Question about using ice cubes as lye water.

[luebella]

I normally use ice cubes for my lye water. It's about 75 degrees and I mix it into oils around 110 to 100 degrees. This has worked. Well for my regular cp recipe. Today I did that with full coconut oil recipe and it seemed to make a few chunks of coconut oil when mixing. I'm guessing since it was cool water. It also took a lot. Longer to reach a light trace than usual. Do you think this will turn out alright? Soap is so interesting!

 

[Arimara]

Maybe it's just me but since coconut oil is a solid at temps lower than 76, I would have probably used a different approach. Were there still chunks of solid oil at trace?

 

[luebella]

Yah I should have thought of that for sure! Not really just tiny little particles here and there

 

[galaxyMLP]

Did the soap gel?

 

[luebella]

No I'm not gelling it. I leave it out in small silicone shape molds so those never gel

 

[shunt2011]

You'll need to wait until you can unmold and the zap test it. If there's no zap it should be okay. Likely just small chunks of CO. I wouldn't do that again. I just use room temp water to mix my lye if I don't have any masterbatched. You can put it in an ice bath if in a hurry, it doesn't take that long.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Have you thought of the heat transfer method? Make your lye solution with normal water and dissolve the lye. Pour the hot solution over your solid oils and mix until the oils are melted by the heat of the lye. Add in your liquid oils and away you go

 

[luebella]

Wow I never heard of that method efficacious! Does it speed up trace?

 

[Dharlee]

Have you thought of the heat transfer method? Make your lye solution with normal water and dissolve the lye. Pour the hot solution over your solid oils and mix until the oils are melted by the heat of the lye. Add in your liquid oils and away you go

My personal favorite since I have no patience.

 

[gigisiguenza]

I've never tried this, I may have to. Won't be tonight, too stinking tired

 

[Arimara]

I've never tried this, I may have to. Won't be tonight, too stinking tired

It's a good method. I like it myself. It saves a lot of time.

 

[Susie]

This is my go-to method during the warm months of the year. Down here in Texas (and Louisiana), that is about 7-8 months of the year. I find that I need to melt my solid oils during the winter. The house is just a tad too cool, especially as I use so much lard.

 

[gigisiguenza]

This is my go-to method during the warm months of the year. Down here in Texas (and Louisiana), that is about 7-8 months of the year. I find that I need to melt my solid oils during the winter. The house is just a tad too cool, especially as I use so much lard.

I'm in Texas too, so.I may try this

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

It is a good option for many people - why heat up oils to let them cool down and then also use energy to keep the lye solution cold? That's a lot of energy wasted.

 

[Obsidian]

I soap my 100% coconut oil hot and it still takes forever to trace. I used melted oil and freshly made lye solution.