one with avocado butter and cucumber FO last night; green with white swirl. I cut a strip of parchment paper and lay it on top of the just-poured soap, then use an offset spatula to smooth it. No bumpy tops that way. I suppose you could use freezer paper or just plain plastic wrap also. Hope this helps.

 

[djk17]

I used to go for a relatively heavy trace but that doesn't allow for play time with scents/colours etc. And things can move along too quickly for me.

Now I find that as long as I use a stick blender first to blend the warm oils, then to add the lye solution, and make sure they are mixed just enough for the faintest line to remain for a fleeting moment on the surface before it sinks back into the soap, that is trace enough for me. I haven't had any difficulty with this at all in my finished soap.

 

[opalgirl]

I do the same thing. Very faint trace. I make sure everything is incorporated with a spoon, then stick blend then spoon a little more. Sometimes stickblending can cause trace too fast.

 

[ewenique]

I have used Anne Watson's temperature method to tell trace. If the temp goes up 1 or 2 degrees, saponification has started. Personally, I like a textured top on log molds. I haven't advanced to colors or swirls yet, but can see where a smooth top would make the nicest effect. Someday...

 

[honor435]

you do not to wait til it leaves a "trail" on top, just make sure lye/water is mixed with oils, if you let it thicken too much, its too hard to work with. Ive never seen or had happen that false trace, so I couldnt tell ya what that is.

 

[Lindy]

I go to basically emulsified, separate out my oils for swirling, add my scent take it to light trace then swirl in my colours and pour. I find heavy trace just doesn't end up looking the way I want and there is absolutely no time to play....

 

[LadyM]

I've never bothered that much about trace over the course of 5 years of soaping either. I just mix lye and oils, stir briskly for 7 - 10 minutes, add FOs, EOs, botanicals etc. and pour into my molds. Never have never had a problem with this method, and have never had a real trace that I've been able to see!!! I'm curious what a stick blender would do ...

 

[whisks]

the first time i made soap was the first time i reached trace, and it was a disaster - after i reached trace, i kept mixing and the batter separated and i ended up hot processing (i didn't know at the time it was HP - i just kept heating in the microwave to try and get the mix to come together). from then on, i found that just emulsifying was adequate.

can someone explain false trace?

 

[amiphant]

Ya i never experienced a real trace neither but I found hand whisking for about 15-20 mins nonstop until the solution looks emulsified work out just fine....but this won't work out nicely if u want to do swirl...

I just got a stick blender as I'm planning to try doing swirl....it's just too tiring to reach real trace by hand....

I've never bothered that much about trace over the course of 5 years of soaping either. I just mix lye and oils, stir briskly for 7 - 10 minutes, add FOs, EOs, botanicals etc. and pour into my molds. Never have never had a problem with this method, and have never had a real trace that I've been able to see!!! I'm curious what a stick blender would do ...