White Bar Soap - Best Batch of CP I've made yet.

[Nibiru2020]

I decided to something out of sequence when making a CP bar soap. I kept having issues with uber fast trace when using fragrance oils and such.
So I added the FO to the base oils prior to heating them plus adding sodium lactate to the oils too. In addition, I used a 1 Tbsp. of white kaolin clay added to some of the distilled water to hydrate it, and then adding it to the lye solution prior to adding the water / NaOH solution to the heated oils.
The oil temp was around 148°F and the lye solution was at 157°F. Stick blended to a light trace, similar to thin gravy and then poured it into the mold.
I then set the mold in a preheated 180°F oven for 20 minutes to closely watch it for any wild activity. Then boosted the temp to 195°F for anther hour or so with plastic wrap covering the top of the mold.

No runs, no drips, no errors aka volcanoes.

I used an ounce of Amberwood Moss FO for the scent.

Here are some photos of during saponification and after cutting into bars. This was done yesterday and bars cut today.

Here's the recipe:

 

[AliOop]

Very pretty white bars!

May I ask why you soap at those temps? Not criticizing, just wondering since you were having troubles with fast trace, and heat increases that, especially at your posted temps. Most folks trying to control or slow down trace are soaping at 100F or less.

 

[Nibiru2020]

Very pretty white bars!

May I ask why you soap at those temps? Not criticizing, just wondering since you were having troubles with fast trace, and heat increases that, especially at your posted temps. Most folks trying to control or slow down trace are soaping at 100F or less.

AliOop
Thank you for the kind compliment. It's truly appreciated.
I tend to keep things simple, much in the way Uncle Jon does his soaps. I know there are a lot of soapers who go for the frilly and the froufrou. Not here. IMHO, soap has one purpose and one purpose only... to clean and refresh the largest organ on the human body.

My little bout with a benign skin cancer around 2000 prompted me to start making my own soap, up to that point I had been a complete body wash convert for over 10 years and I believe that those detergents had something to do with that skin cancer.

It was how I learned to do it over 20 years ago basically. from a couple of books and such. Heck, my first batch of soap was in a 9x9 Pyrex casserole dish. Things have changed since then, I know that.
I changed the temps for this batch too. It worked and that's what's important for me.
I am more into liquid soaps and gels also. Maybe that's where I get the "obsession" with higher temps.
I like to ensure a complete as possible saponification.
My bars tested at a pH of 9 this morning. No zap on this man's tongue! LOL!

 

[AliOop]

I totally understand! I started with hot process and thought I'd stick with it forever. Hanging around this forum and seeing all the pretty designs eventually convinced me to try CP, lower temps, liquid soaps, etc. It's fun to learn different things, isn't it?

 

[Nibiru2020]

Yes it is fun to try different methods, recipes and procedures. Recently I found a great dual-lye recipe for men's shaving soap pucks using stearic acid as the main component. WOW! This soap I made is like gliding my razor over glass! Thick creamy lather and great skin conditioning too. I got the recipe from a lady's YouTube video and I did just a little modification to it... other than that, it's basically the original recipe.

Maybe I'll post it too, along with photos of the round soap pucks. Whaddya think AliOop?

 

[AliOop]

We are all about the soap pics here, so yes, please post them!

 

[Nibiru2020]

We are all about the soap pics here, so yes, please post them!

AliOop
As per your request...
The recipe and my notes about it are in the RECIPE FEEDBACK section along with photos.

 

[JillGat]

AliOop
...
My little bout with a benign skin cancer around 2000 prompted me to start making my own soap, up to that point I had been a complete body wash convert for over 10 years and I believe that those detergents had something to do with that skin cancer. ...

I don't think there is such a thing as benign cancer. Just sayin'

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

your soap is nice' when I saw it " Said To Self Yep Thats Soap!"

 

[Nibiru2020]

I don't think there is such a thing as benign cancer. Just sayin'

There is a difference between a benign tumor and a malignant tumor.
A benign tumor is a mass of cells (tumor) that lacks the ability to either invade neighboring tissue or metastasize (spread throughout the body). When removed, benign tumors usually do not grow back, whereas malignant tumors sometimes do.
...just sayin'.

 

[JillGat]

There is a difference between a benign tumor and a malignant tumor.
A benign tumor is a mass of cells (tumor) that lacks the ability to either invade neighboring tissue or metastasize (spread throughout the body). When removed, benign tumors usually do not grow back, whereas malignant tumors sometimes do.
...just sayin'.

Exactly. Not all tumors are cancer. I know what you mean, though!

 

[Nibiru2020]

One thing I've noticed whilst the soap is air drying is the fact that the FO scent is much stronger that previous batches. I had read that the addition of clay, in this case Kaolin, helps to "fix" the FO and retain it in the soap. From now on, all my CP soap batches will have either Kaolin or Bentonite to help fix the FO scent within the soap.

From COOP COCO:

"Clays are known for their ability to capture and absorb molecules, including odours and scents. Clay will trap scents in your homemade soap so it keeps its lovely smell longer.

To use, just mix 1–3% clay (on the total weight of oils) to your essentials oils and add when you reach trace. All clays will work: white (kaolin), pink, red, green, yellow, and even ghassoul! They will also make your soap creamier and increase lather. A perfect solution, don’t you think?!

Keep in mind that adding clay can affect the final colour of your creation. If you want this effect to be as subtle as possible, we recommend using white clay. It will make the colour of your homemade soap slightly paler, without impacting the final colour too significantly. Coloured clays will add a lovely, earthy, and very natural colour."

 

[AliOop]

I'm personally not a fan of bentonite clay in soap; it makes it very drying on my skin. Kaolin clay doesn't do that to me. YMMV.

 

[Nibiru2020]

AliOop

I prefer Kaolin my self. It's used in a lot of pharmaceuticals too, such as Parapectolin, Kaopectate, etc.
Bentonite is used a lot for cat litter, sealing oil wells cracks, water well casings, etc.
I'll stick with what the pharmacists use instead.

 

[Kaolin washer]

Dasm, nice work