My first transparent issues?

[newdoug]

I am following the alcohol/lye procedure for making transparent soap from the 'Making Transparent Soap" book by Catherine Failor. After simmering the ingredients at a constant 140 degrees F, for 2 hours on my induction burner ( the weight difference from start to this point was 1.75 oz) , I added the room temperature sugar mix followed by glycerin and allowed to sit for 20 minutes and cool down. Then added 1 tablespoon fragrance and stirred again. It quickly sped up and became more cloudy and hardened. What did i do wrong? Should everything have been heated and added at the same temperature. Should I pour into molds immediately as it is still hot and clear? Help!

I am following the alcohol/lye procedure for making transparent soap from the 'Making Transparent Soap" book by Catherine Failor. After simmering the ingredients at a constant 140 degrees F, for 2 hours on my induction burner ( the weight difference from start to this point was 1.75 oz) , I added the room temperature sugar mix followed by glycerin and allowed to sit for 20 minutes and cool down. Then added 1 tablespoon fragrance and stirred again. It quickly sped up and became more cloudy and hardened. What did i do wrong? Should everything have been heated and added at the same temperature. Should I pour into molds immediately as it is still hot and clear? Help!

I also added 1.70 oz of ethanol to replace what was lost

 

[lsg]

I used propylene glycol instead of alcohol. To me it is much easier.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Making Transparent Soap" book by Catherine Failor

Transparent soap is one of the first soaps I made -- waaaa-ay back in 2003. Read about it in this thread. (Good info about using alcohol in Bath & Body products there that you may find interesting.)

190-Proof Ethanol Perfumers Alcohol

I didn't use Failor's technique. A lot has changed since that book was published in 2000. If it is anything like Failor's book on Making Liquid Soap her technique is passe´ and the book is not well organized and confusing at times. BUT. That being said, the info provided is well worth the price. You should be able to find the answers to your issue there ... it's just not readily available. Try the trouble shooting section. Whenever I have a problem with making LS, I reach for Failor's book from my reference shelf.

I wish I could be more help but I have no experience with Failor's method. What I can tell you is that once I added the "polyol" mix of alcohol, glycerin and simple sugar syrup, the mixture was watery with a thin film on top. I would let it rest for 5 minutes and push the film aside before adding fragrance.

I used individual cavity molds. Once filled, I popped them into the freezer for 1 hour. Let them rest for 5 minutes before unmolding. Sometimes i had to run warm water on the backs for easier release. Cure time: 3 months! Awesome soap!

NOTE: The main reason there are so few soapers making (all-natural) transparent soap these days is because it is twice as expensive and labor-intensive to make. I speak from experience.

HTH (Hope This Helps)

 

[newdoug]

Great advice. Thank you for taking the time to address my issues. It helps!

 

[newdoug]

Great advice. Thank you for taking the time to address my issues. It helps!

Wow, 3 months.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Great advice. Thank you for taking the time to address my issues. It helps!

You're welcome.

Wow, 3 months.

YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)

I neglected to mention that Transparent Soap has been discussed many times on SMF. Use the Search feature at the top right corner of this page. Type in "Transparent Soap from Scratch" to access threads on the subject.

 

[newdoug]

You're welcome.

YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary)

I neglected to mention that Transparent Soap has been discussed many times on SMF. Use the Search feature at the top right corner of this page. Type in "Transparent Soap from Scratch" to access threads on the subject.

Thanks for the guidance. Yes, attempting to navigate this/these threads as well.