Why add sugar and/or salt to water before adding lye?

[rubyslippers]

So... can you add BOTH salt and sugar at 1tbs ppo - yes, per pound of oil? I did my first batch with sugar last night and LOVE it, won't ever make a batch without it again. I disolved it with the water before I added the lye, making absolutely sure it was disolved (bored while waiting for the oils to melt so I stirred) But I also like the hardening properties of salt and am wondering if you can use them together?

My bad! Just reread your post and realized I answered too soon with a resounding yes. Should have caught that you were asking if both could be added at 1 TBS ppo. I stand corrected! I add both in these amounts: 1 Tbl sugar & 1/2 tsp salt ppo.

 

[Guest]

Oops, I just used 1 tsp EACH of icing sugar and salt in my batch today. I didn't notice any difference while I was making it, but it's cooling in the mold now. I did this one HP in the crock pot-- so much fun!
Hopefully it will be cool enough to cut later this evening.

I love making soap!

 

[Bnky]

Kitn: Do you add the powdered sugar to the lye or do you add it at trace? Does the powdered work better or is it easier to dissolve?

 

[Guest]

Oops, I just used 1 tsp EACH of icing sugar and salt in my batch today. I didn't notice any difference while I was making it, but it's cooling in the mold now.

That's good. You can up the sugar to 1 T. next time and still use the salt (maybe 1/2 t. salt). See if you notice the difference in use. More lather?
Different skin feel after leaving the bath?

 

[Sunkawakan]

I do keep a big 25litre tank of vinegar right above where I soap, which is in a sink and it has a little tap (those water tanks you take when you go camping), so if at anytime there is a little spill/splash - the vinegar literally pours, and this is cool because, when I'm done with the lye stuff, including the leftover raw soap mix and the rawsoap laden SB. I merely plug the sink and let the vinegar pour in.

BRILLIANT What a wonderful idea. I only 1/2 batches at a time but this would be very helpful at other times as well. I seem to go through vinegar by the gallon anyway - use it in the fabric softner part when I wash my clothes, much better than store bought softeners and, because I have long hair and baby it I use it as a hair rinse 2X/month to get any shampoo/conditioner out, along with dozens of other uses around the house. Having it right by the sink would make it so much easier. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the great tip!

I'm off to the shed to get my water jug, have a great evening everyone.

 

[heartsong]

x

Kitn: Do you add the powdered sugar to the lye or do you add it at trace? Does the powdered work better or is it easier to dissolve?

i get the best results if i add the sugar to the water, making sure it's completely dissovled, and then add the lye.

you would do the same with the salt.

 

[Galavanting Gifts]

I use Glucose syrup in my hotpress, adding it to the stages of the final cook. I couldn't believe how much nicer the bars came out. I'm get to try sugar.

 

[Saltysteele]

Is there anywhere in the soapcalc to add the sugar or you don't really factor it in to your recipe?? Just add it to your notes on the bottome???

amanda,

when you're done figuring your recipe, click on the "view/print recipe" button, and on that page you can add notes, etc.

 

[amanda131]

Thanks Salty. I will do that. i just wondered if it figured the "chemical make-up" of the sugar into the recipe but I guess not, so into the "notes" section it goes!! Thanks!!

 

[Guest]

i just wondered if it figured the "chemical make-up" of the sugar into the recipe

And that's a good question of any additive. Does it affect the lye?

I don't think sugar and salt affect the recipe lye/wise.

Sodium lactate is an acid. When you add that to your regular
recipe, you'll see that the bar ends up more superfatted than before.
You'll have to lower your SF in the recipe (to get more lye to make up for the lye that SL "eats").