Well, I tried adding sugar to a batch today, and I think I messed up. I added it to the lye water after dissolving the lye and it just clumped all up in a sugar ball so I dug it out. I then tried adding it at trace, first mixing it with a bit of the lightly traced soap and then stick blending some. That worked better, but it still seemed a bit grainy when I poured it in the mold, and my guess is the soap will be grainy after hardening. So, when are you supposed to add the sugar, or should I have dissolved it in water instead of the traced soap goo?
When to add sugar
- Thread starter Theda
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VanessaP
Well-Known Member
When I measure out my water for my batch, I pour out an ounce or two into a little measuring cup. I warm it for 20-30 seconds in the microwave and add my sugar to the hot water and stir until dissolved. Then I mix the lye with the large amount of water and let it start to cool. About halfway through its cooling down period, I pour the sugar water into the lye water and stir, so the heat from the lye water helps keep it melted so it can easily disperse. Then just use like normal. So the short synopsis of my long answer, yes, dissolve the sugar in warm plain water first, then add to the lye water, THEN add it all to the oils 
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Add the sugar to distilled water and stir until dissolved. Then add lye.
la-rene
Well-Known Member
My sugar was added to my soap at a heavy trace and it is not grainy no scratchy
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What I do is measure out my water and then add the sugar at 1T, per PPO. I stir it, let it start dissolving and then stir again until water is perfectly clear. If you add it after the lye, you will get large clumps of sugar crystals, which is what you experienced. You can add all of your water soluble additives to the water before adding the lye.
