Noob here with Questions

[rebekahhall]

Hi! I love this forum!!! You all are soo funny and amazingly talented!
Here are my questions...

1) My hubby told me his Grandma made soap in her yard when he was a kid. She would combine everything into a kettle on a fire in the yard so I figure that was hot process, right?
2) Hubby says when she made her soap she would pour it into a mold and it looked like yogurt and as soon as it set they could use it. I have watched dozens of Hot Process videos and seen dozens of Hot process tutorials and NOT ONE shows the soap looking pretty and creamy and pour-able like yogurt. Is this even possible?!?
3) Last night I made my first CP soap!!!:smile: Yay me!
I think I goofed it up... :sad:
I could not find a recipe which I was interested in which had the oils I could easily get my hands on and afford right now so I kinda winged it... I know everyone says DON't make up your own recipe... but I HAD to soap!!!

my recipe is as follows: 40% New Crisco, 30% Coconut Oil, 20% Canola Oil, 10% Castor Oil, I used Soap Calc for my Lye and 38% water
I put all my oils in the bowl, and then added Lye water. I forgot to add the castor oil after emulsification. :sad:
My soap was smooth and creamy, began to get a little thicker, and I molded it up at a thin pudding consistency. I did not insulate because I didn't want it to gel. 12 hours later it is still softish, too soft to unmold. I have it sitting in my oven with the light on so it doesn't get messed with by kids or cats.
My question is will it be OK? It smells AMAZING!!! I used Rain scent from Candlewic which is rated skin safe. The scent did not make it seize.
4) Can I use this same recipe in Hot Process?
5)Will it turn out better If I increase the Crisco and decrease the Canola a bit?

Thanks soo much for any help you can give!

 

[dixiedragon]

I am not clear on what you mean by "emulsification" - did you add the castor oil to the soap? If you did not add it at all - I am sorry to say, your soap will be lye heavy and NOT SAFE to use.

 

[rebekahhall]

I added it with all the oils at the same time, so from what I understand that means I didn't superfat.

 

[dixiedragon]

Oh, then you are fine. It used to be the "conventional" wisdom was that you added your "superfat" oil at trace (probably what your husband meant when he described the soap as looking like yogurt). The idea was that the lye had been used-up at that point so the special oil would be "safe". I think this has been pretty much disproven. Plenty of soapers (me included) just put in all of our oils together. So you are fine.

I think you are right about your hubby's grandma doing hot process. My understanding is that hot process is okay to use a few days after you cut it, but it's better to let it wait. I can't vouch for that. I have made hot process, but I haven't washed my hands with a bar that's only a few days old.

Because you did not gel, your soap will take a little longer to get hard. That's fine. Putting it in a warm, dry room will help it dry and harden faster.

I'm glad it smells good!

 

[dixiedragon]

ETA: If you used soapcalc, you will notice a box that is labeled "superfat" and you choose the percentage. The default is 5%. That means your recipe has 5% more oil than the lye will saponify.

 

[nebetmiw]

You will have to let it sit 24 hours to cut it. Sometimes it takes longer with some CP soaps.

Funny thing about memories they are never totally correct. Since your hubby was very young then he might not have the image right. I have made CP that looks like that when I went to a heavier trace. Many do not wait that long to pour so trace is lighter and it pours easier.

 

[rebekahhall]

Could she have done a modified cp? I'm sure she was using lard so maybe the fire was to melt the oil, then maybe she molded and insulated to get it to gel. Would that cause it to be usable the next day or two?

 

[Derpina Bubbles]

That would be a cool memory to have. I love that kind of stuff. I'm a newb too but it sounds like your soap will be ok. Post a pic when you unmould please, would love to see it!

 

[DeeAnna]

He may be making a couple of understandable mistakes. He might be confusing a memory of rendering tallow or lard with the soap making process. Or he could be remembering the first step of soap making where you melt the rendered tallow or lard and confusing that with the actual soap making itself.

My grandmother rendered her own lard and made her own lard soap, and yes, there was some heating involved to get the lard melted. But she definitely did make a true CP soap, not hot process. Poured the soap into a wax paper lined peach crate.

I also suspect if his grandmother went into the cupboard where the soap was kept and pulled out a bar, he might think that was a bar of the newly made soap ... and it might instead have been a bar that had been curing for months. My grandmother used her soap for clothes washing only and never used it right away -- I remember it sitting in the "milk room" for weeks before she'd use it.

 

[Lin]

If she did CP it would have taken much longer to be able to use than HP. Saponification (process of lye and oil turning into soap) is sped up by heat, thats why HP can be used sooner as all of the lye is used up. HP still needs to cure, where the excess water evaporates from the soap. It can take less time because it has less water by the time its done being cooked, but a full cure period will result in a longer lasting bar of soap. CP soap can take from a couple days to a week until ALL of the lye is used up. Then depending on the oils used and how much liquid 4 weeks to months to fully cure.

Its ok to make up your own recipes, but make sure you do some research on what oils add to the soap and the maximum recommended percentages for the oils you are using. From the oils you chose, your soap is going to be pretty soft and may take a couple days before you can unmold and cut it, and possibly a longer cure period. Here is a quick reference to start with for percentages when formulating your own recipe http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-b...s-guide-to-soapmaking-common-soapmaking-oils/

If you only superfatted at the default of 5% on soapcalc, that with a full 30% coconut may make your soap very drying. The amount of superfat is calculated in the recipe to that the amount of lye being used is adjusted accordingly. When it comes to soap for skin you absolutely must superfat unless you know the exact SAP value for your oils your using (such as by having determined it yourself or by the supplier) as SAP values used in soap calculators is only an average. Once your soap is a few days to a week old you need to zap or pH test it to determine its not lye heavy. If its lye heavy at a couple days retest after a full week.

What works best depends on each individual, so its unlikely the first recipe formulated is going to be a perfect bar of soap. But you have to start somewhere, so once you can use your soap you can determine what aspects you like or don't like about it.

 

[roseb]

Congrats on your first soap! I used a very similar recipe for my first soap and hated it. It is now being used in the laundry. I didn't get it right until my third or fourth batch, so DO NOT give up. Keep pouring over the threads in the forum and reading as much as you can. It is so much fun! Keep us updated on the progress of your first batch.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Welcome to the addictive world of soaping, and the addictive world of SoapMakingForum!

In cold process, the lye and oils react together in the mold - they are mixed in the pot, but the reaction happens in the mold. With HP the reaction happens in the pot and then it is put in to the mold. So with CP, adding oil later doesn't mean it will be the superfat as it will still react with the lye. With HP, adding oil after the reaction is finished DOES mean that it will survive as the reaction has already taken place.

HP soap is SAFE to use once set, but won't last as long or be as effective as a fully cured bar. In fact, the reaction in CP soap doesn't last overly long, so the soaps are safe after a few days (unless they are lye heavy of course!), but much MUCH better after a cure. If your husband is remembering correctly, maybe Nanna just skipped the cure.

Looking forward to seeing the soap

 

[rebekahhall]

I cut the soap. What do you think?

 

[seven]

is that your 1st batch? wow!

def better than my 1st batch

you've got partial gel from the looks of it, see that ring in the middle of the soap where it's darker than the rest? dont worry, nothing's wrong with the soap, totally safe to use and all...

 

[shunt2011]

Nice first batch. It does look like you got partial gel but it's only cosmetic. it also looks like you got a bit of ash on top. That too is cosmetic, you can spray it with alcohol or steam it off if you don't like it. I've tried to embrace the ash when I get it. I haven't had it in quite awhile as I spray the top with 91% alcohol before putting it to bed. Congratulations on your first batch and I hope you have much success going forward.

 

[GuarinoSoaps]

Great job!! Those look extremely good I can't wait to see what else you make now!

 

[rebekahhall]

Sweet! I can't wait until it cures!! Lol Thanks for all your help!

 

[Rayan]

LOL. You know what? I tried my first soaping 5 years ago, it took 15 days to unmold with a creamy thing. That was really a weird experience. Keep trying, you'll be soon a super soap maker.