Adding honey???

[icecold]

If I was to add honey to my recipe do I have to discount my water and add the honey at trace?

[MissMori]

How much honey are you planning to add? How big is your batch? What is your lye solution? 50/50?

Here's what I do... weigh out my water, set some aside for mixing with the honey. About the same amount of honey as water. I mix water with the honey to thin it out. I find it is easier to add at thin trace, rather than trying to add straight, thick honey.

Yes it is adding extra liquid to your soap, but depending on the size of the batch, the amount of honey, and how great your water discount (or strength of your lye solution) it may not matter.

I've found that when trying something new or when in doubt, pushing the envelope of what is possible has led to more failures than successes. I soap cautiously. First time I make a soap with a new ingredient, I step back from a deep water discount. This can help to avoid problems of acceleration, seizing, morphing of fragrances, super heating, etc.

That said, there are probably as many ways to make soap as their are soap makers. Part of learning is experimentation and failures. Whenever I've had a failed batch, I always thought of a way to do it better.

Edited September 20, 2010 by MissMori

[LovelyLathers]

I add 1 TBLS per ppo and add it to my warm oils stick blend in then add lye solution. I use this no matter what lye solution I use.

[icecold]

Thanks, so i don't have to take any of the water away? I think I'll try the method of adding it to my warm oils. Thanks for the info!!

[LovelyLathers]

No you don't have to take water away. I find adding it to the warm oils helps to incorporate it better. I also put the honey jar in hot water to make it easier to stir in. Make sure you get the bottom of the pot as I had it sink more than once and when pouring the soap in the mold there was honey sitting there.

[simplybeelightful]

I add 1 TBLS per ppo and add it to my warm oils stick blend in then add lye solution. I use this no matter what lye solution I use.

Ditto. I have found that the honey makes small brown spots in the soap when it is first unmolded but the spots eventually go away as the soap cures. Honey is a wonderful addition to soap.

[LovelyLathers]

I find that much more than 1 TBLS ppo makes the soap sticky and the brown specks don't fade as much. Also honey will have a tendency to heat up your soap, so watch you FO's that are heaters.

[icecold]

So how do you know what fragrance oils will heat up??? I will be using Oatmeal Milk and Honey from Bitter Creek.

[Candybee]

Thought I would bump this thread up as I am going to try out LovelyLathers method of adding honey to my soap today. I am using CS Lemon Verbana to make a coconut milk, oatmeal, honey soap. Trying out the LV and honey plus milk I think I may have a fast trace on this but I want to try it anyway.

[8-GRAN-ONES]

i reserved a little of my water..it does not take much water..

get it hot in the micro..stir in my honey..

that way it is totally dissolved. it just looks like you have slightly colored water..

then stir it in the oils really good..before adding lye..

i have never had a problem with it doing it this way..

[Candybee]

I think I will try that next time. I put the honey in my warm oils and although most of it melted into the oils not all of it did. I had a little pool of honey "droplets" in the bottom that were very stubborn and would not melt even when I reheated the oils.

I stick blended the oils, honey, dye, and oatmeal until it looked blended. Now I'm waiting for the lye solution and oils to get to room temp then I will soap them. I still have the coconut milk to add in so I am hoping everything works out okay.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Candybee

[soycrazy]

Did you stick it in the freezer?

[Candybee]

What? The coconut milk? No. I chill it and add at light trace. This method of adding milk has worked out best for me.

[soycrazy]

I'm talking about the soap itself.

[Candybee]

No. I wrapped it up and left on the counter. It didn't heat up a lot if thats what you mean. I thought it would but adding the honey to my oils and the milk at light trace worked out fine. Except next time I will try melting the honey in some of the reserved water instead of the oils. I really liked the way the process worked thou. I didn't have problems with this batch and the lemon scent filled my kitchen.

I also infused my water for several days with calendula so the lye water turned a pretty golden yellow.

[soycrazy]

Wow your lucky even if I put mine in the coldest room uncovered I get cracks.

[kidsngarden]

Wow your lucky even if I put mine in the coldest room uncovered I get cracks.

I have found the overheating to be because of TOO much honey. It really heats the soap up, I've even had it get so hot with honey combined with certain fo's it separates.

[soycrazy]

I have found the overheating to be because of TOO much honey. It really heats the soap up, I've even had it get so hot with honey combined with certain fo's it separates.

I haven't used honey in ages, because of the overheating when I did it was like a tsp pp. I get this with just using milk like coconut.

[Candybee]

I don't know what I did right but it turned out very nice-- no cracks and still pretty moist. I will wait til the weekend to cut it.

I used 2 rounded tbs of wild honey for 3 lbs of oils. I was afraid if I tried for 3 tbs I would actually be putting more in. This is going to be my go to lemon OMH with coconut milk I like it so much. This time I used the regular Silk Coconut Milk. It has sugar in it but I couldn't find the unsweetened so I went ahead and tried it.