Weight or Fluid Causing Confusion

[kchric]

Hello,

I am new to the soap making and am using the Hot Process method.

Tonight I made my very first batch using the recipe from here http://www.netplaces.com/soapmaking/the ... ipment.htm

Seems to work but we will see later this week.

Anyways, my question is in regards to measurements; are they always in weight or a mix of weight and fluid measurements? Some recipes seem to indicate weight and others both. Doesn't seem clear. The recipe I used today called for a weight measurement of Olive oil. Olive oil is liquid, but I used weight as prescribed. However I am still confused.

Please help me get clarification on this issue.

Thanks

Basic Hot-Process Soap
Yields 3 pounds

1 pound, 3 ounces olive oil
3 ounces palm kernel oil
10 ounces coconut oil
12 ounces water
4.5 ounces lye
2 tablespoons castor oil

 

[Fragola]

Should always be weight

However, some recipes may be inexact or use volume. There are many recipes out there and some are bad ones. This is why you should always use a lye calculator to check the recipe:
http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Ca ... CalcWP.asp
http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php

Also, many recipes use weight for main ingredients (lye, oils), but volume for additives or superfat. For example, you can see:

1 teaspoon bentonite clay
2 teaspoons apricot kernel oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

 

[Hazel]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I went and looked at the site you got the recipe from and it's not bad. I do have a few quibbles with some of the content. I checked the recipe you're using on soapcalc.net lye calculator. All I can say is I'd like to hear how it turns out for you. I personally would find it too drying for my skin but the 11% superfat might make it less drying. I use less coconut and a lower superfat.

As Fragola said, you want to weigh everything for your soap batches. This will make it more accurate and consistent. A volume weight isn't the same as net weight. I don't use tablespoons for castor. I weigh it out. I also weigh any additives for accuracy.

I recommend Kathy Miller's site if you want to learn more about hot process. http://millersoap.com/

I do want to discuss the following quote from the web site where you got your recipe.

Although cold process takes weeks to neutralize, waiting can be less stressful for beginners than cooking the soap to neutrality.

I don't like the way this sentence is stated. It doesn't take weeks for CP to "neutralize". Is this person talking about pH? A neutral pH is 7. Soap will always be more alkaline and the pH range will be higher - maybe 9-10 (or something close to this range). If the person is talking about saponification, it also doesn't take weeks for CP to saponify. Generally, CP will be saponified in under 24 hours if it has been gelled. However, I've put some batches into the frig to prevent gelling and it has taken several days to completely saponify. I even had one batch that was still zapping 5 days later.

You're using heat with HP to accelerate saponification so the batch should be completely saponified in 2-3 hours instead of the next day or several days.

Now it does take several weeks for CP to cure. Water will evaporate from the soap and it will become harder and milder. However, HP also benefits from a curing period so it will become harder and milder. HP will still be soft after the cook and won't last very long if you start using it right away. It also won't be at the best it can be if you use it right away. The curing period isn't just about evaporation of excess water. The soap does become milder over time.

A better way to phrase the above quote would be "Although cold process takes weeks to cure, waiting can be less stressful for beginners than cooking the soap to accelerate saponification". Actually, this sentence didn't make sense before and still doesn't make any sense even with changing the wording.

Also, if waiting is stressful for someone; then soapmaking probably isn't the best hobby for the person.