Soaping 101 liquid soapmaking video?

[Susie]

But the total water/glycerin was 3 times the amount of KOH? If so, that is still fine.

You can make paste with as little as 2 parts water/glycerin to 1 part KOH, but the paste is super hard and difficult to work with. I think it takes longer to dilute also.

 

[ngian]

Yes I did use 25% KOH Concentration instead of 33% and the paste is averagely soft.

 

[Susie]

Good. That is some gorgeous clear soap, by the way. Awesome job!

 

[ngian]

If I would use 33% KOH Concentration would that affect the dilution rate for the paste as there must be more soap concentration per weight in paste?

 

[Susie]

I much prefer the 1:3 KOH/H2O ratio. I find it dilutes much easier. But, I learned this by trial and error, so you need to find out for yourself, also.

It will affect the dilution rate a little. But, dilution is easy enough to adjust, if you find you have a lump or two left over, just add a bit more water.

 

[ngian]

Good. That is some gorgeous clear soap, by the way. Awesome job!

Thank you, it must be for the reason that I used a chemically cleared koh that costs 10€/kilo (85% purity).

 

[Pepsi Girl]

LOL Well, one of the cool things about making liquid soap via the glycerin method is that the soap actually tastes sweet (from the glycerin).


IrishLass

I failed big time zap!nothing sweet about it!

Don't know why the first time I ran the numbers, came up with

11 oz Glyercin
3.5 oz KOH

OO 10.40 oz
CO 4 oz
Castor 1.6 oz


Reran after failure


Total oil weight 16 oz
Water as percent of oil weight 38.00 %
Super Fat/Discount 3 %
Lye Concentration 36.851 %
Water : Lye Ratio 1.7136:1
Sat : Unsat Ratio 32 : 68


Ounces
Water 6.08
Lye - KOH 90% pure 3.55


Oil/Fat % Ounces
1 Castor Oil 10.00 1.60
2 Coconut Oil, 76 deg 25.00 4.00
3 Olive Oil 65.00 10.40
Totals 100.00 16.00


Or on SBM it's 10.19 water/glyercin
so I'm conused I actually use more Glyercin than I should have
What say you?

 

[IrishLass]

It has an olive oil color, so I must hide it somewhere that no one will think it is food grade oil!

It looks beautiful! :clap:

It is more watery in thickness than honey but not as water. It has a nice feeling when I wash my hands.

If you want it to be thicker, and you still have some of your paste on hand, one of the better ways to thicken it up is to add a little bit more paste to the diluted soap and gently heat it up (covered) to encourage the bit of paste to soften up like jelly. Once it's as soft as jelly, then blend it with the stick-blender to get it to incorporate into the main body of soap. Works like a charm if you are careful to not add too much paste at a time, otherwise you'll have to correct with extra water. LOL Or, anther good way is to dump your diluted soap into a pot or crockpot and gently heat it with the cover off to evaporate some of the water off. I've done it both ways and they both do a good job. Make sure to weigh everything before and after and remember to keep plenty of notes!

But I feel like that it is not making as fast and as much bubbles as a CP bar would do with almost the same % of oils.

Like Susie said, liquid soap lathers differently than bar soap. I could be wrong, but I think it might have something to do with the 'friction factor'. In other words, I find that more friction is usually applied when lathering a solid bar than when lathering a liquid soap. A good demonstration of the 'friction factor' in action is my 100% Castile bar soap, which has pitifully poor (if any) lather unless I apply a good dose of friction to it via my nylon pouf. With that extra bit of friction, a lathering miracle occurs and I have so much crazy lather from my Castile that it has to be seen to be believed!

For what it's worth, I add tetrasodium EDTA to my liquid soap because of our hard water, and I find Carrie's olive oil recipe to lather just fine for me, but I only use it at the sink for washing my hands- I've never tried washing my hair with it. Tetrasodium EDTA (like sodium citrate) helps soap to lather better in hard water.

If I lower the superfat to 2% or 1% would that also add more bubbles as the same would happen to a CP soap?

Yes, but it might not feel as nice on your skin. I'd try adding some of your sodium citrate next time you dilute and see what happens.

IrishLass

 

[IrishLass]

I failed big time zap!nothing sweet about it!

Don't know why the first time I ran the numbers, came up with

11 oz Glyercin
3.5 oz KOH

OO 10.40 oz
CO 4 oz
Castor 1.6 oz

Hi Pepsi Girl!

I just entered in the recipe on SBM's Advanced calculator and it gave me my normal amounts of 3.4 oz KOH and 10.19 oz. water (or glycerin) for a 16 oz. batch of this recipe.

Are you saying that you used SBM's Advanced calculator and it gave you 11 oz glycerin and 3.5 oz KOH? If so, then a box must not have been filled in somewhere or something. Can you tell me what boxes you filled in on SBM's calculator?

Reran after failure


Total oil weight 16 oz
Water as percent of oil weight 38.00 %
Super Fat/Discount 3 %
Lye Concentration 36.851 %
Water : Lye Ratio 1.7136:1
Sat : Unsat Ratio 32 : 68


Ounces
Water 6.08
Lye - KOH 90% pure 3.55


Oil/Fat % Ounces
1 Castor Oil 10.00 1.60
2 Coconut Oil, 76 deg 25.00 4.00
3 Olive Oil 65.00 10.40
Totals 100.00 16.00

The above figures look like they are from SoapCalc? If so, just to let you know, I don't like the lower water amounts that SoapCalc suggests for liquid soaps (which from your figures above show me a ratio of 1.7 parts water to 1 part KOH). The SBM calculator in comparison uses a much higher water to lye ratio: 3 parts water to 1 part KOH), or a 25% lye solution, which works soooooo much better for liquid soap, I've found.

Also- SoapCalc's lye amount for a 3% S/F @ 90% purity is also higher than the default lye amount for a 3% S/F that SBM's calculator gives me. On the SBM calculator, an amount of 3.55 oz lye turns out to be a -1% superfat for this recipe.

I personally would not use those figures you listed above from SoapCalc to make this recipe. I would stick to the amounts that the SBM calculator gives for this particular recipe, namely 3.4 oz KOH and 10.19 oz. glycerin. If you stick to those instead, I have every confidence that you will have much better success.

Or on SBM it's 10.19 water/glyercin
so I'm conused I actually use more Glyercin than I should have
What say you?

If you used 11 oz of glycerin, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. What concerns me much more is the higher amount of KOH that you used: 3.5 oz. instead of 3.4 oz., which gave you a 0% S/F instead of a 3% S/F.


IrishLass

 

[Pepsi Girl]

Hi Pepsi Girl!

I just entered in the recipe on SBM's Advanced calculator and it gave me my normal amounts of 3.4 oz KOH and 10.19 oz. water (or glycerin) for a 16 oz. batch of this recipe.

Are you saying that you used SBM's Advanced calculator and it gave you 11 oz glycerin and 3.5 oz KOH? If so, then a box must not have been filled in somewhere or something. Can you tell me what boxes you filled in on SBM's calculator?

I think this was because I did not understand that calculator

The above figures look like they are from SoapCalc? If so, just to let you know, I don't like the lower water amounts that SoapCalc suggests for liquid soaps (which from your figures above show me a ratio of 1.7 parts water to 1 part KOH). The SBM calculator in comparison uses a much higher water to lye ratio: 3 parts water to 1 part KOH), or a 25% lye solution, which works soooooo much better for liquid soap, I've found.
Yes this was fromSoapCalc, but after I already messed up
Also- SoapCalc's lye amount for a 3% S/F @ 90% purity is also higher than the default lye amount for a 3% S/F that SBM's calculator gives me. On the SBM calculator, an amount of 3.55 oz lye turns out to be a -1% superfat for this recipe.

I personally would not use those figures you listed above from SoapCalc to make this recipe. I would stick to the amounts that the SBM calculator gives for this particular recipe, namely 3.4 oz KOH and 10.19 oz. glycerin. If you stick to those instead, I have every confidence that you will have much better success.

Thanks I will be trying again

If you used 11 oz of glycerin, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. What concerns me much more is the higher amount of KOH that you used: 3.5 oz. instead of 3.4 oz., which gave you a 0% S/F instead of a 3% S/F.

IrishLass

So throw it away or try to fix?

Thanks for your thoughts, Irish Lass

 

[IrishLass]

So throw it away or try to fix?

Thanks for your thoughts, Irish Lass

If it were me, I wouldn't throw it away. Being the cockeyed optimist that I am, I hate throwing soap away if there's any kind of chance I can do something to at least make it safe and/or usable in some way.

Since you have a higher amount of KOH in it than what SBM's calculator gives for a 3% S/F, what I would do would be to try to reverse-engineer/figure out how much oil is needed to bring the S/F up to what the SBM calculator gives for a 3% S/F, and then add that amount during dilution.

Either that, or you could guestimate things and just add in a little bit more oil to the mix when you go to dilute (maybe a teaspoon at a time), test for zap after each addition, and stop when no more zap is detected. And if you notice the diluted soap separating at all after having done that, you could always just add some PS80 to it to emulsify the oil into the mix.

Anyway, that's what I would do if it were me.

IrishLass

 

[ngian]

Thank you for the thickening tips IrishLass.

I apply a good dose of friction to it via my nylon pouf. With that extra bit of friction, a lathering miracle occurs and I have so much crazy lather from my Castile that it has to be seen to be believed!

I have also noticed that too with a Castile soap and one with coconut oil included soap bar. They both lather great with a naylon pouf but castile 's lather fades away quickly.

I'd try adding some of your sodium citrate next time you dilute and see what happens.

IrishLass

How much should I use while diluting the paste? Should I use the powdered version straight away or a solution of it?

 

[Pepsi Girl]

If it were me, I wouldn't throw it away.

Anyway, that's what I would do if it were me.

IrishLass

That was my thoughts as well! Working on it now. Will let you know

 

[Pepsi Girl]

It's working! The paste is a caramel color, taffy texture!
I thought the soap was ready for a picture but alas it was still a bit camera shy. But here's the taffy!

 

[IrishLass]

Thank you for the thickening tips IrishLass.

How much should I use while diluting the paste? Should I use the powdered version straight away or a solution of it?

You're welcome! I hope DeeAnna or Susie or Faith can pop in can advise on the amount of sodium citrate. I've never used it before myself, so I'm not sure what the optimum range is for liquid soap. For what it's worth, though, I've seen where others have used it @ .1% ppo in their bar soaps with good success. I suppose you could try it at that rate and dissolve it into your dilution water before adding to the paste, but hopefully DeeAnna or Susie or Faith will chime in and confirm first if that is a good amount for liquid soap.


IrishLass

 

[ngian]

For what it's worth, though, I've seen where others have used it @ .1% ppo in their bar soaps with good success. I suppose you could try it at that rate and dissolve it into your dilution water before adding to the paste, but hopefully DeeAnna or Susie or Faith will chime in and confirm first if that is a good amount for liquid soap.


IrishLass

Well I have tried it @ 3% of the total oils in a soap bar, and it works fine as the soap makes bigger bubbles for start.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?p=513460

But using it for a dilution of a liquid soap it may need lesser amount as it may drop down the PH and as a result the soap won't work as expected.

Nikos

 

[Susie]

I have soft water, sorry. I am no help.

 

[Pepsi Girl]

Not a sunny day but you can see it's pretty clear and it lathers. I'm a happy camper! I feel like dancing

 

[Pepsi Girl]

Hum, I guess you can't see that it's clear. Some reason it didn't post both pictures. Well I'm not walking back over to my soaping room you'll just have to take my word!

 

[liquidsoaplady]

The soap is beautiful!! Nice and clear, wish I could try them! But boy, a lot of work, I don't go through nearly as much work to make my soaps..........