UGH- when will it end???? LOL

[Jcandleattic]

OMG this liquid soap is taking for-freaking-ever!!! LOL

I'm beginning to wonder if I've done something wrong!! First it took almost 45 mins. for it to come to trace. (I was expecting a long time, because the instructions said it could take up to 30 mins, but 45??)

Then I've been stirring every half hour or so, but it did say it would only take 3-4 hours of cooking. Well, it's gone through most all of the stages, and we are at 4.5 hours. I'm still waiting for the translucent-vaseline stage. (The last stage before testing and diluting)

Does anyone know if it should take THIS long??? I really hope I didn't waste my day babysitting this just to find out I've messed it all up. :undecided

TIA

J

[cbv1]

Oh my gosh! I am not sure but if you are using the crock pot method I am not familiar with this. You posted on my liquid soap thread so you know I went from liquid to paste in a matter of 15 minutes. Then I cooked the paste for 3 hours, trying to mix it every 30 minutes, but it was like tar. My paste was almost translucent from the start. This was my first attempt so I am not sure what I did right or wrong.... Maybe someone else will have some pointers for you.

[Jcandleattic]

Well, after almost 7 hours, it never really got translucent, so I gave up and did the final step for dilution. Now it's in the turned off crock just sitting there so it can disolve. Tomorrow when I get home from work I'll neutralize it and then sequester it. We'll see how it turns out. I doubt very seriously that it will be clear. When I did the test to see if I cooked it long enough, it was pretty cloudy.

Oh well, not everything can go perfect the first time out!

[Hibiscus]

my first attempt took forever and I think it was because it was such a small batch and after getting a feel for making LS i realised I could have diluted it sooner. Next time double the recipe and things should go along faster and although I do recall that some of the stages were not present in the larger batch the soap was still clear and came out very nice.

Happy LS Making!

[Jcandleattic]

my first attempt took forever and I think it was because it was such a small batch and after getting a feel for making LS i realised I could have diluted it sooner. Next time double the recipe and things should go along faster and although I do recall that some of the stages were not present in the larger batch the soap was still clear and came out very nice.

Happy LS Making!

How long should it take to dilute? I poured the boiling water into the crock at about 6ish last night and here at noon today it's still clumpy. lol

I'm hoping that when I get home tonight it will be all disolved so I can go on to the neutralization stage.

I'll try doubling up this weekend when I do a second batch, because even though it took forever, I still had fun making it.

Thanks for the help!

Edited because I have spelling issues. LOL

[Hibiscus]

In the about recipe there isn't enough water for dilution. I will look up my notes to see how much I used. I know it wasn't a whole lot more than what the recipe called for. I put mine in a ss pot and covered it and sat it on a heating pad overnight. I figured the amount needed to dilute by adding 2 cups of boiling water until most of the soap chunks were diluted and it was still the consitency of honey and then I put it in a container and while it was sequestering the soap chunks dissolved. Tara suggested using a stick blender along with the boiling water and it works very well too!

[Hibiscus]

One more thing. You don't have to neutralize with the boric acid if you're going to use borax to thicken it or make a gel

[Jcandleattic]

One more thing. You don't have to neutralize with the boric acid if you're going to use borax to thicken it or make a gel

Oh, okay. I had planned on using the borax method of neutralization, per the About directions (because that's what I have on hand) so will that thicken the soap as well as neutralize it?

Oh and if it's still chunks when I get home, I'll try the stick blender trick.

I hope my hair doesn't get too tangled up, I had planned on using this for shampoo.

You are a great help, thanks sooo much!!!

[BLSoaps]

I'm not sure where you're at right now, but you should be just fine. Because I've got little ones underfoot, I usually make my liquid soap with a cold process method, rather than the hot process, or crockpot method. It basically adds on some "cure" times, like CP Bar Soap does.

I just made a batch yesterday, with off and on stick-blending (no heat), I had my paste in about an hour. Compared to my 100% Olive Oil Liquid Soap, this was wonderfully fast. I accidently started that one about 8 or 9 at night (after the kids went to bed). I gave up at just shy of trace (I still had some oil separating out), at 1am, and went to bed.

I then let my paste sit for 1-2 weeks, let it "cure" (it keeps saponifying), then I dilute it, which still can take several days. It will depend on what oils you used. Some are more soluble than others. I usually add close to boiling water as my dilution water, as I've found it does help speed up the diluting. But mostly what I've learned with Liquid Soap Making is Patience. You need it, a lot of it. More so for me even than with CP Bar Soap. The Bar Soap, once I cut it, I stash it where I can't see it until the curing process is done. Out of Sight Out of Mind kind of thing. But since the Liquid Soap still needs work before it's ready, it seems to "test" my patience a little more. But I enjoy making it. I'm perfecting my recipes, and then I plan on selling it. I've had customers clamoring for ages for it!

[cindym]

Okay we need a tutorial on this cold process method.

[Hibiscus]

I joined a cp LS group on yahoo but I never took the time to try it. I know that with the hp method some people bring the soap to trace before placing it in the pot and that seems to help speed it up. I've made my own recipe and the time was cut considerably so it's not so bad and patience is definitley necessary:D

[Hibiscus]

Oh, okay. I had planned on using the borax method of neutralization, per the About directions (because that's what I have on hand) so will that thicken the soap as well as neutralize it... forgive me I was being probed by aliens when I wrote that:undecided completely forgot that all that is on the about site instructions..LOL...well yeah! it will thicken the soap and so will your fragrance oil if you choose to use any.

gonna get my foil hat now. Hope all goes well with your soap.

[Jcandleattic]

Oh, okay. I had planned on using the borax method of neutralization, per the About directions (because that's what I have on hand) so will that thicken the soap as well as neutralize it... forgive me I was being probed by aliens when I wrote that:undecided completely forgot that all that is on the about site instructions..LOL...well yeah! it will thicken the soap and so will your fragrance oil if you choose to use any.

gonna get my foil hat now. Hope all goes well with your soap.

LOL, no worries! It's STILL in the crock, trying to dilute. LOL I turned the crock on warm last night and left it on today, so when I get home, I hope it finally is ALLLLL liquid. I didn't have time to stick blend it last night, but if it's still chunky when I get home, I'll do that.

Anyway, thanks for all of your help!! I appreciate it. Oh and yeah, I'm gonna scent it.

[cbv1]

I never read anything about the CP method for liquid soap. Sounds like a good option.

When I made my LS using the double boiler method I never got to a trace stage. I went from thin liquid, which I was at for about 15 minutes, directly to paste instantly!!

[BLSoaps]

Brief Description of Cold Process Liquid Soap

First a few abbreviations:

CPLS - Cold Process Liquid Soap

CPBS - Cold Process BAR Soap

HPLS - Hot Process Liquid Soap

Disclaimer: I have never made HPLS. I have Failor's book on Natural Liquid Soapmaking, have read it probably a couple dozen times, but never attempted either of her methods. I've only done this process. It takes longer from beginning to end, but is less hands on. With my boys, that's a neccessity. This 'tutorial' is based on my experiences only. I superfat at 1-2%, so I also skip the neutralization process. My soaps come out decently clear, but not crystal clear, and I'm happy with that.

Step One: Choose your recipe. I've tried all different things, and have fun experimenting. This is one of those cases where Failor's book comes in handy, as she helps explain the characteristics of the oils that can be used.

Step Two: RUN IT THROUGH A CALCULATOR!!! I personally use MMS's calculator, but most any liquid soap making calculator can be used. The recipes in Failor's book, if I remember correctly, are slightly lye heavy, intending to be neutralized.

Step Three: Mix Lye (I'm using lye in the generic sense here. This is a KOH, or Potassium Hydroxide Solution), and set aside. Melt Hard Oils. Once these are melted, I then add the liquid oils to help bring the temps back down.

Step Four: Add the lye to the oils. I do this right away. The KOH doesn't get nearly as hot as NaOH.

Step Five: Stick blend the heck out of it. It will take MUCH longer to trace than CPBS. Find something else to work on during your stick blender breaks. I tend to stick blend for a minute or two (I'm abusive to my stick blenders ), go do something else for 10-15 minutes, then come back and do it again. It will be a nasty oil mess for a while, then it will all of a sudden start turning into a thick paste. Keep Blending. Chances are, when you walk away and then come back, it will have separated somewhat. You will get to the point where you will not be able to stick blend it. Keep stirring with something else if it keeps separating. Keep this up until it stops separating. Each recipe will behave slightly different in this aspect (I had a 100% Olive Oil Batch that did this for 4 hours).

Step Six: Once the paste stays together, cover it, and store it in a safe place. In HPLS, you would normally cook the paste, forcing it quickly and completely through the saponification process. Instead, we let it do it's thing on it's own. I usually let it sit for about 1-2 weeks. One if I'm impatient, 2-3 if I forget about it .

Step Seven: I personally add next to boiling hot distilled water to it for diluting it. I feel it helps dissolve the paste faster, but it still can take several days to a week (told you this wasn't a quick process!). Again, I pour the water in, give it a few good stirs, then stick it in one of my cabinets, and forget about it.

Step Eight: I've had a couple batches that had that white cream on the surface and other that haven't. I haven't had much luck 'skimming' it off. Next time I'm going to try a pump, and pull out the soap from the bottom. Although I've even had one batch that had the cream separation. I stuck it away, intending to deal with it later. I completely forgot about it, and a couple months later, when I opened it up, it was clear all the way through. It somehow worked itself back in.

Well, that's most of it. There is a yahoo group about this process, but the owner, well, he never seemed to be much help. Wouldn't give out instructions, kept falling back on he's there to guide. But he never really did, imo. So I left.

I enjoy this process, I just don't make as much as I should, but I'm planning on changing that. Hope this helps someone though!

[cbv1]

Wow Lindsay, thank you for taking the time to post this!

[MarieJeanette]

Yes, thank you very much! I've been very curious about the CPLS method. It seems to be more up my alley than HPLS.

MarieJeanette

[Hibiscus]

Now I know how it's done! have lots of patience but I am so ok with the HP method right now. If I had small children I would rather throw it all in a crock, bring it to trace and let it do it's thing with a little stirring here and there. Think you could post pictures in the gallery of the process? I would sure like to see it:D that yahoo group wasn't very informative which might be why I've never seen the actual steps. If I recall there are pictures of finished jugs of soap and that's as good as it gets with that group. Not sure we are talking about the same group.:undecided

[BLSoaps]

I'll try to remember to take some pictures. I may even be able to make some today. I think I've got a quieter day ahead of me. If nothing else, I've got some paste to dilute on Sunday (I know, it's Easter, but my family is celebrating on Saturday). I'll see what I can do about taking pictures.

[kidsngarden]

I would love specific instructions on how to do crockpot liquid soap. Anyone who can direct me?

Thanks,

Bethany

[Jcandleattic]

I would love specific instructions on how to do crockpot liquid soap. Anyone who can direct me?

Thanks,

Bethany

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/liquidsoap/ss/basicliquidsoap.htm