What is the lowest you should go? For the past couple years I have been doing 30% water (as a % of oils). Is this risky? What is the average that everyone else does? 38% is the default on soap calc.... do the bars ever harden if you do 38%? I recently tried 35% because I wanted to do swirls and my soap is still kind of soft after a week. I know I have a few weeks of curing time to go but @ 30% my soap is hard after a week so I am just checking before I go and do any more batches @ 35%.
Water as a percentage of oils.......
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marghewitt
Well-Known Member
I do anywhere from 32% to 38% depending on the recipe and the decoration and or technique I will be doing.
green soap
Well-Known Member
I adjust my water to either speed up (less H2O with castile-bastile) or slow down saponification. If I have an accelerating EO or FO I use more water to attempt slowing it down. The price to pay is longer time in the mold and sometimes longer cure. Exact same thing you described with the swirls. If I am going to swirl, I will add a bit more water.
The exception to that is when using either bentonite clay, or pulverized oat flakes. Both absorb water like crazy, so I give the soap a bit more water to avoid crumbliness.
The exception to that is when using either bentonite clay, or pulverized oat flakes. Both absorb water like crazy, so I give the soap a bit more water to avoid crumbliness.
VanessaP
Well-Known Member
Plugged in one of my favorite formulas in SoapCalc. Full 38% water is 26.5% lye concentration. A 30% water weight is between 31% & 32% lye concentration. Most of my CP is made with a 32% to 35% lye concentration. Loads of soapers use 30% to 35% lye concentrations. I use 40% when I make Castile. I know several soapers who make all their formulas regularly with the 40% concentration because either they have a lot of soft oils or they don't use colorants so don't need time to swirl.
How long your soap stays soft really depends a great deal on your recipe, softer oils vs harder oils and butters. Using water as a percent of oils is also somewhat misleading because of the variations in amounts of lye needed to saponify different oils. A 100% olive oil soap at 38% water-to-oils produces a 25.3% lye concentration, whereas a 100% coconut oil soap with 38% w-t-o produces a 31.4% lye concentration. So, depending on your recipe, even tho it seems like you are using the same amount of water, you may actually be using a much weaker (or stronger) solution, which will also affect cure time.
To answer your specific questions, I would say that no, 30% water as a percent of oils should not be a strong enough lye concentration to be considered risky. Yes, soaps made with a "full" water amount of 38% do harden up nicely. The lowest you can safely go, however, REALLY depends on your recipe.
To answer your specific questions, I would say that no, 30% water as a percent of oils should not be a strong enough lye concentration to be considered risky. Yes, soaps made with a "full" water amount of 38% do harden up nicely. The lowest you can safely go, however, REALLY depends on your recipe.
CaliChan
Well-Known Member
i almost always do 38% and theyre almost always hard enough to unmold within a few hours. i only do discounts on 100% OO soaps or just soft bars
