Two Questions!

[valor]

Hello you Beautiful People! Hope you're feelin' wonderful!

As some of you may or may not know, I am a new soap maker. I've only been making soap for umm...3 days now. My very first ever batch was Monday and it's lookin' good, BUT had a new experience last night. With my first 2 batches I never saw trace at all. I got tired of beating it and just poured it, but last night my batch had a seizure...no not a convulsion, but it seized up in like 30 seconds so the first part of my first question is:

Is there any particular reason that you shouldn't use an alcohol, like, say, wine for your liquid? Does it make a difference that I used Crisco instead of mostly soybean oil with it? I mean, if I used soybean oil instead of crisco, would it be less likely to seize?

My second question is If I wanted to add a cream, like Coconut cream at trace, would I have to modify my lye/oil ratio to accommodate? I want the cream in there, but I don't want to use it for the initial liquid because I don't want to waste it if I do it wrong.

Thank you all for being so great!

<3 Valor

 

[TessC]

The coconut cream should be deducted from your initial water amount. (If your cream weighs 2 ounces, remove two ounces of your water before mixing it with the lye.)

Just be aware that you can't deduct too much of the water. I don't know the magic number, but I do remember reading that there's a ratio of lye to water that you can't drop beneath. I'm sure one of the more experienced folks will know.


On the alcohol, I dunno, I haven't tried it myself, but it seems like a lot of folks here recommend boiling the alcohol out of wine and beer before soaping with them. If you do a search for wine soap here, I know there have been some pretty interesting discussions, and one should have the answer you need.

 

[surf girl]

I soaped with beer, having simmered it for a while first to boil of the alcohol. No prob.

I soaped with wine, deciding to just go for it. Ha. Rice-o-rama separation mess. Lesson learned: if you you do it, simmer off the alcohol first.

 

[valor]

I soaped with beer, having simmered it for a while first to boil of the alcohol. No prob.

I soaped with wine, deciding to just go for it. Ha. Rice-o-rama separation mess. Lesson learned: if you you do it, simmer off the alcohol first.

HEHE...I just read your post one that, surf girl. I like the whine about wine. I feel you! LOL

Umm yeah. I got no separation, just quick trace and it looked like great veal stock (so my hubby said) Today it smells a little better and it's a gorgeous brown sugar brown. I think it might end up ok (fingers crossed)...thank my soap fairy god-mother!

I was just reading thru the old posts on the subject and feel more properly educated to tackle it again. I live in wine country and sell my MP and other products at a local winery, so it's essential that I figure out something soon.

Thanks for the advice and surf girl, your soap is TDF GORGEOUS!!! I love looking at it!

 

[ChrissyB]

You have to use at least as much liquid as lye, so say your recipe calls for 4 ounces of lye, you need at least 4 ounces of water, or whatever your liquid. Most folks dissolve their lye in some water, and then add the coconut cream/goatsmilk, whatever milk it is, at trace, having deducted that amount from the original liquid amount.