using less water means much less stickblending adviseable?

[Maythorn]

Boy I started using twice as much water as lye or just a little bit of water above that and though it's helping my soap harden faster, I'm afraid to stick blend for more than just a few seconds. With a faster moving scent I have, I won't at all.

But it really solved the problem of wet soap that can't be unmolded for days on end stuck to the freezer paper. If it does that you can never get it smooth. I've taken a soft wet towel to it and dabbed and all I can say is it looks it.

Less water vs. less stickblending means you really better do a good stir. I might whisk just a bit too but not too much because I know it makes bubbles.

 

[Genny]

Re: using less water means much less stickblending adviseabl

Yep, using less water speeds up trace.

Personally, I like using 35% water in my recipes & I love the way the fully cured soap feels compared to the ones that I use less water with. I wonder if there are others out there that prefer higher water like me, because I'm always seeing people ask how about how far they can discount the water. LOL

 

[Alex66]

Re: using less water means much less stickblending adviseabl

In Italy we normally use 30% of water for 1 kg of oils.
Recently I tried to use 33% and it was really much better : I could work and prepare my soap into the mold with all necessary time before it became hard.
What dous it mea “as much water as lye”? about 140-150 gr, mor or less? And..quantity of oils and lys remain the same as usual with discounted water?

 

[IrishLass]

Re: using less water means much less stickblending adviseabl

I think it helps to specificy if one is calculating their water amount via lye concentration % or as 'water as % of oils'. Both are very different and it can be confusing when having discussions like this.

I always calculate my water amount as a lye concentration percent (which is based on a lye to water ratio). I like using a 33% lye solution with mine, which means I use twice as much water as lye (i.e. if a recipe calls for 2 oz lye, I would use 4 oz water).

The reason why I base my water amount on the % of lye instead of basing it on the oils is because of an explanation given to me by Roxanne of River City Soaps. She explained on another forum that since the primary purpose of water in soap is to act as a carrier for the lye, then it's the lye that determines how much water is actually needed. Reference here: http://www.thedishforum.com/forum/index ... centration

Anyway, I really like using a 33% lye concentration. It's not so much water that my batches take days to unmold and cut, and it's not so little water that things move too fast for me. As Goldilocks said, "It's just right." Sometimes I'll discount my water even more by using a 40% lye solution (1.5 times more water than lye), but that's only for my 100% OO soaps with a well-behaved FO.

And..quantity of oils and lys remain the same as usual with discounted water?

Yes- lye and oil amounts stay the same. Only the water amount changes.

IrishLass

 

[thefarmerdaughter]

Re: using less water means much less stickblending adviseabl

i do goat milk soaps. ive noticed when i use a higher milk to lye ratio there is less discoloration. trade off trace takes longer. worth it in my opinion

 

[Maythorn]

Re: using less water means much less stickblending adviseabl

I was using adding up the water in percentage to the oils not the lye. No wonder!