What is the purpose for adding wax cold process soap ? How would incorporate it and how is it calculated in the recipe? I am new soapy, ready to explore !
Why Wax
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Using waxes adds hardness and longevity. The two most used in soap are beeswax and soy wax. There's nothing special about adding them, you just melt them with the rest of the fats. The difference is that they need higher temp to stay liquid and you may reach trace faster.
Both of them are present in (at least some) calculators with their own SAP and FA profiles. SW is used in higher % and has high % FA - you definitely need to count it among the fats in the recipe ‐ it works well for PO substitute. Some soapers (me included) use BW as an additive instead and ignore its SAP - it's used in lower % and has lots of unsaponifying stuff inside, so it's safe and doesn't affect the soap negatively, from what I've experienced. But it is there, as an option, to count it within the oils if you want
Both of them are present in (at least some) calculators with their own SAP and FA profiles. SW is used in higher % and has high % FA - you definitely need to count it among the fats in the recipe ‐ it works well for PO substitute. Some soapers (me included) use BW as an additive instead and ignore its SAP - it's used in lower % and has lots of unsaponifying stuff inside, so it's safe and doesn't affect the soap negatively, from what I've experienced. But it is there, as an option, to count it within the oils if you want
Just to clarify - Soy wax is not a true wax. It is made by hydrogenating and/or esterifying soybean oil.
I am trying to understand so please forgive my inexperienced wording . So if I used BW as an additive I would not put it in soap Calc? I would just melt it with my oils. And mix lye and oil at higher temp?
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You need to figure that in with the rest of the ingredients. SoapCalc has beeswax as an ingredient.
Hey, no worries! I was a beginner myself not long ago, I know how confusing it may be.
What I meant is that beeswax (in this lye calculator for example) is both in the oils list and the additives list at the same time (even if it wasn't, you can add custom additives to your list, so there's always that option). It's up to you how to handle it - you can add it as an oil and let the software do its magic and calculate how much NaOH is needed to consume the fatty acids in the BW in addition to the rest of the oils in the recipe (a hint - it usually won't be much). Or, you can use it from the additives list (so that way it will only add to the total weight of the batch and nothing else) and completely ignore its SAP value - and it will be completely fine.
The reason for that is that people usually use very little beeswax in their recipes - like 1-2% of total oil weight, rarely higher than that. And given its low SAP value (for example, avocado oil has twice the SAP value of BW), as long as the amount is little, it won't affect the SF that much and you won't notice any negative effect. BW has a lot of stuff that can't get saponified (if you check the FA profile in the above calculator, it shows 0 for all of the main fatty acids important for soap making - which just shows how low is the supposed value). Of course, if you go higher %, it won't be a bad idea to include it with the oils and add some more NaOH. After a certain % people report soap getting brittle - I can't say because I haven't used much and can't confirm it though.
With all that being said, do what makes sense to you, follow your logic and try to keep it simple until you get more into it.
And yes, you just melt it with the oils and mix with the lye as you usually would - just make sure it's a little hotter (like, around 65-70 C or so), otherwise it will start getting solid within the mixture.
I hope I managed to explain it, but please let me know if I overdid it again
I admit all that stuff can be a little overwhelming at first, so I'll be glad to help further if needed
![[B2Organic] Cold Process Organic Soap (BEESWAX)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ou7fF0llL._SL500_.jpg)
I must respectfully disagree with advice to list beeswax as an additive, rather than an oil. Especially for beginners, it is best to list anything with a SAP value (beeswax, pine tar, etc.) in the oils list. While it is true that nothing terrible is likely to happen, small inconsistencies like this can add up and can result in a much different soap than planned.
For instance, if one added 2% beeswax to firm up a 20% pine tar soap (somewhat common), and then used a little extra oil (not from the batch oils) to disperse colorants (also somewhat common), now you have three factors increasing the superfat of the soap and dampening the lather.
These are the types of compound mistakes that end up as a post here on SMF, asking, "What happened to my soap?"
Thanks for all your help ! You're great at explaining everything! Xoxo
That's something that can be polished as a person gains more experience. For my first recipe with milk I even counted the fat content within it as part of the total oil weight - ever since I haven't bothered to do that, I just keep my SF low. Same with beeswax. To each their own.
While I get your point, my opinion is that people should find what works best for them and stick to it as they progress - or change it if needed. The example you gave about the three SF increasing factors is possible, but I think beginners with little experience should keep it simple and take one step at a time instead to avoid scenarios as the one you described. Learn, observe, understand how everything works - because if you mess up, you can't blame anybody else.
I agree that what you described happens more often than not - it's just a case of taking a bigger bite that one can chew.
P.S.: Thank you for the post, I always enjoy our discussions!
We can agree to disagree. 
My philosophy of teaching new soapers is to do things "by the book" until there is enough understanding about the why behind the generally accepted "rules" - using that term loosely given how many versions of soaping "rules" are out there.
Once the soaper has good basic soaping skills, and an understanding of the science behind the rules, then s/he can usually determine whether deviating from standard practice is going to cause problems. I say "usually" because (to quote that wise soap philosopher @KiwiMoose):
Sometimes, soap just do what soap do.
My philosophy of teaching new soapers is to do things "by the book" until there is enough understanding about the why behind the generally accepted "rules" - using that term loosely given how many versions of soaping "rules" are out there.
Once the soaper has good basic soaping skills, and an understanding of the science behind the rules, then s/he can usually determine whether deviating from standard practice is going to cause problems. I say "usually" because (to quote that wise soap philosopher @KiwiMoose):
Sometimes, soap just do what soap do.
I'm sure someone else said that first - but no-one has come forward so I'll own it.We can agree to disagree.
My philosophy of teaching new soapers is to do things "by the book" until there is enough understanding about the why behind the generally accepted "rules" - using that term loosely given how many versions of soaping "rules" are out there.
Once the soaper has good basic soaping skills, and an understanding of the science behind the rules, then s/he can usually determine whether deviating from standard practice is going to cause problems. I say "usually" because (to quote that wise soap philosopher @KiwiMoose):
Sometimes, soap just do what soap do.
Exactly, it's too difficult to determine 'rules' in soap making most of the time. Often something is the norm for decades only to get discredited in a blink of an eye once a new trend gets enough followers.We can agree to disagree.
My philosophy of teaching new soapers is to do things "by the book" until there is enough understanding about the why behind the generally accepted "rules" - using that term loosely given how many versions of soaping "rules" are out there.
Once the soaper has good basic soaping skills, and an understanding of the science behind the rules, then s/he can usually determine whether deviating from standard practice is going to cause problems. I say "usually" because (to quote that wise soap philosopher @KiwiMoose):
Sometimes, soap just do what soap do.
Call me a rebel who likes to present beginner soapers with the option to think outside of the box, as an alternative way of getting to know the why's and the how's. Not that the other way is wrong - and I know you can't take shortcuts when it comes to craft - but it's there as an option, if it suits your particular vision and needs. Once you've gathered enough knowledge and know what you're doing and how you are going to achieve it, the real fun begins, and you appreciate all experience - good or bad.
Apart from the lye aspect in soaping, not much can get irreversibly bad or is dangerous. So there's much room for experimenting. Whenever someone tries something new, keeping the batch to a minimum is usually enough to save you a huge disappointment
With that being said, I get your point and I understand why a lot of people think that way. Playing safe is not a bad thing by any stretch
The Bearded Beekeeper
Member
When I use BW, I keep it to a maximum of 2% of the oils used
This was a good read ~ I've been thinking of adding BW and seeing what happens 
Well, there is the risk of wasted ingredients from failed batches or less-than-ideal soaps. I hate wasting anything, including time, which explains in part why I lean more towards using tried and true methods and learning the science first. If someone cares less about that, then they may be happier with experimenting willy-nilly from the beginning.Apart from the lye aspect in soaping, not much can get irreversibly bad or is dangerous. So there's much room for experimenting. Whenever someone tries something new, keeping the batch to a minimum is usually enough to save you a huge disappointment
I always trust the guidance of "The Masters" here on the forum! You guys are all awesome ~ newbies and experienced soapers, all of you!
Y'all are the best!
I wasted so much material and so much time when I first started because I rushed in headlong wanting fancy ingredient combinations and complex designs... waaaaaaay before I was ready for any of it.
I spent months here researching other people's mistakes before I started soaping again, and I STILL made a ton of mistakes, which y'all graciously (and patiently) helped me through.
Anyhow, now that I'm a little more seasoned, I lean more towards Ali's sentiments of pragmatism first.
I spent months here researching other people's mistakes before I started soaping again, and I STILL made a ton of mistakes, which y'all graciously (and patiently) helped me through.
Anyhow, now that I'm a little more seasoned, I lean more towards Ali's sentiments of pragmatism first.
Same, girl, same!
I've made a total of 28 batches of soap since my first one at Christmas time - 9 months ago. All except one were 1-2 pound batches. The only beginner "rule" I broke was using goat milk from the beginning. Of all those 28 batches, none of them failed as soap. Quite a few turned out different than I expected, some weren't as nice as I wanted, and several colors/designs failed, but I haven't had to throw away any soap. I attribute that to the help and advice I got here.
As a beginner, it was/is confusing to hear "do whatever works for you" when I have no idea what works for me, which is why I ask questions! What helps for my learning style (and I understand that not everyone is the same as me) is, "Do it this way, and if you don't like how it goes, then try it the other way."
Regardless, it is wonderful to have so many people here who are ready and willing to help others, no matter their learning style. Opinions seem to vary as much as soaping styles!
When I said 'experiment' I didn't mean for people to do crazy stuff like 'I heard glass in soap is a good idea and I wanna try'. Everything needs to have a certain limit, people need to use their common sense to determine what may or may not work. Having less-than-ideal soap when you are just starting is perfectly fine ‐ if at least some 'rules' are applied your batch will still be usable, so no ingredients would be wasted and you will learn from the mistakes you made, if any. No time is wasted when you are learning something new through experience. Always keeping it minimal when trying something new is the key. I would never encourage people who make their first batch to use 5 different additives, fragrances, colors, designs and a huge loaf mold - a lot of people make that mistake and get disappointed with soap making. Cover the basics first - and once you do, go as far as you want.
People use beeswax as an additive. People also use citric acid without adding more NaOH. Both will increase the SF slightly, but that doesn't mean their soap is ruined. The only certain rule here is 'what works for me may not work for you'. I'm into advices like 'if you do this, this will happen, and if you do that - that will happen, the choice and the responsibility for it are all yours'. When I said BW can be used as an additive instead of fat I mentioned it has SAP and contains fatty acids ‐ and that it will affect the SF, even slightly. I also said that if the % is higher, it's a good idea to add it as a fat. So it's up to them to decide whether or not they want that effect and they can choose their method accordingly.
A quick note. 1 g of citric acid consumes around 10 times more sodium hydroxide than 1 g of beeswax. And yet a lot of people to this day don't bother with math, don't add more NaOH and just lower their SF a bit when adding around 1% citric acid of oil weight. That's keeping it simple and doing what works best for you. I stand behind my words ‐ adding 1-2% beeswax (of total oil weight) as an additive is fine and won't increase the SF level by much. And one can always SF at a little lower % in case they fear their lather won't be that rich with that particular additive, for some reason.
And I'm not against the other method either ‐ they both work for me, that's why I mentioned them both as options. This or that - whatever floats your boat.
There are certain topics we just won't see eye to eye, and it's perfectly fine. That makes for an interesting discussion and I don't mind. The post got a little longer than expected ‐ feel free to reply or to ignore it.
