Transparent Soap vs Melt & Pour

[lsg]

I made a big batch of transparent soap a couple of weeks ago using Failor's method with Everclear. Yesterday I made a big batch of High Sudz Melt & Pour using a recipe from Kayla Fioravanti's book.

Here is a picture comparing the two bars. The bar on the left is Failor's transparent soap and the bar on the right is M&P from Firavanti's book. You can see that the bar on the right is clearer without the yellowish cast. The transparent soap on the left is a bear to remelt while the m&p bar on the right melts like a dream. Both bars lather very well. Just thought I would share.

 

[paillo]

Gorgeous! Are they hard to make? Here in Virginia I have to get a permit to buy Everclear

 

[lsg]

The Melt & Pour is easier but takes a lot of ingredients including surfactants that have to be ordered from a supplier. The transparent soap ingredients include Castor, coconut, and palm oils, along with lye, water, Everclear, glycerin and sugar. This takes longer to make and you have to put a bonnet on the pot so the alcohol doesn't evaporate. I think you can substitute a very high proof vodka for the everclear, but check to make sure before trying it.
The cost to make the M&P is .50 per oz while the cost of the transparent bar figured about .21 per oz. There is a recipe for translucent melt and pour that makes a nice bar. It is a smaller batch and melts well, but is not clear like the one I just posted. It works well though and is cheaper.

 

[new12soap]

Yes, you can substitute high proof vodka or ethyl alcohol from the drugstore. it takes some math because lower alcohol content means higher water content, so you have to short your water in your recipe.

http://www.millersoap.com/glycerinsoap.html

read all of it, including jeff brobeck's method, that should help. Also I don't bother with all that fussiness, I throw it all in the crockpot, give it a good stir, put on the lid (mine has a very heavy glass lid) and let it cook on low.

eta: both of those look really great lsg