Soaping 101 liquid soapmaking video?

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jenfrat

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Hello! I have a bunch of people asking me to make liquid soap, so I'd like to give it a try. I was watching soaping 101's youtube video and noticed that she used glycerin instead of water to make it. I understand that it speeds up the process considerably, but does it also contribute to the thickness? Any other online resources or video's you recommend? I just got Catherine Failor's book, so I'll be giving that a read as well.

Thanks!
 
Soaping 101's recipe is good soap, but not thick. You will want to thicken it after you make it. This was my first liquid soap also.

Plan to use 9 oz liquid: 4.5 oz water to dissolve KOH, then 4.5 oz glycerin. This allows you to skip the whole heat the glycerin stage. You probably will want to run her recipe through SoapCalc with 90% KOH to get correct lye amount and skip the borax step, IIRC.

Catherine Failor is certainly an expert, but we have lye calculators now that allow us to account for 90% purity on the KOH. This keeps us from having to make lye heavy soap, then neutralize. I would strongly recommend you take her recipes and run them through a good lye calculator. Remember to keep your superfat down to 3% or less for liquid soap if you are concerned about clear soap.

There is also a good liquid soap group on Yahoo. Lots of good recipes on there. I learned more from them than all other sources of info combined.
 
I've been using the glycerin method to make my liquid soap for 2 years now and I really love it. I have 2 different formulas that I use and I dilute them in such a way that they both come out nice and thick (as thick as honey). The cool thing with the glycerin method (from what I've been told from those that use Failor's method) is that you have better control over the thickness of your finished soap with the glycerin method. I've never used Failor's method, but I can vouch that it's not hard at all to get a thick liquid soap with the glycerin method. Over at the Dish forum they have a looooooong glycerin liquid soap thread (it's a huge thread with a bazillion pages....well, maybe not a gazillion, but close enough! lol), and that's where I learned how to make it.

I make mine differently than Susie. I dissolve my lye in glycerin. Basically, I mix the KOH and glycerin when they are both at room temp, bring them to a boil together, and simmer and stir until all the lye is dissolved and all is clear. It takes less than 10 minutes for me. Some people heat the glycerin before adding the KOH, but that can cause sputtering and hissing, so that's why I do it the way I do (which goes very smoothly for me). Then I dump the lye/glycerin solution into my pre-melted oils and whisk the mixture (off heat) until I see tiny little bubbles flying/floating up in the air around my head (about 10 to 12 minutes max). Then I cover (still off heat) and leave it alone to let it do it's thing while I busy myself with other things. Usually, in about 6 hours, it's paste. Then I dilute with only enough water as needed to get it to the thickness I like. That's just a bare-bones outline of my procedure, but I can be more detailed if you wish.


IrishLass :)
 
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The glycerin method is the only one I will use from now on. It is so fast and easy. You can thin your soap as much as you like. Here is the recipe I use.

3.6 oz Castor Oil
11.4 oz Coconut Oil
.98 oz Palm Oil

11 oz. Glycerin
3.5 oz KOH
Use glycerin instead of water. Melt the oils in a crock pot. Heat glycerin on direct heat as in the video. Use a medium pot to keep the glycerin and lye from boiling over. Add the lye to the hot glycerin. Stir constantly while continuing to heat on low heat. Stir until all the lye is dissolved. Pour lye mixture into melted oils while stick blending. In the video she shows the paste testing neutral after one hour. It may take longer than that. If paste doesn't test neutral after a couple of hours. Turn off the crockpot and let set, covered until the paste tests neutral. I used about 19 ounces of distilled water to dilute the paste I added .3% Liquid Germall Plus to the cooled and diluted soap. Just scent the soap you put in a container for use, that way, you can try out different scents. This soap turned out fairly clear.
 
I've been using the glycerin method to make my liquid soap for 2 years now and I really love it. I have 2 different formulas that I use and I dilute them in such a way that they both come out nice and thick (as thick as honey). The cool thing with the glycerin method (from what I've been told from those that use Failor's method) is that you have better control over the thickness of your finished soap with the glycerin method. I've never used Failor's method, but I can vouch that it's not hard at all to get a thick liquid soap with the glycerin method. Over at the Dish forum they have a looooooong glycerin liquid soap thread (it's a huge thread with a bazillion pages....well, maybe not a gazillion, but close enough! lol), and that's where I learned how to make it.

I make mine differently than Susie. I dissolve my lye in glycerin. Basically, I mix the KOH and glycerin when they are both at room temp, bring them to a boil together, and simmer and stir until all the lye is dissolved and all is clear. It takes less than 10 minutes for me. Some people heat the glycerin before adding the KOH, but that can cause sputtering and hissing, so that's why I do it the way I do (which goes very smoothly for me). Then I dump the lye/glycerin solution into my pre-melted oils and whisk the mixture (off heat) until I see tiny little bubbles flying/floating up in the air around my head (about 10 to 12 minutes max). Then I cover (still off heat) and leave it alone to let it do it's thing while I busy myself with other things. Usually, in about 6 hours, it's paste. Then I dilute with only enough water as needed to get it to the thickness I like. That's just a bare-bones outline of my procedure, but I can be more detailed if you wish.
IrishLass :)

Please give us more details! :-D
 
At the request of Susie and DeeAnna, here is more detailed info on how I make my glycerin liquid soap. I hope you're seated comfortably! lol

First, the formula. I have 2 favorite glycerin liquid soap formulas (GLS for short) that I regularly make, and the one I will be sharing is actually the very first liquid soap formula I ever tried making in my soaping life- 3bees~1flower's (Carrie Peterson's) Olive Oil GLS formula that she posted over on the Dish forum and that she also shares on her GLS tute on the YouTube channel:

It's very easy to make and it results in the most gorgeous, clear-as-a-bell liquid soap with wonderful, bubbly lather. And by using a dilution rate of 1 part paste to .75 (or 75%) water, it dilutes out to a sumptuous consistancy that's beautifully thick and honey-like, but not too thick to clog my pump bottle.

Anyway, here is 3bees~1flower's (Carrie's) formula that she posted on the Dish and also on her YouTube video in the link above:

-65% Olive Oil
-25% Coconut Oil
-10% Castor Oil
-Superfatted @ 3% up front using SummerbeeMeadow's Advanced Liquid Soap Calculator: https://sbmcrafters.com/content/advanced-calculator-solid-liquid-or-cream-soaps

As I mentioned previously, I dilute it at a rate of 1 part paste to .75 (or 75%) water [multiply your paste weight by .75 or 75% to get the water amount].

This next ingredient is optional, but to my dilution water I also like to add 3% sodium lactate (in liquid form) as per the weight of my paste. The SL is my little miracle worker that helps the paste soften/break up easier and more quickly [paste weight X 3%]. In spite of it being a liquid, I don't figure the sodium lactate into my 75% water calculation- I just calculate it as an additive apart from the water amount. In case you're wondering, I've found that with or without the sodium lactate, the finished soap still comes out to a nice, thick consistency, but without it, the dilution definitely doesn't proceed as quickly/easlily.

My procedure in order:

1) I melt my oils in my designated soaping pot and set aside.

2) In a separate, stainless pot that's roomy enough to prevent any accidental boil-over, I add my room-temperature glycerin and KOH together. Yep- that's right- both are at room temp when first combined. I got that important tip from tarafotty over at the Dish. There's no need to heat the glycerin first. Tarafotty said it's actually safer if you don't heat the glycerin first because adding KOH to hot glycerin causes sizzling and splashing, etc... so I just add the 2 at room temp and then heat from there, and it always goes well for me.

3) I turn on my stove's exhaust fan, then I turn my burner to med-high to bring the glycerin/Koh to a boil, stirring all the while with a stainless spoon.

~Make sure you follow the safety protocols that you normally follow when mixing lye solution- wear goggles and gloves, and don't breathe in the fumes! With one hand, I cover over my nose and mouth with a thick cotton diaper (clean, of course),folded over onto itself 3 times to provide a thick barrier against the fumes, and with the other hand I stir.~

The goal is to heat the glycerin to boiling so that the KOH will dissolve quickly and completely. If at any point you find the glycerin/KOH mixture to be boiling up too high and threatetening to spill over the pot, just remove the pot from the heat until it mellows out a bit, and then place the pot back on heat and continue boiling/dissolving/stirring in this manner, until all is dissolved/clear.

You'll notice as it heats/boils that the glycerin/KOH mixture will go through different stages: First, it starts to turn a bit white, then really white and bubbly/cloudy, and then it gradually gets clearer and clearer until all is dissolved and the solution is crystal clear. Near the end, you'll periodically need to take the pot off the heat and stir the boiling solution down to be able to gauge how far things are progressing along.

If near the end you find you have a few stubborn bits of KOH that are taking their sweet time to dissolve, just smash them up against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon to help them break up/dissolve faster, then continue boiling and stirring until all is crystal clear.

It normally takes between 8 to 10 minutes tops for all my KOH to dissolve.

[10/13/2016 Edited to add that I now mix my KOH /glycerin differently than the above. I dissolve the KOH in an equal amount of room temp. distilled water and then add the normal/full complement of (room temp.) glycerin to the lye solution. Doing it this this way makes it so much easier/less fussy to dissolve the KOH. Instead of taking 8 to 10 minutes of cooking in boiling glycerin for the KOH to dissolve, it only takes as little as a minute, and no heating is required. Of course, doing it this updated way changes my dilution ratio because I have to account for the extra water I'm adding up front, but, no worries- I've got that figured out: my new dilution ratio is 1 part paste to .62 parts distilled water, instead of 1 part paste to .75 parts distilled water. To see how things proceed when using my revised method of making the paste, see here. ]

4) Once all is dissolved/clear it's time to pour the hot KOH/glycerin solution into the waiting melted oils in my soaping pot. I use a rubber spatula to scrape/squeegee every drop of the glycerin/KOH solution out into the oils. By the way, my soaping pot is off the heat when I do this (and from here on out as well- things are hot enough as it is!).

5) Once all the solution is in, I start whisking with a stainless whisk. Some people use a stickblender for this part and that's perfectly fine (you'll get to the paste stage much quicker with a stickblender), but please don't do it if your stickblender has a plastic wand/shaft. The glycerin/KOH/oil mixture is so hot that it may melt your plastic stickblender. If you have a stainless stickblender, though, feel free to use that. Otherwise, you can do as I do and use a stainless whisk. A whisk is actually all I've ever used for this step and it works perfectly fine.

As I whisk (off-heat), my batter will look opaque at times, and then clear golden amber with lots of bubbles on top, etc... All of these changes are normal, and I just keep on whisking away until the moment I start to see tiny little bubbles flying/floating up in the air over the pot or around my head. Some people call this the 'Flying Bubble Stage', but I kinda like calling it the "Laurence Welk Stage" lol. It normally takes all of 10 minutes from the time I start whisking until I see the flying bubbles. When I see them, I stop whisking, even if my soap in the pot is still liquid, which it usually is (still liquid), and with a nice foamy head on it like beer, to boot. In spite of the foamy head and the fact that it's not paste yet, it's all good and there's absolutely nothing to be concerned about. As long as I have the flying bubbles, all is well and on its way, and I can proceed to the next step....

[Edited to add: I should make a note at this point that if you don't see flying bubbles after 10 minutes of whisking.... or ever..... don't panic. Some people actually never see the flying bubbles, and that's okay. I've since learned that they are really nothing more than a just a fun visual indicator that your mixture is proceeding along fine. When in doubt- if you have been whisking for 8 to 10 minutes and you haven't seen any flying bubbles, but the batter is holding together fine without separating into oils and glycerin- it's perfectly fine to proceed to step 6.....]


6) ....which is when I cover my pot and leave it alone -still off the heat- to do its thing and become paste. If you used a stickblender, it will become paste very quickly indeed- as little as an hour or so- but with the whisk method, it normally takes between 4 to 6 hours for mine to become paste. So.... I either go out or I just busy myself with other things during this time. Or if it's bedtime, I'll just leave it to set up overnight and check on it in the morning, or later in the afternoon, or even later in the week if I have other things to do. As long as it's tightly covered, there's no need to worry myself about it or feel rushed. That's one of the beauties with this method- you can be lazy with it, and you don't need to cook it to the paste or neutral stage if you don't feel like it. Just let it rest on your counter for 4 to 6 hours or however long and it will become neutral paste all on its own. At least that's been my experience.

7) Because of the bubbly head that's normally resting on the top of my batter, it's pretty hard to tell if I have paste yet just by peeking into the pot and looking, so I scoop into it with a spoon to see what's what. I know I've reached the paste stage if it feels like I'm scooping into thick, sticky taffy, only the color is a beautiful translucent golden color with somewhat dried bubbles still on top.

8 ) When it's paste, I spoon out little globs of it from a couple of different areas of the pot and apply the tongue test to check for zap. Some people use pheno drops, but I'm kinda partial to the tongue test. It's accurate, instantaneous, easy, and best of all I don't have to shell out any money for it. lol If it doesn't zap, I proceed to the next step- dilution. So far, I've never had a GLS batch zap on me yet, but if i did, I'd just let it sit for ahile longer and test again.

I will have to write my diluting procedure in the next post (below) since I've exceeded my word limit for this post. :oops:


IrishLass :)
 
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Okay- to continue.......

To dilute, I use Carrie's canning jar method. It's easy and it prevents evaporation as your're diluting:

A) I heat up some water to simmering in a large soup pot (enough water to come up the sides of my (wide-mouth) canning jar without making the jar float). Also- I stick a round cake cooling rack in the bottom of the pot so that my canning jar won't be in direct contact with the pot's bottom.

B) While the pot of water is coming to a simmer, I weigh out my paste (dried foamy head and all) into an appropriate-sized canning jar, i.e., one that will accomodate my paste and dilution liquid with enough room to spare for stickblending purposes, and set aside.

C) I weigh out my dilution water and my sodium lactate and add them together into a separate pot (using the dilution rate of 1 part paste to .75 parts water, and 3% sodium lactate as per weight of my paste)*[See edited note in post #8 under procedure #3]. I bring this mixture to a boil then immediately pour it over my waiting paste in my canning jar.

D) Then I cover the the jar tightly with its matching lid, give it a shake, then place the jar into the large soup pot of simmering water to warm and soften things up.

E) After about 15-20 minutes or so I take the jar out, wipe the water/condensation off the jar, then I open it so I can stick a clean knife inside to stir things around and test how soft the paste has become. If it's as soft as jam/jelly, I hit it with my stickblender for a minute or so of on and off pulsing until there are no more lumps, but if the paste is not soft enough to my liking yet, I'll just cover it back up and let it sit in the simmering water about 10 minutes more and check again before deciding to stickblend or not.

I need to mention that when I hit it with the stickblender, the contents turn an opaque milky white color. This is normal and only temporary.

F) Once it has been stickblended, I squeegee off as much soap as I can from the stickblender back into the jar, cover with the lid, and stick the jar back into the pot of hot water (off the burner this time). If all goes as planned, the soap will clarify over the next few hours from the bottom up and turn into clear liquid soap with a foamy head on the surface.

G) Re: the foam: The foam eventually dissipates if I let it sit long enough (the warmth of the water helps greatly with this), but sometimes when I get impatient I'll spritz the foam with a spray or 2 of alcohol periodically to help the foam to dissipate in a more timely fashion. I try not to over-do the alcohol,though, because I don't want it to thin my soap out. I've read of people just skimming the foam off, but because I hate waste, I like to let it sit and dissipate to become part of the main body of soap.

H) When the soap is foam-free enough to my liking, I partition off as much as I would like to scent and bottle at that time, and I store the rest in the canning jar at room temp for later use.

I) When I add scent, I make sure to also add an equal amount of PS80 as per the amount of scent so that the scent will not separate out of my soap. I mix the scent with the PS80 and then stir the mixture into the soap. If it looks like the soap is clouding up from the scent at all, I'll just add more PS 80 drop by drop until all is clear again. Thankfully, that doesn't happen but once in a blue moon.

The finished soap is quite lovely, thick, and crystal clear:
IMG_1002CroppedClearIndoorsUnscentedGLSSmall.JPG



Here is a shot of it outside held up to the sky:
IMG_1007CroppedClearUnscentedGLSSmall.JPG




My suds:
IMG_1028CroppedWhiitePeachSudsSmall.JPG



IrishLass :)
 
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PS80 = Polysorbate 80?

Irish Lass -- Your tutorial took a lot of time and effort to write, and I appreciate your thoroughness and thoughtfulness. Thank you so much for sharing. I, for one, have learned a lot and plan to try Carrie's recipe and your method. Wonderful!
 
Wow! Thank you so much Irishlass!! That was EXTREMELY helpful. Can't wait to try a batch.

My next question is, does the glycerin method work best with soaps made with certain oils, or could I use it with whatever??

Thanks!!!!
 
Ok, so how would this recipe do?

OO 40%
Sunflower 20%
CO 14%
Castor 20%
Shea 6%

SF 3%

I understand that the shea may make it cloudy, but that doesn't really bother me. Is it too ambitious? :)
 
You're very welcome everyone! I'm glad to be able to contribute. :)

PS80 = Polysorbate 80?

Yes- Polysorbate-80. :)


jenfrat said:
My next question is, does the glycerin method work best with soaps made with certain oils, or could I use it with whatever??

Ditto what Susie said. Of course, your results will vary just like they do in CP, and your dilution rates will differ, too (depending on which oils you choose to use), but the glycerin method will work with any oil.


jenfrat said:
Ok, so how would this recipe do?
OO 40%
Sunflower 20%
CO 14%
Castor 20%
Shea 6%
SF 3%
I understand that the shea may make it cloudy, but that doesn't really bother me. Is it too ambitious?

I'd go for it! My other favorite 'keeper' GLS actually contains both shea butter and cocoa butter. Although it dilutes out to a rather "blah" murky/cloudy amber color, it gets transformed into a beautifully opaque, creamy/pearly swan with 2% stearic acid added to it. And I also add an extra 2% superfat to it when the soap is all finished and pearly (mixed with PS80 to emulsify). It's just a tiny bit more involved to make compared to Carrie's formula (the stearic adds an extra step near the end of dilution), but I'm working on perfecting my procedure so that the stearic can be added up front, thereby eliminating the extra step. My conundrum with the timing of the stearic addition stems from my early experiments with trying to perfect the dilution rate for this formula while simultaneously trying to make it creamy/pearly looking. That's what I get for trying to do 2 things at once. lol Right now, the 2% stearic is based on the finished diluted soap weight, but I'd like it to be based on the weight of the paste instead. Heavy sigh! I'll get it figured out soon. :crazy:

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's my recipe:

Coconut Oil 35%
Castor Oil 30%
Cocoa Butter 20%
Olive Oil 10%
Shea Butter 5%
KOH amount based on 3% superfat using Summerbee's Advanced Lye Calculator

I add the same amount of SL to the paste (3%) that I use in the other formula, but my dilution rate for it is much different. I must say that I had to play with it (the dilution rate) quite a bit, but I finally got it to where it comes out just as thick- 1 part paste to .41 (41%) parts water [paste weight X .41 or 41%]. A significant difference from the other formula, as you can see, which might be due to the higher amount of coconut oil (which needs much less water to dilute than other oils, I've found), but the consistency is great- as thick as honey- just the way I like it.

It feels great, too- very sumptuous with lots of lather- and not drying at all in spite of having 35% coconut oil in it. I attribute that to the added 2% superfat and the 2% stearic.

[Edited to add: I now have a separate tutorial for the above formula here: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=57974 ]


IrishLass :)
 
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!!! I have made the liquid soap a couple times based on Catherine Failor's book. Making paste is doable but I have a biggest problem of diluting and neutralizing. I will definitely try your method, the glycerin. Thank you for writing such a long tutorial. I know you've spent a lot of time and effort writing all these. Appreciate you greatly. :p
 
This post was right on time. I tried the soap 101 method the other day and my koh mix was never clear but like frosting. My glycerine was about 220 but as soon as the koh hit it, it was over. I'm going to try this out tomorrow. Thanks so much for the tutorial.
 
TO IrishLass

First I want to say that I am a Newbie, I am Overwhelmed with the information that I have NOT been getting here, and everywhere else I look. Meaning, I probably was NOT asking the RIGHT questions to get the ANSWER that I needed. Wow, your Tutorial is outstanding, and I read is WORD FOR WORD out loud so that My BRAIN could soak up exactly what you were saying/doing. I will DO THIS again and more than likely, again after that. I have TONS of Lye sitting in a box that I bought to make all kinds of Hard soap and Soft Soap, and so far not done a single thing. This box is taunting me, teasing me and SCARING ME!! I have 8 Pounds of KOH and 16 Pounds of Lye...(now please be patient, I dont know if I even said that right. but I have the LYE that makes HARD BAR SOAP and the LYE that makes LIQUID SOFT SOAP) yes, alot of it just waiting to be used. but I surely have been having trouble finding out HOW to use it. Ok...I KNOW i WILL have a few questions. Here is a question to Start With:
YOU SAID THE FOLLOWING:
8 ) When it's paste, I spoon out little globs of it from a couple of different areas of the pot and apply the tongue test to check for zap.

My Question is this..what in the world is ZAP? Do you mean you check the liquid with a wooden tongue depressor and see if it ZAPS you? Nope, I am not trying to be funny here, all the CODES people use for terms on this site are enough to make me feel down right stupid. Lol....
I also bought 7 pounds of Palm Oil, some colors that are liquid from a company named life of the party, I got Yellow, Red and Blue, and a whole bunch of Mica Powders so that I can color using Mica, and 1 Pound of Stearic Acid from a company called Crafty candles ,Glycerin that I found at the local pharmacy, Castor Oil (not sure if this is the same as castor bean oil-on the label it states that this is an all natural laxative...so, not sure if its the same as castor BEAN oil) and something that MAKE bubbles, and its supposed to be all natural? its called: Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate...I got this to make sure I have enough bubble action in my liquid soap, but I did NOT see you mention it. I dont see OTHER saying anything about it eather. I Dont know if I should add it to the liquid gel at the END of things, or what? I have coconut oil, grapeseed oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Argan Oil, Borage Oil, Olive Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and I will be getting some Jojoba oil and sweet almond oil. So, I have alot to start with, its because I already DO the standard bath stuff, bombs, lotions, soaks etc...but now am branching out. MAINLY if you get anything out of what I am asking about , its this...what is ZAP, how do I use Sodium Lauyl Sulfoacetate? and how to use Stearic Acid? I saw you talk about that breafly. okay, I am sure by now you understand that I am not only a Newbie, but a SUPER NEWBIE...lol, But of ALL the people that I have talked to, I see the BIGGEST potential of getting the help I need from YOU!! Thanks so much, CookbookChef

You're very welcome everyone! I'm glad to be able to contribute. :)

YOU SAID THE FOLLOWING:

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's my recipe:

Coconut Oil 35%
Castor Oil 30%
Cocoa Butter 20%
Olive Oil 10%
Shea Butter 5%
KOH amount based on 3% superfat using Summerbee's Advanced Lye Calculator

I add the same amount of SL to the paste (3%) that I use in the other formula, but my dilution rate for it is much different. I must say that I had to play with it (the dilution rate) quite a bit, but I finally got it to where it comes out just as thick- 1 part paste to .41 (41%) parts water [paste weight X .41 or 41%]. A significant difference from the other formula, as you can see, which might be due to the higher amount of coconut oil (which needs much less water to dilute than other oils, I've found), but the consistency is great- as thick as honey- just the way I like it.

It feels great, too- very sumptuous with lots of lather- and not drying at all in spite of having 35% coconut oil in it. I attribute that to the added 2% superfat and the 2% stearic.


IrishLass :)

OK, THE ABOVE IS YOUR WORDS, NOW BELOW IS MY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS:
HI AGAIN, I wanted to ask you what (((SL))) IS? You mentioned that you added the same amount of SL to the paste as you did before. also, I have decided to make only ALL NATURAL soaps, so, I would say that means only adding in natural preservatives, like I do in sugar scrubs, I use vitamin E. so, instead of the polysorbate 80, can i just do vitamin E?? and all this talk of 2 percents this, and 3 percent that...wow, please direct me to where I can find MEANING to that please? and a calculator? thanks...and ps, it is because of your article, I will NOT blow my house up now. also, I bought a stick blender, but its plastic, and has a metal cutter blade....Sounds like this WONT work, and I need an all metal stick blade or use a Large Wire Wisk, right? Thanks again, ps, I guess I asked questions HERE, and on another post within the SAME thread, I hope you can find the OTHER questions. YOUR WONDERFUL!!!
 
Ok, one thing at the time.

First off, most of your questions can be answered with a little research in the forums here. Get familiar with the search option, or better yet, Google. I Googled the following: soapmaking forum zap test guide and got this-

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30690

It is a sticky on the CP forum.

Second, it sounds to me like you need to do a whole lot more research before you start making anything. Your stick blender(immersion blender) is fine. I would not recommend you use a whisk for bringing things to trace. Your arm will get really tired.

Third- the castor oil is the correct stuff.

Fourth- you don't need Sodium Lauryl Sufoacetate. At all. Some more experienced soapers use it, but it is not necessary.

Fifth- you don't have to use poly 80 or vit E to preserve this. Make small batches until you know what you are doing.

Sixth-here is the soap calculator I use for almost everything. Use the KOH 90% options at the top to account for the impurities in the KOH.

http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp

Last- you need a whole lot more research before making any liquid soap. If you have not made bar soap, you need to do that first before venturing into liquid soapmaking. You need to learn the lingo and the processes. If you have made bar soap, I apologize, but it does not sound like it. Do go to the cold process area of these forums and read every sticky before venturing further. If you have made bar soap, and are now ready for liquid soap, here is a video to get you started:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VUGV_H7bZU&list=TL0x7l9bj9OF5Hyaf8GG5E1GlasWG69xFS[/ame]
 
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