MissMori

The larger the mold or batch of soap (poured into one mold) the more likely that it will have a complete gel. If you are making tiny little batches (1 or 2 or even 4 bars) it will need help going through a complete gel. You can either place your mold on a heating pad and then place a towel over the filled mold OR place the mold in the oven at 150F. You can also preheat your mold and then insulate with towels after the pour.

Do yourself a favor and switch over to metric. Get a scale that has a capacity of about 2000g and readability to 1g. Meaning the smallest unit of measure is 1g. You will be able to make soap batches that are about 4 1/2 lbs... or about 16 bars of soap. Switching to metric helps to reduce uncertainty in your measurements. If you are off by 1/2 oz, you are off by 14 grams. But if you are off by 1/2 a gram, you are off by 1/48 oz. The smaller the unit of measure, the greater accuracy. Look for tare function and an AC adapter. Also, a scale that allows you to turn off the automatic "off." There is nothing worse than being in the middle of weighing liquid oils and the scale turns itself off. I like this one... http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-3001p-black.aspx

You can use ROE (rosemary oleoresin extract) to help prevent dos. Use at 1.2% of weight of other oils. If you are using 100g olive, then you use 1.2g ROE. You could also use tetrasodium EDTA, BHT or sodium citrate at .1% of weight of other oils (100g olive to .1g EDTA, etc.) None of these will prevent dos completely, but they will prolong shelf life of your soap. There are some claims that EDTA, BHT and sodium citrate are harmful. Use your own judgment. There are a couple other things you can do... reduce the amount of water you use and oven process your soap. If you are confident with handling lye solutions, I would do a 1:1 ratio of NaOH to water. One other thing, do not use EVOO. Not only because of the cost, but moreso do to the unsaponifiables.

Yes, this has happened to me. I have a base recipe that I use again and again. It behaves differently depending on the temperature at which I soap, weather, additives (especially fo's,) and even whether I hand stirred or used a stick blender. Soap making is a new adventure every day. I like to gel my soaps to make them get harder faster. If you used the same formula that you used on a previous occasion with satisfactory results, but it didn't turn out the same this time, do not throw it away. Let it cure, take notes and see what happens. If possible, review what you did to make sure you weighed everything accurately. You could try adding a bit of cocoa butter or shea butter, that will help harden up your soap. Or even 2% to 5% beeswax. Other than that, reduce the amount of water. Be aware that reducing the water too much can cause other problems. Just an FYI, the 38% water ratio is in relation to the amount of oils (weight) that you are using. As you progress in soap making, it may be beneficial to start calculating the amount of water in relation to the amount of NaOH and NOT base water on oil weight. Take notes on your experiments, recording every detail and allow the soap to cure for a good long time. The qualities of the soap will change over time.

76 degree coconut oil begins to melt at 76 degrees F. 92 degree coconut oil begins to melt at 92 degrees F. Looking around online, I've found various answers for this. Some manufacturers will claim that the difference in temperature depends on how the oil was extracted and processed. Others claim that the 92F coconut oil has steric acid added, or at least a higher percentage of steric acid than the 76F. I've also seen other waxes added to bring up the melt temp, but don't recall which waxes off the top of my head.

Soap made with salt water will get harder faster, just as it does when adding salt to your lye water. Old time soap makers used to use this trick to make their soap harder faster. Especially good thing to do if you are using individual intricate "fancy" molds. The soap sets up harder within 24 hours or so, and you can unmold sooner. As far as skin care benefits, I haven't found any real difference between soap made with salt and soap made without salt. ***I'm not talking about salt bars, made with 50% or more salt to oil ratio. I'm talking about a teaspoon to tablespoon of salt added to the lye water.***

I used to use my quilting ruler and ruled cutting mat to cut freezer paper. Cutting so precisely made lining very easy and got crisp edges and corners every time. I used to cut several strips at once and had a ready supply. Now, I made my own silicone lined wooden molds. SO much easier, no more cutting.

Steve brought up a great point about all the dissolved metals. Other than causing DOS, it may make your soap more scummy, if that's a word. Biological contaminants may or may not survive the lye, but do you really want to use soap that potentially has those contaminants. What about pesticides, motor oils, fertilizers, etc., etc. that end up in the water due to run off? Do you want those in your soap? To each his own... but if you are going to use sea water, I can send you some at not to great of a markup. Oh, there is a huge sewage treatment plant about a mile south of the beach I go to, but if you don't mind biological contamination, that shouldn't be a problem. /sarc

I stopped using palm, because I didn't like it in the soap I made. The fo not sticking is likely to be the fo itself. Which one was it? Have you found any reviews for it online?

The oil spots are likely to be condensation. Glycerin in the soap attracts water and if it's humid, you can get droplets forming on the bars. It can feel oily when you wipe it off. Nothing wrong with a 100% olive oil soap, nothing wrong with a 7% lye discount/superfat. I make a 100% olive with a 10% discount and never get condensation or DOS. Sticking it in the oven at 150F after it's in the mold helps to harden it up a bit faster and reduces sliminess a bit.

It probably is a bit like yogurt. The concern is whether the whey is acidic. Are you making an acid type cheese that results in a sour whey? Experiment. It may be safest to add it once you have at least a thin trace.

This may be a first. What type of cheese did you make? If the whey is too acidic, it will react with the NaOH and you will not get soap. If possible, take the pH of the whey to find out if/how acidic it is. Otherwise, just replace some or all of the liquid amount that you normally use. Personally, if I was making soap, I'd replace 1/2 the liquid amount and add the whey at trace. But that's just me. There are as many ways to make soap as there are soap makers.

It's sort of a large, clumpy flake. Some small, half dime size to clumps bigger than my fist. I tested CA Candle Supply's coconut with and without fragrance and dye using HTP wicks. Using an HTP 105 in a 3" container, it left a generous 1/32" hangup. Melt pool cooled very smoothly. I poured up 12 candles today using 1/2 apricot and 1/2 coconut to test 12 different wicks, including wooden wicks. I didn't retest the HTP 105, but wicked up instead to a 1212. I'll let you know how it worked. New question... Does anyone use additives with their coconut? Vybar for scent throw or to make a harder candle? UV absorb/stabilizer? USA... coconut is a blend of soy, coconut and beeswax.

Are you sure the itchy is caused by dry skin? I'm itch and have oily skin. I started using my own soap and now don't have the itch. For me, the itch was caused by surfactants and detergents.

Hmm... seems to be enough liquid. We have a couple other things that could be going on. Temperature you soaped at? With 15% cocoa butter, it and any other oils/fats that have higher/highish melt temps can solidify if you soap really cold. You should have noticed it while stirring. If it's not the liquid amount or the temperature, it could be bubbles in the soap. Make sure they are not lye bubble. Last thing, are they white or a lot lighter than the rest of the soap? If so, it could be ricing or lye that precipitated out. Ricing is something that happens, usually due to the fragrance oil. Lye precipitating out happens occasionally, mostly due to being lye heavy. Without actually handling the soap, I can't tell you what is going on.

How do you calculate your liquid amount? % of oils? ratio to amount of lye? I find that if I use too little liquid over all, I get those bumps.

Yes, had thought of that. It's the same with soap making. I haven't found a cp soap base recipe that was pure, stark white and have learned to compensate.

Does anyone know if the Household Product Labeling Act of 2009 was passed? It would require labeling on all household cleaning products, including soap.

If it is plain old soap, as defined by the FDA, then it doesn't need a label. If they make cosmetic or medicinal claims, then it needs a specific label as specified by the FDA. Texas may have labeling laws, but you would have to do an online search. The FDA would set the minimum and Texas could set stricter standards.

Er, to whom is this directed?

Hi Tait, welcome... 1. I don't habitually test pH. You would need a pH meter or very accurate pH solution from a lab/chemistry supply place. You can use pH strips, but look around for ones that are accurate. In his book, Kevin M. Dunn describes "The Tongue Test" and something called Tongue Neutral. If you don't have his book, Scientific Soap Making, it will demystify a lot of soap making. 2. I use silicon molds that I made, they too pick up the scent of the soap, whether fo or eo. It fades over time, but you can try washing the mold with warm soapy water. It may not all come out. 3. Color... really, use what you feel comfortable with. If you are an all natural kind of soap maker, use those. Keep safety in mind and use some common sense. If you haven't already, pick up a copy of The Soapmaker's Companion. It too will demystify a lot of soap making and have extensive lists on additives and colorants to use in soap.

What I was originally asking about was a RYB color wheel that gave an idea of percentages or parts to use for blending colors. For me it is the most intuitive and easiest to use. I'm going to either make my own through experimenting with dyes or take a trip to the art store.

I'm one of those people who doesn't think soap itself can be moisturizing. I come at it from the other side: it can be gentle enough so that it doesn't strip the skin, and I think that's what you are really looking for. As for moisture, drink lots of water and use a lotion that acts as a barrier to keep moisture in the skin. For ingredients in soap that don't strip the skin, try olive oil at a high percentage. It is easy to find and relatively inexpensive. I also like camillia oil, but more $$$.

I think I caused confusion... I am looking to learn to blend from scratch. I just switched to liquid from color chips. Some sort of chart of amounts, yes, but based on the color wheel that uses a ratio of R/B/Y.

Thanks for all the responses.