Soaping temp for swirls/complex techniques

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Mouse

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Okay, so I've gotten a couple batches out that I was real happy with the swirls, and others that trace came too fast and my ideas had to go out the window. Lately I've been soaping pretty hot and being lazier about my temps-heating base oils (OO/CO) just enough to melt the coconut, mixing the lye solution until it clears and letting it cool just a few minutes....this works for me in that I always get usable soap, but perhaps isn't the best when I need a thin trace for longer. I thought it would be thin for longer if I soaped hot, but apparently not? Any pointers? I use a very simple base, OO/CO 2:1, trace castor. Thanks for your words of wisdom!

Edit for additional question: How important is temping, just in general? For years before I ever picked up a bottle of lye, I read about soaping voraciously, and in the first book I ever read, and read over and over, temping instructions were VERY exacting. But I have found through my own e perimentation that you can still get great soap without being exact on temps, or even close.
 
I think temps are really important, I find changing my temps by 5 deg can make a difference.

I personally would stick to 110 deg for a while and then do an experiment with it a bit hotter, or a bit cooler and see what the difference is. If soaping hot works for you - then fine.

Generally soaping cool is said to be better for tricky fragrance oils or to give you more time to play with swirls.
However you have to take into account the oils/butters you are using. Obviously soaping at room temp with butters that are solid at room temp, wont work too well.

I use about a 1/4 butters in my regular soap and I soap at 115 (oils) and 120 (Lye), this is perfect for me, but it's not a slow tracing recipe so if I wanted to do something fun, like a multi swirl in a slab mold, then I would use a recipe that was mostly soft oils (OO) and soap cool.

So in theory your OO/CO recipe would be slow to trace so if you lowered your temps you should have more time.
BUT ultimately you FO will decide how quick your batter moves. If it speeds trace, then I wouldn't even attempt anything too technical.

Hope this helps :D
 
When I started years ago I read a book to the said temps where so important. I sat and moved the thermometer back and forth until they were the perfect temp, waisting time! Now I just soap, sometimes the oils and lye are warm, sometimes I leave them overnight and doing it the next day. The only time I had a problem was when it was really cold, the soap didnt turn out after leaving the stuff all night. I know several successful soapers that master batch both lye and oils and room temp soap. I have to be careful not to pour at too light a trace, I think I have plenty of time to mix different colors and pour.
 
I soap cool when I want long trace time and use alot of OO, warm when I don't care so much, I.E. one color and honestly never touch a thermometer at all when I soap, mostly I just use touchy feely :)
 
Thanks for your help! Looks like I defintely need to go cooler.
 
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