Log mold, PKO and other questions

[anabanana's candles]

Okay, I am new soaper and got a log mold and used it to make cp. 2# batch great. I then made a 2# batch of cphp and it didn't fill it. Do I need to calculate different for cphp?

Also, I got my PKO and have never used PKO before. What is it for and how much goes into a typical recipe?

Also, has anyone made CPHP with carrot juice or tomato juice in liu of water?

[Angel91805]

Okay' date=' I am new soaper and got a log mold and used it to make cp. 2# batch great. I then made a 2# batch of cphp and it didn't fill it. Do I need to calculate different for cphp?

Also, I got my PKO and have never used PKO before. What is it for and how much goes into a typical recipe?

[/quote']

When you hot process the soap, you are, essentially, cooking off most of the excess water. When you cold process it with full water, you will have more soap, but the soaps will shrink more in the curing process. Does that make sense? It does in my head, but typing it out is another story....LOL.

PKO is a hard oil...I use it quite a bit for nice hard bars of soap. I try not to use more than 25% in my recipes...you'll have to play around and see what works for you.

Sorry...can't help ya with juices.....though I have used aloe very juice in place of water with no problems.

Donna

[swamp_deb]

You know what? I still have trouble with the amount of soap that ends up in the mold when I do a multi color swirl, I don't see how that much is left in the containers that I color the soap in but it must be there cause it sure doesn't make it to the mold. Just for that reason I try to make those batches in larger portions to compensate. It does seem like cphp shrinks more before it's poured into the mold.

As for the juices, have fun with them.........the scent it makes when lye hits it is not what it will end up so don't be scared. I like to soap with teas too, don't know if anything good is actually in the finished soap but it's fun to experiment.

If I think it, I try soaping it................sometimes I win, sometimes I fail but I always learn.

[topofmurrayhill]

PKO will harden up the recipe like Donna says and it will also add cleasing power and bubbles. In other words it's used for pretty much the same purposes as coconut and babassu oil, except it's a little gentler.

As a guideline to get you started, you could use PKO/CO/babassu up to about 30% combined total. There's no hard and fast rule, but as you increase those the soap can get more harsh on the skin.