Zany's no slime castile

[dibbles]

I might actually make a New Year's castile this year. The slime factor has always kept me away - glad this got bumped!

 

[loriag]

Looking forward to trying this in the new year, thank you Zany_in_CO

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I always let my soaps cure for a minimum of 4 weeks but I can say that the bars are nice and hard. I was able to unmold and cut within 24 hours. The bars are a beautiful creamy white and the sliver that I tried after cutting lathered beautifully with no slime. Just tried it again (made on Dec. 12, btw) and it lathers great. The bubbles aren't big and fluffy but definitely creamy and plentiful without being slimy. I'm really liking it, Zany.

I'm so happy to hear you like it! This was a 12-year long, on-and-off, journey for me from the first time I made Castile in 2005 to 2017. Like others, I didn't care much for Castile Soap and didn't understand its popularity. I was determined to reduce slime, speed up cure, and not make it so "rock hard" that it didn't release lather easily. Now I do like it -- it's easy to make (1/2 hour) plus the profit margin is as good as it gets, especially if it's fragrance and colorant free and no other additives. I luv the creamy white look of it as well, although I have made it with calendula infused OO for babies as well as comfrey infused OO for a facial bar. Both very soothing to sensitive skin.

NOTE to others: I use pomace OO because it's highest in acidity which makes it better for soap than EVOO which is lowest in acidity (thus, it tastes better! ) -- plus, if imported, it may be "fake" or "adulterated". Google to learn more.

 

[Misschief]

View attachment 34633

Avec plaisir!

 

[KiwiMoose]

Help @Zany_in_CO - I've just mixed my lye water and it's cloudy and there are 'deposits' of small white clumpy bits (calcium?) around the edges of the jug (with the consistency of slime) Just the size of a little air bubble. And there are air bubbles too, which I've never had in lye water. I added a bit more water in case it was needed for further dissolving of the lye and it seems to have improved somewhat, but not entirely. I used 1:7 as you suggested, to the premixed saline solution.

Any ideas what's gone wrong?

233.06gm Water

Lye - NaOH

0.302#

4.84oz

137.10g

Oils

2.205#

35.27oz

1,000.00g

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Help @Zany_in_CO\ I used 1:7 as you suggested, to the premixed saline solution.

Oh dear, I was afraid someone might do that. If you go back to the first post, it says:

1.7:1 Water to Lye Ratio (Note decimal and colon)

 

[KiwiMoose]

Oh dear, if you go back to the first post, it says:

Yes - sorry that's what I meant 1.7:1

It's very thick water - like a setting jelly ( not near setting stage, but just starting to thicken a bit).
On the top (after leaving it to sit a bit) is a cloudy white film.

I guess it's no different to when I've used, say brewed coffee, and there was a cloudy brown film on the top when left unstirred.

ETA: I was just worried about 'lye pockets' as I heard them mentioned somewhere previously with the saline solution not being able to take on as much lye. I finished the batch and it seemed to come together well.. I took the option of the coconut at 10% and the castor at 5%. Will keep you posted on the outcome.

 

[74rabia]

This is a tried and true recipe that I've made several times. Others have tried it with excellent results. Be sure to keep the bar high and dry between uses by using a soap-saver-type soap dish. Tweak to your heart's delight! (Like, do I even need to say that?! )

ZANY’S NO SLIME OLIVE OIL CASTILE
Ingredients: Olive oil, water, sea salt, sodium bicarbonate.

1) MAKE FAUX SEAWATER - Use for water portion of the lye solution.
1 quart warm water
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

I make up a quart at a time and store it in the fridge until I need it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2) MAKE LYE SOLUTION - Mix and allow to cool to 35°C - 40°C (100°F - 110°F).
1.7:1 Water to Lye Ratio (Note decimal and colon)
0% Super Fat/Lye Discount

Notes: I’ve tried 2:1 and 1.5:1. 1.5:1 gets almost too hard and 1:2 is okay but a bit slimey, so, for me, 1.7:1 is the ideal. Olive oil is high in unsaponifiables; so 0% SF works best to reduce slippery slime.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prepare lye solution and set it in the sink to cool. Weigh olive oil into soap pot. Warm to 35°C - 40°C (100°F - 110°F). Combine when lye and oils are within -12°C (10°F) of each other. SB on and off to emulsion stage (5 - 25 minutes, depending on grade of olive oil.) Slowly pour into mold. Tap to remove bubbles. Spritz lightly with alcohol. Cover with plastic wrap. Insulate. Leave soap undisturbed for 12-24 hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNMOLD in 12-24 hours
CUT Day 2
CURE Ready to ship in 2 weeks. 6 weeks is best. The longer the cure the better the soap.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unscented, this soap is suitable for babies, sensitive skin, and for cancer patients undergoing radiation. Add 5% castor oil and 10% coconut oil for bubbles and an even milder soap.

If adding fragrance, add 0.85 oz. FO or 0.5% EO /PPO (Per 500 grams) to the castor oil an hour or so ahead of time (or overnight) and a teaspoon PPO of dry ingredient of choice -- corn starch, oat flour, arrowroot powder, White Kaolin Clay, etc. -- to help “stick” the fragrance.

VARIATIONS: Infuse Calendula Petals (yellow) or Bay Leaves (green) in oil ahead of time. Strain. Use up to 40% in the batch to add mildness and color.

Just as a matter of interest for fellow saponifiers- I found these videos on traditional Castille soap making in Syria and Palestine. Allepo Soap is from tree to completion - they're pretty amazing.
(Alleppo Soap-no sound)
(Nabulus)

 

[SaltedFig]

Hey 74 ... where outback are you?

PS. Yes, they are.

 

[Misschief]

View attachment 34633
NOTE to others: I use pomace OO because it's highest in acidity which makes it better for soap than EVOO which is lowest in acidity (thus, it tastes better! ) -- plus, if imported, it may be "fake" or "adulterated". Google to learn more.

I've stopped using pomace for a couple of reasons. First, my usual supplier (my grocery store) no longer stocks it and second, I've found that the colour can vary quite a bit from one batch to another. I now use plain old olive oil, not EVOO. It's readily available and the price isn't that much more than the pomace was.

 

[nframe]

Zany, thank you for your recipe. I would like to try it but would like something clarified first. To make the faux seawater, you use a quart of water. Is that 0.94 litre or 1.13 litre? According to the dictionary, they use 0.94 in the US and 1.13 in the UK. What did you use?

Why can't all the weights and measures be harmonised throughout the world?...

 

[Misschief]

Zany, thank you for your recipe. I would like to try it but would like something clarified first. To make the faux seawater, you use a quart of water. Is that 0.94 litre or 1.13 litre? According to the dictionary, they use 0.94 in the US and 1.13 in the UK. What did you use?

Why can't all the weights and measures be harmonised throughout the world?...

Or, to confuse even more... a quart is 4 cups, or 32 ounces.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Zany, thank you for your recipe.

You're welcome.

To make the faux seawater, you use a quart of water. Is that 0.94 litre or 1.13 litre? According to the dictionary, they use 0.94 in the US and 1.13 in the UK. What did you use?

I use quart. Given that water by weight is 32 oz. and by volume is 32 fluid oz., if you have a scale like mine that weighs in ounces and grams, make it easy on yourself and weigh out 32 oz, switch the scale to grams if you like, and there you have it.

Why can't all the weights and measures be harmonised throughout the world?...

I couldn't agree more. It's interesting to note that JFK, President John F Kennedy, who was president in the early 60's, said that we would make it to the moon in 10 years and also convert the USA to metric in the same amount of time. We made it to the moon, but not the conversion. Says something about our Yankee spirit, me thinks. (roll eyes)

 

[KiwiMoose]

Zany, thank you for your recipe. I would like to try it but would like something clarified first. To make the faux seawater, you use a quart of water. Is that 0.94 litre or 1.13 litre? According to the dictionary, they use 0.94 in the US and 1.13 in the UK. What did you use?

Why can't all the weights and measures be harmonised throughout the world?...

Oh - I wonder if this is why my water went 'funny' when I added the lye @Zany_in_CO? I used 320 g water with 4.76g sea salt and 4.76g baking soda.

 

[penelopejane]

36 Oz water = 1000g water
The recipe requires 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of bicarb.

US tablespoon = 15ml (Australian tablespoon = 20ml)

So you made about 1/4 of the batch and used about 1/4 of the additives (give or take and in this situation that’s fine).

What might have impacted on you was if you mixed the salt into the lye water (very difficult) or if you miss measured the lye or water.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I now use plain old olive oil, not EVOO.

LOL "plain old olive oil" is just as good. It's the EVOO that is mostly adulterated here in the States.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Photo of my end result over on the "What Soapy Things.." thread Zany.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Photo of my end result over on the "What Soapy Things.." thread Zany.

Found it! Post #9118. Beautiful! Well done, Kiwi!
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/what-soapy-thing-have-you-done-today.42556/page-456

 

[Obsidian]

I decided to give this a try. Only made three bars as I'm not a fan of castile, hoping this will be better. Not sure if it was the salt or the FO but this traced fairly quick. Had to use some EVOO since I didn't have enough of the plain. It looks nice, poured well at very thin trace.

@Zany_in_CO might I suggest you edit the salt water recipe to have ounces of water instead of quart? I didn't read the whole thread until after I made my soap. I just used a pint jar to mix my water, not sure if it will affect the outcome or not.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

... might I suggest you edit the salt water recipe to have ounces of water instead of quart? I didn't read the whole thread until after I made my soap.

Aw, Obsidian, as you probably know, it's too late to edit. I'm sorry you missed this in the instructions:

I make up a quart at a time and store it in the fridge until I need it.

In any case, when tweaking a recipe, it's a good idea to double check everything. As my father-the-carpenter always said, "Measure twice; saw once." After a few "oopsies", I finally learned to do that when making soap.

I'm "retired" from making soap for wholesale customers, but when I was doing so, I used faux seawater to make Castile/Bastile soaps and Aleppo type bars and used it up over a few months. It keeps well in the fridge for a long time and can certainly be used to make other soaps that may be a little on the soft side.

...I just used a pint jar to mix my water, not sure if it will affect the outcome or not.

Good question. I'd love an update on your result, if it's not too much trouble.