How imperative is distilled water? I have a high end water filter

[maiseycat]

ROFL - perhaps not.

So you're in Calgary huh - I'll be there in March to visit with family and bring a new (to us) car home. We should get together while I'm there.

You know you could always use water out of the Bow or Elbow and call it Banff River Water.... :wink:

At one point I gathered up a bunch of large clam and oyster shells, cleaned them up real good then made soap in them. Looked really cool, but other than that - epic fail :thumbdown:

I am alternatively giggling and contemplating seriously the concept of "Banff river water".

How long will you be in Calgary for? I have a bit of an odd schedule (shft work, yay!) so it can be a little hard to schedule things, but if it works out, getting together for coffee or something would be cool

 

[Lindy]

You could name a whole line of your soaps as Banff River Water Savon.... *giggle*

I'll be there at least a week if not 2.... since we moved here 4 1/2 years ago I've only been back once... oops And I always end up there in the winter - probably to remind me how I do not miss Alberta winters....

 

[Jamison]

You guys are giving me more ideas. :-D

Is there any difference with ocean water? It just seems like the chemistry could vary so much with what's in that water.

It's crazy how persistent the books and tutorials were about "only distilled water" when I first started learning how to make soap.

 

[maiseycat]

You could name a whole line of your soaps as Banff River Water Savon.... *giggle*

I'll be there at least a week if not 2.... since we moved here 4 1/2 years ago I've only been back once... oops And I always end up there in the winter - probably to remind me how I do not miss Alberta winters....

Well, it does have the advantage of letting you completely miss Stampede

 

[danahuff]

Savon de Marseille is reputedly made with seawater from the Mediterranean. I use distilled because I don't have a filter, and I have no idea what is in the town water, but if I had a filter, I'd give tap water a go.

 

[Lindy]

Jamison the salt is going to harden the bar but it doesn't reduce the lather. I think we sometimes make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Maiseycat I do miss the Chucks, well when there aren't any accidents. Okay I miss the rodeo too, but that's it. I love living by the sea...

 

[Gryfonmoon]

You could try making your own ocean water by mixing marine reef salt formulation with your RO water (I've been considering that for a castile recipe myself XD).

Also ocean water tends to be very hard and alkaline- not to mention the possibility of pollutants present.

 

[Pepsi Girl]

You guys are giving me more ideas. :-D

Is there any difference with ocean water? It just seems like the chemistry could vary so much with what's in that water.

It's crazy how persistent the books and tutorials were about "only distilled water" when I first started learning how to make soap.

If I lived by the ocean I would use! As far as the "persistent the books and tutorials " your right it is crazy! I don't think my grandma worried about distilled water when she made soap. Plus I've made soap from milk products, Teas and coffee (made from tap water), Juices, and others use beer wine.........:crazy:

 

[Lindy]

Yeah I really do believe we tend to complicate it far more than is necessary. I have never worried about distilled water for soap and I've not had any problems besides the normal ones like FO's creating soap on a stick or ricing. I make soap using beer, coffee, tea, goat milk, sea water, tap water, and I've done wine too. I think we need to remember not to take ourselves too seriously, we're making soap and the ingredients (besides water) are what is going to determine how good the soap is.

Of course this is just my opinion.... :shifty:

 

[Gryfonmoon]

The radiation that's now in our air and water (from Japan) kinda makes me nervous as well.

If it gives you any comfort, light water reactor transuranic elements almost always have very short half-lives. You're likely getting more dangerous radiation from the sun than from Japan.

 

[Jamison]

If it gives you any comfort, light water reactor transuranic elements almost always have very short half-lives. You're likely getting more dangerous radiation from the sun than from Japan.

The studies and figures from alternative media paint a different picture. Of course real info will always be hidden from us, and when truth comes out it's typically dismissed as a "crazy conspiracy theory".

 

[LovelyMalia]

I have heard using ocean water and I'm very tempted to try it. I have family by the ocean so I'll have to go drain the Atlantic next time I visit!

For now, I'll use regular well water...my water tastes and feels phenomenal in the shower anyway, so I imagine it'll be great with soap!

 

[Jamison]

I can physically feel a difference after a shower when using someone else's compared to mine w/ the filtered water. Chlorine is disgusting and they offset it with ammonia. I've been told by a water guy that there's often times as much chlorine in drinking water than you'd find in a swimming pool. I have also read that showering in chlorinated water is 10x worse than drinking it due to the vapors breathed.

 

[maiseycat]

I don't know. I swam competitively as a child, and between practice, and travelling to competitions, have swallowed ALOT of pool water from many different pools over the years. I can guarantee no city I have lived in has added anywhere near the amount of chlorine to the drinking water that a pool has.

 

[Jamison]

I don't know. I swam competitively as a child, and between practice, and travelling to competitions, have swallowed ALOT of pool water from many different pools over the years. I can guarantee no city I have lived in has added anywhere near the amount of chlorine to the drinking water that a pool has.

They offset it with ammonia so it doesn't taste or smell that strong. You wouldn't have any idea how much chlorine unless you did an actual test.

 

[Lindy]

Actually if you were to do some research on chlorine you would discover that it dissipates in water that is left to stand which is why aquarium owners have refill water that is sitting waiting for the 30% water change or top-ups. It's better to just let the chlorine evaporate than being offsetting with chemicals. I can tell you that ammonia is not one of those chemicals because it would kill the fish. In fact ammonia is something that is watched closely in that environment.

The difference you are going to be feeling Jamison is what you put into your bars, what %ages you are using including superfat. It truly is going to have absolutely nothing to do with the water. The "concern" that is often expressed with tap water is the mineral content, especially heavier minerals. But again, from my experience living in a town that is on the side of a mountain where out water comes from a mountain lake, it has no effect on my soap. It has never created a problem for me and quite frankly I doubt that it ever will.

The choice to use distilled water is a personal one, and it doesn't require justification. I use distilled and sterilized water for my lotions and creams. That is where it does make a difference, I think. Probably personal choice again, but if it is then that is my personal choice. :-?

 

[Jamison]

Actually if you were to do some research on chlorine you would discover that it dissipates in water that is left to stand which is why aquarium owners have refill water that is sitting waiting for the 30% water change or top-ups. It's better to just let the chlorine evaporate than being offsetting with chemicals. I can tell you that ammonia is not one of those chemicals because it would kill the fish. In fact ammonia is something that is watched closely in that environment.

The difference you are going to be feeling Jamison is what you put into your bars, what %ages you are using including superfat. It truly is going to have absolutely nothing to do with the water. The "concern" that is often expressed with tap water is the mineral content, especially heavier minerals. But again, from my experience living in a town that is on the side of a mountain where out water comes from a mountain lake, it has no effect on my soap. It has never created a problem for me and quite frankly I doubt that it ever will.

The choice to use distilled water is a personal one, and it doesn't require justification. I use distilled and sterilized water for my lotions and creams. That is where it does make a difference, I think. Probably personal choice again, but if it is then that is my personal choice. :-?

What? What research do you feel I should have done?

I wasn't saying to add ammonia, I said the water treatment plant adds ammonia to offset the chlorine. My concern was the chemicals that are in tap water in major (if not small) cities.

Are you saying that people should let tap water sit a while before it's used it soap? Or that it will evaporate from the bar itself?

 

[tyerod]

Water straight out of the tap here also. I do run it through a carbon filter when I am making beer though. There is decent tap water here in Arvada but I have been places where you can smell the chlorine as soon as the faucet is turned on.

 

[Lindy]

Jamison chlorine is a very unstable chemical in that it does not remain in the water for very long which is why pools have to keep adding more on a daily basis, that was the research I meant. There are so many fear-mongering sites out there that will wind people up about this chemical or that because they have an agenda. I wasn't taking a shot at you. I truly have never heard of any city adding ammonia to the water because that is contrary to what they are trying to do in making the water safe to use. It is actually one of the things they would be trying to get out of the water and there are chemicals to achieve that.

I'm not saying you have to let your water sit before using it for soap-making, chlorine is not going to affect the soap. It is what a lot of aquarium enthusiasts do to protect their fish because they know the chlorine will dissipate. And even there, a lot of cities have water safe enough to go directly into the aquarium because the chlorine levels aren't high enough to hurt most fish. Of course there are fish that would be sensitive to any of.

Another option if you are concerned about chlorine is to go to an aquarium supply store and buy the chemicals to remove it. Lots of options....

 

[Jamison]

The city I live in uses ammonia to offset chlorine taste/flavor. I'd wager to say this is fairly common if my city does it. At least in major cities.

That's not contrary to what they want to do necessarily. They add fluoride to water and say it's for teeth. But the facts show it's a toxin that's absolutely horrible for the body.

It is our duty to go beyond what we are told and do the actual un-biased research that shows the facts on such topics.

I don't have a personal concern with chemicals in my water/soap. As I originally posted, I have an amazing water filter system at my house that removes them. I just started this post to verify it was ok to use my filtered water because everything I had read in books (old books, mind you) said to only use distilled water. So in my 2 years of making soap, I have been using distilled water that I purchase. Thanks to the answers here, I will no longer be doing this once my stock is gone. And alas, save myself .02 per bar of soap. haha