Recent content by soapgeek

Thanks, I think maybe that's what I was trying to get at, that there's a tolerance in each Sap value to allow for unsaponifiable content of that oil

Hi, I wonder if anyone can enlighten me please? I've been pondering superfats, but had a thought about the unsaponifiable amounts in oils... I hope this makes sense... So, the SAP value relates to the amount of lye that it takes to convert a measurement of oil (eg 1g of olive oil) into soap...

bath

Thanks @szaza , I'll give that a go when I get my oven... I presume it's ok to cook it in my stainless steel big pan?

Thank you! My oven is out of action at the moment, waiting for a new one, but when I get a new oven, what temperature would it need to be to HP the soap? And would the soap need stirring from time to time? 🙂

Thank you! I've had problems with gel phase in my last 2 CP batches, so thought I'd give HP a try. I'm going to leave these HP soaps to cure now, see how they go... Because the soap is much thicker and I scooped it in, I'm wondering if the soap will develop cracks around the 'scoops'... time...

Love the green one! Is that the sage/lemongrass? x

I'm still new to soapmaking, but just made hot process soap for the first time today *happy dance* I made it in a pan on the stove top with a whisk and a spatula (I don't have a slow cooker or a stick blender yet!); I was a bit worried it wouldn't work, but I think it has... It went kind of...

Hi, can I ask please - do you add the castor oil after trace for it to be added as your superfat? I've been using a bit of castor oil, but including it in with the other oils... does it make a difference?

Ah, fantastic, thank you! 🤗

The way I understand it is you either list by oils name + sodium hydroxide OR by saponified names... I think?

I'll have a look for that book... I've got some basil oil, I'd better have a read up before I start using it! Thank you :)

Thank you DeeAnna, I think I need to do more experimenting... the batch I made yesterday has also partially gelled, even though it had got quite toasty warm by the evening... I think I need to look at the variables - my 2 successfully gelled batches had PO/POO/COO, but the batches that only...

Ahhh update... So, I've just looked at the soap I moulded yesterday... it was pretty warm in its towel yesterday, but it looks to have partially gelled again, like my previous attempt... It doesn't feel like there's any residual heat in it, but I've not unmoulded it, I'll do it tomorrow, and...

Modern Soapmakings 'EOCALC' is a good guide anyway, as it lists whether oils are safe at 1%, 3%, etc... It's good for flagging up potentially unsafe oils, but I'm not sure if it tells what the usage rates are for 'hot' or potentially unsafe oils, eg clove, cinnamon, etc... for example, I read...