EO Question

[Judiraz]

I have a question for those who use EOs. Do the slow the hardening of your soap in the mold? I did 2 1# batches yesterday using the following recipe:

Lard 40%
Olive 24%
Coconut 15%
Babassu 5%
Almond 12%
Castor 4%

I use SL with my lye water, as well as silk & sugar. This batch used a 33% lye concentration. For the first time I used all EOs, a lavender and orange blend.

I use this recipe, or one like it with small tweeks, quite often. Sometimes it gels, sometimes not. It didn't this time as I used small molds and didn't heat however, this time I still can't us mold 24 hours later. Usually I can unmold this recipe in 12-15 hours and cut right away.

Could it be the EOs?

 

[Seawolfe]

I use mostly EO's and I don't see a slowing of the unmolding time compared to unscented soap.
But what I have noticed is that if my recipe doesn't gel - as will happen in smaller molds - it can take up to 5 days before they can be unmolded.

 

[Arimara]

You might want to consider gelling your soaps with this recipe. 40% soft oils and then the lard, which I find to be on the softer side of the harder oils seems like it's begging for a gel. Side note- babassu is a really nice oil in soaps. Have you considered making it the chief cleansing oil?

 

[Judiraz]

I love what babassu adds to the soap but usually don't use it @> 10% because of cost.

Yes, I should have gelled these. This recipe is very hard, but easy to cut at 12 hrs. if it gels. But even when I don't get gel I can usually unmold & cut by now.

I just got these out of the molds but they are way to soft to cut. Seem to be a little sappy,too, so I'm not sure what's going on.