what % lye discount do you use?

[WilsonFamilyPicnic]

I see that soap calc takes a 5% lye discount as default and I've been reading about others taking higher % discount...and some have said 10% is too high. Is 5% a good discount? Is 7 or 8 okay or is that starting to get into the scary range? :shock:

 

[itsmeroro]

Hello -

I am a new soaper - VERY addicted - and also building a f/t business... so I love all of the info I can absorb -- I have been setting my lye discount at 6% - and feel safe with this for my luxury butters and oils - as I understand this is also the "supper fat" discount. I have not tried a higher amount - but know some others do! roro

 

[Lane]

I generally use 6 or 7%...nothing over 7%, but I have heard of soapers using 10%!

I found this page REALLY helpful when researching superfatting and lye.
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soapm ... perfat.htm

 

[pjb31apb]

Some folks use up to 20% when they are using 100% CO as well. I think that what discount you use falls under the trial and error section of CP soaping as well as a ton of other stuff. LOL

 

[Guest]

mine is 5%

 

[Laurie]

I don't know alot about this, but in the Soapmaker's Companion she has 10% discount beside her recipes. Is that the same thing?

 

[Birdie]

I take a 13% with my 100% Coconut oil soap. But in "normal" recipes it is 4-7%. The high percentage discount, the higher amount of oil unsapped which could lead to a softer soap or longer cure time, or a perfect soap! It all depends on the amounts of different oils used.

 

[Woodi]

I now take 5%, find it makes the bars harder faster. I used to do 7%, which means that there are unsaponified oils in the bar. These soaps rotted too soon for my taste. I like to make soap 6 months ahead of a big show, making sure it's good and hard. OR: if you put your soap in a slow-sales store, you don't want it to go bad too soon.

 

[Lane]

Yes! If you don't do enough lye, you have the dreaded spoiling problem.

I'm mentally stuck on 7% since I use so much shea I feel like anything less than 7% with be too hard on it and damage the qualities. Not that it will! It was just one of those things I read browsing the web and I got it stuck in my head... But I also make sure I don't use oils with short shelf lives...like sunflower. I LOVE sunflower oil but it is prone to spoilage in about 6 to 9 months.

 

[leansoapqueen]

If I superfat at all- I take the standard 5% just easier that way for me or maybe I'm too used to 5...