Jeana Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 What do most of you use for the water discount % in your soap recipes.I finally took the time to research what discounting water is and does. So now I'm curious what most people use for a standard discount %. Do most of you discount water only to speed up the curing time, or are there other benefits as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I haven't the foggiest what the 'discount' is cause I don't know what you are stating with. (i.e., discounting means taking some off - but if I don't know how much you ave to start with I cannot tell you how much...)However I use about a 35-40% lye concentration.ETA: It doesn't speed cure time, though - it just helps me get it out of the mold more quickly. A good soap still needs its full cure IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeana Posted September 4, 2008 Author Share Posted September 4, 2008 Maybe I should have asked what % lye solution do people prefer. (which is lye + water, divided by lye, right?)When I calculated some of my recipes I have ranged between 36% - 25%. I am interested if this is a typical range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndulgentCreations Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I think most of mine are 33%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudsnwicks Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Jeana, it is the other way round: lye divided by lye+water. I use a lye concentration of 25-40% depending on the recipe. Using the lower end (25%) is helpful for fragrances which accelerate. The benefit of using a higher concentration (40%) is that the bars shrink less during curing as there is less water to evaporate away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 I'm typically at 33% lye solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbren Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 I pre-make a 33% solution knowing that if I am using a finicky FO, I can always add to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Mine are 35 to 40% solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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