Soap Question!

[Emily Klesick]

I have a recipe that is very interesting and I wondered if any of you have done the same thing. In my recipe I am to add the - water -to - the lye! I did that and it was sort-of successful, there was no explosion however... I am also not to melt my oils. which was also only sort-of successful. The lady I got my recipe from makes and sells the soap and it has never failed on her. I am not sure if my substituting Organic oils are making a difference... Do Organic Oils make that big of a difference?

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Emily, that is the normal way of RTCP soap making. RTCP (Room Temperature Cold Process) uses the hot lye solution to melt the hard oils. I formed my own very different version of RTCP. I have posted about that method extensively since joining The SMF. If you need more explanation of my version of RTCP, just shout! I have only used organic Palm Oil in my very early days of soaping. My opinion about organic oils in soap is; it's a waste since it only stays on the skin for a short period then washed off. I want the expensive oils that are organic in leave on products. That is only my perspective on this issue though.

Paul :wink:

 

[Emily Klesick]

Ah, thanks, I have not made RTCP soap. I actually am workign towards selling soap to my dad's customers and becuase of our business it has to be organic. I am going to be making soap with the lady who gave me the recipe. Maybe with that I can figure it out.

 

[Lucy]

You should always add lye to water not the other way around.

The method you speak of was published in a book and has since been ammended.

I am glad you did not get volcano but is still very dangerous practise.

 

[morsedillon]

In my recipe I am to add the - water -to - the lye! I did that and it was sort-of successful, there was no explosion however...

I have to second the above comment that says do not add water to lye. This can be dangerous, and there's no reason not to do it the other way around. The danger isn't so much from 'explosion' but from splashing. Lye in the eye, even if it's a microscopic speck, is no fun at all! Of course you should also be wearing safety glasses and gloves, but that still doesn't make it ok to add water to lye