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(I've never been one to shy away from controversy.) I hate what sodium cocoate does to my hands. I have a 0-2% superfat bar with at most 20% coconut oil. It doesn't merely dry my hands; it makes them feel like the skin is rough and has been abraded. The bar passes the zap test even when I cut...

I'm going to use a couple liters of canola oil to quench some kitchen knives after heat treatment. That means the oil will be contaminated with metal, and a small percent of the oil will have been heated to vaporization temperature or set aflame. The heat will cause oxidation and...

I assumed my lye was at least a couple percent impure, despite my buying it from a chemical shop and knowing that it didn't sit in a warehouse for a year. (Real estate is too expensive for warehousing chemicals around here.) I did all my soap calculations assuming there would be an implicit...

I read in a book that at larger scales, soap is often superfatted by making it neutral or with lye excess, then adding acid (sulfuric, hydrochloric, or boric) to create some sodium salt and free some fatty acids. Is there any reason we don't do it that way? I was thinking I could use citric and...

When people post recipes or post about the soap they made, do they typically account for how fresh the lye is (old or improperly stored lye == lye discount) and give a really accurate SF%? Or do they assume the NaOH is pure? In other words, when someone writes "5% SF", for most people does that...

I used and will continue to use soapcalc.net, but I found it was unhelpful for quickly seeing which oils were similar to others with respect to their fatty acid composition. I listed my most relevant oils in a spreadsheet to see that information at a glance. However I discovered that wasn't...

I understand massage oils, oil rinses, and oil-based lubes can include emulsifiers if they are intended to be washed off more easily. I've read enough posts to polysorbate 80 seems the most popular emulsifier for this purpose. My question is: if the formulation includes a non-oil like silicone...

Hi! I've made a lot of things myself, either to save money, to get something better quality than I could buy, or to save time--but never all three. Making a bed was a pain but it never squeaked, and the bolts on the corners had a nice steampunk look. And my bathroom night lights are perfect for...

I noticed some liquid hand washes can be rinsed off much more easily than others. I know they were not 100% soap nor are they the type of soap most of us are making, but I assume the issue is still applicable to NaOH bar soap. What characteristic of soap determines whether it can be washed off...