Does anyone make CP with this method??

[Chefmom]

A long time ago I was watching videos on youtube on this and that. I came across a soap making video that put together soap in a different way.

Instead of combining the fat in one pot, and the lye/water in another, then taking temperatures and when they are right, combining the lye into the oils; well, they have one pot, and they add the water to the pot, then stir in the lye and only about a minute later, they add the solid fats and the heat from the lye will melt the fat.

Basically they just use the one pot and stir until it hits trace, then proceed with a mold etc.

This particular video also adds lemon juice to "soften" the soap and make it more gentle which I found interesting, but I can't find anyone else making it this way.

Well, I found a DVD on netflix on soap making, it's a homey type how-to and they also make cold process in this one pot manner.

Has anyone made soap this way? Are there any advantages, or is this just an old-fashioned way of making it?

[iansmommaya]

I've seen lotsa people make it this way, although I don't. There isn't a particular reason that I don't. I've seen it work really well.

[iansmommaya]

I've seen lotsa people make it this way, although I don't. There isn't a particular reason that I don't. I've seen it work really well.

[Candybee]

I haven't done this but did see the video. Some soapers on another forum were talking about it. One soaper said she tried it and now does it all the time and says its a great time saver. But she did suggest you cut up your hard oils/butters into smaller chunks to make the melting part easier.

I'll have to try it sometime.

[Misty]

I do it this way. It is a time saver, because the hot lye water melts the hard oils. I do try to cut up my large chunks of hard oils, so they melt faster. By using the natural heat created by the lye mix, I don't need to use electric to heat up the oils. I just mix up my lye water, and once it is completely dissolved, I add it to the oils. In a few minutes everything is melted down.

Many years ago when I first started making soap, I would heat up the oils, and then mix the lye water, and have to wait, and wait for everything to get to the right temp. Time is money, when you are in business, so anything I can do to save time is helpful.

[Candybee]

Misty-- are there any drawbacks you are aware of doing it this method? For example; is it best using it for larger batches, say 3-6 lbs as opposed to a small 1 lb batch? Would you need to do this with a full water? Can it be done using milk as your lye liquid?

[chuck_35550]

My microwave is faster than that method. A full milk recipe would need to keep the temp below 100 degrees kwim? Whatever works for you is the answer to that question IMHO. I just nuke the coconut oil in its plastic container and pour from the container into the pot or dump it all in my plastic pour pot and nuke it about a minute or so and add my lye solution. Easy peasy.

Steve

[Candybee]

I use the micro too in bursts to melt my hard oils without "cooking" them. It is fast. Its just that this method sounds like its worth a try. I'm always looking for ways to make my work simpler and faster.

[Misty]

I haven't found any drawbacks. I work in larger batches, so I don't know about one pound batches. For me it's quick and easy. Yes, you can use milk. You are just skipping the melting of the oils phase of the process, and the waiting for the lye to cool.

[TallTayl]

I use that method ( dubbed thermal transfer when i learned about it) for all size batches. It is a huge time saver and allows my formula with a high % of hard oils and butters loads of time to swirl, color and split large batches for different colors and fragrances on a production day.

Milk soaps i prefer to keep light in color, so i melt the hard oils to a slurry, mixing them well with the liquid oils while the lye and milk blend. The lye and milk solution* is still very light in color when added to the slurry and retains plenty of heat to get the soap to trace without issues.

* milk solution made by adding lye crystals to frozen solid milk. When the milk is all melted and the lye is all dissolved the color is still white to ivory. Still plenty of heat and potential energy to blend well into the oils and trace fully.

[CareBear]

Some call it room temp (RT) soaping, but that gets confusing because other of us use that term to describe the method in which both the lye solution and the oils mixtures are at room temperature.

Thermal transfer is a much better term.

I have used it on occasion, but even with easily melted oils like coconut I got uneven results.

Do those of you who use it melt your cocoa butter or other hard butters?

[TallTayl]

Some call it room temp (RT) soaping, but that gets confusing because other of us use that term to describe the method in which both the lye solution and the oils mixtures are at room temperature.

Thermal transfer is a much better term.

I have used it on occasion, but even with easily melted oils like coconut I got uneven results.

Do those of you who use it melt your cocoa butter or other hard butters?

It depends... Often I can get around needing to melt the cocoa butter by chopping it up into smaller bits and by adding the oils to the pot with the hot lye solution in order of the highest MP to lowest. I admit, most of the time I'm in a hurry and put all solids in the pot together, so I'll at least soften the brick hard CB in the MW to keep things moving. My lab can get cooooooold and cocoa butter takes a little more to melt.

[dillydally]

This is my main method for soaping too, I've been doing it this way for years. I do use a separate pot for the lye because I like to

strain it, and I start with my harder oils in the pot and then I pour my freshly made, hot lye water on top to melt them. I add my liquid

oils when the harder ones have melted, add my smellies etc and pour. I find it to be a real time saver, my batches are 25lbs.

[Chefmom]

Well, thank you all !! I primarily make hot process soap, but when I make general unscented bars I thought about just doing a cold process, and this technique looked interesting. I like the ease of it, and the one pot aspect.

I lost my favorite soap mold that my husband made for me. It was perfect for cold process and I was about to ask him to make another. I have been going through old tubs of cake pans that I am going to be selling. I packed things willy nilly when we moved, and most of them had just been taking up space in the basement. Finally started through them when bam, there were two soap molds that I have been looking for, well, for 5 years. :rolleyes2

TallTayl, your milk soap technique sounds intriguing. I may have to have another go at real milk soap. In more than 10 years of making soap, and following recipes that say they are easy, milk soap made with milk in place of water is still the ONLY soap fails I have ever had. Not just fails, but E*P*I*C Fails. I'll have to make a test batch and see what happens.

Thanks again.

[Candybee]

I tried this method this past weekend. It worked pretty good. It did save me some time.