Thank you so much I will try that, the app I use to create my recipe is set at 33% for my lye concentration, do you know what percentage I should try? Also the TD I use says to mix with oil I used warm sweet almond oil to mix it. I'm not sure what oils make a whiter soap right now My main recipe is really easy 32% of each extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil plus 4% castor oil oh and I haven't tried supper fatting yet I have been putting it at 0. So far this recipe is working for me I'm just trying to figure out how to colour and layer my soap as nicely as I can. Oh This is my rose soap with kaolin clay. I made a nice tea with rose petals to put my lye in and used freshly cut roses fragrance it smells wonderful.
I'd consider raising your superfat while you are learning. Most people start at 5%. I have now reduced mine to 3% in the last year. When you are learning it's good to have a 'cushion' of extra fat in there to minimise the chance of soap being lye-heavy - and also given your relatively high amount of CO it will help reduce the 'dry' feeling from being too cleansing.
Thank you I will try that for sure.
Thank you I will try that too! One reason I haven't tried super fatting yet is cause I've been using sweet almond oil to mix my colors and figured that might be super fatting and also I don't know about it yet and was worried it might ruin my soap.
I am assuming you use a lye calculator? The default setting is usually 5% superfat on most lye calculators.
I think it's a lye calculator built in it, it's a app that creates recipes for you but I kept changing the 5% superfatting to 0. Next time I will leave it at 5%. I'm excited to try that next time.
I live in a small town so I have a feeling I won't find refined OO and so I looked on line and for some reason I can't find any. Do you have any suggestions where I can buy OO.
At the supermarket - any supermarket should stock it.
Which app are you using?
Thank you so I'm guessing that if it is pure oil that means it's refined? Sorry I still have so much to learn.
SaponiCalc it's a free app and so easy to use for someone like me who doesn't know to much yet about soaping. I've been pretty lucky using this app so far.
Thank you I'm going to try that to my next batch. I'm going to try superfatting at 5% and I'm going to try like you said 2 separate batches that sounds like a good idea to me. I have to really thank everybody for helping me I have learned so much the past few days this is awesome. I have about 10 batches more I want to make for Christmas so I will let every one know how it goes for me. I'm just trying to figure out which scent and colour I want for to day lol well I'm going to soap be back in a while
lol.
"Pure" doesn't mean refined. With olive oil, you know it is refined by the lighter color, and by the fact that it doesn't say "virgin" or "extra virgin" on the label. Do read the ingredients list to be sure it isn't mixed with other oils, as it often can be.
I would lose the rose petals on the top of the soap. For one they are messy in the tub and also can turn black on the top of the soap. I would up the superfat to 2 or 3% I never found 5% necessary. High Oleic or HO Canola is a very light color oil and will make a light color soap. A lard or a lard/tallow combination at 40-50% total will really give you one of the whitest colored soaps cutting down on the amount of TD you will need. Soy Wax may too, but I never tried soy wax, several soapmakers in this do use it.
I tried super fatting yesterday at 5 % next time I will try 3%. I'm bummed out about this new batch though nice soap and lather but full of air bubbles and the soap got thick on me lol when pouring. Also so the colors red and black I used made my suds red and black and my sink red and black so anoing. I have no idea how to avoid that from happening I guess I will have to buy a bunch of colours to experiment with.
I'm also curious when you make each sperate batch for layers how long do you wait to pour next layer. Just wondering how long I have to mix each sperate batch.
Nice!
