2 questions - Cracking and Temperature

[TomDillinger]

hey I have like 8 batches of soap under my belt but i am still a little confused about the temperature of the oils and lye when you mix them. i am impatient and dont like to wait till the oils cool down and heating them up to melt the solids.

i mix the oils when they are hot (140 degrees farenheit) is this bad? i often get a large crack down the middle of the loaf with a tiny bit of oil coming out. it doesnt ruin the soap, i can easily just press the crack together but im wondering if mixing the soap at a very high temperature is causing the crack.

wouldnt it just speed up the reaction to have the reagents at a higher temp and wouldnt that be better?

what are your opinions on this matter? thanks.

 

[jarvan]

I saw a post last year from a soaper who pays no attention to the temps, figuring that the lye will eventually heat up the batch past is oil temp anyway. I don't know that this makes good sense, as you start everything off "hot" that way and it stays hot longer. Whatever.

But, are you putting any milk or sugar in your batch? That definitely can cause overheating and cracking, especially at the temp you describe.

 

[jarvan]

I inadvertently pushed the submit button twice. Therefore, I deleted this content.

 

[ChrissyB]

Yes, higher temps will make the reaction happen faster. But along with that, comes some other problems. Fast trace and cracking from overheating are a couple. Separation can also occur. This is what you are experiencing.
The original "room temp" soaping method, was essentially mixing up the lye and pouring that in with the unmelted solid and liquid oils, using the heat from the lye to melt the oils. This has not proven to be a consistent method for me.
I use the more modern "room temp method", that is I mix my lye solution, melt my oils, then wait for everything to reach room temp. Then soap. This method gives more time to colour, mix, swirl, pour. It's much more reliable.
To gauge the temp of my oils I have never used a thermometer, I just put my hand on the outside of the pot. Just warm is perfect. Same with the lye. Why not try this room temp method, then you can put the soap into a just warmed oven (not on) to gel. It's the same result in the end but much more reliable.

 

[honor435]

I try to do mine 90-110( cp), for hp it doesn matter, which is nice.

 

[agriffin]

Yes, higher temps will make the reaction happen faster. But along with that, comes some other problems. Fast trace and cracking from overheating are a couple. Separation can also occur. This is what you are experiencing.
The original "room temp" soaping method, was essentially mixing up the lye and pouring that in with the unmelted solid and liquid oils, using the heat from the lye to melt the oils. This has not proven to be a consistent method for me.
I use the more modern "room temp method", that is I mix my lye solution, melt my oils, then wait for everything to reach room temp. Then soap. This method gives more time to colour, mix, swirl, pour. It's much more reliable.
To gauge the temp of my oils I have never used a thermometer, I just put my hand on the outside of the pot. Just warm is perfect. Same with the lye. Why not try this room temp method, then you can put the soap into a just warmed oven (not on) to gel. It's the same result in the end but much more reliable.

This is what I do, and I use the oven to gel by setting it to 170.

 

[Sibi]

I also soap at room temp and have had no issues at all. I wait for everything to get warm and then start mixing. Sometimes if I'm impatient I'll stick my lye solution in the fridge (once family is tucked away and asleep that is) for a bit to help the process along.

 

[Lindy]

I make my lye mixture and then melt my hard oils. Once they are melted I add my soft oils and lye. It works beautifully for me and I don't use my thermometer for soaping anymore. If I am doing just soft oils then I mix my lye, let it sit for about 15 minutes and add it to my oils..... no problem.

 

[jennikate]

I agree soaping that warm sounds like could be overheating. Now I have never had this issue because I like room tempI mix lye with slushy water partway frozen. Than I let hard oils get about half melted turn off stove let them melt rest of the way add soft oils. Wait about 15 mins mix and the stirring begins.

 

[mandolyn]

I also soap at room temp and have had no issues at all. I wait for everything to get warm and then start mixing. Sometimes if I'm impatient I'll stick my lye solution in the fridge (once family is tucked away and asleep that is) for a bit to help the process along.

Ditto all that! I've been soaping with room temp oils & lye/water solution for almost my entire soapmaking career - with no problems. In fact, one of the very few failed batches of soap I had was early on & because I soaped at too high a temp. The soap volcanoed right out of the pvc pipe & had oozing lye pockets!

If you haven't tried room temp soaping, how can you say it doesn't make good sense? LOL!

 

[donniej]

Heat and water both regulate temperature and the speed of the reaction. More water or less heat will both have similar results (within limits). I'd try slightly lower temps or add more water.

 

[absintheherbs]

Ah ha! Cracking was my next question. The first batch I made was at 110 or less and it had no cracking, but also had a slightly different lye/water mix (about a 2%). Following batches have been at 120 all with cracks. Figured it might be a heat issue, but I thought I read 125 or so was an okay temp. Okay, back to the lower temps!

 

[carebear]

hey I have like 8 batches of soap under my belt but i am still a little confused about the temperature of the oils and lye when you mix them. i am impatient and dont like to wait till the oils cool down and heating them up to melt the solids.

i mix the oils when they are hot (140 degrees farenheit) is this bad? i often get a large crack down the middle of the loaf with a tiny bit of oil coming out. it doesnt ruin the soap, i can easily just press the crack together but im wondering if mixing the soap at a very high temperature is causing the crack.

wouldnt it just speed up the reaction to have the reagents at a higher temp and wouldnt that be better?

what are your opinions on this matter? thanks.

No, it/s not "bad". it WILL speed the reaction - but in many cases it will speed it along faster than you would like, especially if you are going for a swirl or a particular look.

Plus, I sell soap, so that crack you don't care about is problematic for me.

That crack is caused by overheating, which may be a result of you soaping hot, or could be other things.

 

[carebear]

Ah ha! Cracking was my next question. The first batch I made was at 110 or less and it had no cracking, but also had a slightly different lye/water mix (about a 2%). Following batches have been at 120 all with cracks. Figured it might be a heat issue, but I thought I read 125 or so was an okay temp. Okay, back to the lower temps!

125 or so is ok for some folks and in some situations - it depends on a number of factors including your mold, your formula, your lye concentration, your FO, your technique, your ambient temperature, your insulation...

 

[maryannm]

When I started soaping a few months ago, I spent a lot of time trying to get my lye solution and oils to the same temp - around 95 degrees, more or less. Now, I melt one of my hard oils in the microwave, add any other hard oil to that and let the ambient heat melt those (a few more seconds in the microwave if it needs any help) and then add my liquid oil. I use mostly ice to make my lye water. At that point, I put away all the oils, get out my molds, colors and whatever else I think I might need. By the time I'm set up, it's pretty close to room temp and ready to happen.