A lot of my CP soaps seem to turn out softer than I would like. Should I be discounting my water or soaping with a higher lye percentage? Seems to me that would make a harder soap. But then does that render any superfatting useless? My head is spinning :? What lye percentage do the veterans soap at, I think the default on soapcalc is 25%??
soaps too soft
- Thread starter sandra
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cdwinsby
Well-Known Member
I soap with a 5% lye discount. That's the default on SoapCalc.
If you're new at making soap, I wouldn't go below 36% for the water (water as % of oils) since you will want to play with scent and having full water, or near to it, gives you time to work with it.
I usually use 36% water because I am often working with new scents and like to really play around with designs. My bars are all hard after the 4 week cure.
We would need to see your recipe to help you with creating a harder bar of soap since the oils you use play a large part in that.
Many oils like coconut, palm, shea butter, cocoa butter, palm kernal will creat a hard soap.
It also takes some time for the bar to become hard. After the 4 week cure it should be quite solid.
If you're new at making soap, I wouldn't go below 36% for the water (water as % of oils) since you will want to play with scent and having full water, or near to it, gives you time to work with it.
I usually use 36% water because I am often working with new scents and like to really play around with designs. My bars are all hard after the 4 week cure.
We would need to see your recipe to help you with creating a harder bar of soap since the oils you use play a large part in that.
Many oils like coconut, palm, shea butter, cocoa butter, palm kernal will creat a hard soap.
It also takes some time for the bar to become hard. After the 4 week cure it should be quite solid.
7053joanne
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I definitely agree with using soapcalc. THat will give you a good idea of how hard your bar of soap will be.
How old are your soaps. They will get quite a bit harder over time too.
How old are your soaps. They will get quite a bit harder over time too.
G
Guest
Using less water in your lye solution has nothing to do with superfatting. You are only putting less water in your soap -- not more lye -- which means less water has to evaporate out of the finished product.
I don't know if discounting your water will make your soap harder; it will make your soap get harder faster, but other factors determine the ultimate hardness of your soap: what kind of oils you're using, how much heat was present during saponification, possibly others.
In my experience I've found that soaps high in olive oil take longer to get hard, due to their high percentage of oleic acid. Also, if your soap doesn't get hot enough during the saponification process (e.g., not enough insulation or warmth present after pouring), the soap will come out softer.
Lately I've been soaping at a water percentage of 27% with good results.
I don't know if discounting your water will make your soap harder; it will make your soap get harder faster, but other factors determine the ultimate hardness of your soap: what kind of oils you're using, how much heat was present during saponification, possibly others.
In my experience I've found that soaps high in olive oil take longer to get hard, due to their high percentage of oleic acid. Also, if your soap doesn't get hot enough during the saponification process (e.g., not enough insulation or warmth present after pouring), the soap will come out softer.
Lately I've been soaping at a water percentage of 27% with good results.
kaseencook
Well-Known Member
I have been using 27% water as a % of oils for a long time too, and find it's a winner.
When I was starting out I used the soapcalc default (38%) and my bars were very soft and when they eventually hardened they were warped and cracked, but if you are not worried about appearances it doesn't really matter.
I was really pleased with the results when I lowered the water content because it would trace a lot quicker, and finished bar was harder quicker and more dense, as there was less empty space in the soap where the water used to be, so it also lasted longer as well. I found it didn't really make soap making any more difficult or harder to experiment, but it's about what you are comfortable with, and if you want to take it slow it's good to use high water.
When I was starting out I used the soapcalc default (38%) and my bars were very soft and when they eventually hardened they were warped and cracked, but if you are not worried about appearances it doesn't really matter.
I was really pleased with the results when I lowered the water content because it would trace a lot quicker, and finished bar was harder quicker and more dense, as there was less empty space in the soap where the water used to be, so it also lasted longer as well. I found it didn't really make soap making any more difficult or harder to experiment, but it's about what you are comfortable with, and if you want to take it slow it's good to use high water.
kaseencook
Well-Known Member
Also, adding some salt (maybe about a tsp/kg oils) can help the soap harden faster as the NaCl breaks apart into the ions, and the Na ion attaches to the broken fatty acid to make a salt of the fat - which is soap. The Na ion from the NaOH is the normal source, but the more Na's that are present to bump into the broken fatty acids then faster the soap will form and slightly speed up the hardening process.
