Uncoloured lard soap

[cmzaha]

Do you mind sharing how much citric acid/extra lye you add, and when? My first few batches of soap were very similar to your recipe (minus salt & sugar), except I used olive oil instead of sunflower, but the soap just ruined our wash cloths (thinking hard water, not rinsing out). Would love to try making soap again but have been hung up on adding the chelator.

I would like to mention that Sodium Gluconate and or Tetrasodium EDTA work much better than Citric Acid. Many do not like using EDTA anymore and Sodium Gluconate has become more acceptable.

 

[AliOop]

Thanks, @janesathome I'll also add that I normally use sodium citrate now, rather than citric acid. No extra NaOH is required! I still thoroughly dissolve it in warm water before blending it into the oils, or mixing it into the lye solution.

 

[janesathome]

Thanks, @janesathome I'll also add that I normally use sodium citrate now, rather than citric acid. No extra NaOH is required! I still thoroughly dissolve it in warm water before blending it into the oils, or mixing it into the lye solution.

@AliOop thanks for letting me know, I am not familiar with sodium citrate. Will have to look that up. (And maybe figure out what to do with almost a pound of citric acid powder…)

 

[AliOop]

@AliOop thanks for letting me know, I am not familiar with sodium citrate. Will have to look that up. (And maybe figure out what to do with almost a pound of citric acid powder…)

You can certainly use up the CA that you have on hand, before trying sodium citrate. But you can also make bath bombs with the CA if you want to speed that along

A little info about sodium citrate: when citric acid comes in contact with sodium hydroxide (NaOH, lye), the two ingredients combine to form sodium citrate. So by starting with sodium citrate itself, you achieve the same result, but without any need to adjust the lye calculations. Here is more about that from, you guessed it, @DeeAnna's site.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

add the dissolved CA to the oils before blending in the lye

 

[janesathome]

You can certainly use up the CA that you have on hand, before trying sodium citrate. But you can also make bath bombs with the CA if you want to speed that along

A little info about sodium citrate: when citric acid comes in contact with sodium hydroxide (NaOH, lye), the two ingredients combine to form sodium citrate. So by starting with sodium citrate itself, you achieve the same result, but without any need to adjust the lye calculations. Here is more about that from, you guessed it, @DeeAnna's site.

Thanks so much! I have just been reading that page (how I LOVE @DeeAnna ) and I went to the thread she mentioned on making your own sodium citrate which I found highly entertaining. Now I know what to do to thoroughly clean a pot! Sodium citrate from baking soda and citric acid
I am too cheap to waste the CA - but too lazy to make my own SC. So I will migrate over next year and perhaps save some of my CA to keep my apples from browning next fall, when I have too too too many again and have to fill my freezer with applesauce.

 

[janesathome]

I would like to mention that Sodium Gluconate and or Tetrasodium EDTA work much better than Citric Acid. Many do not like using EDTA anymore and Sodium Gluconate has become more acceptable.

I love the way I keep learning from you folks. Thank you!