My first CP soap!

[SundownWaterfowl]

Yesterday I made my first CP soap. I used 1 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 canola oil, 4 ounces lye, and 2 cups cold water. I used an orange juice container for the mold. It worked great. I used lavender and dried lavender, oatmeal, and some honey. I just cut it into bars to let them cure. They smell so good. I cant believe actually how easy it was to do. I thought it would be hard, but not at all.

 

[SimplyE]

Congrats! You are well on your way! It is a great feeling to know that you can do it!

Quick question...did you follow a recipe or use a lye calc? Your lye and water seem awefully high off the top of my head, esp. the lye. It would be a shame to be lye heavy and have it burn you or someone else.

Regardless, congrats on taking the plunge

 

[BubbleBitch]

This sounds excellent, congratulations on your first batch! :twisted:

SimplyE, you mention an important point that is of some concern to me as I too will be soaping for the first time.

Based on the metrics of SW's recipe, how should she go about calculating her lye input?

 

[IanT]

Congrats!!! the best way to figure out how much lye or H20 to use is just like SE said... a calculator like soapcalc or other comparable calcs,

you can check these out:

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3515

and see which one you like the best

 

[SimplyE]

When I started out, I loved the www.soapcalc.com

A soap calculator which is actually a lye calculator adjusts for the oils and their SAP values and how much lye you need for your soap.

It seemed really daunting at first, but It really became an addiction along with the actual soaping. It gives you a lot of good information about your oil qualities and soap qualities.

I must admit , i spent way to much time on the soap calc, than I did actually working

 

[carebear]

Yesterday I made my first CP soap. I used 1 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 canola oil, 4 ounces lye, and 2 cups cold water. I used an orange juice container for the mold. It worked great. I used lavender and dried lavender, oatmeal, and some honey. I just cut it into bars to let them cure. They smell so good. I cant believe actually how easy it was to do. I thought it would be hard, but not at all.

just how did you determine how much lye you needed? and that's a 20% lye solution so you can expect very soft soap and expect some major shrinkage.

4oz lye/(4oz lye +16oz water)*100=20% lye concentration

and according to soapcalc (assuming your volume measurements are accurate, and assigning an erronious SG of 1 to your oils) you would need only 2.6 oz of lye so it seems your soap will be seriously lye heavy. that's scary.

Soaping isn't rocket science, IMO, when things go smoothly. But I suggest you read an memorize everything on millersoap.com and soapcalc.com. This way you can do even better! and be prepared when things don't go as planned.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

So now I have to throw it out? I got the recipe from somebody on here. And it was also posted several times before. And I should only use 2.6 ounces of lye?

 

[SimplyE]

So now I have to throw it out? I got the recipe from somebody on here. And it was also posted several times before. And I should only use 2.6 ounces of lye?

Hey, no worries!!! That is what soaping is all about. Every batch is an experiment or as I look at it, a learning experience!

That 2.6 is pretty close to what I came up with. I think your soap is lye heavy, but you may be able to save it with a rebatch, which I don't know much about. With rebatching, you would add more oil for the lye to take care of. The other thing you could try is the lovely zap test. You would stick your tongue on the soap. If it zaps like a 9 volt battery, then it is lye heavy. Do a search on that.

Take this with a grain of salt, cuz I rebatched twice and did not do so well. Someone else can jump in here and help, and you should do a search on it.

Basically, you would grate your soap up with a cheese grater and put it in a crock pot. (Some people use the oven) Add more oil and a smidge of water. Although, I probably would not in your case because your water seems a tad high, too. The cooking part is where I flubbed, but you would melt down everything, stir, and repour. Rebatching is a GREAT way to save soaps. Again, not much experience here, but hopefully someone else will jump in. I will see what I come up with as far as how much oil you might need and get back with you.

Don't get frusterated!!! It is only your first batch, and you obviously have the "bug". The other recipe that is a good one to try is Paul's WalMart Recipe. Also, check out the calulator and play with it. It is an addiction in and of itself!!! You will do awesome. I have faith! :wink:

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Where is the walmart recipe located? So if I make another batch, I should only use 2.6 ounces lye, and about how much water? The soapcalc thing is so confusing to me.

 

[SimplyE]

I hope I have this figured right. It is still early and only on my first cup o' Joe.

You would need to add another approximately 12 oz or 1-1/2 cups of oil, depending on the oil added. I would add olive oil, which would decrease the cleansing of the coconut, increase the conditioning, and still give it a hard bar. You can find all of this on www.soapcalc.com

Your recipe would look like this:

Hardness 46
Cleansing 34
Condition 48
Bubbly 34
Creamy 12

According to this particular calc, which also take with a grain of salt (all soapers have their own ideals, though. This just gives you somewhere to start and experiment with.), its summary of good values would be

Hardness 36 to 50
Cleansing 14 to 22
Condition 45 to 80
Bubbly 14 to 33
Creamy 16 to 35

I hope I have not overwhelmed (or confused) you, but it truely is great fun to play with this!!! Ask if you have more Qs.

 

[SimplyE]

Where is the walmart recipe located?

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... php?t=1902
You still need to run it through the calculator to figure out your lye. Good practice :wink:

So if I make another batch, I should only use 2.6 ounces lye, and about how much water? The soapcalc thing is so confusing to me.

The thing with the oils is that they all have a different saponification or SAP value, which is the amount of lye that it takes to SAP an oil or turn it into soap. Depending on the oil used, they each have a different SAP value, which is why you need a lye calculator. It figures out how much lye you would need for the combination of oils in your recipe. The calcs can be very confusing, but I would get on one and just play with it. You will learn a TON! Also, I would recommend this site http://millersoap.com/

A book that I found so incredibly helpful and really gives you good basic instructions, as well as a lot of helpful hints is "The Everything Soapmaking Book" by Alicia Gross. Huge help!

Keep asking questions! It is how you learn.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I tried the zap test, and it doesnt zap me. It is just tingly.

 

[carebear]

I'm not a fan of rebatching - cause *I* cannot make pretty soap though some have great success.

Over the years I've seen a TON of similar errors in soaping. There are actually BOOKS of soap recipes with the wrong lye amounts. If there is one lesson I wish every soaper would learn immediately and often BEFORE soaping it's to run every recipe through a lye calculator themselves. Cause errors happen. Heck over at the Dish THE liquid soap guru posted a recipe with a big error in it. It happens.

The main thing now is that you DID learn about the process of creating soap and you saw it's really quite simple. And enormously fun.

I personally would toss it and start again. But that's me. If you like to muck around with stuff then def - have at it!!

Welcome to the addiction.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Isn't it fun! Soaping "grabs" you and "holds" you! Congradulations on your CP soap!

Paul

 

[cdwinsby]

Yesterday I made my first CP soap. I used 1 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 canola oil, 4 ounces lye, and 2 cups cold water. I used an orange juice container for the mold. It worked great. I used lavender and dried lavender, oatmeal, and some honey. I just cut it into bars to let them cure. They smell so good. I cant believe actually how easy it was to do. I thought it would be hard, but not at all.

Congratulations on getting the soap addiction!

I would like to suggest that you use weight measures in the future. One cup of one oil will have a very different weight than 1 cup of another. This can really throw off a recipe.

And like the others said.....always run the recipe through SoapCalc before you make it. Typos are so easy to make.

Remember to take notes with each batch as well. This will help you learn tremendously.

Good luck and keep at it.

 

[Healinya]

Sundown, just a thought, but have you reread your original post? If you left out an ingredient (I saw you on another thread asking about shortening, but in the recipe you didn't use it). It would make a ton of different. Would still be water heavy, but that isn't as big of a problem as the lye.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I didnt see the shortening. It called for 2 cups of any oil 4 ounces of lye, and 2 cups water.

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Wow! Almost every oil, butter, fat, has a different saponification value; meaning a different amount of lye is needed to saponify it to make it soap.
Plus, the standard 5% lye discount, meaning you use 5% less lye to change the ingredients into soap. The smaller the batch, the more accurate we must be with our lye/oils calculations. A great place to start is Kathy Miller's site. She has great, easy, very nice recipes posted too.
Please, invest in a good digital scale, one that measures in tenths of ounces and grams. The safe way to soap is always by weight, not volume.

God luck, hang in there and continue to learn as we all did! :wink: If you need any help, just ask or even slip me a PM and I'll try to help.

Paul

 

[mandolyn]

Congratulations on getting the soap addiction!

I would like to suggest that you use weight measures in the future. One cup of one oil will have a very different weight than 1 cup of another. This can really throw off a recipe.

And like the others said.....always run the recipe through SoapCalc before you make it. Typos are so easy to make.

Remember to take notes with each batch as well. This will help you learn tremendously.

Good luck and keep at it.

I have to agree with weighing in either grams or ounces. Measuring by the cup or teaspoon, etc just isn't good soaping practice.

You've got a great start, so don't get discouraged!

If you got a tingly feeling, your soap is definitely lye-heavy & shouldn't be used that way. It will be unbelievably drying to your skin & could actually burn it.

Do you have a soapmaking book or access to one at your local library? That's a good place to start. I used the Soapmaker's Companion for my first batch. I knew the recipe was safe for me to try, because lots of people have used it with success, & I ran it through a lye calc to make sure it was a good recipe. Never take anyone's word for a recipe being good. Check it yourself!

Do some homework & learn to use a lye calculator as already suggested. It's the basic tool we all use. A soapmaker worth their salt will be one who faithfully uses a lye calculator & measures accurately with a good scale.

Welcome to the soapmaking world!! Keep us in the loop as you progress, so we can answer any questions you might have.

So, your first batch wasn't perfect, but we'd still love to see pics.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I hope I have this figured right. It is still early and only on my first cup o' Joe.

You would need to add another approximately 12 oz or 1-1/2 cups of oil, depending on the oil added. I would add olive oil, which would decrease the cleansing of the coconut, increase the conditioning, and still give it a hard bar. You can find all of this on www.soapcalc.com

Your recipe would look like this:

Hardness 46
Cleansing 34
Condition 48
Bubbly 34
Creamy 12

According to this particular calc, which also take with a grain of salt (all soapers have their own ideals, though. This just gives you somewhere to start and experiment with.), its summary of good values would be

Hardness 36 to 50
Cleansing 14 to 22
Condition 45 to 80
Bubbly 14 to 33
Creamy 16 to 35

I hope I have not overwhelmed (or confused) you, but it truely is great fun to play with this!!! Ask if you have more Qs.

Okay. So, i have decided to rebatch it tomorrow. I have an old pot to use.

So, I would just melt all the soap, and then melt the olive oil ( 1 1/2 cups ) and then I would heat the olive oil, so both the soap and oil are around 100 degrees, then I would mix together, and repour into molds?