Recent content by pellidon

I warmed the oils because I read somewhere it helps. The lye being the same temp was a random occurrence.

I heated the oils to 110-115ºF to match my Lye solution on my batches. Came to emulsion in decent time.

Last February I made this with 80% olive, 15% coconut and 5% castor. Already hard and works fine. No hint of DOS. I used green clay in one batch and spirulina in one. The spirulina morphed to yellow flecks. Still works well enough for me.

I do batches at 1,000 grams of oil and use 500 ml pitchers for the lye solution. They are #5 PP so will tolerate the heat. Look for a recycle triangle on the container with a 5 or 2 in it. Or use stainless steel.

Yes I bought one. I couldn't help it. Probably won't use it. I am a chili head.

Soapcalc, oils listed in percentage, weight in grams and lye concentration in percentage of water/lye makes things easier to work out. Even for us imperial measurement people. My mold is just right for 1000 grams of oil so percentage is even easier for me. Just review the sources listed above...

My guess is because it looks like and oil or butter, they put it in the oils list for us to find and account for it's weight. Since it would weigh a lot more in a recipe than other additives.

It traced faster than I expected. Temp was around 115°F. I also didn't pay attention to the lye ratio and left it at 2:1. No scents added as it was my first batch. I like to try the recipe without first. Plus some of my friends and family don't like scents.

Left: lard, 50%, olive oil, 25%, coconut oil, 20%, castor oil, 5%. Middle: coffee water sub, olive oil, 25%, coconut oil, 20%, rice bran oil, 20%, Shea butter, 20%, castor oil, 5%. The bottom has 2 tsp cocoa powder to make it darker than the "crema" top. Right: olive oil 74%, coconut oil, 20%...

Cast Iron

Well, my local store. Each one varies in stock. One pound, four pound, and eight pound tubs. $11.99 for the 4# and $22.99 for 8#. After months of having none.

I think I might change this next time. 1-2% SF instead of 0 and skip the spirulina. If I did the zap test right, it's already zap free. Or my zap tester needs calibration. 😂

They were hard to cut after almost 48 hours. A bit soft and sticky at 24. Cut one in the larger more traditional style. The rest thinner. Smells good and I didn't use any fragrance. These are going to be nice and hard. No slime off the small bit that I could feel.

Looks like a tallow/coconut soap with citronella added. That might put some off.

This is my fourth batch after about a fifteen year break. I used Zany's no slime castille water as a starting point. Olive oil (EVOO) 80% Hemp oil 15% Castor oil 5% Total oil weight 1,000 g 0% super fat Water:Lye 1.7:1 (230.3 g H2O, 135.4 g NaOH) Spirulina 2 tsp, to make it more green. Oil and...