HP without thermometer

[momoha]

Hello!

I want to do my first soap tomorrow, and I really want to do HP over CP, so I’m planning to make a simple pure coconut one, oven HP, to practice myself with the technique.

The thing is that my thermometer will only arrive in 1-2 weeks, and I can’t get myself to wait that long! So what would be a safe way to do HP without it? Room temperature over here is around 35C nowdays, so my coconut oil is totally melted. After mixing my lye and water (thinking to do 27% lye), can I pour it immediately in the coconut oil, or should I wait a bit?

Also, just to be sure for when I’ll have the thermometer, which temperature do you usually aim for your lye mix and oils? I’ve read 120-130F is good?

Thank you!

 

[shunt2011]

You really don't need a thermometer. You just need to make sure your oils are melted. You just want to be sure there is no active lye after the cook. Zap testing is the best way to do it. If there's no zap you can mold it.

 

[Dawni]

Here's some info for ya on checking temps without a thermometer. Read til about 4 posts down.

I've never taken temps as of yet. Even when I CP, I just use my hand (as mentioned in the link above) and if both oils and lye are relatively in the same "range" I mix em. The inaccuracy could be the cause of some of my problems in CP but I think it's minimal, more other factors lol

 

[Obsidian]

You really don't need to worry about temps when making HP. You are going to heat it anyways while it cooks.

The point of keeping temps a bit lower is to prevent fast trace so designs can be made.

I don't cool my lye when making HP. I let it sit for 5 minutes or so after mixing to make sure any chemical reactions are done.
While its waiting, I get my oils ready then make my soap.

Since you are making a 100% coconut soap, make sure to 15%-20% superfat.

 

[momoha]

I’m in the process of making the soap, I think the gel started on the sides of my pot, but the electricity went so my oven is off now before saponification got completed. Can I just leave it there and then when electricity will come back (it can take anywhere from 10 min to a few hours), oven will start again and process will get completed, or should I finish it off on a double boiler? If I just leave it in a cooled down oven, can it harden or something like that? On a double boiler I have no control over the temperature...

Edit: I realised that if it cools down, it will harden, so I checked it up, and it looked like it had full gel, but I did the zap test and it seems like it was zaping (not too sure what zaps feels like!), so I put it on double boiler... then I remembered that I did a -2% superfat as I want to use this soap for laundry, so I realised that it would always have some active lye in it! I might have overcooked it, no idea, but I immediately moulded it, and as it is already hard after 10-15 min, I grated it... I’ll let it cure for like a month now. Few! The soap is smelling pretty nasty though, is it normal?

 

[IrishLass]

It's very common for freshly-made soap to have weird, funky smells, but not to worry- the smells normally cure out.

Sometimes mine smells like ammonia, sometimes like perm solution for the hair, sometimes even like doggy breath. lol But it always cures out.


IrishLass

 

[Dawni]

Haha

Sorry.. Just giggled out loud at doggy breath hahaha