crazycacti Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 I am kinda confused! I have started making soap and have a soapmaker program on my computer that I purchased at the Arizona Gathering. It came with some recipes and then I added a few-have only made a few so far. It gives me the amount for the water and lye based on the percentages of each oil I am using.What is to superfat-say 20%-as was being spoke of in another thread? is that more oil and less lye so it does not trace all the way?I am confused! Would I use the same recipe and lower lye or water?Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecandlespastore Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Superfat means that you use less lye than the recipe calls for. If you punch your numbers into soapcalc it will give you the exact amount you need and you can tweak your superfat amounts. But as a word of caution, a 20% superfat is a good thing if you are doing a 100% coconut recipe, but if it is a mixture of oils and/butters your soap will be prone to DOS or being too soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tereasa Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 by utilizing the 'search this forum' feature in the right hand corner, I found this very helpful link. eta: scroll down a bit in the thread and it describes superfatting.http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56323&highlight=superfatIf you have questions about how to do a search, I'm sure that there are many of us who could help you out!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doris Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 If you have a 0% superfat, you have just enough lye to turn all the oil into soap. It would result in a very harsh soap. I usually use about a 6-7% superfat; this way the soap is not harsh, but not too oily. A 20% superfat is usually only used in a 100% coconut oild soap: coconut oil is considered drying, and a superfat of that amount works with it. A 20% superfat with other oils would probably result in an oily mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbleBath Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 oops, sorry..... I thought you were trying to get my attention!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 oops, sorry..... I thought you were trying to get my attention!!! :laugh2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 I am kinda confused! I have started making soap and have a soapmaker program on my computer that I purchased at the Arizona Gathering. It came with some recipes and then I added a few-have only made a few so far. It gives me the amount for the water and lye based on the percentages of each oil I am using.What is to superfat-say 20%-as was being spoke of in another thread? is that more oil and less lye so it does not trace all the way?I am confused! Would I use the same recipe and lower lye or water?Thanks!!!Hey there! I was at the Arizona Gathering -- did we meet? I was the tall doofus who gave the lame demo on making votives. I sure hope I didn't miss meeting you in person; it's so fun to meet CT'ers in real life! Yeah, about your question -- what they said. Superfatting just means you're leaving some of the oils unsaponified. Sap values have a range, not an exact number -- most programs like soapmaker use an AVERAGE sap value for each oil. Since you probably don't know the exact sap value for every oil in every batch, subtracting 5% of the lye needed to fully saponify every fat is a safety measure that ensures you won't have a lye-heavy batch, and also helps make the soap less drying/harsh. Hope that makes sense!If I didn't meet you at the gathering, sorry I missed you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan_in_Tucson Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 oops, sorry..... I thought you were trying to get my attention!!! :laugh2:OK, it took me a few seconds to get it! But it's darn funny! :laugh2:(Still gigglin). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 :laugh2:OK, it took me a few seconds to get it! But it's darn funny! :laugh2:(Still gigglin).OH gosh!!! Took me a LONG time to get it. Like HOURS. And suddenly it hit me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sister Kya Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Millersoap.com posted a link to this cute (and educational) page about superfatting.http://www.canis-art.com/soaping.htmI find that the millersoap.com site answers pretty much every question I have about soapmaking.HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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