Weight Conversions

[user 58545]

Being in the UK a lot of recipes I find are US based and are in oz which we don't really use here.

Am I right in thinking the oz is a weight rather than a liquid so I would convert it to grams?

For instance on one recipe it asks for 8.4 oz palm oil so I assume I would convert that to the weight grams and not the liquid ml is that right?

Also I am following this recipe, is there anything I can substitute palm oil for? And why are they saying to use a sieve?

https://learning.elementsbathandbody.com/tutorial/natural-spearmint-soap-recipe/

 

[TheGecko]

I know that many soap calculators allow to you enter whatever format it comes in (ounces, grams, percentages) and then it will give you all three in return. If you look below at the red box, I entered the weights as 'ounces' then 'calculated/view recipe' and the purple box gives me grams.

One thing to note is that I NEVER use the weights a recipe gives me for Sodium Hydroxide, Distilled Water, FO/EO or even SuperFat. I've seen too many recipes were mistakes were made which is why you should ALWAYS run EVERY recipe through a Soap Calculator. And not knowing how old a recipe is, safe usage rates can have changed during that time

 

[user 58545]

Many thanks

 

[basti]

why are they saying to use a sieve?

Some people use a sieve/fine mesh strainer to pour their lye solution into their oils. I really only use a strainer if my lye solution is murky, milky, or dark (from using something other than 100% distilled water) just in case there's something unmelted, unincorporated, etc. You can see some takes on this here. (Old thread, so don't comment on it hehe)

Also I am following this recipe, is there anything I can substitute palm oil for?

What do you have access to?

If you already have a palm free recipe you like, you can add the peppermint leaves and essential oil to that. : )

 

[user 58545]

I know that many soap calculators allow to you enter whatever format it comes in (ounces, grams, percentages) and then it will give you all three in return. If you look below at the red box, I entered the weights as 'ounces' then 'calculated/view recipe' and the purple box gives me grams.

View attachment 72979

One thing to note is that I NEVER use the weights a recipe gives me for Sodium Hydroxide, Distilled Water, FO/EO or even SuperFat. I've seen too many recipes were mistakes were made which is why you should ALWAYS run EVERY recipe through a Soap Calculator. And not knowing how old a recipe is, safe usage rates can have changed during that time

Your right, the EO is 3.5% for spearmint oil but all the ones I can find now only recommend 0.38%. A big difference!

Some people use a sieve/fine mesh strainer to pour their lye solution into their oils. I really only use a strainer if my lye solution is murky, milky, or dark (from using something other than 100% distilled water) just in case there's something unmelted, unincorporated, etc. You can see some takes on this here. (Old thread, so don't comment on it hehe)


What do you have access to?

If you already have a palm free recipe you like, you can add the peppermint leaves and essential oil to that. : )

I have access to pretty much anything, don't mind ordering stuff, I can get palm oil thats been sustainably sourced etc if needed

 

[TheGecko]

Your right, the EO is 3.5% for spearmint oil but all the ones I can find now only recommend 0.38%. A big difference!

Yes...there is a difference between 3.5% (0.035) and 0.38% (0.0038). But I believe the current usage rate for Spearmint Oil (IFRA Max for Soap) is 0.27%. I either case, the usage rate is so low as to not be worth the time it would take to weigh out 0.13oz/3.83g for 10-bars.

 

[user 58545]

Yes it does seem a bit pointless.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Am I right in thinking the oz is a weight rather than a liquid so I would convert it to grams?

Yes. TIP: The easiest way to convert from oz. wt. to grams is to enter the "oz." of each oil into SoapCalc. Hit Calculate. Hit "View Recipe". The result on the next page is given in pounds, ounces, and grams.

It also gives you the % of each oil. You can then resize the batch. Go back to the first page. #2 - Enter 450 grams (or whatever size you want)
and #6 choose "%"
then Calculate to get the conversion to grams.
At that point, I round up or down to get an even number rather than using decimals.

is there anything I can substitute palm oil for?

My favorite sub for palm oil is shea butter. Try it. I'd be very surprised if you didn't like it.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

CONVERT ounces to grams:

RESIZE batch to 450 grams using "%":

HTH

COMMENTS:
SAT / UNSAT ratio 44:56 indicates a fairlly well-balanced formula.

SF (Super Fat) 6%: Personally, I would lower that to 2% - 5%. Shea butter, avocado oil and olive oil all contain "unsaponifiables", i.e, some oils/fats/butter remain unsaponified after processing.

Unsaponifiables are a large group of compounds called plant steroids or sterolins. They soften the skin, have superior moisturizing effect on the upper layer of the skin and reduce scars. The sterolins in avocado oil have been found to diminish age spots. Oils with the highest unsaponifiables are shea butter, avocado oil, sesame oil, soybean oil and olive oil.

Water as percent of oil weight 20% - That's odd.
As you will learn here, "Lye Concentration" is preferred. Generally 33% is recommended but go no higher than 40% for best results

A sieve is only necessary if there are undissolved particulates the lye solution.

Sodium Lactate - Skip it. The formula is plenty hard. You don't need it. Best not to get into the habit of using it in every recipe.

Heating Pad - This is another popular item that i've never needed. If the batch is covered and snugly insulated with old towels or blankets it should go through gel all on its own without the extra heat.

If adding dry leaves, grind them to a fine powder and use with a light touch. They have known to get scratchy. You want to add just enough for the esthetic effect.

 

[dibbles]

Sodium Lactate - Skip it. The formula is plenty hard. You don't need it. Best not to get into the habit of using it in every recipe.

Heating Pad - This is another popular item that i've never needed. If the batch is covered and snugly insulated with old towels or blankets it should go through gel all on its own without the extra heat.

I add sodium lactate to every batch. I started using it when some very early batches were incredibly slow to set up. I’ve learned some things about formulating since then and can make a recipe that is hard enough to unmolding without the SL, but I like what it adds to the feel of the lather.

I also use a heating pad regularly (almost always). I happen to need it to ensure gel as I soap at pretty cool temps most of the time. In the heat of summer I can sometimes get by with just insulating, but not the rest of the year.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@Juniper12 Some EOs, like spearmint, basil, anise and ylang ylang, are strong scents that stick well in cp soap. They can be very nice as accent notes in EO blends. For spearmint, I like the blend Calm at EOCalc.com. It was “reborn” a couple of years ago to take the usage restrictions into account.

 

[AliOop]

I also use a heating pad regularly (almost always). I happen to need it to ensure gel as I soap at pretty cool temps most of the time. In the heat of summer I can sometimes get by with just insulating, but not the rest of the year.

Same here. Now that I soap cooler than I previously did, my soaps will not fully gel without some added heat. I already had two heating pads in my home, so one of them has now permanently moved to my soap room.

 

[Vicki C]

I add sodium lactate to every batch. I started using it when some very early batches were incredibly slow to set up. I’ve learned some things about formulating since then and can make a recipe that is hard enough to unmolding without the SL, but I like what it adds to the feel of the lather.

I also use a heating pad regularly (almost always). I happen to need it to ensure gel as I soap at pretty cool temps most of the time. In the heat of summer I can sometimes get by with just insulating, but not the rest of the year.

I agree and do the same with SL. And, I was having a terrible time with ash and internal ash until I started always using a heating pad.
I also always run my master batch lye through a paint strainer as my last step before pouring it into the bottle I dispense from - better safe than sorry I think.

 

[Blufuz]

I always convert the oils and water weights into grams, then re-calculate the lye with one of the lye calculators, also in grams. This way, I can also round the oils to more reasonable numbers.