Sharing info:

[Dixie]

Finally figured out why some of my soap is lye heavy!! After reviewing my recipes on the soaps that were lye heavy (3), they all have shortning in them. I was looking over Kathy Millers home page and this is what she says:

A hint for calculating shortening SAPs on MMS: Majestic Mountain Sage doesn't have a field for shortening, since its ingredients can vary. For ease in calculating, you can plug your shortening amounts into the field of some other oil with a similar SAP number. For a SAP value of .129, use the Safflower or Corn Oil field.

I had been using the sap value for soybean oil with is .130. Shortning is .126

I'm so happy to figure this out!!!! It was really agrevating me to have a lye heavy bar that took twice as long to cure! ugh!

 

[Guest]

That is good to know Dixie . I am glad you figured it out , how frustrating .

Kitn

 

[LJA]

Hmmm. Thanks for the tip!

 

[artisan soaps]

..

 

[Dixie]

More than welcome. It almost makes me want to calculate by hand the SAP values and make soap that way....hmmmm. naaaa

 

[donniej]

I have a hard time believing that .4% would make a difference. I'll be curious to see if it really does make a difference after your next batch with the updated number.

 

[Guest]

I have a hard time believing that .4% would make a difference.

I agree. The amount of lye isn't the problem.
I doubt the scale you're using would even weigh .004
differences in lye.