Deciding on superfat level

[CanaDawn]

@HoneyLady: you reminded me of a fact that rarely occurs to me. More rural areas to have harder water and borax is said to help the soap function in the water. If anyone knows better than me, feel free to correct me (I live in a city so that limits my experience). Good luck with your lotions (I would like to make some at some point).

borax or washing soda (which dissolves better in cooler water than borax)
I've also read about and used vinegar or citric acid to prevent hardwater deposits. Hard water can be present in a city - if you're in the states this might be a helpful resource http://water.epa.gov/drink/local/index.cfm

@CanaDawn: have you figured out what type of soap you are going to make?

The same type I have been making for a couple years now, I expect

 

[LunaSkye]

@CanaDawn: I glanced over the information for my state and verified that my state has good water. Thank you for the link, especially since I can now look up info for other states and take into consideration their water quality (more so for my relatives' sake). I'll still have to research how to make a soap for hard water.

I'm glad your regular soap is the best choice. I personally like to experiment for the sake of learning, but I'm glad that you have a solid go-to recipe.

 

[CanaDawn]

@CanaDawn: I glanced over the information for my state and verified that my state has good water. Thank you for the link, especially since I can now look up info for other states and take into consideration their water quality (more so for my relatives' sake). I'll still have to research how to make a soap for hard water.

I'm glad your regular soap is the best choice. I personally like to experiment for the sake of learning, but I'm glad that you have a solid go-to recipe.

I've done experiments and likely will again. I just don't really need to, and soap only to stock my own home. What I make works well for what I need, so it's allllllll good here.

I mostly wanted to understand more about the terms used, and how they were reflected in the level of SF, which I feel I have a better understanding of, after this thread. I'm learning, too.

 

[Bex1982]

I actually never thought about soap having different effects in different water but that makes a lot of sense. I've never looked into what our water is. I guess it would be a good idea for me to find out!