WTH is the deal with my soap

[eugenia]

I wondered if that was a bit too much water. How much should I take it down? Dontmean to sound like a ass, but what is ricing?

Ricing is when the oils separate and have little curds in them after adding the FO.

% of lye solution is more accurate terminology than discounting water. The less water to lye, the stronger the solution and higher the number. I use http://www.soapcalc.com/calc/SoapCalc.asp. They keep changing the preset values. Currently, it's 31.48% lye solution (you can change that at the upper right). It used to be weaker, 26-28% if I remember correctly. If you use the preset value and less water without understanding what you are doing, it could be a very strong lye solution.

For example, if you need 2.8 ounces of lye to saponify the oils:

28% lye solution would be 7.2 oz of water

30%=6.53 ounces of water

32%=5.95 ounces of water and so on

If it's a tried and true FO, I go with a 33% solution.

This is also a helpful site http://rivercitysoaps.com/dwcp/watercalc.php

[CareBear]

really good explanation Eugenia