Can we use lemon juice instead of citric acid in CP soap??
- Thread starter sang90
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Obsidian
Well-Known Member
For what purpose? Usually acids aren't used in CP unless its for a very specific reason and then the lye needs to be adjusted as the acid will neutralize a small amount.
DeeAnna
Well-Known Member
Yes, you can theoretically use lemon or other citrus juice, but the practical problem is most people don't know the citric acid content of the juice. Not knowing the citric acid content of the juice means you can't accurately calculate how much extra NaOH to add to properly neutralize the citric acid.
You can guess (and I talk about that in my article about citric acid and citrus juice in the "acids" section on my website), but in the end it's a guess. The more citrus juice you use, the larger the potential error from guessing. That's why it's wisest to stick with citric acid powder because it's a known quantity.
You have to add extra NaOH to neutralize the citric acid. If you don't, the superfat will be overly high and you could end up with the problem in lsg's video. But you also don't want to add too much NaOH because you could end up with a lye-heavy soap.
You can guess (and I talk about that in my article about citric acid and citrus juice in the "acids" section on my website), but in the end it's a guess. The more citrus juice you use, the larger the potential error from guessing. That's why it's wisest to stick with citric acid powder because it's a known quantity.
You have to add extra NaOH to neutralize the citric acid. If you don't, the superfat will be overly high and you could end up with the problem in lsg's video. But you also don't want to add too much NaOH because you could end up with a lye-heavy soap.
cmzaha
Supporting Member
I personally would rather work with know factors such as EDTA and Sodium Gluconate where I know how much extra lye to use. I use EDTA and Sodium at 0.5% each and have no DOS issues in soaps up to 3 yrs old. I do superfat low, also soap with vinegar adding in the extra lye to react the vinegar which apparently adds some chelating factor also, but I use vinegar to allow my soaps to de-mold quicker. I simply do not like to deal with unknown factors, when I do not have to.
Sudds
Supporting Member
I notice that you choose to use both EDTA and Sodium Gluconate. What do you use as deciding factors on which to product to use with a particular batch of soap? I have been away from making soap for close to 8 years and don't recall using either in my soaps, (I don't recall a lot of things!) I never had the dreaded orange spots, but hated the scum the goats' milk soap left. In my new game plan, I will be doing mainly goats milk with a small portion of water and hydrosol batching as well.
