When Making HP soap...

[Seth0Mitchell]

...I've heard its better to use too much water....is there any negative effects of using too much water...and if so....should i add the extra water in when i do the lye solution.....oo im so lost lol

 

[sassylady]

Do you mean adding excessive amounts of water? I wouldn't use a water discount, but too much water added will make it take much longer to cure/harden. I only did CPHP until recently. I always used the full amount of water, I guess that works out to a 33% lye solution. I did hold back some oil to add after the cook to superfat with, sometimes a small amount of canned goat's milk concentrate as well. Many add a small bit of water after the cook to make it more fluid, make it easier to get into the mold, but I've never tried that myself.

I think the idea of extra water/fluid is to get a smoother batter. HTH

 

[Guest]

When I use to make HP soap, I used the full amount of water that was given. Meaning I didnt take a "discount". Using the full amount of water helped keep the soap more smooth for pouring.

 

[soapgardener]

I tried an experiment once with HP.... I used an excessive amount of water (I usually use a 50% lye solution- here I used about a 20% lye solution). The excessive amount of water slowed the reaction WAY down. It took forever to trace, then took even longer to gel. I had to heat and stir for almost an hour before enough water evaporated off for the the reaction to get going. Now I'm back to using a 50% lye soluton. I keep a few cups of water nearby which I add slowly as the soap is cooking. (after the soap gels). I add just enough water to keep the soap a bit more fluid than mashed potatoes. This way, the soap will stay together when I glop it into the mold and will not be crumbly. It takes about a week after I cut it for the soap to dry.