Excited to be here!

[TheDebby]

Hello everyone,

My name is Deborah but my friends call me Debby, so please feel free to call me Debby.
First off all I am very excited to have found this forum!
I've made some CP and HP in the past (a couple of years ago), I never really made any designs back then. (no color just scents)
The reason I've stopped was because I was worried about the lye you need for soap making and I didn't want to risk my health.

Last year I've started working with melt and pour soap and last month I've gotten back into soap making again.
Especially after I found out that when I freeze half off the water for the lye solution there will be less fumes.
Also I've started to get really interested in learning how to make beautiful designed soap.

I've made two CP soap batches with colors so far and I know I have a lot to learn.
My plan is the buy some sodium lactate, as a preservative and also to make the soap get more firm a lot faster.

I'll like forward to see the beautiful creations everyone is making and learning a lot of the art!
Thanks for reading my long story!

- Debby

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, Debby!

Mixing lye has always been my least favorite part about making soap, too. Have you tried masterbatching your lye solution? That's what I do in order to avoid having to mix fresh lye solution for every batch. I make a large enough container of a 50/50 lye solution to get me through about 7 batches of soap, and then dilute it for whatever % concentration I want to use for the batch I'm making at hand. It lasts forever if stored properly.

I use sodium lactate in most of my batches. It not only helps make a harder bar and help soap to unmold easily, but I find it also contributes a nice creamy aspect to my lather......as well as make a smoother pour when doing batches of HP.........and when making liquid soap it works wonders to dilute soap paste quicker. I love it as an additive! I've never heard of it being used as a preservative in soap, though. In any case, I've found that lye-based soap really doesn't need a preservative. The higher pH takes care of keeping all kinds of nasty bugs at bay.


IrishLass

 

[Rsapienza]

Welcome Debby,

I don't find lye to be as scary as some. As long as you're practicing safety precautions, you're fine.
Sodium lactate is not a preservatives, nor does CP or HP soap need one. It will assist with unmolding faster, but you could get the same effect with 1 tsp PPO of salt.
Good luck to you. There is a wealth of information on here.

 

[TheDebby]

Hello IrishLass and thank you for your warm welcome!

And also thanks for the information!
Making a larger batch of the lye solution sounds like a great plan. But right now I don't make soap frequent enough, so I would be afraid it would go bad before I use it. At the moment I don't have to much space for soaps to cure. As soon as I'm able to make some space or buy a bigger home I will most certainly look into it!


Thank you Rsapienza!

You are absolutely right about the lye. I did had some issues with not having enough ventilation in the kitchen in the past. I just now realize that the cooker hood (is that a real word?) has been replaced since I took the "break" from soap making. Maybe that is a part of the reason that I'm way more comfortable working with it. (Also of course I use the safety equipment needed).


About sodium lactate as a preservative:
The websites that sell the sodium lactate as well as some soap makers on YoutTube say it also works as a preservative.
But I'm absolutely no expert on the subject, so I'm not trying to say I'm absolutely right, It is just the reason is why I would think this was the case.
I was assuming it couldn't hurt.

I'm mostly interested in having less difficulties taking the soap out of the mold, because my last soap still was to soft after two weeks.
So I think it would be very interesting to try it. I will buy some very soon, when I find a website that I trust.
I found out some ingredients seem more difficult to find, I live in the Netherlands.


Also about the soap staying soft: I know I probably should a higher amount of hard fat/oil to end up with a soap that is more firm.
I have some shea butter that I bought for soap making, next time I'm making soap I will probably use (together with coconut oil)
I'll also will try to make the next soap with less water! My last soap has a lot of glycerin rivers in it.
From what I've read so far the easiest way to combat glycerin rivers is by using a little less water/using more lye.

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome!!! If you post your recipe member would be happy to help you out. Like IL I use sodium lactate in all my batches, I've found I like it better than salt but it's a personal preference for sure. Also using a 33% lye concentration helps as well.

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum.☺

 

[Jersey Girl]

Hello and welcome! I like to step outside on my patio to mix my lye. The fumes are gone in a couple minutes and I bring it back inside.

 

[TheDebby]

Hello shunt2011, sounds like a great idea. My lye solution has been 27%, I think the higher concentration just might make things easier for me.
I'll try and find the right place to post my recipe.

Thanks lsg!

I think that is smart Jersey Girl, I have thought about it to be honest.
I have a small balcony but because I let my cats walk there I don't like having something like lye out there.
Luckily they can't get into the kitchen where they are never allowed in go!