HP vs. CP liquid soap, dilution questions

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Clay is composed of small particles that do not dissolve. So, yes, it will cloud the soap. So will the unsaponifiable chemicals in avocado oil.

You didn't mention whether you are using distilled or tap/drinking water to make and dilute the soap. For best results, use distilled.
 
Clay is composed of small particles that do not dissolve. So, yes, it will cloud the soap. So will the unsaponifiable chemicals in avocado oil.

You didn't mention whether you are using distilled or tap/drinking water to make and dilute the soap. For best results, use distilled.


Thank you DeeAnna, I used distilled water and just tried the no cooking method and I love it, no so much work.
 
Well I made my first batch of paste yesterday and everything went smoothly. Over 24 hours later and it's still zappy, so I guess I'm playing the waiting game. But the good news is, I decided to wash my pot (the paste I moved to a jar) and it lathered up like a boss. I hope I'm zap free by tomorrow; I'm excited to get this puppy diluted so I can give it a spin!

Yay! Zap-free! I just added water and now I have to wait again I really thought this would be easier than waiting weeks for my CP to cure but I swear this has already been the longest 48 hours of my life!
 
Yay! Zap-free! I just added water and now I have to wait again I really thought this would be easier than waiting weeks for my CP to cure but I swear this has already been the longest 48 hours of my life!

You'll be fine.

^_^ Goat.jpg
 
Re: dilution: I'm partial to Carrie's method (3bees~1flower from the Dish), which is the canning jar method. Everything is contained in a sealed environment so that evaporation is kept to the barest minimum, and I am better able to see what is going on as often as I like from the top to the bottom clarity-wise/viscosity-wise without ever un-screwing the lid and causing needless evaporation- by just lifting the jar out of the pot of boiling water and tilting it/swirling it.

In comparison, if I were diluting in a crockpot, the only way I would be able to judge how things were progressing throughout the dilution would be to lift the lid and give things a stir, which would cause evaporation over a large surface area every time I decided I wanted to check on things.... which increases the potential of negatively effecting the overall consistency of my finished soap.


IrishLass :)[/QUOTE

Well now I understand why you recommend the canning jar method - I will find out if just using the crock pot works for such a small amount for my own use. If it doesn't work out - not much paste was wasted!
 
I use a measuring cup and cover it with cling wrap. Just stir the water into the paste, cover with plastic, and let it sit, add more water as needed. I do weigh everything but it's simple a no fuss to me
 
I use a measuring cup and cover it with cling wrap. Just stir the water into the paste, cover with plastic, and let it sit, add more water as needed. I do weigh everything but it's simple a no fuss to me

I checked my diluted soap this morning - looks beautiful but still too thick. I did what you suggested and transferred it from the crock pot. It was barely enough to cover the bottom anyway. I put it in a glass measuring cup and added a few more drops of water and covered it with saran wrap.

I'm just wondering if there is any method that says to dilute the paste ON heat? I seem to recall reading that some soap makers dilute on heat while others do the process off heat. As a baker, it seems more logical to add heat while diluting. Is this a definite mistake with liquid soap?

You are not a pain. :)

I'm not sure if you saw one of the edits (in red) that I added to my post in the Soapmaking 101 thread explaining how I make my glycerin liquid soap, but I mix my KOH differently nowadays. Instead of cooking the KOH and glycerin together until the KOH dissolves, I dissolve the KOH in an equal amount of room temp. distilled water by weight- which takes only about a minute, if that- then I add my regular recipe amount of glycerin (at room temp) to the solution before adding to my melted oils/fats. It's so much easier and even less fussy.


IrishLass :)

So you take the recipe calculated amount of water/glycerin weight needed, use part of it to dilute the KOH in water, then use the remaining weight in glycerin added to the KOH and distilled water amount?

What's the advantage? Keeping the fumes to a minimum? Or not having to mix with heat at all? Just curious here, I made my soap paste from your original post and dissolved the KOH and glycerin on heat and the paste came out perfect -- thank you for your tutorials, guidance, and especially patience with me.
 
I checked my diluted soap this morning - looks beautiful but still too thick. I did what you suggested and transferred it from the crock pot. It was barely enough to cover the bottom anyway. I put it in a glass measuring cup and added a few more drops of water and covered it with saran wrap.

I'm just wondering if there is any method that says to dilute the paste ON heat? I seem to recall reading that some soap makers dilute on heat while others do the process off heat. As a baker, it seems more logical to add heat while diluting. Is this a definite mistake with liquid soap?

I dilute in my crock pot, on high. The downside is that you lose moisture every time you lift the lid, so you have to add more. This is done VERY carefully and slowly. The upside is that it is faster.

So you take the recipe calculated amount of water/glycerin weight needed, use part of it to dilute the KOH in water, then use the remaining weight in glycerin added to the KOH and distilled water amount?

What's the advantage? Keeping the fumes to a minimum? Or not having to mix with heat at all? Just curious here, I made my soap paste from your original post and dissolved the KOH and glycerin on heat and the paste came out perfect -- thank you for your tutorials, guidance, and especially patience with me.

The advantages are:

1. It is safer by far. You do not have boiling glycerin/KOH putting off fumes and presenting quite a danger in the potential for spilling.

2. It achieves the same result.

3. It is lots easier.
 
I'm just wondering if there is any method that says to dilute the paste ON heat? I seem to recall reading that some soap makers dilute on heat while others do the process off heat. As a baker, it seems more logical to add heat while diluting. Is this a definite mistake with liquid soap?

There are methods for just about everything. I'm not very familiar with the, since I am new to liquid soap making. Susie just mentioned the crockpot method you were asking about. I just find the measuring cup works for me because I don't have to babysit it or go out to get larger canning jars. I do have a bunch of 8oz jars to store paste in, they just aren't practical to dilute in.
 
Susie, thank you so much for clearing this up. I've just become comfortable with the original method I hate to change just yet although I'll keep thinking on it for the next batch.

BattleGnome,

I have enough paste from this batch to try both so I'll see which one I like best. Thank you so much.
 
BattleGnome,

I have enough paste from this batch to try both so I'll see which one I like best. Thank you so much.

It really depends on your level of urgency. I am normally in a hurry, and only dilute when I am OUT OF SOAP. Therefore, I need to expedite that process.

I pinch off small pieces of paste and drop them into the hot water. Then stir every 10-15 minutes or so. If I have more than 2 small lumps or a skin on top, I add a very small amount of water, about half the size of whatever I am trying to dilute.
 
I did a batch of liquid soap today for my husband auntie and I did IL and Susie's method without glycerin instead I used full water. I did this twice and their ok but this one and the dual lye didn't do the same as my first and second attempts. I stick blender until emulsified and cover it and I did my other house works but after 4 hours I check it and it separates the hard soap on the top and water below. I don't know what to do with it, so I stick blender again and I cook it for 4 hours. My recipe below

500 g coconut oil
500 g olive oil

752 g distilled water
250.8 koh
 
You are on the right track, Biarine. If the paste separates, then blend it back together and let it do its thing. My water-only batches tend to be a little more stubborn about separating than the glycerin-water batches, but they all turn out fine in the end.

You honestly don't need to cook it at all, and certainly not for 4 hours, but that's your choice. Just be careful to not cook the water out of the paste, or it will be difficult to dilute.
 
You are on the right track, Biarine. If the paste separates, then blend it back together and let it do its thing. My water-only batches tend to be a little more stubborn about separating than the glycerin-water batches, but they all turn out fine in the end.

You honestly don't need to cook it at all, and certainly not for 4 hours, but that's your choice. Just be careful to not cook the water out of the paste, or it will be difficult to dilute.


Thank you DeeAnn I thought I did wrong that's why it separates.

I noticed that with my paste that I cook for 3-4 hours tend to be hard to dilutes.
 
I have been making dual lye liquid soap cold processed. It comes out like honey, golden and thick but can be poured easily. It has a 0% sf. I use soapee calc. Use 10% Naoh, 90% KOH. I use a 3:1 amount of water to lye. I stick blend every time it separates through applesauce; then just cover and leave it to cook itself. I just check to be sure it is ok every 30 min. It makes a paste, which is thick. Then I put the paste away to set for a while..maybe a week. Then, when you want to dilute, take a portion........I did 12 oz. Pinch it into small pieces into a bowl. Add only 6 oz distilled water, and 3% of the paste in the bowl. Cover and let it sit. After about 3 hrs, look at it and see if it is very thick or dry or if it has some golden soap in the bottom. Leave it alone unless it is very thick. Add only an ounce of distilled water. Do the same, let it alone. After 24 hours it should be almost all diluted and not need any thickener. If it is too thick, dribble a tiny amount of water in..maybe 1/2 ounce. But the key is very little water and let it gradually dilute itself. Try not to stir. It makes a white foam and bubbles. That all disolves on it's own anyway but it may make dilution slower. This all just my experience and I have made two large batches...40 oz oils each time. This process works. I have had success with using just simple recipes......canola or soybean oil and coconut oil. I don't have a good recipe yet that is moisturizing ..it seems to be too stripping. But when I get one I will share. At least I have the process to make it dilute to thick soap. Just wanted to share.
 
This post is over a year old. Soap is not moisturizing just less cleansing. The reason it’s stripping is you are using a 0%SF. 3% is very doable and less stripping. Also, if you’re cooking it it’s not CP. you can make liquid soap much easier and it doesn’t need to be sequestered. You can dilute soap as soon as it’s zap free.

There’s a great thread that’s quite long with excellent information for LS made easy. [emoji3]
 
I just recently made my first batch of GLS from IL's instructions and they couldn't be more thorough! I did not cook anything after mixing lye and oils and it turned out perfect. I did use a stick blender, and I gotta say....reached the flying bubble stage with both batches I've made, and both times it made me giggle! Went to zap-free paste in less than 2 hours without touching it or cooking it.

I dilute exactly like IL's instructions, as well. I put my paste, distilled water, and SL in a wide-mouth half-gallon sized canning jar and then let it sit in a simmering hot water bath on top of the stove until it's soft enough to stick blend. Then I let it sit to settle, cool, and dissolve and top foam before I add FO and PS80, and then bottle it.

I read forever, too, before I actually took the liquid soap plunge, and it was so much easier than I ever thought it would be, thanks to Irish Lass and her fabulous instructions.

Just do it!:)
Is there a place where recipes or this recipe from Irish Lass may be found?
 

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