Room Temperature Cold Process

Can somebody explain to me how this works? I read an online article in which the author stated that she measured/mixed up to 20 batches of oils and a couple batches of lye that she would let sit in the bathtub until she was ready to soap. What about hard oils like palm/coconut/shea butter? If the lye and oil are at room temp, how do the oils melt? Can you put it in the oven after (CPOP)?
Thanks!

You can let the oils melt, mix together, and then let them return to room temperature.

Saponification is exothermic. When mixed, the oil and lye/water will create it's own heat.

the pre-melted and mixed oils are probably liquid when all mixed together.

You have to gently warm the solid oils so that they liquify, this way they can be mixed together. Start with the oil with the highest melting temperature and put in in the warming container first and wait till it is liquid, then add the 2nd highest, etc until they are all blended.

Room temperature is not practical. Your typical mix will be like loose peanut butter at that temperature. Raise it to 100F to 110 F, nice and liquid.

It may still be cloudy and that's okay. Clarity requires a higher temperature yet, and I'm just not convinced that I get any super benefit from it.

A nice warm liquid oil will mix optimally with your water and lye solution.

Chris-2010 said:

You have to gently warm the solid oils so that they liquify, this way they can be mixed together. Start with the oil with the highest melting temperature and put in in the warming container first and wait till it is liquid, then add the 2nd highest, etc until they are all blended.

Click to expand...

or just dump all your solid oils/butters into your microwavable soaping bowl, melt on 50%, add your liquid oils to help it cool and let rest until a little warm. That's what I do.

carebear said:

Chris-2010 said:

You have to gently warm the solid oils so that they liquify, this way they can be mixed together. Start with the oil with the highest melting temperature and put in in the warming container first and wait till it is liquid, then add the 2nd highest, etc until they are all blended.

Click to expand...

or just dump all your solid oils/butters into your microwavable soaping bowl, melt on 50%, add your liquid oils to help it cool and let rest until a little warm. That's what I do.

Click to expand...

Ditto

ESPECIALLY if you use beeswax, please melt it in another oil.

I made up an extra batch of oils and poured it into an olive oil container for a later batch. I have 19% coconut oil in mine. It stays all liquid below room temperature (it's in the basement). Now I dunno what'd happen if I put it in the fridge, but who's gonna do that anyways?

Mine remains liquid at room temperature. Because I don't want to have to close the store to make soap I prepare everything so I can soap after store hours. So I premelt all of my oils with the soft oils in there as well and just let it and my lye sit at room temperature until I'm ready.... As Deda said once you mix your lye and oils it will create the heat needed to become soap.

agriffin said:

carebear said:

Chris-2010 said:

You have to gently warm the solid oils so that they liquify, this way they can be mixed together. Start with the oil with the highest melting temperature and put in in the warming container first and wait till it is liquid, then add the 2nd highest, etc until they are all blended.

Click to expand...

or just dump all your solid oils/butters into your microwavable soaping bowl, melt on 50%, add your liquid oils to help it cool and let rest until a little warm. That's what I do.

Click to expand...

Ditto

Click to expand...

Me, too. Nothing overheats or underheats that way.

Chris-2010 said:

Room temperature is not practical. Your typical mix will be like loose peanut butter at that temperature. Raise it to 100F to 110 F, nice and liquid.

It may still be cloudy and that's okay. Clarity requires a higher temperature yet, and I'm just not convinced that I get any super benefit from it.

A nice warm liquid oil will mix optimally with your water and lye solution.

Click to expand...

I make quite a bit of soap each day, I use premelted room temp oils, as well as room temp lye. I find it extremely practical. Not to mention the time savings.

I'm not sure where your going with the clarity. Why would you require your oils to be clear?

What is totally impractical FOR ME is not pre-melting solid oils/butters (and then mixing with liquid oils). Counting on the heat of a fresh lye solution to do the melting doesn't work consistently because I am just as likely to end up with a mixture that reaches trace too quickly, or has un-melted bits of butter.

This is not to say that there aren't people who make it work, or formulas for which it is particularly suited, but for me (even with 100% CO soap) it doesn't work.

Deda, clarity is the state where all of the oils in the mix become truly liquid. Crystal clear. Literally drop some coins to the bottom of a 3 foot deep tank and see the coins sitting on the bottom under the oil. At clarity every last oil component is totally dissolved. The trouble is, it is too hot. (for us about 125 deg F). So I take an entire day to blend and raise the base oil mix to clarity (for me it's big and takes that long, about 460 pounds at a go).

Then I transfer the oils to a 2nd tank that is temperature regulated and let it coast down under 110 deg F and hold it there. Constant.

[Warning, bad metaphor] For me, temperature is really, really important. It's like speed when you drive your car. You can't just go driving around at any old speed. There's a right speed and a wrong speed. You have to know you speed and control your speed. Highway speed is too fast for the city. Walking speed is too slow for the city.

So I have to go hot to get clarity and a great mix, and then reduce to warm, for soap making, or else the soap-police will give me a ticket. A soapmaker's key tool is a pocket IR thermometer, and you should be taking temperatures of everything every 5 or 10 minutes.

Room temperature soap making sounds perfectly good, with the right oils, and making sure that you are in charge of your own room temperature.

silly Deda.

Nizzy is going to have throw all that good soap out...lol Poor man.

This is what I do for room temperature soap. I mix my lye, let it cool (sometimes for days ) and then add it to my oils that are melted and then I mix it with my stick blender til trace, the pour it into my molds.

Is that not what the rest of you guys do? :cry: :?

I do that, too. It works for me. I haven't used a thermometer in years.