Is distilled water important in the soap recipe?

[Elysium82]

I was wondering if I could just use bottled mineral water or tap water?

Or do the salts in the water make such a high impact on the final product?

 

[shunt2011]

Distilled or RO is what should be used. The metals and other things in water can cause issues with your soap like DOS.

 

[Elysium82]

Distilled or RO is what should be used. The metals and other things in water can cause issues with your soap like DOS.

Thank you. What does DOS stand for?

Never mind....just found this: Dealing with Dreaded Orange Spots - Soap Queen

 

[Obsidian]

I use tap, have for years. If I was selling, I would use distilled just to be safe.

 

[artemis]

In a pinch I have used tap. I have used bottled water, too, but not mineral water. I don't sell and I make really small batches, so it's not a big deal if I get DOS on a bar-- I just cut it off.

Most often, though, I use distilled to avoid any issues.

 

[AliOop]

I use vinegar instead of water in almost all my batches. Sometimes I use AVJ. So those are also acceptable alternatives to distilled water, although you will want to account for the extra lye needed with vinegar.

Also, for my first master-batched lye, I used distilled water, because I’ve read here that vinegar thickens the lye solution if left for long.

 

[SeaSuds]

Deionised water is good too. I get mine from a car repair shop and it's cost effective

 

[atiz]

I also use tap (or vinegar); like Obsidian, if I were selling, I would use distilled. But tap is fine. I boil it, but that's probably unnecessary too.