Zany's no slime castile

[dibbles]

I am wondering. Does the baking soda in the water do anything as far as reducing/eliminating the slime factor or is it just there to create faux sea water?

 

[atiz]

KiwiMoose - these are gorgeous - may I clarify - soda ash yielded this gorgeous color? I have done some fabric dyeing, and I thought soda ash was used to help dye "latch onto" fiber - I have never heard of using it on its own?

Thank you very much for your time!

'Soda ash' refers to that white powder that tends to pop up on the surface of certain soaps. So it's not an extra ingredient you add; it is something that happens to your soap, and it bothers some people enough to try to get rid of it.

 

[Clarice]

AHA!!!! So she colored the soap blue, and the presence of the beautiful cream / white on the soap surface is the soda ash? Thanks so much!

Just made my first batch of this - only to realize after I poured it that I had forgotten to set SF to 0 - it was at default 5%. We will see how it comes out!

took a fair while to come to trace, which, per Z's instructions on first page, sounds like it is normal (blend for 5 - 25 mins)

Pictures when I unmold!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

... or is it just there to create faux sea water?

It's there to create faux sea water.

... I had forgotten to set SF to 0 - it was at default 5%. We will see how it comes out!

Olive oil is high in "unsaponifiables" so the purpose of 0% SF is to saponify as much of the oil as possible to reduce the slime factor. Even at that % some of the fatty acids remain. I'm interested to see how this batch comes out, slime-wise.

 

[dibbles]

It's there to create faux sea water.

Thank you

 

[KiwiMoose]

So the bad news is, that mine is still a little slimy :-(
I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to do with the super fat given that I used 85% oo, 10%CO and 5% castor. So I think I just over super fatted. Or super over fatted

 

[atiz]

Mine was quite slimy for the first couple of weeks (100% olive, no SF); now it is almost 3 weeks old and noticeably getting better. Hope the trend continues

 

[dibbles]

@KiwiMoose what SF did you use?

 

[KiwiMoose]

I used 2%
And hey! Check out these crazy cats now...5 weeks into cure and they’re mottled blue/lavender!

 

[Donee']

There are some awesome YT vids on Aleppo soap making in the original country.
Gigantic pots and then they take by bucketful and spread it out on a huge floor - this is soap making to the extreme.

 

[Clarice]

100000% FAIL! LOL

Just peeked at the batch from last night - and it is like a creamy liquid. I can stick my finger straight down into each mold

No idea what I did wrong, as I did get a trace in mixing.

I followed the recipe with the following error - forgot to put SF to 0%. I made a 500 gm batch. I found that the lye mixture (with the faux sea water) was an opaque white in color. Should this have been a clue that something was amiss?

I poured into individual molds which i covered and wrapped in old rugs.

This AM? Looks like body butter

Oh well - trying again!

It's an adventure!

 

[atiz]

100000% FAIL! LOL

Just peeked at the batch from last night - and it is like a creamy liquid. I can stick my finger straight down into each mold

No idea what I did wrong, as I did get a trace in mixing.

I followed the recipe with the following error - forgot to put SF to 0%. I made a 500 gm batch. I found that the lye mixture (with the faux sea water) was an opaque white in color. Should this have been a clue that something was amiss?

I poured into individual molds which i covered and wrapped in old rugs.

This AM? Looks like body butter

Oh well - trying again!

It's an adventure!

You might just need to wait a little more for it to set — it might not have gelled due to the individual molds and then it can take a long time.

 

[Clarice]

So just recover it, and leave it alone? Or pop in the oven?

It seems to have literally not set up at ALL - looks just like the light trace it had when i poured it into the molds?

OK - i reran the recipe with 0% SF through the soap calculator (attached)

I am concerned about the hardness, cleansing, bubbly?

Counterintuitive - or is this your point Zany - as in - with 1.7 faux sea water : 1 NaOH this works?

Thanks much, C

 

[Dawni]

100000% FAIL! LOL

Just peeked at the batch from last night - and it is like a creamy liquid. I can stick my finger straight down into each mold

No idea what I did wrong, as I did get a trace in mixing.

I followed the recipe with the following error - forgot to put SF to 0%. I made a 500 gm batch. I found that the lye mixture (with the faux sea water) was an opaque white in color. Should this have been a clue that something was amiss?

I poured into individual molds which i covered and wrapped in old rugs.

This AM? Looks like body butter

Oh well - trying again!

It's an adventure!

See what happens if you wait a little longer.

Maybe that excess in superfat is what's making it harden longer?

My lye water was cloudy too btw and also others got the same, so I don't think it's that.

I haven't touched mine to test, I should soon. It's about 3wks into curing now but since mine was HP I was able to test with crumbs off my pot and I don't recall slimy feeling.

But that could also be because I didn't use solely olive oil, but a blend of other soft oils and the recommended coconut and castor?

 

[Clarice]

I am going to make another 500 gm batch with 0% SF and see how that goes. Do you recommend boosting the gelling process with the oven if using individual molds?

Thanks!

 

[Dean]

I am going to make another 500 gm batch with 0% SF and see how that goes. Do you recommend boosting the gelling process with the oven if using individual molds?

Thanks!

I have found gelling soap makes a softer bar. If softness is a concern, I would not gel this recipie.

 

[Clarice]

Thank you Dean! If these buggers got any softer, they would be like water - HAH!

Having said that - I just finished the re-make with 0% SF and being MUCH more careful about the oil to lye temp and it came to trace faster. I also worked it to a harder trace than yesterday - so - - - finger crossed!!!

Any ideas with what to do with the first batch if it just stays mush? Any way to repurpose? Or should I just pitch?

Thanks!

 

[Dean]

Thank you Dean! If these buggers got any softer, they would be like water - HAH!

Having said that - I just finished the re-make with 0% SF and being MUCH more careful about the oil to lye temp and it came to trace faster. I also worked it to a harder trace than yesterday - so - - - finger crossed!!!

Any ideas with what to do with the first batch if it just stays mush? Any way to repurpose? Or should I just pitch?

Thanks!

Btw...I freeze one hr to prevent partial gel. Nothing else has worked for me.

Not sure what to do with the mush. Hopefully someone will chime in. I was rarely blessed by the soaping gods with glass smooth rock hard bars from my variation of recipie. They could dbl as projectile ammunition. Pentagon...PM me

 

[KiwiMoose]

I am going to make another 500 gm batch with 0% SF and see how that goes. Do you recommend boosting the gelling process with the oven if using individual molds?

Thanks!

I didn't gel mine. And yes, my lye water was very cloudy.

OK - i reran the recipe with 0% SF through the soap calculator (attached)

I am concerned about the hardness, cleansing, bubbly?

Counterintuitive - or is this your point Zany - as in - with 1.7 faux sea water : 1 NaOH this works?

Thanks much, C

A castile will not give the expected numbers in Soap Calc. Your numbers are similar to mine with the exception that I DID use CO and castor so a little more in those areas. But the oleic is very high and the cleaning/bubbly very low, yes.

 

[Clarice]

Thanks all for your great input and info!

Has anyone tried to add MEADOWFOAM to this or other recipes to up the "silkiness" factor? I just got some and am dying to use.

Would you use it in addition to Castor - or instead of?

Off to make one of Reinbeau's Cream Soap Recipes!

YIPPEE

This is REALLY bringing out my inner Mad Scientist (my Mad has been out for a long time, it is the Scientist that is new!)