question about mixing sodium hydroxide( Lye)

[Jen74]

I am new to this and have a question. I am wondering, when mixing the sodium Hydroxide( lye) with the water, after mixed with the water, does it still have the caustic smell? I am super sensitive and am having my husband mix it for me. Just wondering how long that caustic smell lasts? Is it gone once mixed with the water? Thank you in advance for any replies or suggestions.

 

[cmzaha]

If you are talking about the fumes they are gone within seconds. I just turn my head when I dump in the lye until the plume dissipates. Normally I am mixing a couple of gallons at a time in the sink in a bucket so and the fumes still only last a few seconds. Putting your container in the sink is the safest place to mix your lye and not in a glass container

 

[Jen74]

If you are talking about the fumes they are gone within seconds. I just turn my head when I dump in the lye until the plume dissipates. Normally I am mixing a couple of gallons at a time in the sink in a bucket so and the fumes still only last a few seconds. Putting your container in the sink is the safest place to mix your lye and not in a glass container

Thank you so much for the response and suggestions, I appreciate it.

If you are talking about the fumes they are gone within seconds. I just turn my head when I dump in the lye until the plume dissipates. Normally I am mixing a couple of gallons at a time in the sink in a bucket so and the fumes still only last a few seconds. Putting your container in the sink is the safest place to mix your lye and not in a glass container

Also, do you know how many ounces of superfat do I have to add to my recipe ( I am making 2 pounds of soap). the specifications I am using are 9.18 ounces of water, 4.52 ounces of lye, 6.4 ounces of palm kernel oil, 25.6 ounces of palm oil. The recipe calls for 5% super fat/ discount. Just wondering how many ounces that would be? Sorry, I am new to this

 

[TheGecko]

I am new to this and have a question. I am wondering, when mixing the sodium Hydroxide( lye) with the water, after mixed with the water, does it still have the caustic smell? I am super sensitive and am having my husband mix it for me. Just wondering how long that caustic smell lasts? Is it gone once mixed with the water?

You can eliminate the fumes altogether by mixing your Sodium Hydroxide with frozen distilled water...which is what I do because my husband is super sensitive.

Also, do you know how many ounces of superfat do I have to add to my recipe ( I am making 2 pounds of soap). the specifications I am using are 9.18 ounces of water, 4.52 ounces of lye, 6.4 ounces of palm kernel oil, 25.6 ounces of palm oil. The recipe calls for 5% super fat/ discount. Just wondering how many ounces that would be? Sorry, I am new to this

"Superfat" is not an ingredient per se. Superfat refers to the amount of oils/butters left unsaponified in your recipe...this can be achieved by either adding XX% more oil/butter than the recipe calls for or using xx% less Sodium Hydroxide and Distilled Water. I use SoapCalc myself.

 

[lsg]

You can open a window or use a vent fan to rid the area of a lot of the fumes. Lye calculators have an area for setting the superfat percentage. SoapCalc automatically uses 5% superfat, so your superfat is already figured in. You don't have to worry about adding extra fats for superfat.