Testing strips? Anyone?
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I use them from time to time too. Just for my notes on my soap.
Kitn
Kitn
I tongue test myself because the tongue is GREAT at detecting excess alkalies.
An alternative to the test strips, and I've heard it works better, is phenolpthalein.....you put a drop or two on the soap you wish to test, and if it stays clear or only goes palest pink, you're okay. Any more than that and your PH is off.
An alternative to the test strips, and I've heard it works better, is phenolpthalein.....you put a drop or two on the soap you wish to test, and if it stays clear or only goes palest pink, you're okay. Any more than that and your PH is off.
Dixie
Well-Known Member
Will any ph stips work? They have some down at the hardware store where they sell beer making supplies and I almost bought some. I'm curious about a couple of my bars.
I agree with what Mike said- the tongue test is GREAT at detecting excess alkalies (and the least expensive 
).
The problem with pH strips is that they are not very reliable for testing CP soap. LotionCrafters sells strips that are supposed to be specially tailored to CP soaps, but I've not used them to be able to tell you yea or nay.
Re: Pool strips- My husband won't even use the pool pH strips to test our pool water. He does not get consistant, reliable readings from them like he does with chemical testing, and so he just does chemical testing now.
If you do end up using strips and your strips give you a reading of anywhere below 9.5 when you test your CP soap with them, you'll know they are lying to you. When tested in a lab with a properly calibrated pH meter, the pH of properly cured Cp soap consistently rests anywhere from 9.5 at the very lowest, to about 11.5 at the highest (even if the soaps are highly superfatted).
If you are uncomfortable with doing a tongue zap test (which is a very easy, inexpensive and reliable method of making sure one's soap is not lye-heavy), the next best thing (in terms of expense) is buying some phenolpthalein, as Mike suggested.
The third and absolute best thing you can do (if you want to pinpoint the actual pH number of your soap) is to invest in a good pH meter that can be recalibrated. They are expensive, though.
This is just my opinion (which has been shaped by the more experienced opinions of my many soaping mentors 8) ), but one does not need to have an actual pH # reading for their CP soap to make sure it's safe to use. CP soap is a naturally alkaline product, and no matter what you do to it (superfatting, etc..), it will always remain on the alkaline side of 9.5 and above (it's the nature of the beast, as they say); and if you happen to try to lower the pH beyond that by adding citric acid, etc.., you'll create nothing but a soft, gooey mess (from what I've been told by chemists). The tongue test to detect lye heaviness is really all one needs to do. It's more reliable than pH strips and it costs nothing. Phenolpthalein will let you know the same thing as a tongue test, but it's not as inexpensive as a tongue test.
IrishLass
). The problem with pH strips is that they are not very reliable for testing CP soap. LotionCrafters sells strips that are supposed to be specially tailored to CP soaps, but I've not used them to be able to tell you yea or nay.
Re: Pool strips- My husband won't even use the pool pH strips to test our pool water. He does not get consistant, reliable readings from them like he does with chemical testing, and so he just does chemical testing now.
If you do end up using strips and your strips give you a reading of anywhere below 9.5 when you test your CP soap with them, you'll know they are lying to you. When tested in a lab with a properly calibrated pH meter, the pH of properly cured Cp soap consistently rests anywhere from 9.5 at the very lowest, to about 11.5 at the highest (even if the soaps are highly superfatted).
If you are uncomfortable with doing a tongue zap test (which is a very easy, inexpensive and reliable method of making sure one's soap is not lye-heavy), the next best thing (in terms of expense) is buying some phenolpthalein, as Mike suggested.
The third and absolute best thing you can do (if you want to pinpoint the actual pH number of your soap) is to invest in a good pH meter that can be recalibrated. They are expensive, though.
This is just my opinion (which has been shaped by the more experienced opinions of my many soaping mentors 8) ), but one does not need to have an actual pH # reading for their CP soap to make sure it's safe to use. CP soap is a naturally alkaline product, and no matter what you do to it (superfatting, etc..), it will always remain on the alkaline side of 9.5 and above (it's the nature of the beast, as they say); and if you happen to try to lower the pH beyond that by adding citric acid, etc.., you'll create nothing but a soft, gooey mess (from what I've been told by chemists). The tongue test to detect lye heaviness is really all one needs to do. It's more reliable than pH strips and it costs nothing. Phenolpthalein will let you know the same thing as a tongue test, but it's not as inexpensive as a tongue test.
IrishLass
Deda
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The problem using phenolphthalein is that it's going to react between 8.2 and 12. You could get a clear read and have either a very base soap, or a nearly neutral (8). The result could read pink and be anything from a low 8 to a lye heavy 12.
Weigh and measure carefully and use a zap test.
If you choose to buy a pH meter, or make one yourself, realize that you will probably spend more time calibrating the meter and preparing the test sample than you do making the soap.
Weigh and measure carefully and use a zap test.
If you choose to buy a pH meter, or make one yourself, realize that you will probably spend more time calibrating the meter and preparing the test sample than you do making the soap.
Galavanting Gifts
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I'm glad this question came up cause it still has me wondering..the pool guy gave me some ph strips which measure up to a ph of 8 but I found wether I put the strips onto my cp or m&p they still gave me a high reading but what that reading past 8 is I have no idea so it still didn't help.
Now when I stuck my tongue on a few bars of soap (cured between 5 weeks and 9 weeks) the other day I didn't get zapped but my tongue did recieve what felt like it was slight burning so does that mean its lye heavy or could that be the fo's in it?
Now when I stuck my tongue on a few bars of soap (cured between 5 weeks and 9 weeks) the other day I didn't get zapped but my tongue did recieve what felt like it was slight burning so does that mean its lye heavy or could that be the fo's in it?
Deda said:
Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but after reading a bunch of stuff, I'm still not sure what pH test method to use FOR LIQUID SOAP. Deda, your comment intrigued me because you seem to have a negative opinion of both the phenolphthalein and the pH meter. What do you think is the best method?
rubyslippers
Well-Known Member
I used ph strips when I first began making soap but then learned about the fantastic "zap test". It is so much easier, fool proof and no searching for equipment. 
