Help w/recipe - please :)

[funnygirl]

OK, Im gonna try to make some soap tonight.

I found this recipe, and it looks like something I would like, but I need advice from the experts. Being my first batch, I definatly dont want it to seize or trace too quickly. Im going to use BB Arabian Spice (says it discolores to medium brown, but thats fine by me.) Not sure what % of FO I should use. I believe I have read between 1 & 2 oz. pp of oils. ???

Im gonna use a plastic tray I have for my mold. It is 6 X 9.5 and I want my bars to be about 1.5" thick, so it looks like it will hold about 34 oz. Wanted to start out fairly small. I will be useing the following recipe. I picked up some cans of evaporated goats milk, and wanted to use that instead of water.

Crisco 50%

Coconut (76 degree) 25%

Olive Oil 25%

How does this combination sound to all of you? After plugging it in to soapcalc I get the following qualities:

Hardness 37 Cleansing 17 Condition 58 Bubbly lath. 17 Creamy lath. 20 Iodine 70 INS 149

Water as % of oils was already set to 38%, and I didnt change it. Didnt know if I should??????

It is telling me for my 34 oz. batch to use 12.92 oz. water (Im gonna use GM) and 4.78 oz. lye. I weigh everything except water (GM), which I will measure.

What do you think? Anything JUMPING out at anyone? Any suggestions/comment will be very much apprieciated.

[Scent Cellar]

Don't use goatmilk on your first batch. Do a batch with water as your liquid for the first batch so you can see the different stages your oils & lye go through so you know what to expect. Milk soaps are a bit trickier in that you should watch your temps a bit more than regular water. Just my thoughts ..

[funnygirl]

So it's best to actually watch the stages?, LOL! I was just gonna throw it in the oven (unheated w/ the light on) and leave it alone until tomorrow. Im so nervouse/excited. I keep piddleing, but I just want to make sure I have everything just right before I actually start. Were yall like this too?

[Steph in tx]

Funny Girl,

Yes!! I was like you. Nervous! And I agree with using water on your first try. I haven't done the milk thing yet....but you want to see how it works before you use the milk IMO. Make sure your water/lye is cool. Don't add right after you mix, or your soap will trace tooo quick! You want to have time to work with your stuff. Once you get it done...you can breathe again!! It will be o.k., just take your time with what's happening...within reason. If using a stick blender...use for a couple of seconds and stir with it off.. keep doing this till you think it's at trace. You'll do fine!! :highfive:

[funnygirl]

Ok, I will try w/water tonight. Even though my kiddos are gonna be in bed, Im a little nervouse w/the Lye. I am taking my pitcher of water and lye out to my carport to mix, and will leave it there until it cools and I am ready to use it. How long does it usually take to cool down? 10 minutes, 1 hour? At least if I had an idea I wont be checking every couple of minutes. TIA!

[jes432]

The lye is not as scary as it sounds. How fast it will cool will depend on how cold our carport is. It will cool back down pretty much just like water would.

Have Fun & Good Luck with your batch!

[Meridith]

Be careful with that high of a % of CO. CO can be very drying to the skin. I almost never use more than 15% in my recipe. 15% is the recommended amount to keep your soap from being too drying. However, you may find that you personally like that amount.

[CareBear]

Ok, I will try w/water tonight. Even though my kiddos are gonna be in bed, Im a little nervouse w/the Lye. I am taking my pitcher of water and lye out to my carport to mix, and will leave it there until it cools and I am ready to use it.

Word to the wise, be careful carrying that pitcher of lye solution. I actually try to mix it up right by where I am working cause if I trip and spill it I can only imagine the cleanup nightmare that would ensue.

What I do is

1. use super cold water or half ice/half water

2. set my pitcher of measured water into the sink

3. open the window over the sink (not actually necessary but I figure I got a window there so I might as well use it)

4. mix the lye into the water

5. go do something else for a while

6. if necessary, move it to the freezer (not the fridge cause the kids get stuff out of that, even tho I soap after they are asleep I'm still cautious) to cool - it won't freeze

7. make soap, still in the same area.

I do almost everything in the sink or on the counter directly to either side.

I mix my lye in the sink and let it cool there or on the counter right next to it. I put my bowl of oils right next to the sink on a big ole bath towel (to absorb any spills or drips. I mix the lye into the oils right there next to the sink. I then rinse my lye pitcher and set it on the other side of the sink, on a dish towel, or put it directly into the dishwasher. I gently move my bowl of oils/lye down into the sink and do all my mixing/SBing in there on the theory that any splatters or spills would be contained. After I set the bowl into the sink, I bring my prepared mold over and set it on that big bath towel. Any coloring and all is done on the other side of the sink on that dish towel. Finish up and pour into the mold. Bowls and SB (mixing end) into the sink, mold moved to the oven or wherever (after 15 minutes to set up), towels gathered up and into the laundry....

Very little room for spillage this way, very little cleanup, and best of all I don't have to clean the rest of the kitchen before I get started!

[Crafty1_AJ]

If you don't want to speed up trace, you might be cautious about spice fragrances. They *can* be accelerators. You might check on Lillibit's fragrance review board to see if others have experience with this fo. I am not saying for sure this one accelerates, but in general, some spices do. Clove, for example.

Secondly, your recipe numbers look fine. This one may need a decent cure to develop great lather, but no worries there. Soap does improve with age.

Third, milk is a heater-upper. Spicy fo's can be heater-uppers as well. So I'd keep your temps very low if you're going to soap this combo. Keep an eye on it in the mold because you have a potential overheater combo on your hands here. I wouldn't insulate the mold heavily.

I don't mean to scare you at all -- just giving you a heads up on what to watch for. This is not a super simple beginner type soap you're contemplating. LOL Then again, maybe you are the type who likes a bit of a challenge. I'm that way too.

Hth! Happy soaping, and let us know how it turns out!

Edited to add: I'd use the full liquid amount suggested. I'd go 12-13 oz. Shorting your water can also lead to acceleration/overheating issues. Also, I'd definitely NOT go more than 1 oz. ppo on fragrance.