Adding hot lye to oils

[pixie]

In the past, I have always made my cp soap by bringing the lye and oils together when both have reached room temperature. However I was reading a post from someone on another board who says she adds the hot lye to her room temperature oils and butters. Does anyone here make their soap using this method? Is this way okay? I was always under the impression that both the lye and the oils had to be around the same temp.

[Kitn]

One famous soaper (Patti Flynn) uses that method. I haven't tried it , I like my RTCP and I figure if it ain't broke don't fix it , just my .

[smart]

I dont know much about cp soap but I know that Kitn nows how to make wonderful soap so I agree with kitn if it is not broken don't fix it lol:smiley2:

[LuminousBoutique]

I've heard of it but if not done right problems can arise... so I dont mess with it! like Kitn I'm a RTCP soaper... I've never had a problem so I dont want to tempt fate, lol.

my guidelines are... if I know my FO accelerates, I let oils and lye cool to 90 at least. I also use 90 or less for EO's. If I'm making coconut milk soap (vegan, in place of goats milk) I use half water half coconut milk... and at 90* is when I would add in my other half liquid, in this case coconut milk, or aloe. Also if I'm making beer soap I wait for the liquid to cool to 90* because it accelerates as well.

If its a non accelerating FO, I will go with 110 or even 120 sometimes, because it does cool a bit when it hits my room temperature oils. Alot of times I will premeasure and melt my oils, leaving them in a bucket overnight... the mix my lye right when I wake up...so in the AM after everyone is showered, dressed and fed, the lye is the perfect temp!

[CareBear]

actually that technique is often referred to as RTCP - adding piping hot, fresh lye solution to your room temp oils and butters...

[LuminousBoutique]

really? to me, RT means everything is room temp but hey, different strokes for diff folks!

[smittenheart]

I thought thats what RT soaping was too..eekk!! guess its different!

[Loulougirl]

I think both those methods can be called "room temp" ... I have had good success with both methods ... hot lye added to the room temp oils and butters, and everything at room temp.

I haven't had any problems with either method... tho as stated above, if it's a fo that accelerates, I let everything cool really well before starting. I'm a pretty new soaper, but this is just what's worked for me.

[CareBear]

really? to me, RT means everything is room temp but hey, different strokes for diff folks!

to me also - but most often I read that hot into room temp is the RTCP. so when talking about it I try to remember to spell out precisely what I'm doing to keep things clear.

[sudsnwicks]

Pixie, I do it in the summer when the solid oils are soft. It's okay to do it this way if you know your oils will melt for sure. But I couldn't do it in the winter because the oils would be too hard and the hot lye still wouldn't be enough to melt them.

[Luci]

I mostly mix when both oils and lye mixture are at RT, but sometimes I run short on time (or patience). I've never had a problem with mixing a hotter lye mixture but def don't chance it if I'm not really familiar with how the fo will behave.

[Misty]

I add hot lye mixture to oils. My hard and soft oils are in one pot, and I just pour in the hot lye mixture. I then stir until all hard oils are melted, then hit it with the stick blender. This makes for faster soap making. You don't use any energy to melt your oils. This is just me, but it doesn't make a difference if it is winter or summer, as my oils aren't frozen or anything.

But for production purposes, this is a real time saver. No melting, no waiting for temps to come together. It's easier to me.

[sjconner]

I tried this last summer. I use soy wax in my soap and the lye mixture wasn't hot enough to melt everything. It was a mess. I wait till everything is at room temp and then soap.

Susan

[whisks]

i've tried both ways, but it only works well pouring the hot lye into RT oils if you can get all the solid oils to melt. using both lye and oils at room temperature takes to pressure off me to get everything timed well. both are good, but everything at RT is more of a relaxed way of soaping for me and takes very little effort.

i keep thinking about doing HP but i don't know if i want to do all that stirring and squashing into moulds when all i do is pour and let the soap set at the moment. HP looks very tempting though.

[Ann M]

I have done RTCP quite a few times with mostly good results. It doesn't work well for me when I want pretty light and whispy swirls, but it does work well when I am doing a simple layer and can afford for the soap to get thick more quickly. I put all my hard oils into one pot and pour the hot lye over them. I let it sit for a few minute and then take the stick blender and gently break up any chunks. Once smooth, I add in my liquid oils. It does speed things along really well. I can get a batch finished in less than 30 minutes. Yet, for tricky fo's or delicate swirls, it doesn't work well for me.

Ann M

[Meridith]

I've done it this way many times. If its colder out, it can take some time for your harder butters to melt and hit trace. Cutting the harder butters up into smaller pieces well help them melt faster. There have been few times I got impatient and helped it along by sticking the soap mixture in the bowl in a pan of hot water.