Choosing a lye solution %

[Guest]

What are the pros & cons of using a lye solution of 33%, vs. a lower percentage like 25%?

What factors can help you determine whether to use a higher or lower percentage of lye solution?

 

[carebear]

Stronger: your soaps will probably be ready to come out of the mold sooner, they won't shrink as much, it's easier to get gel if you want it...

Weaker: slower reaction

You decide which to use based on how well you know your formula, how practiced you are, if you want to do complex swirls and need the time, if you have an FO that accelerates...

But not in this lifetime would I recommend a 25% lye solution. 27% and above.

 

[Guest]

Ahh, thanks carebear. Great advice as usual.

I just realized that my first few batches have used a 48% lye solution. Higher than I thought. So I guess a 33% solution would be well superfatted.

 

[SimplyE]

It is all about water IN your lye solution. The lye stays the same. The lye solution or water percentage changes, not the lye. The higher the lye solution %, the more water. Correct me if I did not explain this correctly, carebear.

 

[Barb]

strength of lye solution in percentages.
lye weight x water weight = solution ratio (%)
(lye parts ) x (water parts)+solution ratio (%)

1: 1.0 = 50%
1: 1.15 = 46.5%
1: 1.2 = 45.45 %
1: 1.25 = 44.44%
1: 1.3 = 43%
1: 1.4 = 41.66%
1: 1.5 = 40%
1: 1.6 = 38%
1: 1.7 = 37%
1: 1.75 = 36%
1: 1.8 = 35.7%
1: 1.9 = 34.5%
1: 2 = 33%
1: 2.1 = 32%
1: 2.3 = 30%
example ( lye weight (1) x water weight (2.3) = solution strength or ratio (30%)

this has nothing to do with how much you are superfatting your soaps. it has everything to do with the amount of water/liquid you use to dissove your lye.

 

[beachgurl]

I soap at with 37% and have plenty of time to do swirls (as long as the FO is one that behaves well). I can attest to what Carebear said; my stuff is ready to unmold in less than 8 hours and is hard as a rock. I think it takes less time to cure (not a huge reduction, but cuts of a few days).

 

[Guest]

Ahhhh... got it 8) Thanks a lot.

 

[surf girl]

Barb, it took me a minute or two to understand what your post meant... I'm posting to clarify in case others don't understand either. When you use "x", you're not meaning "times" or "multiplied by", right? You mean what is most often written as ":" (1:1 = 50% solution, 1:2 = 33% solution, etc), i.e. the ratio of lye to water, yes?

 

[Guest]

So I was really soaping at closer to 30% lye solution.... on the low end.... I'll try a higher percentage in the next round.

 

[Barb]

Barb, it took me a minute or two to understand what your post meant... I'm posting to clarify in case others don't understand either. When you use "x", you're not meaning "times" or "multiplied by", right? You mean what is most often written as ":" (1:1 = 50% solution, 1:2 = 33% solution, etc), i.e. the ratio of lye to water, yes?

i use it backwards i quess. i use it to fiqure out the amount of liquid/water i need based on the solution strength i want to use.

say for example i want a 37% solution strength i take my lye amount 8 oz. and multiply it by 1.7 and i know i need 13.60 oz. liquid.