After i added the lye it seem to start getting thick within 30secons to a minute of mixing, is that normal.
This recipe felt like it set really quick, First time making it.
- Thread starter Mikep5
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
After i added the lye it seem to start getting thick within 30secons to a minute of mixing, is that normal.
Hey, welcome to the forum! I know you are new here but are you also new to making soap? I wasn't sure if this was your first batch ever -- or just the first time you used this recipe. I ask because like many newbies, when I first started, I used my stick blender A LOT and reached medium to thick trace quickly. Now I use my stick blender more like a stirring spoon with only a few bursts of 5 seconds each. Now I like to reach emulsion or thin trace which took me months to master. Your recipe is really close to my old recipe which never caused me problems. Did you use any additives (like clay), colorants, or fragrance?
Good luck to you.
Good luck to you.
Last edited:
First time soap making in general! ive made detergent though before commercial and stuff for ecolab, but wanted to try my hand on cold process for personal use. Im just naive to how long would you use a stick blender for ( which is what i used). I only did 500g to test, im thinking it just might be a small batch so the trace was very quick but not sure since i am brand new to it. It appears to be setting fine going to cut it in an hour.
I agree with @Zing - you mentioned 30-60 seconds of mixing with a stick-blender, which is waaaayyy too much. For a batch of that size, and using 60% faster-moving oils (CO, palm, castor), you would want to give it a 3-5 second burst, then hand-stir for 10 seconds. Give it another short burst, hand-stir it, and then check for emulsion.
Another factor could be the temps of your oils and lye solution. The warmer they are, the faster they will trace. You also used a high lye concentration at 35%. Trace speeds up for me between 34-37%, and starts dropping again around 38-39%, depending on the recipe. So you might want to either drop down to 33% lye solution, or go up to 38%, and see if that makes a difference.
Still, without any other factors, my money is on the 30-60 seconds of stick-blending your fairly small batch. When you see YouTubers running their stickblenders, they are usually soaping cool AND making 5lbs at a time, which takes much longer to emulsify. Many times they are not actually running the blender, either; they are just using it like a spatula. Us small-timers have to be much more restrained with the stick-blending. It takes great patience but is worth the learning curve.
Another factor could be the temps of your oils and lye solution. The warmer they are, the faster they will trace. You also used a high lye concentration at 35%. Trace speeds up for me between 34-37%, and starts dropping again around 38-39%, depending on the recipe. So you might want to either drop down to 33% lye solution, or go up to 38%, and see if that makes a difference.
Still, without any other factors, my money is on the 30-60 seconds of stick-blending your fairly small batch. When you see YouTubers running their stickblenders, they are usually soaping cool AND making 5lbs at a time, which takes much longer to emulsify. Many times they are not actually running the blender, either; they are just using it like a spatula. Us small-timers have to be much more restrained with the stick-blending. It takes great patience but is worth the learning curve.
this is kind of what i thought after reading the last post, just making sure i did nothing to crazy. How long would something like this take to cure or rather how can you tell when something is completely cured if i end up trying other recipes
Curing is normally 4-6 weeks; that's when a soap becomes milder, and often the lather improves. The soap will also last longer after more water evaporates.
That being said, curing can be pretty subjective. I've had some recipes that I liked at two weeks. My high-lard recipes aren't that great till 8 weeks, and really nice at 12 weeks. My salt bars take a minimum of 8 months, and are better after 12-14 months. I've also had some very basic recipes similar to yours that I put away because I didn't like them much. Found them two years later and they were amazing. Curing will definitely change your soap, usually for the better.
With your recipe, I'd start testing it at two weeks. Then put it away and test it again at 4 weeks. See if you can tell the difference, and how you feel about that.
That being said, curing can be pretty subjective. I've had some recipes that I liked at two weeks. My high-lard recipes aren't that great till 8 weeks, and really nice at 12 weeks. My salt bars take a minimum of 8 months, and are better after 12-14 months. I've also had some very basic recipes similar to yours that I put away because I didn't like them much. Found them two years later and they were amazing. Curing will definitely change your soap, usually for the better.
With your recipe, I'd start testing it at two weeks. Then put it away and test it again at 4 weeks. See if you can tell the difference, and how you feel about that.
Last edited:
Thank you for the help I will try then weeks a part and keep a record of it
I only use non-animal oils (no judgment, just kept refining my first recipe). I cure for 6 weeks. In the past year, I have been using my years-old soaps and they are awesome in terms of lather and mildness! Long story short, my sister used to only display my soaps, now she's finally using them!! So when I visit her, I get reacquainted with my very old friends.
It is soooo hard to wait for the cure! The trick is is to soap frequently so that one batch is always ready to go.
It is soooo hard to wait for the cure! The trick is is to soap frequently so that one batch is always ready to go.
My recipe is very similar to yours (Royalty Soaps?) and I stick blend my 1 kg of oils for 10 seconds. My first batch I did closer to 30 and it accelerated. I agree with everyone else that I think it was too much stick blending. If you're like me, and you're afraid of false trace and unincorporated lye, I do 10 seconds of stick blending, starting at the bottom of my container and moving up to the top and then doing a circle up and down, or two. I then take my spatula and mx by hand to doublecheck and it's all together. It definitely takes time to get the hang of it, like anything in life, but you'll get it.
Maybe! Got it off Reddit taking a quick glance at therei think it's the same just now palm oil in this one. No idea how it affects the soap though
. But using 1kg instead of 500g made a big difference in feel of the traceAttachments
The EXACT same thing happened to me my first two batches! I made due because I was then sure that I had no unincorporated lye and the bars turned out perfectly fine. I'm very proud of them! You should be very proud yourself too!
